Highlights

  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a major hit with critics and fans, boasting a 93 on Metacritic and a 9.0 user score.
  • The Queen's Blood mini-game in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a standout feature, offering a perfect balance between intuitive and complex gameplay.
  • Drawing inspiration from The Witcher's Gwent could be great for Queen's Blood, as it would see the card game potentially getting expansions and a standalone release in the future.

One of the most anticipated sequels in recent memory, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth finally hit store shelves just a few weeks ago, and generally speaking, the reception has been incredibly positive. Currently sitting at a whopping 93 on Metacritic, it feels safe to say that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been a major hit with critics, and with a 9.0 user score on the platform, it seems as though the vast majority of fans agree with them.

A continuation of the bold Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth covers the events of the 1997 original's second act, albeit with a few major additions and changes along the way, and an ending that's already proving to be fairly divisive among fans and critics alike. But in general, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is going down as one of the best Square Enix games in recent memory, and though its engaging story, compelling characters, deep combat, and enticing open-world are all excellent features, its Queen's Blood mini-game is a real standout.

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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Queen's Blood Just Needs to Follow in Gwent's Footsteps

Queen's Blood Is Deserving of a Standalone Release

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has no shortage of mini-games, and they vary wildly in quality. While mini-games like Chocobo Racing offer a surprisingly in-depth experience, there are far too many mini-games in Rebirth that just feel like mindless filler, requiring very little input or effort on the player's part to do well. But Queen's Blood is the complete opposite, standing head and shoulders above even the better Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth mini-games.

A card game that sees players try to hold the most power on the board, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Queen's Blood mini-game has clearly had a lot of time and effort poured into it, and it was all worthwhile. Giving players just a handful of cards to begin with, Queen's Blood does an excellent job of onboarding newcomers at the start of their adventure, and the gradual difficulty increase over the course of the game feels natural and rewarding. Queen's Blood manages to strike the rare perfect balance between intuitive and complex, and it's become a bit of a phenomena among fans.

Gwent Provides The Perfect Blueprint for Queen's Blood

The buzz currently surrounding Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Queen's Blood game feels very similar to The Witcher's own card game, Gwent, which began life in the same way, as a mini-game in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Gwent quickly became an obsession for many players, and became the source of countless memes and community in-jokes. Gwent eventually gained enough popularity to be given a standalone release outside The Witcher 3, where it managed to find an even greater audience.

Released in 2018, Gwent's standalone experience focused primarily on multiplayer competition, though a singleplayer experience was available as well. Titled Thronebreaker, Gwent's single-player mode saw players take control of Queen Meve right before the events of the first Witcher game, delivering a surprisingly compelling story that continued to flesh out the world of The Witcher. Later down the line, Gwent also received a roguelike spin-off titled Rogue Mage, which offered another satisfying deck-building experience.

While Queen's Blood doesn't necessarily need to follow in Gwent's footsteps exactly, it does provide some solid foundations to build off. In a recent interview with Red Bull, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Naoki Hamaguchi briefly mentioned that Queen's Blood expansions are "a possibility," in the future, and should be just the first step in a long, Gwent-like journey. It would be great to see Queen's Blood eventually receive a standalone release, along with a story mode that ties in with Final Fantasy 7's overarching story, and then maybe even expansions that bring more cards to the game based on other Final Fantasy entries.