{{Short description|Final Fantasy minigame}} '''Queen's Blood''' is a [[minigame]] that appears in the 2024 [[action role-playing video game]] ''[[Final Fantasy VII Rebirth]]'' and is planned to appear in [[Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3|its sequel]]. A fictional [[collectible card game]] played by denizens of the game's world, Queen's Blood was inspired by similar collectible card-based minigames in previous entries in the series, such as [[Triple Triad]] from ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' and Tetra Master from ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]''. During the course of ''Rebirth'', protagonist [[Cloud Strife]] collects cards by beating players of the game in turn-based battles on a tabletop game field. The player can then use these cards against subsequent opponents. Queen's Blood received positive reception from critics, who singled it out as one of the best parts of the game and compared it to the popular [[Gwent: The Witcher Card Game|Gwent]] minigame from ''[[The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt|The Witcher 3]]'' and [[Genius Invokation TCG]] from ''[[Genshin Impact]]''.
== Gameplay == The minigame is played on a checkerboard that contains three lanes. Each monster card has a different power value and rank, denoted by a number and the amount of [[Pawn (chess)|pawns]] that are depicted in the card's top corners. The rank of the card determines where it can be played on the board, while the power value is added to the score of the lane it is placed in. The player aims to get a higher score than their opponent when all cards have been placed down, resulting in the score of the lane being added to the player's total. Furthermore, some cards have special abilities that can affect the battle.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Wald |first=Heather |date=2024-03-05 |title=The Queen's Blood card game is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's best addition and the RPG's greatest distraction |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-queens-blood-card-game-is-final-fantasy-7-rebirths-best-addition-and-the-rpgs-greatest-distraction/ |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=GamesRadar+ |language=en}}</ref>
== Development == Naoki Hamaguchi, ''Rebirth''<nowiki/>'s director, stated in an interview that the game was inspired by Gwent, but also ''[[Marvel Snap]]''<nowiki/>'s game balance and ''[[Splatoon]]'' with its aspects of seizing territory from the enemy. The game's designers used paper prototypes and a simple Windows app to conceptualize the game - its design took a year before it began being implemented into the main game itself. The development team also enjoyed the minigame heavily, and surprised Hamaguchi with a [[3D-printed]] physical version of the game, including a fully detailed game board, towards the end of development.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vitelli |first=Jesse |date=2024-03-07 |title=FF7 Rebirth Director Reveals The Unlikely Inspiration Behind Queen's Blood |url=https://kotaku.com/ff7-rebirth-queens-blood-naoki-hamaguchi-interview-1851312733 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=Kotaku |language=en-US |archive-date=2025-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250406203050/https://kotaku.com/ff7-rebirth-queens-blood-naoki-hamaguchi-interview-1851312733 |url-status=live }}</ref>
He also stated at [[Otakon]] that the game's sequel would get a "revamped" version of Queen's Blood. He also noted the high amount of fan requests for a physical version of the card game.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nightingale |first=Ed |date=2024-08-05 |title=Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy finale will receive "revamped" Queen's Blood card game |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/final-fantasy-7-remake-trilogy-finale-will-receive-revamped-queens-blood-card-game |access-date=2025-10-24 |work=Eurogamer.net |language=en}}</ref>
== Reception == Heather Wald of ''[[GamesRadar+]]'' called the minigame ''Final Fantasy VII Rebirth''<nowiki/>'s "best new addition", and she said she wished she could play it in real life. Comparing it to Gwent, she stated that "Queen's Blood has sunk its card-shaped claws into me in much the same way", also praising the addition of a tournament.<ref name=":0" /> Ed Nightingale of ''[[Eurogamer]]'' described the game as "as offbeat and eccentric as ''Final Fantasy'' has ever been" due to the odd NPCs the player is matched up against, also calling it a "welcome shift" from the main quest's "apocalyptic" tone. He stated that while matches were quick, there was "plenty of room" for tactical play.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nightingale |first=Ed |date=2024-02-07 |title=I'm going to lose hours playing cards in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/im-going-to-lose-hours-playing-cards-in-final-fantasy-7-rebirth |access-date=2025-10-24 |work=Eurogamer.net |language=en |archive-date=2024-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215185451/https://www.eurogamer.net/im-going-to-lose-hours-playing-cards-in-final-fantasy-7-rebirth |url-status=live }}</ref> He called it the best card game of the year over games such as ''[[Balatro]]'' and ''[[Pokémon TCG Pocket]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nightingale |first=Ed |date=2024-12-24 |title=Games of 2024: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Queen's Blood is the best card game of the year |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/games-of-2024-final-fantasy-7-rebirths-queens-blood-is-the-best-card-game-of-the-year |access-date=2025-10-24 |work=Eurogamer.net |language=en |archive-date=2025-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614064027/https://www.eurogamer.net/games-of-2024-final-fantasy-7-rebirths-queens-blood-is-the-best-card-game-of-the-year |url-status=live }}</ref>
Oli Welsh of ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' stated that the minigame possessed "a simple but deeply strategic, almost puzzle-like setup", saying that he could see himself "losing hours to this one".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Welsh |first=Oli |date=2024-02-07 |title=Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a Gwent, and it seems like a very good Gwent |url=https://www.polygon.com/24062207/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-queens-blood-is-a-very-good-gwent/ |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=Polygon |language=en |archive-date=2025-05-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506033841/https://www.polygon.com/24062207/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-queens-blood-is-a-very-good-gwent |url-status=live }}</ref> Ken Allsop of ''[[PCGamesN]]'' called it "one of the finest strapped-on card games in years", even describing it as superior to Gwent, Triple Triad, or [[Pazaak]] in ''[[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allsop |first=Ken |date=2025-10-18 |title=Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy's director says Rebirth wasn't too long, you're just too busy |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/final-fantasy-7-rebirth/side-quests-too-long-naoki-hamaguchi |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=PCGamesN |language=en-US}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}{{Final Fantasy series}} [[Category:Final Fantasy VII]] [[Category:Digital collectible card games]] [[Category:Fictional card games]] [[Category:Minigames]]