Games

It sounds like how you feel about Rebirth is pretty similar to how I felt about Remake having played the original several times. Not going to say you couldn't or shouldn't have enjoyed it, but there were a ton of story bits and minigames that frustrated the hell out of me.

After playing the game more, it feels like the side content is better paced after the first section. So far the first area "Grasslands" is the only one to fully open up to you immediately with the next story quest being "get out of here".

The rest have story quests that break up the potential monotony. I was about to burn out on the side content on the third area. But pushed through cause I was enjoying the game as a whole anyway and all of a sudden I had done everything I could do in the area at this point pretty quickly (because I couldn't get fully explore it all before continuing the story) and I ended up enjoying it this time too which I hadn't expected. I just got to this area and immediately thought "ugh more of the same" but it wasn't completely the case.

The type of terrain and level design of these big areas are a big factor in the content in them feeling varied I feel, and they do change a lot. The actual side quests get better too, some resulting in you doing a few optional linear dungeons which is nice.

The big enemies you unlock to fight like mini bosses are really fun too, so if you like the combat, getting them unlocked might just end up being worth it to you too.

I guess I don't mind it. The side quests aren't the most exciting of activities, but they lead to a lot of great things. Like extra transmuter options, and party level increases for synergy abilities. unique accessories, and unique conversations with party members you wouldn't see otherwise. Plus some of the best materia is only accessible from chadley. So I haven't been minding it all that much. As you unlock life springs, you unlock more info about the environments you're in. For me the rewards outweigh the monotony.

I feel like this game is Squeenix's love letter to the OG FF7. They took the original open world section, which wasn't the most exciting either (I remember spending a lot of time grinding mobs) and reimagined it. Is clearing every tower and side quest the most exciting gameplay? Probably not, but as a longtime fan I enjoy the little things like seeing the Fort Condor mini game reimagined and learning about the lore of the world. As others have said you CAN skip a lot of the side quests and it does get more linear in parts (Chapter 3 and backend of Chapter 4 comes to mind).

I'll admit, it's probably not disingenuous to the original for it to be crammed with minigames, whether or not they changed it up with new ones. When the original was one game, leaving Midgar was very much a moment of freedom they wanted to capitalize on, so it was the perfect checkpoint to start giving the player optional activities.

That said, the "Towers" subject in particular (what I believe prompted the "Ubisoft style" comment) is something I feel like gamers need to cool down on. As much as people habitually throw shade on Ubisoft for starting them, they make sense, and can be done in an interesting way. If you have an open world environment, you want players to rely on the ugly minimap as little as possible; that often means both a focus on vertical movement that allows you chances to see the space in front of you, as well as tall buildings that encourage distant exploration. I really think towers get unfair criticism, even if a few games have done them in less fun ways (I could be biased - I think even in their initial appearances in Far Cry 3, they were actually fun to climb)

no

I'll be honest Op, you've clearly already set your mind on hating this game. oh well, less fun things for you.

You don't have to do any of the open world "bloat" if it's not your thing. I prefer linear games but I don't mind it here cause it's allowing a lot of "quiet moments" which I think this game does way better than the original.