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Their playground was a patch of scrubland swathed in gas and it was causing them to act bizarrely.
When they stepped into the miasma poof!
they became frogs; when they stepped out, they transformed back into their human selves.
It also casts a steely gaze on the privileged few basking in riches elsewhere.
But the story opens at breakneck speed, picking up straight after the events ofRemake.
Large portions of Midgar have been reduced to rubble and the nefarious Sephiroth has escaped.
Id wagerRebirthlives up to their lofty expectations.
This is sprawling, (mostly) beautiful, and filled with all manner of things to do.
WhatRebirthdoesnt offer is an emergent, physics-driven open world in the vein ofrecentZeldagames.
Rather its mechanics, combat, exploration, and other little interactions are tidily siloed off from one another.
Thats not to say there isnt majesty in this open world.
The view aint all that, he says.
Not unless you enjoy staring at ruined reactors.
(One beach scene verges on soft porn).
And when the movie-quality cinematics kick in, these action figures come alive.
IfRemakedelivered the version of Midgar that existed in the imaginations of fans, thenRebirthdoes the same forFF7sexpansive second act.
But it has not succumbed yet.
Thats the essence ofRebirth, a game about getting by in hard times.
In spite of its obvious absurdity, it is almost overwhelmingly relatable.
