Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024. The original and the two other PlayStation Final Fantasy entries, FFVIII and FFIX, are three of my favourite games. They each hold a special place in my heart, and I revisit them regularly. Playing them gives me a serotonin boost and makes me feel comfort, nostalgia, and a sense that all will be right with the world. A big part of these feelings stems from the fact they take me back to my early teenage years, gaming in my bedroom and not worrying about any of the adult problems that come with my life now. It’s safe to say these games mean a lot to me, and their music plays a huge part in that. Going into FFVII Remake and subsequently Rebirth, one of my key concerns was how Square Enix would capture the same emotions in the soundtrack I was familiar with from the original. To explore this, I’m diving into the absolutely mammoth eight-disc Special edit version of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Original Soundtrack. I’ll be going in mainly sequential order due to the immensity of this OST, for my own sanity and to give a little structure. So, let’s dive in!
“The Unknown Journey Continues” opens the set in a lovely and familiar way, using motifs from Nobuo Uematsu’s theme which I associate heavily with the original game’s world map music. This version has a more epic interpretation, hinting at both the recognisable and the new—an excellent metaphor for the game itself. This same motif subtly appears in a number of the subsequent tracks. This sense of unity transfers through to the gameplay, preventing music and mood changes from being too jarring. Track two spins us out into an entirely new composition by Masashi Hamauzu, suitably dramatic and tense with a great propulsive beat that gives a sense of urgency and danger. I enjoy this couplet of tracks, as they instantly announce that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth‘s soundtrack is going to take you on a sonic journey with range and variety.
An early highlight is “Zangan’s Theme” by Shoya Sunakawa, which utilises a different array of more traditional instruments, sounds different from the previous tracks, and, while being a new track, gives me very nostalgic PSOne RPG vibes. “Materia Guardian” hit me with a wonderful burst of satisfaction and joy with a new, slightly altered, version of the traditional FFVII battle theme that includes choral vocals which push the eight-minute song to a peak of epicness. On the other side of the scale are the moments of more subdued, subtle beauty that appear—tracks like “On Our Way – Sense of Kalm” and “Farm Boy.” These are both really cozy pieces that are peaceful islands of calm in the chaos.
Drawing to the end of disc one, “Hollow Skies—Battle Edit” gives the “Midgar Region” version a much-needed twist, changing the track from a somewhat cringy mellow-dad-rock tune to something with more edge, momentum, and build. “Midgardsormr” is another interpolation of the original’s battle theme—will I ever get tired of hearing that? Probably not; it’s a winner. “Subterranean Grind” rounds out the disc with something akin to a drum ‘n’ bass type beat that I was not expecting.
An early criticism I have of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth OST, and this is one I felt when playing the game too, is that because so many tracks pull on the same elements from the original game’s music and also add new sections, instruments, and layers, I find that it means the individual tracks lack some individuality, particularly the more dramatic cuts. Few of these tracks have taken me back to reminisce over their in-game moments in the way that many of the original game’s tracks do.
As we move through the following few discs to the mid-point of the soundtrack, we experience a wide variety of moods, tempos, and levels of intensity, which takes the listener on such a ride (very appropriately too). The Junon suite of tracks show off some lovely guitar work and a slightly mellower mood than much of the first disc, and the chocobo theme is a particularly fun highlight. Many of the Junon-related tracks incorporate some brass, which unites it with the parade music—nothing hits quite the same so far as the “Rufus’s Welcoming Ceremony” tracks. The nostalgia is strong, and if you’re anything like me, you heard these a lot while you practiced and re-did the parade minigame to get the best score.
Almost the entire second half of disc two is taken up with the jazz/soft rock stylings of the Queen’s Blood music. I’m unsure if this is a controversial take, but I am not a fan. This genre of music is generally not my taste, so I won’t criticise the soundtrack for it, but putting them all together is quite a lot, especially when they sound very similar. There’s a smattering of other tracks in this style throughout the OST too, such as “Johnny’s Seaside Inn.” Thankfully, one of the best tracks on the entire soundtrack livens things up immediately afterward—”Red’s Dance – Two Legs? Nothin’ To It” is an absolute banger. This thumping dance beat with buzzsaw synths is fantastic, and it’s followed up by the equally great “Red’s QB Match” which sounds like it could almost be a Capsule track (check them out if you think Japanese electronic music might be your thing). Nobuo Uematsu and Mitsuto Suzuki did a winning job here.
Disc three is home to “Grasptropod,” one of the longest tracks on the soundtrack, which unfortunately doesn’t bring anything of note to the table; no memorable motifs, surprises, or switch-ups to hold interest. I don’t have anything against long tracks—I enjoy them, provided their length is well utilised. But across all of the seven-minute-plus tracks, around half of them outstay their welcome and just don’t do enough to keep me invested for the entirety. I realise that these particular pieces play during tense fights or moments when your mind is very much occupied by the game, so maybe the composers purposely avoided making them distracting. Still, as pure music pieces, I was left wanting. However, the “J-E-N-O-V-A” tracks are all strong and feature a great pulsing beat (the “Emergence” version wouldn’t sound out of place on NieR: Automata‘s soundtrack), and, of course, “Aerith’s Theme—The White Materia” is utterly majestic and beautiful.
Around the point I reached “Firework Blade” on disc three, I realised many of Mitsuto Suzuki’s tracks are my favourites. It seems he was put in charge of the glitchy EDM-inspired music, and they’re brilliant. The soundtrack as a whole is strong, but it would be missing an interesting dimension without Suzuki bringing this element in. “Speed Square – Galactic Saviors” features a cool looped and reversed female vocal over a chunky bassline and icy synth that is a sublime combination.
“A Portentous Sky” is only slightly over one minute long, but it is a gorgeous display of string work and delicate piano and shows that a short song can still hold weight and beauty. The collection of Masashi Hamauzu’s “Loveless” tracks on disc six are also masterclasses in how much drama and emotion you can create in sub-two-minute tracks. Each one is distinct, utilises a range of instruments, and yet ties in with the rest of the set. They also give a slightly different mood to the rest of the OST and remind me of some of Final Fantasy IX‘s music.
“Welcome to the Gold Saucer” appears on disc three, and it’s glorious to hear this with a full orchestra. Need I say more? The whole set of Gold Saucer-related tracks are a lot of fun, with another particular favourite being Yuffie’s variation on the “Night Out” track.
Unfortunately, I found much of the fourth disc lacking. The Corel and Gongaga-related pieces don’t do much for me besides the slightly bonkers “Anuran Suppressor” by Yoshinori Nakamura and Nobuo Uematsu. While I give props to Mitsuto Suzuki for unexpectedly including what sound like bagpipes in “Jungles of Gongaga,” unfortunately this track does get a little grating (it is possible I might be triggered by the memory of trying to navigate that area in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth). What I certainly can appreciate is the swing in styles between each region’s themes, especially with Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon. Each section of the soundtrack feels distinct, with changes in instrumentation following your journey through Rebirth‘s world, allowing each area to have its own clear identity that even stretches into the associated battle themes.
“Cave of the Gi” by Tadayoshi Makino is an intriguing piece in the Cosmo Canyon section of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth OST that eschews traditional song structure for something more atmospheric and sparse. This is occasionally utilised elsewhere in the OST too, like “Village of the Gi” by Mitsuto Suzuki and Nozomi Toki. While not necessarily a favourite of mine, I appreciate the experimental nature of this track. This experimental nature continues on disc six with the Corneo tracks, which straddle the line between incredible and incredibly annoying, to the point where I can’t work out if I actually enjoy them or not. These songs switch genres multiple times and include a wide range of instruments, electronic sounds, and manipulated vocals. It’s another surprising and exciting moment from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth‘s soundtrack full of twists and turns.
My final highlight from disc six is “Listen to the Cries of the Planet,” one of my favourites from the original game. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth‘s version is fantastically subtle and tense, and I’m pleased to see this piece built on, and retain that important ominous synth drone.
Fittingly, as we move to disc seven and the finale of the game, we’re met with some very emotional tracks, a number of which understandably use motifs from Aerith’s Theme. “Adventure’s End” has some beautiful tender moments, soaring strings, and lovely vocals. “One Last Date – My Dream” and “Aerith’s Theme”—the “The White Materia” and “Return to the Planet” versions—are enough to move any Final Fantasy VII fan to tears. I would be remiss not to mention this game’s version of “One Winged Angel,” a suitably epic, bombastic, and drama-filled track that is a perfect choice to close out the game’s final moments.
Disc eight, the extra disc limited to the Special edit version, is a bit of an oddball as it features lots of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth‘s mini tracks, many of which are there to bring high energy. All the chocobo-themed pieces here (half the songs on this disc!) are a joy. They generally riff on the same motifs, but they’re distinct, playful, and worthy of their place on this OST. I love the city-pop-styled “Pop de Chocobo.” Other highlights from this disc are “She’s Open for Business” and “Shape of my Love,” but this entire disc is a lot of fun and well worth your time.
The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Original Soundtrack is an epic journey covering a vast range of genres, moods, and styles of music. I loved my time with it and will revisit many of the tracks. It’s not without some negatives—primarily the reuse of a motif that originates from a single track in the original FFVII as I mentioned above. Obviously, the original’s music should be incorporated, but I occasionally wondered if it was overdone in some areas to the detriment of Rebirth‘s own score. Otherwise, the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth OST is outstanding. It creates all of the right moods in the right places and experiments with traditional instrumentation, electronic sounds, and vocals to create a cohesive soundtrack that bursts with moments of joy, nostalgia, drama, and sadness. It made me feel things, and that is the most important thing.
