Highlights

  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth delves deeper into complex narrative themes, with a focus on the "Found Family" trope, adding depth and humor.
  • The game's humor and dialogue reinforce the bonds between characters, showing them as a close-knit group on a journey together.
  • Gameplay mechanics, like the open-world party system, emphasize the importance of unity and solidarity among the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth crew.

The original Final Fantasy 7 has more than its fair share of complex narrative themes at its center. From environmentalism to terrorism to dystopian governments, and a whole lot more in between, Final Fantasy 7's story tries to explore a wealth of complex ideas, though not all are fully fleshed out in that original 1997 version. But that's where Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth comes in.

One of the greatest benefits of splitting the original Final Fantasy 7 into three parts for the remake is that it not only paves the way for more complexity when it comes to gameplay mechanics and presentation but also when it comes to the game's narrative themes. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth simply has more time than the original ever did, which allows for some rather extensive explorations of some of the series' most prevalent themes. Being the second part in a trilogy, Rebirth is able to continue the themes of its predecessor, reinforce them, and introduce new ones, with one of the most engaging being the theme of found family, which Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth explores far more than any FF7 title that came before it.

The 'Found Family' theme or trope—also referred to as 'Family of Choice'—is one often found in fantasy media, and essentially encompasses any narrative that sees the non-biologically-related protagonists form an ongoing social support structure with one another, or in other words, a family.

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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Goes a Long Way In Improving One of the Original's Underdeveloped Characters

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's updates to its source material give one character in particular a chance to shine brighter than in the original game.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Doubles Down On The Series' 'Found Family' Them

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Humor Brings Out New Family Dynamics

While the Final Fantasy franchise has dabbled with humor in its past, many fans weren't expecting Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to be quite as funny as it is. Though the main narrative is still filled with dark and gritty drama, Rebirth has plenty of lighter moments in between that help to keep the game feeling light. There are many benefits to this approach in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but one of the most apparent is that it helps to emphasize the game's found family theme.

While traveling across the planet's various regions, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's party makes constant quips and light-hearted jabs at one another during story sequences and open-world exploration. Along with lightening the mood, these little asides go a long way in developing the thematic bond between each "family" member, resulting in some fun dynamics between the characters that weren't necessarily present in the original Final Fantasy 7. Tifa and Aerith are shown to essentially be sisters, while Barret becomes an almost brother-like figure to Yuffie, and these bonds are all usually forged and reinforced with humor.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Party Travels Together

But it's not just Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's humor and dialogue that establishes its found family theme since several major gameplay mechanics subtly build upon this theme as well. One of the best examples of this is Rebirth's open-world party mechanic. While players can only select three party members to fight alongside, the rest of the crew still follows them around the open world.

Though they don't help much in terms of gameplay, their presence acts as a constant reminder that the entire Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth party is all on this journey together and that they all have each other's backs. Even in the missions where the party splits off into two groups, the overarching goal is to always meet up as soon as possible, cementing this feeling that the party needs to be together and that it'll always come back together.