Summary
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthis a triumph, staying true to the spirit of the first game while expanding on it in significant, explosive ways. Even thoughFF7 Rebirthfell short of sales expectations, its massive open-world, astounding soundtrack, and well-presented narrative make it a must-play for PlayStation owners.
And, of course, one can’t discussFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthwithout touching on its gameplay variety. Combat may be the bread-and-butter of the gameplay loop, butRebirthtakes every opportunity to provide novel ways to engage with the game, mainly through a plethora of rewarding mini-games. Indeed, it’s hard not to be surprised each time one of these ambitious side activities makes its debut. That said, some are better than others.
The following tier list is evaluating repeatable mini-games that revolve around new gameplay mechanics. Thus, set pieces likeBarrett’s minecart shooting gallery in North Corelor the Musclehead Colosseum will not be included.
S Tier
Queen’s Blood
Queen’s Blood is the bestFF7 Rebirthmini-game, hands-down. The in-universe card game is easy to learn and hard to master, the center of one of the game’s best side quests, and has a killer theme song to boot. IfFF7 Rebirtheventually gets a Queen’s Blood DLCthat offers improvements and additional features, then it’s easy to see the mini-game remaining relevant for years to come.
Chocobo Race
WhenChocobo GPflopped in 2022, no one could have predicted that aFinal Fantasyversion ofMario Kartwould make a comeback, but that’s exactly what happened with Chocobo Race. The side activity is almost a full game in and of itself, complete with multiple maps, special abilities, and stat-altering gear, all of which set the stage for incredible replay value.
Piano
It’s definitely one of the harder mini-games to master, but the creative potential offered byFF7 Rebirth’s extensive piano mini-gameis hard to deny. Through this optional activity,Rebirthprovides players with a fully functional virtual piano, which makes it more replayable than perhaps any other mini-game inRebirth.
A Tier
Fort Condor
It can be tough and even a bit unfair at times, but Fort Condor’s straightforward, strategic gameplay and appropriately retro art style make it one of the most endearing and satisfying mini-games on offer. Its biggest flaw is that there’s not more of it.
Gears and Gambits
Gears and Gambits is another tacticalFF7 Rebirthmini-gamethat’s remarkably similar to Fort Condor, designed around building up special abilities and strategically positioning units in an effort to bring down an enemy force. Like Fort Condor, there’s some randomness involved, but when things line up, it’s just good, simple fun.
Glide de Chocobo
Glide de Chocobo is one ofFF7 Rebirth’s toughest mini-games. Nevertheless, the challenge is fair, the flying mechanics are fun, and earning top rank on all the mini-game’s levels is immensely gratifying.
Galactic Saviors
Like Chocobo Race,Galactic Saviors is a great Gold Saucer diversion, giving players a bit of sci-fi action in the form of an enjoyable, if a bit easy, arcade spaceship shooter. Its novelty and visual splendor help it stand out amidstRebirth’s other great mini-games.
Run Wild
Akin to a pared-downRocket League, Run Wild is a chaotic, often hilarious distraction, and one ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s best uses of Red XIII outside combat.
Jumpfrog
Once again,FF7 Rebirthappears to be taking some inspiration from another popular game. In the case of Jumpfrog, clear parallels can be drawn between it andFall Guys, though the former is naturally far more restrained. Its simple mechanics coupled with its ridiculous premise make it one ofFF7 Rebirth’s most pleasant surprises.
Dolphin Show
Wave Racerwith dolphins sounds great on paper, but it’s even better in practice. Dolphin Show isRebirthat its best: it’s silly, fast, and flashy.
B Tier
Junon Parade
Junon Parade’s greatest strength is its bombastic and campy presentation, but it’s a bit bland from a gameplay perspective. Aside from organizing a loadout, the mini-game boils down to an extended quicktime event, making it more forgettable than it could have been.
Crunch-Off
Crunch-Off is the new version ofFF7 Remake’spull-up mini-game, and as such, it’s fairly predictable fare for returning players. It’s essentially another long quicktime event, but with enough wrenches thrown into the mix to keep it from getting stale or too easy.
G-Bike
Another new-and-improvedRemakemini-game, G-Bike is a good time, if fairly repetitive and generally uninspired. It’s fun, but lacks the creativity, depth, and charm of the game’s best side activities.
Hustle de Chocobo
This is perhaps the most straightforward mini-game of the bunch. Hustle de Chocobo is a no-frills, enjoyable time trial, but it’s hard to justify playing it over Chocobo Race.
Pirate’s Rampage
Pirate’s Rampage is just about as standard as a video game side activity can be. There’s certainly fun to be had with it, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t stand out from other run-of-the-mill shooting galleries.
C Tier
Moogle Mischief
FF7 Rebirth’s Moogles get a bad rap, but criticism of their recurring mini-game is warranted. Moogle Mischief can sometimes be more annoying than fun, as it revolves around a herding mechanic that toes the line between frustrating and boring.
Cactuar Crush
Cactuar Crush is a basic combat challenge whose only real novelty is a time limit and specific enemy weaknesses and resistances. Like Moogle Mischief, these systems can combine to be grating.
Desert Rush
Desert Rush is yet another returningRemakemini-game, though this one should perhaps have remained in the past. It’s not a disaster, but getting its top rank requires a lot of trial and error, and with its main gameplay involving little more than spamming the attack button, it definitely leaves a lot to be desired.
3D Brawler
ThisPunch Out-inspired mini-game has a few things going for it, mainly thehomage it pays to the originalFinal Fantasy 7. Ultimately, though, it turns out to be dull, lacking the complexity, creativity, and mechanical crunchiness of other mini-games.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
