Summary
One of the most anticipated sequels in recent memory,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthfinally 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 thatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthhas 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 boldFinal Fantasy 7 Remake,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthcovers 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 Rebirthis 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.
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 Rebirthhas no shortage of mini-games, and they vary wildly in quality. Whilemini-games like Chocobo Racingoffer a surprisingly in-depth experience, there are far too many mini-games inRebirththat 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 betterFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthmini-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-gamehas 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 surroundingFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s Queen’s Blood game feels very similar toThe Witcher’s own card game,Gwent, which began life in the same way, as a mini-game inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.Gwentquickly became an obsession for many players, and became the source of countless memes and community in-jokes.Gwenteventually gained enough popularity to be given a standalone release outsideThe Witcher3, where it managed to find an even greater audience.
Released in 2018,Gwent’s standalone experiencefocused primarily on multiplayer competition, though a singleplayer experience was available as well. TitledThronebreaker,Gwent’s single-player mode saw players take control of Queen Meve right before the events of the firstWitchergame, delivering a surprisingly compelling story that continued to flesh out the world ofThe Witcher. Later down the line,Gwentalso received a roguelike spin-off titledRogue Mage, which offered another satisfying deck-building experience.
While Queen’s Blood doesn’t necessarily need to follow inGwent’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 Hamaguchibriefly 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 withFinal Fantasy 7’s overarching story, and then maybe even expansions that bring more cards to the game based on otherFinal Fantasyentries.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
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.
