1. Junon Parade

Easily one of the standout moments in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is when Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa get practically sitcom’d into leading a drill team in Junon to perform in a parade. Cloud’s an ex-SOLDIER, so he knows his way around a rifle, but can he also lead a handpicked group of recruits in a choreographed routine while the world is watching? Turns out, yes he can, and pretty accurately to real drill teams, too.

Mechanically, the Junon Parade pulls from Remake’s Honey Bee Inn dance sequence. Cloud and company perform elaborate, synchronized routines while you rhythmically press buttons as a cursor passes through on-screen prompts. It’s not the most complex rhythm game, and it doesn’t need to be. But it is entertaining enough to bolster a sequence that is still one of Rebirth’s standouts by the time the game reaches its conclusion. It tells you a lot about Cloud and his capabilities, while also making one of Rebirth’s mechanical diversions feel like more than just a distraction. It perfectly marries all the best parts of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It can be self-serious while still being goofy, it can take you away from the dire stakes of fighting Sephiroth without losing the character-driven writing that makes the game’s too-long run time endearing, and when it commits to an idea, it executes it in style. — Kenneth Shepard