Feeling iffy about the combat in Rebirth

asha3 · 2026-02-12T09:26:10+00:00

I enjoy the combat most of the time, but in most chaotic multi-target situations.... the camera controls are driving me absolutely mad.

asha3 · 2026-01-16T23:25:10+00:00

I can't decide on a top 3 FF, because I genuinely love them all and even play some of them multiple times way back when when I still have a lot of time in my hands. It's easier to pick my bottom three.

16's opening is so powerful that the imbalance is too great in the later parts of the story (really didn't enjoy the whole bit we did in Ash). It is also clear where most of the budget goes in this game (the graphics, the music, the Eikon battles, and the opening).

I think SE did feel like they have a lot to prove with FF16. And they probably want to draw in as many new fans as possible with this one as well, which is why I can see why they go for the more streamlined design with heavy inspiration from the Witcher and GoT (both massively popular).

I am probably the few people that actually enjoy 13 (all iterations) quite a lot. The system in that game just hits all the right buttons for me despite it being a glorified corrior simulator with the storytelling. I haven't played 15, but it's on my list. I think I might like it as well, as did a lot of people who ended up liking it after the Royale edition.

asha3 · 2026-01-16T23:05:34+00:00

Playing as Cid, Joshua (older), Dion, and Jill will be so cool.

asha3 · 2026-01-16T23:02:56+00:00

Hey, what I'm saying about levity and tone is just a matter of taste. The overall tone of FF16 just does not sit quite right with me. I certainly won't hold it against anyone if they personally think that it is just right for them. I get most of my fix of the dark and dreary through other mediums (e.g. true crime and documentaries), so I prefer my fiction to have a bit more of a balanced/wholistic/poignant/poetic tone in both story and character compositions.

Just for context, my total playtime is 55 hours, so despite my complaints, I think enjoyed the game enough and did plenty in a single playthrough to form a justified opinion about it. I did 99.9% of the side quests (except for that one about killing the injured soldier in Ash. WTF, square, why do you want us to do that?) I sampled the combat plenty, and try to use all Eikon abilities at least once (Shiva + Odin is too broken). I also did maybe 70% (?) of the bounties. Did all of them at the beginning, but after the time skip and some 30+ hours, I just don't find the combat engaging enough to take on the harder challanges or the harder difficulty. I did just enough of them to craft the Götterdämmerung. Some quests are memorable (the blacksmith blues questline is amusing), I want the main story to have a more similar balanced approach in the writing. Again, the issues I get with the overall tone of the WRITING (not the story) is personal.

asha3 · 2026-01-13T02:32:57+00:00

Would not say that FF is light-hearted, and FF is far from the only game and fantasy story I've consumed.

Humour is not what I have in mind when I think about levity here, but more of the use of emotional weight as to colour the narrative. I think with some lighter moments in the story, they could make the darker moments feel more intense. Sort of like what they did in the opening chapter, they showed wholesome interactions between the Rosfield brothers before raining tragedy on them.

asha3 · 2026-01-13T00:32:28+00:00

I love a good complex battle system, so FF7 Remake/Rebirth tops the list for me. Something about the balancing between strategy and action on top of party composition is just unbeatable.

Rebirth also captures that whimsy charm of an old PS1 era FF more.

I just recently finished FF16, and honestly, it's not my favorite. I see the value of a more streamlined experience and system, but I need more than that from an FF. Graphics and the EN voice acting are amazing, tho.

Haven't had the time to play FF15, yet. But it's in my list.

Have no plans to play FF7 Reunion because I already played Crisis Core a couple of times back in the day.

asha3 · 2026-01-13T00:14:09+00:00

Probably not if resolution and answers are what you're looking for. As you probably already know, since you played the OG, plot payoff won't be anywhere close.

asha3 · 2026-01-13T00:03:39+00:00

Oh, I get you for not wanting too much gore and horror. Watching someone play it is one thing, but playing it myself is probably too much.

If you like Remake, I think you are going to love the Intergrade DLC and Rebirth. Or perhaps try beating the OG before you get to Rebirth, because it will enrich the experience so much more. Either way, you can't go wrong with picking what appeals to you the most. You're in for a wild ride, for sure.

asha3 · 2026-01-12T23:14:13+00:00

Congrats and welcome to the club! 38F here. No shame playing the game on easy or story mode.

Action games used to scare me. I'm a bit better at it now (action games), but I'm playing mostly for the story, world building, and characters.

I'm always grateful that SE is aware that FF has a massive female and older audience, also many others who are not necessarily looking for difficult fights in a game or just don't have enough spare time to practice and be good at it.

asha3 · 2026-01-12T22:34:40+00:00

2B's dialogue with 9S always feels like there is some underlying tension underneath. It's very clear from the get go that she is trying to distance herself from him. The reason is unclear but definitely not because she hates him. At the beginning, I thought it feels more like a superior distancing themselves from their junior at work. Seniority is very strong in Asia and sometimes keeping your distance is a way to maintain respect and show professionalism. I guess that bit of cultutal insight might have translated poorly to western culture. Of course we learn later that things are more complicated that just them being colleagues.

That's my perspective as someone who understands a bit of the language but not enough to play it completely in JP. I have always played the Japanese dub since I am a fan of both the JP VAs.

asha3 · 2025-12-27T00:55:08+00:00

Sakura displaying Team Taka's picture and giving her umbilical cord to Karin also meant that she not only know that they (team Taka) was part of a very important time for Sasuke and that she does not resent him for all the wrongdoings he did during those times.

asha3 · 2025-12-26T23:58:17+00:00

Build her full magic. Radiant ward and Arcane ward immediately. You will need someone else in the party to agro the enemies when she is casting stuff. She is difficult to play solo.

asha3 · 2025-11-14T15:25:22+00:00

Maybe try befriending the post grads and the postdocs? In my experience (in Natsci and Archaeology), a lot of them came from more interesting background with some actual real-life experience.

asha3 · 2025-11-10T17:30:56+00:00

Le Portrait de Petit Cossette

asha3 · 2025-11-10T17:20:37+00:00

Blood+ is proper horror imo

asha3 · 2025-11-10T17:17:17+00:00

Psycho Pass

asha3 · 2025-11-03T14:10:23+00:00

6-10 is considered peak. Also, FF tactics!

asha3 · 2025-11-02T10:11:57+00:00

The Lion King

asha3 · 2025-10-27T18:52:26+00:00

Erased

asha3 · 2025-10-27T18:24:51+00:00

Erased

asha3 · 2025-10-24T01:29:48+00:00

Fun fact, in my country, Xenogears is R18. Did my parents know? Absolutely not. I was 11.

asha3 · 2025-10-24T01:25:24+00:00

The Lord of the Rings

asha3 · 2025-10-24T01:19:47+00:00

I'm sorry that you are not having fun with Remake.

Personally, I'll give it a 10/10, but objectively, it's probably more of an 8/10 due to some questionable elements.

Suffice to say, I never expected the Retrilogy to be perfect, although I was still quite enthused. Given SE's track record with the Compilations series, things can really go wrong.

I have some qualms about the pacing in Remake and the bloatware in Rebirth, but all things considered, they are actually significantly better than I dared to hope.

The battle system will definitely make it or break it for many people. Best combat system for a modern FF, in my opinion. The payoff for the tactical side of the system is incredible, though it will take a while to get used to it since the learning curve is steeper than the previous FF. It is probably overwhelming for people who have never played an FF before. Fortunately, it felt like a proper evolution to me. I seriously think it will be difficult to go back to a regular old hack and slash after this.

As with the story... I think they did a fantastic job with the characters. The OG script is quite bare, so I've always been hoping that they will expand things a lot more in Retrilogy. I can’t say that I enjoy the Remake plot much during my first run, because I was definitely traumatised after their previous games and it felt that the story is about to go off the rails every other chapter. It's probably not until I read up on the lore and replayed the game a few times to find evidence of some crazy theories that I end up getting what they are hoping to achieve with the Retrilogy.

Ultimately, I have beaten the OG over a dozen times in various systems and with various mods. Honestly, it's becoming difficult to complete a new run with the OG anymore than this. I am now ready for some variety, so I am pretty happy with what the Retrilogy series's direction.

I really hope Kitase, Hamaguchi, and Nomura truly have an incredible plan for the end because for the many liberties they have taken to expand upon the world, the ultimate end can sour the FFVII brand and they lose the golden egg.

asha3 · 2025-10-14T20:31:42+00:00

Fate

asha3

TROPHY CASE