Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gets pretty much everything right, from its gameplay to its narrative. It is hard to fault Rebirth as, at least to this JRPG aficionado, it is the perfect experience. Naturally, detractors will point to the game's endless cavalcade of mini-games, some of which are a genuine joy to play through, while others feel like the developers were purposefully trying to test out patience. However, beyond that, the rest of the game is practically perfect.
Well, it is almost practically perfect, save for one truly terrible part that actually has nothing to do with the aforementioned divisive mini-games. Many may even want one of Remake Part 3's many improvements to see this part of Rebirth cut out completely, and I'd understand. However, as much as I hated it in Rebirth, were it done correctly, it could serve as an interesting addition that actually helps flesh out one of the series' better features: its characters.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Cait Sith Mission Is Dreadful
It Is Easily One Of The Worst Parts Of The Game
When people think of FF7 Rebirth's most controversial features, they tend to gravitate towards its mini-games, and rightfully so. As aforementioned, while some of them are an absolute blast like Queen's Blood, a handful do drag the entire experience down. That's not to say they make it a bad game, as that couldn't be further from the truth, but they certainly don't add anything positive to the experience. However, as much as some of them are a bit of a letdown, by far the worst part of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, at least in my opinion, is Cait Sith's mission.
It may go down in infamy as one of gaming's worst levels, not just because it's a completely unnecessary addition that only serves to extend a relatively short section from the original game into an extremely grating hour-long endeavor, but because it is so mind-bogglingly frustrating that I'm surprised that anyone greenlit it. For those who aren't in the know or perhaps have rightfully repressed the memory of playing it, Cait Sith's mission sees players control him through Shinra Manor as he attempts to help the others get through.
Even with this mission, Rebirth remains one of the best RPGs of all time, but I have to say that it is one of the reasons I've struggled to replay it recently, as the memory of bouncing slowly around on Cait Sith's moogle as I attempt to throw boxes at a switch haunts my nightmares. That might be a tad hyperbolic, but the mission's excruciatingly slow pace, unbalanced fights, and annoying boss fight all serve to make it the game's single worst aspect. However, in saying that, I feel like Remake Part 3 should absolutely include something like it.
Final Fantasy Remake Part 3 Needs More Puzzle-Based Missions
They Help Spice Up The Story
Before any Cait Sith haters begin to furiously scream at their screens, I do feel like the puzzle-based focus of this mission, in conjunction with a character's ability, is rather interesting. Of course, it has been done a lot in other games, but there's something special about how FF7 Rebirth integrated Cait Sith's combat and movement abilities into the core design philosophy of this linear, puzzle-focused mission, even if it wasn't to great success. It may be one of Rebirth's most criticized aspects, but there is something here that could work if adapted correctly.
There is a good chance that Part 3 won't be open-world, or, at the very least, will have fewer open area segments. If that is the case, then it will need to add more variety to its linear sequences, as players will get bored if they're forced through endless corridors of combat gauntlets and a bit of exploration. Remake managed to get away with it because it was novel at the time, and isn't long. However, if Part 3 wants to aim for a similar length to Rebirth, then it needs more going on than Remake had to offer.
More missions like the Cait Sith one, albeit that are significantly less boring and poorly balanced, could help to keep things interesting while also getting players to engage with each character on another level beyond combat.
Naturally, I believe that character-focused puzzle missions are the go-to answer, especially considering how vast Part 3's cast will be. More missions like the Cait Sith one, albeit that are significantly less boring and poorly balanced, could help to keep things interesting while also getting players to engage with each character on another level beyond combat. It gives Square Enix a chance to flex its level design muscles and to add more to each of Cloud's crew that wasn't possible in the original Final Fantasy 7 experience. Frankly, it seems like a win-win situation.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3's Characters Need To Feel More Important To Gameplay
They Should All Get Their Own Unique Puzzle-Based Mission
Final Fantasy Remake Part 3 will likely see Vincent Valentine and Cid added to the playable roster, and I'd be interested to see how they fare in a Cait Sith-esque mission. Vincent could use his pistols to blast away boxes, not unlike the mine cart segment in Rebirth, or Cid could have to navigate difficult aerial challenges in the Highwind. There could also be missions for the original cast, such as having Tifa platform and somersault her way through a tricky laser-ridden obstacle course, or Cait Sith even getting another shot at throwing boxes at switches.
Of course, all of these would have to be substantially more interesting and fleshed out than what Rebirth offered, or else they risk feeling like mini-games. They also shouldn't be relegated to Part 3's side quests, or they could end up being skipped by players. I want to see how Square Enix manages to improve upon what it attempted in Rebirth, as that has felt like the trajectory of this remake experience since the start. It should get another chance at rectifying the mistakes it made in order to make Part 3 the greatest game in the series.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Needs To Release In 2025 Otherwise It Could Fail
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 is a highly anticipated game, but if it takes too long to release, it could see its sales dwindle significantly.
Ultimately, there's a lot that must change from Rebirth, and Cait Sith's dreadful mission is one of them. However, as awful as it may have been and as frustrating as it makes returning to Shinra Manor, I do think there's more than enough room for improvement. Square Enix could take the concepts and flesh them out in Part 3. While it may not be to everyone's liking, I genuinely believe that with more thought and care, these alone could elevate Part 3 above Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and make it a genuinely compelling linear single-player JRPG adventure.
Source: Sofi⁷ @ 29/Twitter
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
-
- Top Critic Avg: 92/100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- February 29, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- PC Release Date
- January 23, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- February 29, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PC
- How Long To Beat
- 40 Hours
- Metascore
- 93
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Wiki
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Your comment has not been saved