I was totally surprised by how much I still remembered about the original. I was even more surprised how well this game (sometimes too faithfully) recaptures the feeling and tone of the original, too. It wildly veers between serious socio-political allegory to wacky melodrama to high action to slow and tedious. It's a roller coaster, for sure.
Ultimately, it's a game that is greater than the sum of its parts. No single aspect stands out as being best-in-class, but somehow the various pieces all come together to make a whole game that feels exceptionally well conceived and conveyed.
Ultimately, it's a game that is greater than the sum of its parts. No single aspect stands out as being best-in-class, but somehow the various pieces all come together to make a whole game that feels exceptionally well conceived and conveyed.
Final Fantasy VII is one of the most influential video game and pop culture icons of all time. It was revolutionary in its day in storytelling, graphics, and scope. I never got around to playing the original PS1 game. When the game came out, I just wasn't into JRPGs and would never have had the patience to finish the game or even remotely understand the story. I was 7 at the time. Fast forward nearly three decades, and out comes the remake. The Final Fantasy VII projects have been in the making for nearly two decades. I remember the Adventu Children being released. I rented it and watched it with my parents, and I had no idea what was going on. There was a mobile game exclusive to Japan at the time, and Crisis Core had just been released. I also had no idea what was going on in that game. I couldn't appreciate these FF7 projects as I hadn't played the original title.
That has all changed. Square Enix did a great job bringing the game up to par with modern audiences and video game standards. Not only is the story well told and easy to follow, but it's still complex and full of interesting and lovable characters. While this game is only what the first disc from the original offered, there are 30+ hours of content here to explore. While the game isn't perfect, there is more to love than to hate, and I was surprised at how great this game was. I didn't want to put it down. From the well-done English voice-acting (which was a shocker) to the well-paced and fast-moving story, the game never got stale (at least during the story moments).
The basic structure of this game is very linear. This is a dated design choice that transferred over, but some think this game has been in development since the tech demo for the PS3 reveal was shown in 2006. If that were the case, then this linear design would have been considered mostly modern at the time. There are large towns to explore, but these still have linear paths, and the story mode is a single path you follow, and there's no way to branch off. This is both fine for a scripted story but also feels cramped in some aspects. Despite how large Midgar feels, with sweeping vistas and massive backdrops, you can explore very little of it. There's a large sense of scale, but what you can explore just feels so claustrophobic in comparison. Many thought this would be an open-world game, but to follow the story the way Square Enix's wants, that wouldn't be possible, and I can see why they chose this path.
Exploring the game (and even the menu system) is similar to most modern Final Fantasy games. You run around towards a goal, fight bosses, run into enemies, do some mini-games, complete side quests, and try to get the best accessories, armor, and weapons in the game. This is all slowly introduced to you, but let's start with the combat, as that's the bulk of the game. Combat is not turn-based, but you can pause the action to give commands. The controls are intuitively designed to allow this to be done with minimal effort. You have regular attacks, a special attack, a block, and a dodge button. When enemies have red exclamations over their heads with the attack name, you know it can't be blocked but must be dodged. Cloud's alternate special attack is actually a stance called Punisher Mode, and while you block him, he will auto-parry incoming attacks. This comes in handy all the time.
You can issue commands, such as using ababilities. These are obtained by changing weapons. Materia can be equipped to give you commands that use MP. Things like magic, offense, defense, and even passive Materia can be slotted. Different weapons and equipment determine your slot count. It's important that you learn this system well and balance your team. You can only have three active party members at a time, but you never change your party. It's all based on the story. You will go through multiple chapters with a missing party member, but you can still upgrade and equip them all the time, even when they aren't with you. Powering up weapons is also a must. Each weapon has strengths and weaknesses. Some focus on sheer power, some on magic, and some on defensive skills. You acquire SP through combat and can use it across all weapons. Each weapon gets the same pool of SP separately. If you have 90 SP, you can use that separately on each weapon, which is really nice. As you level up, you unlock new SP pools.
Combat is fast-paced, fun, and exciting. Each character can be controlled by the player in combat only. During exploration, you're mostly stuck as Cloud or another character, as the story deems fit. Cloud is an all-rounder; Aerith mostly focuses on magic and distance combat; Tifa is a fast-paced melee fighter; and Barret uses a mid- to long-range gun, which is great for aerial enemies. He also has a ton of HP and defensive points. You can issue commands to other characters with the triggers that pause combat. You all have two AP gauges that fill up slowly over time or quicker as you do damage. These are needed to even use items in combat. These guides are the center of your strategy because, without them, you will die. You have limit breaks, which really can only be filled during longer battles (mostly bosses) and summons that deal massive damage, but the battle needs to be long enough to fill these guages.
Summons are mostly acquired optically through the VR training. You only get two during the story mode automatically. These are the keys to strategizing battles and winning as quickly as possible. I found the combat rarely frustrating. Only during long boss battles with multiple phases did I find it annoying that these cut-scenes were not skippable. You need to watch them all over again if you die. This didn't become an issue until towards the end of the game. You can run away from battle by running away and fleeing, and thankfully enemies regenerate until you leave the entire area and come back. The boss battles are all unique and imaginative, and no one is the same. The smaller enemies are also unique and different, and they require you to learn their attacks and know what is weak against what type of attack. There is a lot more strategy in the combat system than a simple hack-and-slash setup.
While combat is the bulk of the game, you will spend a lot of time outside of combat. There are a few simple puzzles inside some dungeons, but the hub areas or towns you explore allow you to rest, buy items, materia, armor, and weapons, and that's about it. The side quests and mini-games are some of the weakest parts of this game. While not every side- question is bad, Some offer challenging boss fights and good rewards; some just don't offer much story-wise. I completed almost all of them anyway for more XP, SP, and the items they offered, but fetch quests are just not fun here. Not to mention, the mini-games are incredibly tedious and boring and not well thought out. There's an okay darts mini-game. Beating the highest score and achievement. But there's a box-breaking mini-game that requires you to run around breaking different-sized boxes. This was incredibly tedious and not fun. There are combat VR simulators that net you material. Most of which you can acquire elsewhere. Then there's the optional summons, which can be incredibly difficult to acquire early on as you need to beat them, and you need three party members to even have a fair chance. There's also a pretty stupid dancing rhythm mini-game. It's just, overall, a bit lame.
Some other annoying niggles come from dated design decisions, like treating the player like they're stupid. For decades, games would have you flip a switch, cut the camera away, show you that a gate in front of you opened, and then give you control. I'm pretty sure most people can figure out that the switch opened the only gate on the only path you can go down. I also got annoyed by how animations would have to line up to whatever script they were tied to, do the animation, re-align, change animations, flip the switch, then go back. It just slowed things down a lot.
Outside of the mostly optional and passable annoyances, the visuals are fantastic. Character models look amazing, the pre-rendered cutscenes are some of the best in the industry, and the story and overall character designs are some of the best you will ever come across. The story is deep and full of political intrigue, and I want to know more about this world, the characters, and see things move on. It's sad that Square Enix takes so long to make sequels, but what are we going to do? With the fantastic combat system that adds just enough strategy and depth to the large swath of enemies, bosses, environments, and perfect pacing, FF7 Remake is fantastic. The additional Intermission DLC is also wonderful, and playing as Yuffie is a blast. The short, 4-hour story DLC still has more of the same lame mini-games and annoyances as the main game, but the story is just so well done. There's nothing quite like it out there.
That has all changed. Square Enix did a great job bringing the game up to par with modern audiences and video game standards. Not only is the story well told and easy to follow, but it's still complex and full of interesting and lovable characters. While this game is only what the first disc from the original offered, there are 30+ hours of content here to explore. While the game isn't perfect, there is more to love than to hate, and I was surprised at how great this game was. I didn't want to put it down. From the well-done English voice-acting (which was a shocker) to the well-paced and fast-moving story, the game never got stale (at least during the story moments).
The basic structure of this game is very linear. This is a dated design choice that transferred over, but some think this game has been in development since the tech demo for the PS3 reveal was shown in 2006. If that were the case, then this linear design would have been considered mostly modern at the time. There are large towns to explore, but these still have linear paths, and the story mode is a single path you follow, and there's no way to branch off. This is both fine for a scripted story but also feels cramped in some aspects. Despite how large Midgar feels, with sweeping vistas and massive backdrops, you can explore very little of it. There's a large sense of scale, but what you can explore just feels so claustrophobic in comparison. Many thought this would be an open-world game, but to follow the story the way Square Enix's wants, that wouldn't be possible, and I can see why they chose this path.
Exploring the game (and even the menu system) is similar to most modern Final Fantasy games. You run around towards a goal, fight bosses, run into enemies, do some mini-games, complete side quests, and try to get the best accessories, armor, and weapons in the game. This is all slowly introduced to you, but let's start with the combat, as that's the bulk of the game. Combat is not turn-based, but you can pause the action to give commands. The controls are intuitively designed to allow this to be done with minimal effort. You have regular attacks, a special attack, a block, and a dodge button. When enemies have red exclamations over their heads with the attack name, you know it can't be blocked but must be dodged. Cloud's alternate special attack is actually a stance called Punisher Mode, and while you block him, he will auto-parry incoming attacks. This comes in handy all the time.
You can issue commands, such as using ababilities. These are obtained by changing weapons. Materia can be equipped to give you commands that use MP. Things like magic, offense, defense, and even passive Materia can be slotted. Different weapons and equipment determine your slot count. It's important that you learn this system well and balance your team. You can only have three active party members at a time, but you never change your party. It's all based on the story. You will go through multiple chapters with a missing party member, but you can still upgrade and equip them all the time, even when they aren't with you. Powering up weapons is also a must. Each weapon has strengths and weaknesses. Some focus on sheer power, some on magic, and some on defensive skills. You acquire SP through combat and can use it across all weapons. Each weapon gets the same pool of SP separately. If you have 90 SP, you can use that separately on each weapon, which is really nice. As you level up, you unlock new SP pools.
Combat is fast-paced, fun, and exciting. Each character can be controlled by the player in combat only. During exploration, you're mostly stuck as Cloud or another character, as the story deems fit. Cloud is an all-rounder; Aerith mostly focuses on magic and distance combat; Tifa is a fast-paced melee fighter; and Barret uses a mid- to long-range gun, which is great for aerial enemies. He also has a ton of HP and defensive points. You can issue commands to other characters with the triggers that pause combat. You all have two AP gauges that fill up slowly over time or quicker as you do damage. These are needed to even use items in combat. These guides are the center of your strategy because, without them, you will die. You have limit breaks, which really can only be filled during longer battles (mostly bosses) and summons that deal massive damage, but the battle needs to be long enough to fill these guages.
Summons are mostly acquired optically through the VR training. You only get two during the story mode automatically. These are the keys to strategizing battles and winning as quickly as possible. I found the combat rarely frustrating. Only during long boss battles with multiple phases did I find it annoying that these cut-scenes were not skippable. You need to watch them all over again if you die. This didn't become an issue until towards the end of the game. You can run away from battle by running away and fleeing, and thankfully enemies regenerate until you leave the entire area and come back. The boss battles are all unique and imaginative, and no one is the same. The smaller enemies are also unique and different, and they require you to learn their attacks and know what is weak against what type of attack. There is a lot more strategy in the combat system than a simple hack-and-slash setup.
While combat is the bulk of the game, you will spend a lot of time outside of combat. There are a few simple puzzles inside some dungeons, but the hub areas or towns you explore allow you to rest, buy items, materia, armor, and weapons, and that's about it. The side quests and mini-games are some of the weakest parts of this game. While not every side- question is bad, Some offer challenging boss fights and good rewards; some just don't offer much story-wise. I completed almost all of them anyway for more XP, SP, and the items they offered, but fetch quests are just not fun here. Not to mention, the mini-games are incredibly tedious and boring and not well thought out. There's an okay darts mini-game. Beating the highest score and achievement. But there's a box-breaking mini-game that requires you to run around breaking different-sized boxes. This was incredibly tedious and not fun. There are combat VR simulators that net you material. Most of which you can acquire elsewhere. Then there's the optional summons, which can be incredibly difficult to acquire early on as you need to beat them, and you need three party members to even have a fair chance. There's also a pretty stupid dancing rhythm mini-game. It's just, overall, a bit lame.
Some other annoying niggles come from dated design decisions, like treating the player like they're stupid. For decades, games would have you flip a switch, cut the camera away, show you that a gate in front of you opened, and then give you control. I'm pretty sure most people can figure out that the switch opened the only gate on the only path you can go down. I also got annoyed by how animations would have to line up to whatever script they were tied to, do the animation, re-align, change animations, flip the switch, then go back. It just slowed things down a lot.
Outside of the mostly optional and passable annoyances, the visuals are fantastic. Character models look amazing, the pre-rendered cutscenes are some of the best in the industry, and the story and overall character designs are some of the best you will ever come across. The story is deep and full of political intrigue, and I want to know more about this world, the characters, and see things move on. It's sad that Square Enix takes so long to make sequels, but what are we going to do? With the fantastic combat system that adds just enough strategy and depth to the large swath of enemies, bosses, environments, and perfect pacing, FF7 Remake is fantastic. The additional Intermission DLC is also wonderful, and playing as Yuffie is a blast. The short, 4-hour story DLC still has more of the same lame mini-games and annoyances as the main game, but the story is just so well done. There's nothing quite like it out there.
pica irmao quero mais QUERO MAIS VEM ZACK DELICIA
This review contains spoilers
Excelente!!! Lindo graficamente, história emocionante, cheia de nuances e momentos de reflexão. Personagens extremamente carismáticos, você passa a se importar com cada um deles.
Por ser um jogo dividido em três partes, estava com medo de terminar sem uma conclusão. Mas finalizar o jogo com Cloud e os amigos mudando o destino e derrotando Sephiroth (por enquanto) foi fenomenal.
Meu primeiro Final Fantasy e com certeza não será o último.
Jogão, simplesmente imperdível pra qualquer fã de RPG, aliás, fãs de videogame no geral.
Por ser um jogo dividido em três partes, estava com medo de terminar sem uma conclusão. Mas finalizar o jogo com Cloud e os amigos mudando o destino e derrotando Sephiroth (por enquanto) foi fenomenal.
Meu primeiro Final Fantasy e com certeza não será o último.
Jogão, simplesmente imperdível pra qualquer fã de RPG, aliás, fãs de videogame no geral.
great game , i just dont like jrpgs' combat systems and this one had the worst of all of them i played, story was so good that i forget about it till the end
im really looking forward to play rebirth when it comes to pc
this game has loads of technical problems .
npcs come to your face in the middle of talking to someone
, audio flickering, frame drops. no custom graphic settings
im really looking forward to play rebirth when it comes to pc
this game has loads of technical problems .
npcs come to your face in the middle of talking to someone
, audio flickering, frame drops. no custom graphic settings
This was a great first experience in the modern Final Fantasy games. The gameplay was fresh and the mechanical diversity of gameplay between characters was incredibly fun.
The story is also solid especially as a remake. Besides not loving an early decision that only the players see rather than the characters most of the depth added in this remake to the story help explore new concepts from the original game while still maintaining the heart of the original story.
The only real negative was the exploration aspect. Between the very stilted "parkour" movements and the constant voice lines from party members about where to go, the exploration always felt like a chore rather than being engaging.
The story is also solid especially as a remake. Besides not loving an early decision that only the players see rather than the characters most of the depth added in this remake to the story help explore new concepts from the original game while still maintaining the heart of the original story.
The only real negative was the exploration aspect. Between the very stilted "parkour" movements and the constant voice lines from party members about where to go, the exploration always felt like a chore rather than being engaging.
I found Cloud's personality somewhat boring. I felt like I wasn't able to get to know him. Maybe this opinion will change wants I play Rebirth. I Loved the other characters, combat, cinematics, and battle system. Chapter 8 quests in section 5 were really fun too! This game felt like it dragged on a bit, but overall I had fun playing it.
This is a very good start for a trilogy. Until the shinra building, this game was a 9 for me. The combat takes a while to sink, but, it is very fun and the characters are very different to control.
They manage to weave a very organic relationship between characters, given we have 30+h for the first 1 or 2 hours of the base game. They used it very well for this purpouse.
But..the end start to drag so much! The sewer sequence is very annoying, dind't like at all! The shinra building was one of my favourite parts of the original, but the parade of "final" bosses is very tiring.
In the end, I didn't even enjoy the ending because I was very tired. But I know some time from now it will hit really hard.
Final Fantasy VII may be one of the greates stories ever told. very pumped for Rebirth
They manage to weave a very organic relationship between characters, given we have 30+h for the first 1 or 2 hours of the base game. They used it very well for this purpouse.
But..the end start to drag so much! The sewer sequence is very annoying, dind't like at all! The shinra building was one of my favourite parts of the original, but the parade of "final" bosses is very tiring.
In the end, I didn't even enjoy the ending because I was very tired. But I know some time from now it will hit really hard.
Final Fantasy VII may be one of the greates stories ever told. very pumped for Rebirth
As a newcomer to the series, this cast of characters and the mix of real-time action and turn-based combat immediately drew me in to this saga. This game really falters in its side content and its main quest is probably 3 hours too long, but when it shines it really shines. As someone who has looked the other way in regards to the Final Fantasy series for 20+ years, this makes me wonder what else I've been missing out on.
muito bom, mas pena que os caras adoram ressuscitar personagem e inventar moda
Hoo boy, this is one hell of a mess. I'm baffled it got the overwhelmingly positive reception it did, as I see it as an abject failure both as a remake and on it's own merits. Occasional glimpses of brilliance are snuffed out by a mountain of wasted time.
Let's start with the few positives I've got. Music's good, and there's a metric ton of it. Although it does feel a bit generic in terms of sound. It's all very orchestral, and while it sounds good, it lacks the sheer atmosphere the original music had. The characterization for the main cast is great. Cloud is a complete dweeb as he should be, and Barret is a joy to watch. He makes every scene he's in so much more fun. Also from a tech perspective, this game is a marvel. It looks insane and the sheer amount of detail is nuts.
And now we're onto the problems. Let's start with combat. While it feels weighty, and swapping between the characters frantically can be quite fun. But the issues come in with defense, primarily. The dodge roll is not invincible, which is not automatically a problem. The issue is that many moves just don't feel like you're SUPPOSED to dodge them. I'll press the button at a time where it looks correct, I'm visibly out of the way, but I get hit regardless. I get the impression much of the damage in this game is intended to be unavoidable, much like the original JRPG. This ends up being very frustrating in an action context. Getting the timing right on an attack and dodge only to be hit anyways feels awful. Something else that feels awful is crowd control. Enemies can just bat you around left and right, and you can get blown off course by a random projectile thrown by an enemy with barely any tell. Ranged combat also sucks. The best option is usually offensive magic, which isn't very engaging to use. You might also play as Barret, who is so dull to play as. He just shoots without much variation or satisfying weight to his moves asides from an occasional big blast. Aerith is in a similar boat, limply firing projectiles that makes her a slog to play as.
Speaking of a slog, that's what the whole game feels like. Every single action feels so artificially slowed and padded to turn what was originally an introduction into an entire game. You randomly get stopped for the game to pan a camera at something and let the characters explain what you're looking at. You stop to slowly duck under some rubble. What should be a bit of gameplay is a drawn-out cutscene. Everything just feels slow, and it gets draining by the end.
Sometimes the facade of the game works. Sometimes you get something that's exciting or interesting. But those moments get beaten into the ground when a neat idea becomes five minutes of just hitting the same enemy over and over without much challenge or interest. And that's without getting into the issues of the narrative.
The story is a complete mess, to be expected from a game that tries to turn an intro into a complete package. It doesn't introduce much of anything that's new and substantive. Instead, it pads and over elaborates. The original midgar's story makes you want to see more of the city, while this makes me never want to go back to the junkyards and factories that define every location in the game. Characters like Sephiroth are treated like some legendary icon, with the assumption that the player already thinks they're cool and threatening. But if you had JUST this game, he's some lame-ass guy who shows up and says "hahaha you are cringe Cloud" and then vanishes, without much intrigue. And of course you gotta fight him. It feels less like a retelling of FF7 and more of a wack fanfiction version. I don't mind them doing something different, but don't try and justify it through this weird whisper nonsense. Just un-apologetically do something different. This destiny nonsense just makes everything feel forced and pointless.
In short, this game sucks mega ass. Maybe rebirth is better, I sure hope it is. Maybe intermission is a bit better. I'll get to that soon probably. But this, this right here? This game that got so much praise and love? This is a fuckin mess. It's a disaster of horrible pacing, stupid decisions, and an end result that feels like it tends to completely miss what works about the source material despite occasional glimpses of something good.
Let's start with the few positives I've got. Music's good, and there's a metric ton of it. Although it does feel a bit generic in terms of sound. It's all very orchestral, and while it sounds good, it lacks the sheer atmosphere the original music had. The characterization for the main cast is great. Cloud is a complete dweeb as he should be, and Barret is a joy to watch. He makes every scene he's in so much more fun. Also from a tech perspective, this game is a marvel. It looks insane and the sheer amount of detail is nuts.
And now we're onto the problems. Let's start with combat. While it feels weighty, and swapping between the characters frantically can be quite fun. But the issues come in with defense, primarily. The dodge roll is not invincible, which is not automatically a problem. The issue is that many moves just don't feel like you're SUPPOSED to dodge them. I'll press the button at a time where it looks correct, I'm visibly out of the way, but I get hit regardless. I get the impression much of the damage in this game is intended to be unavoidable, much like the original JRPG. This ends up being very frustrating in an action context. Getting the timing right on an attack and dodge only to be hit anyways feels awful. Something else that feels awful is crowd control. Enemies can just bat you around left and right, and you can get blown off course by a random projectile thrown by an enemy with barely any tell. Ranged combat also sucks. The best option is usually offensive magic, which isn't very engaging to use. You might also play as Barret, who is so dull to play as. He just shoots without much variation or satisfying weight to his moves asides from an occasional big blast. Aerith is in a similar boat, limply firing projectiles that makes her a slog to play as.
Speaking of a slog, that's what the whole game feels like. Every single action feels so artificially slowed and padded to turn what was originally an introduction into an entire game. You randomly get stopped for the game to pan a camera at something and let the characters explain what you're looking at. You stop to slowly duck under some rubble. What should be a bit of gameplay is a drawn-out cutscene. Everything just feels slow, and it gets draining by the end.
Sometimes the facade of the game works. Sometimes you get something that's exciting or interesting. But those moments get beaten into the ground when a neat idea becomes five minutes of just hitting the same enemy over and over without much challenge or interest. And that's without getting into the issues of the narrative.
The story is a complete mess, to be expected from a game that tries to turn an intro into a complete package. It doesn't introduce much of anything that's new and substantive. Instead, it pads and over elaborates. The original midgar's story makes you want to see more of the city, while this makes me never want to go back to the junkyards and factories that define every location in the game. Characters like Sephiroth are treated like some legendary icon, with the assumption that the player already thinks they're cool and threatening. But if you had JUST this game, he's some lame-ass guy who shows up and says "hahaha you are cringe Cloud" and then vanishes, without much intrigue. And of course you gotta fight him. It feels less like a retelling of FF7 and more of a wack fanfiction version. I don't mind them doing something different, but don't try and justify it through this weird whisper nonsense. Just un-apologetically do something different. This destiny nonsense just makes everything feel forced and pointless.
In short, this game sucks mega ass. Maybe rebirth is better, I sure hope it is. Maybe intermission is a bit better. I'll get to that soon probably. But this, this right here? This game that got so much praise and love? This is a fuckin mess. It's a disaster of horrible pacing, stupid decisions, and an end result that feels like it tends to completely miss what works about the source material despite occasional glimpses of something good.
When you think of RPG's you better think of FF7. While only 1/3 of the story they wish to tell it still feels like a fully fleshed out title. Gorgeous.
Off the bat, not as solid of a package as the OG 7 and that's partially due to the fact this is an incomplete story but also due to some very real and very obvious pacing issues. They clearly wanted to spend some more time in certain sections, as shown with all the side quests, but wow sometimes it comes to a screeching halt and it feels very slow.
But despite that, the game is absolutely amazing. Combat is incredibly fun, I enjoyed doing a hellish amount of damage with Cloud using staggers, and the way each of the 4 playable characters played was fun.
Story is still great and the ways in which this story subverts, or attempts to anyway, the original is great and lead to some very cute, awesome, and sad moments. Even the slow pacing doesn't take away from the Remake's original scenes, they're all a joy to witness for one reason or another, and even coming fresh off of 7 it didn't feel like I was treading old ground when so much of it was new. And I have to say, the ending just absolutely captured some of my favourite tropes, and it's an absolutely amazing homage to the final fight of the original. And the ending past that introducing new elements for the Remake canon is just hype inducing.
Music is great, too. So many awesome remixes, some great new tracks sprinkled here and there, and just a raw energy to some of them that make them just as memorable to the original.
Characters are portrayed awesomely by their VAs and getting to hear these characters coming to life makes me incredibly happy. Only one I'd say I have an issue with is Cloud's VA, he seems to be stilted in some pieces of dialogue that doesn't seem to be an intentional bit for his character. Regardless, characterization is awesome.
I think this Remake even if I give it a lower score than the OG game absolutely deserves praise for creating such a beautiful rendition and reimagining of the original Midgar section. It sets up so much, and I'm excited to see how it handles it in Rebirth.
But despite that, the game is absolutely amazing. Combat is incredibly fun, I enjoyed doing a hellish amount of damage with Cloud using staggers, and the way each of the 4 playable characters played was fun.
Story is still great and the ways in which this story subverts, or attempts to anyway, the original is great and lead to some very cute, awesome, and sad moments. Even the slow pacing doesn't take away from the Remake's original scenes, they're all a joy to witness for one reason or another, and even coming fresh off of 7 it didn't feel like I was treading old ground when so much of it was new. And I have to say, the ending just absolutely captured some of my favourite tropes, and it's an absolutely amazing homage to the final fight of the original. And the ending past that introducing new elements for the Remake canon is just hype inducing.
Music is great, too. So many awesome remixes, some great new tracks sprinkled here and there, and just a raw energy to some of them that make them just as memorable to the original.
Characters are portrayed awesomely by their VAs and getting to hear these characters coming to life makes me incredibly happy. Only one I'd say I have an issue with is Cloud's VA, he seems to be stilted in some pieces of dialogue that doesn't seem to be an intentional bit for his character. Regardless, characterization is awesome.
I think this Remake even if I give it a lower score than the OG game absolutely deserves praise for creating such a beautiful rendition and reimagining of the original Midgar section. It sets up so much, and I'm excited to see how it handles it in Rebirth.
This is the perfect modern Final Fantasy striking a great balance between real-time action and turn-based combat, while there are other styles of game-play that Final Fantasy could and should tackle I think this is my ideal approach to the series in the modern day.
It's been said many times before that this game is more of a re-imagining/retelling then a direct remake of the original Final Fantasy VII and while I understand that this may disappoint people who were hoping for more of a faithful remake, I think giving themselves the room to go off in their own direction with this game has allowed them to really keep this game feeling fresh at the same time as paying homage to the original. I don't think you can say by playing this game that you've truly experienced the original Final Fantasy VII as it's really its own thing but I think this game offers people the chance to experience the world and characters of that game but with a new twist, for me this is all an up-side as it keeps the original game relevant and worth replaying in it's own right, even if I think I like this version better. Simply put Final Fantasy VII isn't a replacement for the original but a fantastic modernization and expansion of the story that game created.
Can't wait to play Rebirth very soon, I'm pretty sure this is my favorite game of the 2020s so far I'm not sure I've been this gripped by a game in this way for so long, it's also probably in my top 3 Final Fantasy games, I'd recommend experiencing the original first to players who are open to playing older games but if not then definitely go ahead and play this game if this trilogy keeps this quality up we could have without doubt one of the best video game trilogies of all-time.
It's been said many times before that this game is more of a re-imagining/retelling then a direct remake of the original Final Fantasy VII and while I understand that this may disappoint people who were hoping for more of a faithful remake, I think giving themselves the room to go off in their own direction with this game has allowed them to really keep this game feeling fresh at the same time as paying homage to the original. I don't think you can say by playing this game that you've truly experienced the original Final Fantasy VII as it's really its own thing but I think this game offers people the chance to experience the world and characters of that game but with a new twist, for me this is all an up-side as it keeps the original game relevant and worth replaying in it's own right, even if I think I like this version better. Simply put Final Fantasy VII isn't a replacement for the original but a fantastic modernization and expansion of the story that game created.
Can't wait to play Rebirth very soon, I'm pretty sure this is my favorite game of the 2020s so far I'm not sure I've been this gripped by a game in this way for so long, it's also probably in my top 3 Final Fantasy games, I'd recommend experiencing the original first to players who are open to playing older games but if not then definitely go ahead and play this game if this trilogy keeps this quality up we could have without doubt one of the best video game trilogies of all-time.
This review contains spoilers
Gameplay is excellent, characterization is amazing, characters feel so much more real and nuanced and I care about everyone significantly more than the OG go round. As far as story I feel there's an excessive amount of padding to ensure a 40 hour experience, visiting Jessie's home and the Train Graveyard are cool additions, the second visit to the sewers and Hojo's lab not so much. Sidequests are mostly forgettable outside of a small handful. The story being a pseudo sequel thing is interesting and I'm excited to see where they take it in Rebirth and beyond. As for the Yuffie dlc my only real complaint is not being able to control Sonon, this is a minor nitpick in the grand scheme of things but just mildly frustrating.
Bossların zorluk ayarlarında ciddi sıkıntılar vardı, oyunun sürekli takımda en az kullanılan kişileri buildlerini bile düzenlememize fırsat vermeden fighta atıp durması çok sinir bozucuydu. Yine de orijinal oyunda 15-20 dakikalık olan yerlerden devasa 2-3 saatlik içerik çıkarmaları takdire şayan. Ayrıca Tifa ile dövüşmek çok güzel <3
Great beginning to the story. Starts building the characters, world and premise extremely well. Also has Tifa in so it's almost a perfect game. -1 star for the ghost section :)
Voltando a jogar o Final Fantasy VII Remake no modo Hard e tentando platinar, deu pra ver uma mudança grande na minha opinião sobre o jogo. Na primeira vez, confesso que estava meio sem paciência, não dei muita atenção ao sistema de combate. Resultado? Sofri mais nas batalhas do que deveria e acabei não curtindo tanto a história e os personagens.
Mas na segunda tentativa, foi diferente. Fui com mais calma, dei uma chance pro sistema de combate e cara, que diferença! Descobri que é bem mais complexo do que eu pensava, mas também é muito divertido de explorar.
Uma coisa que me prendeu muito no Final Fantasy VII Remake foi a história. Ele expande consideravelmente o primeiro ato do jogo original, que originalmente durava de 6 a 8 horas, para cerca de 60 horas. Mas não se engane, essa expansão é altamente justificada e não se trata de uma mera encheção de linguiça.
Com certeza, esse jogo subiu rapidinho pra minha lista de favoritos dessa geração. Explicar o que faz ele ser tão incrível sem dar spoiler é complicado, mas uma coisa é certa: a galera que pula por achar que é só um remake tá perdendo uma baita continuação!
Mas na segunda tentativa, foi diferente. Fui com mais calma, dei uma chance pro sistema de combate e cara, que diferença! Descobri que é bem mais complexo do que eu pensava, mas também é muito divertido de explorar.
Uma coisa que me prendeu muito no Final Fantasy VII Remake foi a história. Ele expande consideravelmente o primeiro ato do jogo original, que originalmente durava de 6 a 8 horas, para cerca de 60 horas. Mas não se engane, essa expansão é altamente justificada e não se trata de uma mera encheção de linguiça.
Com certeza, esse jogo subiu rapidinho pra minha lista de favoritos dessa geração. Explicar o que faz ele ser tão incrível sem dar spoiler é complicado, mas uma coisa é certa: a galera que pula por achar que é só um remake tá perdendo uma baita continuação!
Playing this right after playing the original Final Fantasy VII added a new wonder to every interaction, location, and especially battle... on the flipside, it made it very, very obvious where the padding went in. Towards the halfway point I found myself very frustrated with how stretched out even the smallest moments of the original game were.
Still, the character work here is amazing, Midgar is an incredible location, whenever the story is moving it's very often full of charm and excitement. The combat emphasizing constantly switching up between party members keeps things fresh and kinetic, although I wish it was a bit more generous with materia slots.
The Yuffie DLC did wonders for Yuffie herself, even if her muscly big bro-type companion felt like a chore to drag around. I was a bit tired of seeing the same Midgar/Shinra locations at this point, but I can sympathize with the devs wanting to keep production time/cost down.
I hope that Rebirth values my time a bit more, and doesn't unnecessarily pad out every possible encounter just to add more time... or at least make them more exciting than moving robot arms around when they do. Get Rebirth to PC soon, Square Enix!
Still, the character work here is amazing, Midgar is an incredible location, whenever the story is moving it's very often full of charm and excitement. The combat emphasizing constantly switching up between party members keeps things fresh and kinetic, although I wish it was a bit more generous with materia slots.
The Yuffie DLC did wonders for Yuffie herself, even if her muscly big bro-type companion felt like a chore to drag around. I was a bit tired of seeing the same Midgar/Shinra locations at this point, but I can sympathize with the devs wanting to keep production time/cost down.
I hope that Rebirth values my time a bit more, and doesn't unnecessarily pad out every possible encounter just to add more time... or at least make them more exciting than moving robot arms around when they do. Get Rebirth to PC soon, Square Enix!
Peak ahh game but felt bloated and dragged out at the 75% mark
In a post-Rebirth world I decided to revisit this game and not only see how it held up, but also to finish off the trophy list after I appreciated the former so much. And upon my replay I found that while it definitely has its shortcomings in hindsight, it’s still a great experience and did a great job fleshing out the city of Midgar and the early parts of FF7 and its world.
The combat is where this game shines with the ATB system and the materia system working in tandem to create battles that are both exciting and allow for a ton of user preference in how they want to tackle fights. Each character shines in their own way, but I found that Cloud and Tifa were by far the standouts, especially in Hard Mode which puts a bigger emphasis on pumping out damage while minimizing risk in whatever ways possible.
The story changes from the original are divisive (and rightfully so) but overall I think they work and once the remake saga is complete I think we’ll have a much better idea of what they were going for and if they actually land. What you lose in changes or omissions are more than made up for with how fleshed out everything feels like characters (Avalanche actually feels important now) and locations (Wall Market and the slums are particularly great).
Also, the Yuffie DLC was exactly what additional content should be. A fun story that doesn’t overstay its welcome, introduces an interesting plot that remains important for the other games in the saga, and gives us a taste of Yuffie and her gameplay style which was insanely fun and was in hindsight just a teaser for her full introduction in Rebirth.
Overall, this game is a wonderful time and I appreciate it quite a bit as being my first introduction to Final Fantasy, a rabbit hole I look forward to going further down in the future with other entries.
The combat is where this game shines with the ATB system and the materia system working in tandem to create battles that are both exciting and allow for a ton of user preference in how they want to tackle fights. Each character shines in their own way, but I found that Cloud and Tifa were by far the standouts, especially in Hard Mode which puts a bigger emphasis on pumping out damage while minimizing risk in whatever ways possible.
The story changes from the original are divisive (and rightfully so) but overall I think they work and once the remake saga is complete I think we’ll have a much better idea of what they were going for and if they actually land. What you lose in changes or omissions are more than made up for with how fleshed out everything feels like characters (Avalanche actually feels important now) and locations (Wall Market and the slums are particularly great).
Also, the Yuffie DLC was exactly what additional content should be. A fun story that doesn’t overstay its welcome, introduces an interesting plot that remains important for the other games in the saga, and gives us a taste of Yuffie and her gameplay style which was insanely fun and was in hindsight just a teaser for her full introduction in Rebirth.
Overall, this game is a wonderful time and I appreciate it quite a bit as being my first introduction to Final Fantasy, a rabbit hole I look forward to going further down in the future with other entries.
This review contains spoilers
Really interesting reimagining of the original game. I personally liked the new twist on the story. The characters were all super fun too- I really liked all the party dynamics, and it was cool to see the original members of Avalanche get fleshed out and have a bit more screen time. The environments were really well-done as well, they succeeded in making Midgar feel absolutely massive. Combat felt really smooth, it's a turn-based system disguised as real-time because if you don't time your attacks well you will get fucked. The materia system rules, I really love that amount of customization depth.
The main flaw here is the pacing. I like how they integrated the side quests, because there's no way in hell I'm doing any side quests in an old FF game. However, the pacing was kind of weird as a result, with the main party members encouraging Cloud to go do random shit after discussing how dire the main storyline was. I had fun with them at first, but I ignored the last batch because I was not interested in them at all. I feel like the Chocobo fast travel system is a relic of the old game that they could have reworked, but by the time that was even an option I had stopped giving a shit about side quests to go set it up or use it. I also feel like the last few chapters were really drawn out, particularly Hojo's lab. Lastly, I wish there was more party customization and less of the gimmick where they took away characters all the time. Multiple times I was stuck without healing materia because the game would split the party or remove Tifa or Aerith without warning, and the only reason I had a chance at beating Sephiroth was because I equipped it on Cloud. Not getting to use Aerith at all at the end kind of sucked, and Red XIII not being playable kind of faked me out with how far away the ending was. I enjoyed most of the dialogue but there were times where I came to appreciate how pithy the original was.
Overall I enjoyed this a lot. The middle portion of the game is some of the most fun I've had in an RPG, but I'm hoping these flaws are at least addressed in Rebirth, whenever I get around to it.
The main flaw here is the pacing. I like how they integrated the side quests, because there's no way in hell I'm doing any side quests in an old FF game. However, the pacing was kind of weird as a result, with the main party members encouraging Cloud to go do random shit after discussing how dire the main storyline was. I had fun with them at first, but I ignored the last batch because I was not interested in them at all. I feel like the Chocobo fast travel system is a relic of the old game that they could have reworked, but by the time that was even an option I had stopped giving a shit about side quests to go set it up or use it. I also feel like the last few chapters were really drawn out, particularly Hojo's lab. Lastly, I wish there was more party customization and less of the gimmick where they took away characters all the time. Multiple times I was stuck without healing materia because the game would split the party or remove Tifa or Aerith without warning, and the only reason I had a chance at beating Sephiroth was because I equipped it on Cloud. Not getting to use Aerith at all at the end kind of sucked, and Red XIII not being playable kind of faked me out with how far away the ending was. I enjoyed most of the dialogue but there were times where I came to appreciate how pithy the original was.
Overall I enjoyed this a lot. The middle portion of the game is some of the most fun I've had in an RPG, but I'm hoping these flaws are at least addressed in Rebirth, whenever I get around to it.
The base game is definitely one of the best games I have ever Backseat gamed, as I watched this game be played. BUT, That was quite some time ago, and we only just now played the DLC Yuffie mission.
This was such an odd chunk of a DLC mission. The story was fun, and the time with Yuffie was great, but it felt very short. I feel like the implications of this DLC won't be understood until we get deeper into Rebirth. Also why did they make a full fledged Strategy game to fill out the DLC. Very weird.
This was such an odd chunk of a DLC mission. The story was fun, and the time with Yuffie was great, but it felt very short. I feel like the implications of this DLC won't be understood until we get deeper into Rebirth. Also why did they make a full fledged Strategy game to fill out the DLC. Very weird.
AHHH SO GOOD SO GOOD
This review contains spoilers
Part of me wishes this was just a remake rather but the implications of the timeline changing are very cool. That being said, the whole last area is kind of a mess aside from the Sephiroth fight
There's a reason Midgar was four hours long in the original. At thirty hours long I feel the game is a little uncomfortably bloated. Far too much side content and filler, made up for by the many positives. Beautiful to look at, an amazing soundtrack and brilliant voice work made FF7 remake hit hard when other games this bloated would have struggled to retain my interest.
The combat system I was torn on at first, I didn't quite wrap my head around the ATB/Action hybrid setup. Once things clicked though, I had an absolute blast melting through the many mobs of Midgar. Hyped to play Rebirth, but tempted to give this a bash on hard first...
The combat system I was torn on at first, I didn't quite wrap my head around the ATB/Action hybrid setup. Once things clicked though, I had an absolute blast melting through the many mobs of Midgar. Hyped to play Rebirth, but tempted to give this a bash on hard first...
For what's the first of a trilogy I loved playing it. Granted the twist they were going for that changes later events both near the end of this game and the later entries was a bit iffy but I personally don't think it takes away from the experience I had which is all I asked for.
I came into this game with nearly zero FFVII nostalgia. I played the original far after release and thought it was a solid JRPG but didn't see what all the fuss was about. This game, however, hooked me early and held me all 40 hours it took to get through the main game and intermission.
There is a lot to praise here, but for me the combination of excellent voice acting, music, and visuals really took the cake. The combat is complex and interesting, and the Midgar was such a fun and interesting place to learn about and explore. I came away from the experience feeling far more connected to the cast of characters than ever before. The story feels like typical anime fare, but to me it felt like more of an excuse to get to know the characters and the world than a draw in its own right.
Overall, I loved this way more than I expected to. Looking forward to digging into the subsequent entries and very glad I decided to check it out!
There is a lot to praise here, but for me the combination of excellent voice acting, music, and visuals really took the cake. The combat is complex and interesting, and the Midgar was such a fun and interesting place to learn about and explore. I came away from the experience feeling far more connected to the cast of characters than ever before. The story feels like typical anime fare, but to me it felt like more of an excuse to get to know the characters and the world than a draw in its own right.
Overall, I loved this way more than I expected to. Looking forward to digging into the subsequent entries and very glad I decided to check it out!
This review contains spoilers
What a game. I had originally gone into this planning to just try it out and see what the hype was. I did not expect myself to get hooked as I did. I was never big into RPG games with the exception of a select few and this game has made its way onto that list.
The combat was so much more fun than I expected it to be. I remember trying out a demo when the game was coming out and not being super impressed. I'm not sure if my brain was just too unga bunga to give it a chance, but once i started to understand it, and when they introduced having your team, and not only being able to give commands but SWITCH TO THEM? I was sold. The game becomes this dance of using each character as much as you can in order to build up the ATB to use your abilities and so many of them are so fun to use. There were so many systems in place that were so interesting to dive into like the weapon mastery system, linking materia, weapon abilities, summons. So much that I can't discuss it all at once but it was a level of complexity that did not deter me as much as like the tutorial moments of Final Fantasy XV in a sense. The longer I explored the game's systems the more excited I became to utilize it and I only wish I had learned some of them sooner to make earlier fights easier on me.
The story was really fun to follow. I felt engaged the whole time, except the lab section with hojo, that gave some interesting information on genova but the section itself was insanely long and so close to the final showdown that I felt it was holding me hostage from the end of the game. The game did side quests really well as well where they never felt out of the way and were compelling enough to build your characters and get weapons in order to get through the later, harder sections. I'll take doing side quests over grinding any day, even though the combat system is fun enough to not deter me from going out to grind if i wanted to.
Biggest spoilers here but the final fight with Sephiroth was such an intense and fun culmination of everything I had learned up to that point. The presence Sephiroth had in the game was so great. When he showed up in a scene, you would feel it along with Cloud and I was both dreading and dying to face this menace at the end.
Quick moment to discuss the voice acting, when I started the game originally I thought I was going to hate it because of the overly dramatic gasps and grunts that come with the early moments of the game, however, once you're used to that, those reactions lend so well to many scenes and often gives a reaction you never heard thus far and you just feel it. The unease and fear I would hear from Cloud when he goes through his Sephiroth "hallucinations" late into the game and the fear you can hear from him is so gut wrenching.
There's so much to talk about with this game and I could probably do so for hours. All that needs to be said is once I finished this I insta bought Rebirth, and I can't wait to be with this cast for more time. Tifa endgame btw
The combat was so much more fun than I expected it to be. I remember trying out a demo when the game was coming out and not being super impressed. I'm not sure if my brain was just too unga bunga to give it a chance, but once i started to understand it, and when they introduced having your team, and not only being able to give commands but SWITCH TO THEM? I was sold. The game becomes this dance of using each character as much as you can in order to build up the ATB to use your abilities and so many of them are so fun to use. There were so many systems in place that were so interesting to dive into like the weapon mastery system, linking materia, weapon abilities, summons. So much that I can't discuss it all at once but it was a level of complexity that did not deter me as much as like the tutorial moments of Final Fantasy XV in a sense. The longer I explored the game's systems the more excited I became to utilize it and I only wish I had learned some of them sooner to make earlier fights easier on me.
The story was really fun to follow. I felt engaged the whole time, except the lab section with hojo, that gave some interesting information on genova but the section itself was insanely long and so close to the final showdown that I felt it was holding me hostage from the end of the game. The game did side quests really well as well where they never felt out of the way and were compelling enough to build your characters and get weapons in order to get through the later, harder sections. I'll take doing side quests over grinding any day, even though the combat system is fun enough to not deter me from going out to grind if i wanted to.
Biggest spoilers here but the final fight with Sephiroth was such an intense and fun culmination of everything I had learned up to that point. The presence Sephiroth had in the game was so great. When he showed up in a scene, you would feel it along with Cloud and I was both dreading and dying to face this menace at the end.
Quick moment to discuss the voice acting, when I started the game originally I thought I was going to hate it because of the overly dramatic gasps and grunts that come with the early moments of the game, however, once you're used to that, those reactions lend so well to many scenes and often gives a reaction you never heard thus far and you just feel it. The unease and fear I would hear from Cloud when he goes through his Sephiroth "hallucinations" late into the game and the fear you can hear from him is so gut wrenching.
There's so much to talk about with this game and I could probably do so for hours. All that needs to be said is once I finished this I insta bought Rebirth, and I can't wait to be with this cast for more time. Tifa endgame btw
mmmmmh cload so sexy