Summary
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth recreates iconic bosses with modernized mechanics and visuals, expanding on the original's challenges and movesets.
- From the Materia Guardian to Midgardsormr, Rebirth introduces tough early-game bosses with unique weaknesses and devastating attacks. Though the Materia Guardian is a good bit easier this time, Midgardsormr is quite tough and is now a mandatory main path boss fight.
- Terror of the Deep in Rebirth has one less phase in the original, while Jenova functions almost the exact same.
The Final Fantasy franchise is home to some of the most iconic bosses in all of RPG history, and the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7 is certainly no exception. From the bombing mission's opening Scorpion Sentinel fight, to Airbuster and his incredible accompanying theme, to Sephiroth himself, the original Final Fantasy 7 had no shortage of iconic bosses, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake went out of its way to ensure that every single one was not only recreated, but expanded upon, and almost a week out from release, it feels safe to say that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth does exactly the same.
Though there aren't too many bosses in the second act of the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth ensures that they all make it over to the remake, complete with glistening new visuals, modernized mechanics, and slick new movesets that both reference the original and highlight the remake series' refined gameplay. From Junon's undersea terror to Mt. Nibel's protector, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is home to some loving recreations of some of the most iconic bosses ever made.
Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Materia Guardian to the 1997 Original
The first major boss players will encounter in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the Materia Guardian, a boss directly based on the original Final Fantasy 7's Materia Keeper, an absolutely terrifying enemy that isn't faced until players' second visit to Nibelheim. In Rebirth, players will encounter the Materia Guardian during the game's opening Nibelheim flashback, where Cloud and Sephiroth take on the beast together.
The original 1997 version of the Materia Keeper is an incredibly difficult boss fight that's only vulnerable to Poison and Stop Materia. This original version of the boss delivers fast and lethal blows with its Hell Combo move, and its infamous Trine attack can take the entire party down to half-health in just one hit. Being the tutorial boss in Rebirth, the Materia Guardian is significantly weaker than its 1997 counterpart, and can be taken down very easily using Cloud and Sephiroth's regular weapon abilities.
Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Midgardsormr to the 1997 Original
An intimidating but extremely memorable boss in both versions, Midgardsormr is one of the toughest early-game bosses Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has to offer. Called the Midgar Zolom in the 1997 original, this gigantic serpent lives within the swamps of the Grasslands and can be easily avoided in the original by simply outrunning the serpent whilst on the back of a Chocobo. However, in Rebirth, Midgardsormr is a compulsory main story boss, and likely the first one that'll give players a tough time due to its very high health and its devastating area of effect attacks, along with its only real weakness being ice magic and Synergy Abilities. Both versions of this enemy deliver powerful fire-based attacks.
Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Terror of the Deep to the 1997 Original
Originally named Bottomswell in Final Fantasy 7, the Terror of the Deep might not look as intimidating as Midgardsormr, but it's easily just as deadly. A massive fish, the Terror of the Deep and its original 1997 counterpart both rely on bind attacks to keep Cloud and the rest of the party immobilized, whether they're physical bind attacks with its tail, or water-based Materia attacks that trap party members inside a bubble. In the original Final Fantasy 7, this enemy can shift freely between three phases of attack, while its Rebirth counterpart is limited to just two sequential phases that see it swim underwater and then pop its head out.
Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Jenova to the 1997 Original
The first of a good few fights, Jenova is originally faced off against for the first time aboard the Shinra ferry to Costa del Sol in the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7. While those who have played FF7 Remake have technically already faced off against a manifestation of Jenova at the Shinra headquarters, the first encounter with her in Rebirth takes place aboard the same ferry as the original game. Referred to as Jenova:Birth in the original, and Jenova Emergent in Rebirth, this manifestation has very similar attacks across both games, firing out lasers and emitting damaging purple gas.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
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OpenCritic Reviews
- 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
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.
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Metascore
- 93
