In the lead up to release, I'd seen flashes of Cloud, Tifa, and Barret detailed in old-school polygonal style in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Thanks to a helping of trailers and the gameplay reveal during the dedicated State of Play earlier this year, I couldn't wait to witness their retro look in-game and discover the reason for it for myself. But nothing could have prepared me for just how good the quest that brings their nostalgic forms to life actually is. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is nothing if not playful. With an abundance of mini-games to try throughout the RPG – with everything from battling with cards in Queen's Blood to playing the piano – there's no shortage of ways to spend your time outside of the core story.
I've absolutely loved trying to get a perfect score in front of the ivory keys, and beat as many Queen's Blood challengers as I can, but there's one mini-game I wasn't expecting to see make a comeback in the most memorable way possible – and it ties to the aforementioned polygonal forms of Cloud and co. I'm talking about Fort Condor, the tactical minigame that first appeared in the 1997 release, and later got an updated makeover in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Factoring in the ATB gauge mechanic, you defend three major units while trying to take out the opposing side. I loved my time with it in Remake back in 2020, but I never expected to be thrown right back into in such a novel way in Rebirth as part of one of the World Intel objectives. There are plenty of callbacks to Remake and the original in Rebirth, but Fort Condor's appearance is one I just can't stop thinking about.
Head in the game
When I say I wasn't expecting to be thrown back into Fort Condor, I mean that in a literal sense. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth brings back the strategic mini-game by planting you directly into the board like something out of Jumanji. Of course, this would be impossible for Cloud, Tifa, and Barret as they normally are, so they're shrunk down and transformed into playable units. They fit right into the game, but their Fort Condor forms immediately make me think of their classic models from the original, which gives it a retro, nostalgic vibe. Honestly, it's such a simple idea, but it's also pretty genius. Not only did it give me the chance to once again revisit a mini-game I really enjoyed in the past, but it does so in a humorous, entertaining way that ties into the World Intel quests.
As I was gallivanting about the Junon region trying to complete the various points of interest, I found myself on a quest for a new protorelic. These mysterious artifacts are first introduced in the Grasslands, and as the second open region, I was expecting a quest along the same lines – I'd likely pursue an enemy who had the relic I needed a number of times. As it turns out, I was only partially right, because I would be following the relic around just like I'd done before, but I'd be doing it within Fort Condor.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is at its best when it embraces its goofy side
When I first realized I was actually going inside the board, I practically gasped. It's not just fun in the sense that you're seeing the gang in their Fort Condor forms, but you of course get to put them into the fray as you attempt to defeat the opposing side. Once I'd won the first round, I raced to the second and the third boards in the world to take on the matches that followed. I was enjoying my time inside these boards so much, and laughing at Barret's growing irritation, I actually caught myself wishing it wouldn't actually end. I wasn't mad about having to do it a fourth time, and then subsequently discovering I could try and tackle a harder mode.
I've said before that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is at its best when it embraces its goofy side, and Ford Condor's appearance is yet another example. The team at Square Enix could have just simply reintroduced the minigame and let us have at it, but I absolutely love that it made a comeback in such a downright fun way that even has a story and purpose behind it. I've been looking forward to discovering why Cloud, Tifa, and Barret get a retro makeover, and I sure wasn't disappointed.
