Summary

• FF7 Rebirth impresses with small details that make its world feel real.
• The pianist who left Costa del Sol to elope shows up again in Cosmo Canyon.
• Interesting background chatter in FF7 Rebirth improves on Remake.

There's a lot of impressive detail to be found in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and sometimes it's the smallest inclusions that end up proving the most impressive. Although FF7 Rebirth can be content to fill out some of its content with meaningless tasks reminiscent of many modern open-world games, venturing into its cities, trying out minigames, and buckling in for the main narrative ride consistently impresses with the level of bespoke content. Some of these highlights will show up in every playthrough, but other things can be shockingly easy to miss.

Part of what made the original FF7 stand out was how much its world felt like a lived-in place, and FF7 Rebirth nobly attempts to recreate this goal in its own way. The new game loses some of the grit and grunge that characterize the original take on Gaia, finding its own strengths in doing things that the original game didn't. At its best, FF7 Rebirth showcases a concern for having the setting be more than just a backdrop, making small moments and minor NPCs feel like a genuine part of the story.

FF7 Rebirth's Missing Pianist Shows Up In Cosmo Canyon

A Minor Costa Del Sol Moment Surprisingly Gets A Resolution

One cool piece of FF7 Rebirth's continuity was pointed out by Reddit minigames to earn beachwear in Costa del Sol, Tifa subs in for a pianist who eloped to give an emergency performance at the request of Andrea Rhodea and Madam M. It can be a fun challenge for those who enjoy the minigame, although the pressure of a public performance can make nabbing a high rank a bit more stressful than usual.

Changing the note speed can sometimes make the piano minigame easier, as the slowest setting can feel at odds with some of the faster tunes.

The setup for the event feels like it could easily just be a complete throwaway, but a bit of NPC dialogue in Cosmo Canyon ties back to it in a nice nod. The couple can be found at the inn, where one brings up the piano concert that they left unmanned in a brief moment of concern. FF7 Rebirth's lack of direct interaction with background NPC conversations leaves the party unable to reassure the couple that everything went off without a hitch, but its one neat example of why paying attention to chatter throughout the game can be surprisingly satisfying.

Background NPCs Are Often Memorable In FF7 Rebirth

There's A Lot Of Personality In Minor Characters

The pianist callback is far from the only moment of memorable background dialogue in FF7 Rebirth, and it's one of the areas where the game takes an FF7 Remake system and improves on how engaging its usage is. This strength becomes obvious early in the game, with the expanded take on Kalm housing plenty of interesting characters and conversations. From a musical performance that's fully just there in the background to an inn visitor overburdened with plushes of classic Final Fantasy creatures, it's easy to fall in love with even the most irrelevant figures.

It's surprisingly easy to make the argument that many one-off NPCs are better inclusions than some of the more major ones, partly thanks to the fact that they don't overstay their welcome in the game. If Chadley was distilled down to one or two funny bits instead of a constant presence throughout FF7 Rebirth, it's likely that he would make a much more positive impression. Building fleshed-out and consistently interesting characters can be hit or miss, but filling up Junon with funny moments as Cloud runs around recruiting soldiers goes off without a hitch.

FF7 Rebirth's Attention To Detail Makes It Stand Out

The World Of Gaia Doesn't Feel Like A Facade

FF7 Rebirth's commitment to this kind of detail is particularly refreshing in the larger context of modern JRPGs, where the small touches that make up a world can often get lost in scale. The genre historically had trouble adapting to the HD era, with the memorable franchises that made the transition smoothly being a minority compared to the number that fell by the wayside. A large part of the pleasure in older titles could come from wandering through every house in a town and chatting to NPCs with distinct gimmicks, which made worlds feel like more than set dressing.

Making that happen with modern production values, however, is far more demanding than it was in the 16-bit era, and plenty of games have more or less given it up entirely. Exploring a large city full of facade buildings is consistently disappointing, especially when the NPCs on the streets do nothing more than parrot the basic narrative setup or local politics, and it's a scenario that occurs all too often.

FF7 Rebirth manages to generally elevate itself above this approach, partly through its incredibly high production value in general and partly through smart application of it. Although the number of interiors in each town still tends to be limited, they're laid out in a way that doesn't emphasize facade structures, and the buildings that can be explored are consistently memorable. It's not possible to actually strike up a conversation with the average NPC, but care is afforded to making the chatter that happens as the party es by more than filler.

Getting the small scenes right is a big part of what makes an RPG feel like more than a dressed-up action game, so it's definitely nice to see how well FF7 Rebirth does this in some regards. The progression from FF7 Remake's often less interesting conversations bodes well for FF7 Remake Part 3, even as the climactic events might start skewing more NPC chatter towards discussion of looming threats. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has huge story moments and cinematic showdowns to offer, but it's moments like running across the eloped pianist that can really tie the whole affair together.

Source: Charizauce/Reddit