One big draw of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the chance to play as Cloud Strife and company, and the action-oriented reimagining of the original game’s combat offers a lot of opportunities for fun with each of them. That being said, not every playable character in FF7 Rebirth is created equal. While some are immediately engaging to pick up and play, others offer slightly less in the way of thrills.
The key playable characters from Final Fantasy 7 Remake all return in FF7 Rebirth, striking out from Midgar to journey across the world of Gaia. Joining them are other party members from the original FF7 that enter the story after Midgar, and Red XIII, who appears in Remake but isn’t playable, gets a proper spotlight in Rebirth. There are also a couple of brief instances of playing other characters for specific story beats – like a stint as Sephiroth showcased in the game’s demo – but these lack the full array of options and repeated relevance of the main party members.
FF7 Rebirth Review: “A Beautiful Showcase Of A Timeless Story”
FF7 Rebirth is an exceptional return to the world of Gaia that leans heavily into its star-studded memorable cast and a classic-but-reimagined story,
9 Zack Gets A Little Attention In FF7 Rebirth
Broadsword
Zack Fair is a fan-favorite Final Fantasy character, and the chance to step into his shoes again in FF7 Rebirth can be exciting. He’s not a principal playable character, however, and his own options with the Buster Sword aren’t necessarily as exciting as Cloud’s. It’s still fun to revisit the character, but it’s hard to compare the experience to any recurring party members.
8 Sephiroth Is A Proficient Soldier
Masamune
Like Zack, Sephiroth is more of a side attraction as a playable FF7 Rebirth character. He does make a bit of a mark, however, especially with a synergy attack that teams him up with Cloud while their ill-fated pairing still stands. His long Masamune blade makes for a more distinct feel in combat than Zack’s use of the Buster Sword, making the overall minor amount of time that he’s playable a bit of a tease.
7 Aerith Relies On Spell Attacks
Staff
Aerith is a beloved FF7 character, but that doesn’t make her the most exciting option in combat. She can be very useful, both for healing and for increasing stagger in some situations, but her standard magical attacks aren’t as fun to deploy as most alternatives. Even though they can be game-changers, her abilities and limit breaks also tend to be less exciting than unleashing a flurry of blows from a more aggressive character, so it’s hard to rank her highly when talking about playable entertainment factor.
Does Aerith Die In FF7 Rebirth?
The fate of Aerith in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been under debate, especially considering how the remake series is shaking things up.
6 Barret Is A Long-Range Tank
Gun-Arm
Barret is a great option to have around for ranged combat in FF7 Rebirth, making it easier to deal damage to enemies that stay out of reach or deploy dangerous area of effect attacks in their vicinity. His tanky stats also make it possible for him to take some extra hits, although his ability to actually avoid attacks isn’t the best, with a dodge roll that’s nowhere near as nimble as Tifa’s.
FF7 Rebirth certainly isn’t a dedicated shooter, however, and ranged combat mostly amounts to holding down a button while locking onto an enemy. Swapping to Barret to take out a flying foe can be refreshing, but he’s generally not going to be a first choice as a playable character in combat, as melee weapons simply prove more exciting.
FF7 Remake Co-Director Reveals Why Barret Had Playable Section
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5 Cait Sith Has Unique Gameplay
Megaphone
Cait Sith has the most unusual gameplay style of any lovable FF7 Rebirth characters, which definitely makes him worth checking out. He can enter the fray both alone and on top of his Moogle companion, keeping a megaphone as his weapon of choice like in the original game, a versatility that makes Cait Sith a personal favorite for director Naoki Hamaguchi, he told Screen Rant in an interview. A couple of key abilities for Cait Sith are based on random luck rather than consistent damage output, so he’s most appealing as a playable character for those who like to gamble.
4 Red XIII Balances Defense & Offense
Collar
A big part of what makes Red XIII stand out in combat is Vengeance Mode, mimicking Cloud’s setup in giving Red a distinct fighting style that he can shift into. Defensive play powers up the shift into Vengeance Mode, which makes playing him a push-pull balance between defense and offense. This might be FF7 Rebirth‘s best incentive to get good at blocking, as dodging attacks by rolling away is the more tempting option with some other characters.
3 Tifa Is A Fast & Furious Fighter
Knuckles
The real joy of playing Tifa in FF7 Rebirth comes from how fast her gameplay is, with agile movement and flurries of blows that make it easy to outmaneuver slower enemies. When this speed is combined with some excellent abilities, she can be great at increasing stagger or simply putting the pressure on foes to let other characters get a window of opportunity. Her synergy skills can also give her some extra air or help her block or dodge attacks, and deploying them at the right time is highly satisfying.
Does Tifa Die In FF7 Rebirth?
The possibility of Tifa’s death in FF7 Rebirth has been in discussion ever since the game’s announcement. Now, we have a definitive answer.
2 Yuffie Has It All In FF7 Rebirth Combat
Shuriken
Yuffie made her debut as a playable remake character in FF7 Remake: Episode INTERmission, a DLC only available when playing the game on PS5 or PC. Anyone who’s played INTERmission has the advantage of having spent time coming to grips with her playstyle, which is more complicated than most of the alternatives. With a mix of physical and magical standard attacks that can be deployed in melee or at range, Yuffie has a lot going on.
This versatility ultimately makes Yuffie shine, as she can be an effective choice to play in virtually any battle, regardless of enemy mobility or resistances. A new batch of synergy skills are the cherry on top, following up on the fact that she introduced the mechanic in the INTERmission DLC.
1 Cloud Is A Master Of The Blade
Broadsword
It’s no surprise that Cloud’s battle techniques are refined and dynamic, as he remains the default party leader and protagonist of the overall FF7 Rebirth experience. The Buster Sword and similarly oversized alternatives feel impactful in a way that befits their size, but swings still happen at high enough speeds to avoid any accompanying feeling of sluggishness. Cloud’s strength can be further exaggerated by switching from Operator Mode to Punisher, which trades off mobility for more intense flurries of blows.
FF7 Remake players will already be familiar with some powerful weapon abilities for Cloud that can be accessed again in Rebirth. Braver transforms a limit break from the original FF7 into a consistently handy tool for damage, and Triple Slash can tear through multiple enemies at once. It’s easy to go with the flow and spend most of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth playing as Cloud, and it’s just as easy to have a good time while doing so.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake and will see Cloud and his friends set off beyond the walls of Midgar to explore the world, stop Sephiroth’s machinations, and see the world outside their slum prison. Now that the whispers of fate no longer guide the characters along the pre-destined path set in the original PlayStation classic Final Fantasy 7, the heroes (and villains) will shape the future. The game will still visit prominent locales and revisit crucial story points, but it will be a more significant departure from the first game from the source material.
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy 7
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
- Released
- February 29, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix Business Division 1
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG , Adventure
- ESRB
- T
- Prequel(s)
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake , Final Fantasy 7: Dirge of Cerberus , Final Fantasy 7 , Crisis Core -Final Fantasy 7- Reunion
