Summary

• FF7 Rebirth's combat system is robust, complex, and engaging, blending classic features with real-time action.
• The game's combat can sometimes feel messy in challenging fights, with the shuffle of menu options distracting from the thrill.
• FF7 Remake Part 3 must evolve combat carefully, balancing complexity to avoid overloading on mechanics.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's robust combat system is one of the game's greatest strengths, but it could also create one of the biggest design hurdles for FF7 Remake Part 3 to overcome. Combat in the Final Fantasy series has evolved and experimented a lot over the years, going from the iconic Active Time Battle system that gave turn-based mechanics some added pressure to a number of recent experiments with real-time action. FF7 Remake found a new balance in a unique hybrid of the original game's systems and real-time action, a powerful cocktail that Rebirth doubled down on.

The core of FF7 Rebirth's combat system isn't all that different from the average, with a lot of whacking enemies with weapons and blocking or dodging their return blows. Layered on top of that are multiple arrays of menu-based commands, from magic attacks that exploit enemy weaknesses to synergy attacks that pair off multiple party to deliver powerful techniques. Experience with FF7 Remake or even the original FF7 makes an understanding of most elements fall into place fairly quickly, and players can ultimately figure out what they enjoy using and what they're comfortable ignoring.

FF7 Rebirth's Combat Is Already Filled To The Brim

An Engaging System Is More Than Complete

The complexity of FF7 Rebirth's combat is a good thing on the whole, making a streamlined action title still feel like a proper RPG in one of the areas where it counts. It can be at its best when juggling the most complex mechanics, as showcased by the fun that can be had learning Red XIII's ability to turn defense into offense or Yuffie's, well, everything. At the same time, it's just a lot more than FF7 Remake's approach was, and it does raise the question of where FF7 Remake Part 3 can reasonably go from here.

Video game sequels are often defined by maximalist attitudes, and FF7 Remake Part 3 will probably be no exception. At minimum, Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind should both be entering the fray as proper party , adding spear attacks and a different flavor of gunplay into the mix. If the transition is anything like the one between FF7 Remake and Rebirth, combat might also add another layer or two for every party member, whether that comes in the form of revamping synergy, extending magic options, or introducing new systems altogether.

All this would be well and good if there was room to it, but there might not be. FF7 Rebirth has extensive options for abilities, spells, items, summons (who, of course, have their own abilities), synergy skills, synergy abilities, and limit breaks. Individual foes can be mastered through exploiting weakness to pressure and stagger them, two interlinked but distinct mechanics. Taking the optimal approach to a fight can require finding a good party composition, building it up with the right equipment and Folio development, and swapping characters frequently in the midst of battle.

FF7 Rebirth's Combat Isn't Always At Its Best

Some Fights Feel More Messy Than Thrilling

Combat systems with a lot of meat on them can be one of the joys of RPGs, and when it comes to classic turn-based combat in particular, it's usually the games with the more complex systems that prove the most satisfying. Where it can start to feel like more of a distraction, however, is in the chaotic action of FF7 Rebirth's hardest fights. Nothing in the main story requires all that much experimentation with the game's systems – and none are generally hard to master – but knowing how to ping-pong between everything doesn't always make the side battles fun.

Dodging is often more fun than blocking, but in a few fights, employing the latter makes things a lot easier.

The least enjoyable challenges in FF7 Rebirth are the ones where it throws multiple bosses into one arena. With three party running around and performing their own array of actions, an understanding of timing and positioning quickly becomes minimally relevant, replaced by shuffling through menus and swapping characters constantly. It's sometimes hard not to pine for a system built around precise difficulty like Sekiro, where the lack of extraneous options makes it possible for encounters to hone in on the pure perfection of action and response.

The Tricky Path Forward For FF7 Remake Part 3

Evolving Combat Without Overburdening It

Some of these minor hang-ups could be solved in FF7 Remake Part 3 by simply ensuring that optional bosses are built around harder versions of the same design prerogatives as main story bosses, which are generally more well-honed encounters in FF7 Rebirth. In most instances, FF7 Rebirth's combat complexity does prove more engaging than FF7 Remake's, which offered fewer relevant strategic options and stopped short of any real challenge to incentivize mastery.

Another key point is that FF7 Remake Part 3 would do best to avoid tacking on more menu options. New ideas could be exciting, but with controller mapping just about filled up and a frequent need to shuffle through menus (easy to do quickly, but somewhat monotonous by the end of the game), implementing them on top of what's already there could result in the system buckling under its own weight.

A good example of a model to follow lies in the shift in skill trees, which went from an uninspiring weapon upgrade option in FF7 Remake to a still-uninspiring but moderately more relevant Folio system in Rebirth. It's a clean swap, with the new mechanic replacing the old one entirely, and that kind of house cleaning will probably be necessary if Square Enix is set on freshening up combat again. There's obviously a danger in throwing a sense of progression out the window, however, so it's still a tactic that would have to be approached with great caution.

The main thing, ultimately, is that FF7 Remake Part 3 needs to consistently design encounters that make these systems tick. FF7 Rebirth's combat is fun and features plenty of great bosses, but its array of mechanics can swing from completely unnecessary to annoyingly central depending on the encounter. Piling anything else on top will only make it harder to achieve any real synthesis, so Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has definitely blazed a trail that will be hard for FF7 Remake Part 3 to follow.