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(Image credit: Square Enix)

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’snew demo is beating the life out of players.
Part two of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s demo went live earlier this week, allowing players to explore the open-world area of Junon and fight all sorts of beasties within, whereas they were confined to the linear prequel section of Nibelheim beforehand. The trouble is that players find combat in the demo’s new portion incredibly difficult.
“I absolutely loved 7 Remake and don’t recall being god awful at that game, but holy shit I am atrocious at Rebirth,” reads one Final Fantasy 7 Remakesubreddit post. “I died three times to the water monster, constantly getting party members trapped in water prison or grabbed.”
“Anyone else get absolutely shat on in the new Junon demo? Felt like some of the enemies were actually Mike Tyson,” reads the title of anothersubreddit post. Those elephants and that big ass Eagle be dishing out the hits. Maybe I’m just getting too old."
“Coming into the Junon Demo, I realize just how shit I am at this game. Seems like I take a tremendous amount of damage and SUCK at guarding lol,” addsanother post. “I tried fiend number two first, and while I’m able to kill it, I struggle a bit and can’t meet all the battle objectives. I feel like there’s so much going on that I forget to use abilities and spells. I know I’ll get better in time the more I practice, same thing happened to me in the FF16 Garuda demo.”
Others have reasoned with the difficulty of the new demo. “They’ve upped the complexity of combat with new abilities, synergy skills and abilities, and these new enemy types with more varied ways of pressuring them. Junon Demo is a little way into the game, so you’re basically being tossed into the deep end, don’t be too hard on yourself,” responds one subreddit user.
It’s a fair point - perhaps the same fights would be much easier for these players had they naturally progressed through Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and arrived at the fights with potentially a dozen hours of gameplay fresh in their minds. As it is, they’re placed in Rebirth’s second open-world area and told to face off against mid-level enemies without actually being told how to. At least they are still entertained and excited for the full game.
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Read up on ourFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth reviewto see why we lavished praise onSquare Enix’s action-RPG sequel.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
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2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”