Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a massive game. Even though I stopped focusing on optional side quests and similar distractions during the second act to mainline the story to meet the embargo, I still ended up clocking in roughly 70 hours by the time the credits rolled. Less than a day has passed since then, and I’ve already loaded an earlier save, so I can pick up all the remaining quests and side activities the game has to offer. I want to do everything, which is a crowning testament to its brilliance. However, with its abundance of minigames, sometimes it’s hard to tell if Rebirth knows when to call it a day. It wants to give us absolutely everything.

That includes overlong turret sections following dramatic narrative sequences which seem to serve no purpose. I’d rather have a breather after two intense boss battles and dry my tears following a huge confrontation with Barret’s childhood friend Dyne and a bunch of Shinra asshats. However, it appears Rebirth wants us to earn the stylish red buggy we use to make our escape.

The act of shooting down helicopters and dozens of helpless soldiers also helps Barrett work out his feelings or something, I suppose. He wants to defend the friends he’s made and who are there for him, but couldn’t this have been executed in a cutscene instead of the decision to give us control during a moment that would feel terrible in the first Uncharted, let alone one of 2024’s biggest blockbusters?

It comes out of nowhere too, like an after credits scene in a Marvel movie you weren’t really expecting that ultimately tells you nothing. After defeating Palmer in his oversized yellow mech, it becomes clear that more Shinra reinforcements are on the way. You need to escape, but there’s no way out until Dio comes crashing in with a giant red buggy that is then kindly gifted to you. He feels bad about framing you for murder and calling you terrorists, so to clear the air, you’ve now got a sick new ride. You hop aboard, but don’t actually get to drive it until a number of additional cutscenes play out and Barret is thrown into the turret section.

You aim with a single thumbstick and can switch up which one you use alongside the aiming speed, while the Overcharge ability also carries over from normal combat. The buggy drives around in a fairly obvious circle until you deal with all the motorcycles and helicopters that keep coming your way, instead of doing the wise thing and just driving away from all the baddies. Then, when I wanted it to finally be over, Palmer returns in his garish yellow mech to take revenge after an earlier boss fight. The aim is to deal as much damage until you take just as much, otherwise you’ll need to restart. Rebirth doesn’t implement enough strategy to make this moment compelling, and the mechanics aren’t nearly satisfying enough for this to be anything more than a brief distraction. Which it thankfully is, because aside from the cute minecart section a few hours before, you’ll never have to do anything like this again.

Wiping everyone out and transitioning back into the open world with the red buggy doesn’t take very long, but that doesn’t stop this brief turret interlude from feeling unnecessary. It takes away the thunder from two excellent boss battles and some great narrative moments to give us control of something we don’t need, let alone ask for. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is an RPG that does so well, and is the modern vision of the series I’ve always hoped for, but that also means it falls victim to the very same excess the franchise has often struggled with. You’ll know this turret section when you reach it, and chances are you’ll hate it.

Next: I Cannot Wait To Return To The World Of Elden Ring