Final Fantasy VII Rebirth vs Metaphor: ReFantazio

Both are sprawling 100-hour JRPGs, but one lets you roam freely while the other keeps you on a ticking clock.

Updated 10d ago

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth cover
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 9.2/10 Mighty

Despite a bare-minimum PC port, FF7 Rebirth's 100-hour follow-up to Remake holds its own — Queen's Blood alone could eat 20 hours.

Metaphor: ReFantazio cover
Metaphor: ReFantazio 9.3/10 Mighty

Surpasses most modern JRPGs — Metaphor takes Persona 5's social-sim-plus-turn-based formula into high fantasy with 46 archetypes and a tighter calendar.

By the numbers

Prices checked Aug 7; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.

Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Aug 7.

Measure Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Metaphor: ReFantazio
Value Final Fantasy VII Rebirth wins on value
Price now $19.99 −60% · Steam $25.54 −64% · Fanatical
All-time low $19.99 $24.95
Cost / hour $0.41/hr $19.99 · 48 h main story $0.39/hr $25.54 · 65 h main story
Off its low At its low vs $19.99 low +2% low was Jun 2026
Main story 48 h 65 h
Health Metaphor: ReFantazio wins on player health
Steam reviews 75% 34k reviews 90% 42k reviews
Recent reviews 67% 984 votes · vs 75% lifetime · souring 86% 445 votes · vs 90% lifetime
Peak players 7,606 Jul 2026 · ↑ 0% MoM 4,131 Jul 2026 · ↑ 24% MoM
Launch peak 5% of Oct 2024 launch peak · as of Jul 2026
All-time peak 36,077 Jan 2025 · now at 21% 85,194 Oct 2024
Support
Last patch 2 months ago 10 months ago
Patch cadence 1 in last 90 days 0 in last 90 days
Steam Deck Gold Platinum

Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Jan 2025 – Jul 2026
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Oct 2024 – Jul 2026

What players say

Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Love

Emotionally gripping story and refined combat system keep players invested across multiple playthroughs.

Struggle with

Excessive open-world padding, minigames, and collectibles bloat the experience, even for devoted fans.

from our May 2026 verdict

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Love

The archetype system's flexible team-building and challenging turn-based combat are the loops 100-hour fans keep returning to.

Struggle with

Late-game grinding for types and abilities, alongside pacing that falls apart after a strong start, is the wall many long-time players hit.

from our May 2026 verdict

Key differences

World structure
Rebirth offers an open world with Chocobo travel and vast regions to explore at your own pace.
Metaphor uses a calendar system with dungeon hubs and strict time management like Persona.
Combat system
Rebirth blends real-time action with Synergy abilities and materia customization.
Metaphor is turn-based with 46 Archetypes across 14 lineages for deep class customization.
Story continuity
Rebirth is a direct sequel to Remake; skipping that game means missing key plot context.
Metaphor is a standalone high-fantasy story with no prior game required.

Which one is for you?

Pick Final Fantasy VII Rebirth if

  • You played Remake and want to continue Cloud's story
  • You love open-world exploration and mini-games like Queen's Blood
  • You have 100+ hours for massive amounts of side content

Pick Metaphor: ReFantazio if

  • You adored Persona 5's social sim and calendar-based progression
  • You prefer turn-based combat with a deep class system
  • You want a standalone 60-80 hour JRPG without prior series knowledge

Bottom line

Choose Rebirth for open-world freedom and direct sequel story; choose Metaphor for Persona-style time management and class depth.

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