FF7 Rebirth: All playable party members ranked from worst to best

Aertih is the heart of Final Fantasy 7. Honestly, she really is. She forces the player to view the world through a different set of eyes, and in Rebirth she’s more mysterious than ever. Even when the usual reveals are all said and done, Aerith is still somehow something more than that. Plus, she’s utterly adorable and entirely wholesome. However, playing as Aerith in combat is a bit… well… It’s a bit boring, even with her new array of Wards and abilities.

Cait Sith is one of the most unique characters in pretty much every way. Cait Sith is, well, a small cat wearing a crown, which sets him apart even from our resident lab dog Red XIII. Cait Sith is easily one of the most intriguing characters, but in combat things get a bit weird. Being able to summon the rideable Moogle, and then unmount it to make it a moving target, is a great mechanic, and works brilliantly when against a single tough foe. But while the sweet Cait Sith can mow down scores of smaller foes, he’s far from our first choice for a big boss. In fact, he’s sixth in the list.

You have to love Barret. He’s brilliant: a big tough guy with a heart that will melt in an instant, all you need to do is invoke his sweet daughter. He gets some great moments in Rebirth, but his combat abilities and strategies feel closer to his original incarnation in Remake than any other character in the cast. Mind, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as Barret is great against flying foes, and makes for a good caster if you build him right, too.

Red XIII – also known as Nanaki to his friends in Cosmo Canyon – is finally playable, after joining the party for Remake’s final hours. He has some great basic combos and attacks, and even better, his Vengeance mode is great. You can charge Vengeance mode by blocking attacks, and then when the mode is active you can drain enemy HP for yourself. Red XIII feels stuck to the ground more than most of the characters in the cast, but if you like that special ability, he might become a staple in your team.

Cloud is the party leader, and is in your party almost all the time whether you like it or not. Luckily, he’s had a handful fo upgrades in Rebirth that make up for it. Cloud now has ranged attacks that can hit aerial foes following a dodge, and holding the attack button after the dodge will result in a charge that can take Cloud airborne to fight aerial foes face-to-face. That’s all without mentioning Cloud’s other rapid-fire melee attack stances and counter strikes.

Yuffie was the headliner of Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s Intermission DLC, and that’s why she plays amazingly. Her ranged shuriken attacks allow her to stack ATB at a distance, and you can change the elemental type of damage her shuriken attacks deal at will, meaning she’s brilliant for targeting a variety of elemental weaknesses. Once a foe is Pressured or Staggered, Yuffie can dash in and unleash Supreme Art of War to deal big damage. Basically, she’s great. Highly recommended.

Tifa hits hard, and while she struggles to go airborne, her rapid combos make her one of the best characters you can play. Her dodge has been massively upgraded, she has new combos following the dodges, and her Rise and Fall > Omnistrike > Whirlwind Punch combination attack still hits as hard as ever. She’s fantastic, and have you seen her in this game? A vision. If Tifa isn’t your fave, log off.