HoarseArmor
2024
Great systems, but too fiddly for my taste.
I'm so torn on this game. As far as online RPGs go, I don't know of any more atmospheric and immersive. The lighting in this game is nuts. The art design is fantastic.
The combat is ok. The storytelling is... good for an MMO.
However, the game shoots itself in the foot in at least two ways.
One is the microtransactions. My god this game is so full of microtransactions that you'd almost forget it's a game at all.
The other issue is the way the writing conflicts with itself. One of the core conceits of the game is that you can "go anywhere whenever you want". However, if you are one of the many people who been drawn with the hope of experiencing a narrative adventure, you're going to be dissapointed.
The story is there, and like I said it's pretty good. But because everything is just splayed out there for you to attend whenever you want, the stories end up having no cohesion. Even if you're following a guide, it's all too easy to end up playing things out of order. You end up with references to events you have yet to experience, characters who don't recognize you because you met them in a later chapter, and other more subtle permutation issues.
At first I was content to do my best to follow a guide and just stop thinking too hard about it, but it pulls me right out!
I want to love the game. Maybe I do. That's probably why it hurts so much that so much of it presented so haphazardly.
The combat is ok. The storytelling is... good for an MMO.
However, the game shoots itself in the foot in at least two ways.
One is the microtransactions. My god this game is so full of microtransactions that you'd almost forget it's a game at all.
The other issue is the way the writing conflicts with itself. One of the core conceits of the game is that you can "go anywhere whenever you want". However, if you are one of the many people who been drawn with the hope of experiencing a narrative adventure, you're going to be dissapointed.
The story is there, and like I said it's pretty good. But because everything is just splayed out there for you to attend whenever you want, the stories end up having no cohesion. Even if you're following a guide, it's all too easy to end up playing things out of order. You end up with references to events you have yet to experience, characters who don't recognize you because you met them in a later chapter, and other more subtle permutation issues.
At first I was content to do my best to follow a guide and just stop thinking too hard about it, but it pulls me right out!
I want to love the game. Maybe I do. That's probably why it hurts so much that so much of it presented so haphazardly.
Final Fantasy VII Remake leans into Square's increasing focus on spectacle, and sticks the landing.
The battle system in itself is a brilliant mix of old and new, a synthesis of traditional FF7 combat mixed with action combat. Somehow it feels exactly like the original game, and something brand new. The boss are beautiful and the game coaxes you into exhibiting more skill with the mechanics in what has to be the most perfect difficulty curve of all time. By the end of the game, you're using an inventory of character and player skills that you've built up in a stunning confrontation.
Despite having played the original, I kind of had a hard time understanding some of the story beats... so it's very true to the original in that way. What the story lacked in coherence it makes up for in complexity and spectacle. New and old fans will not be disappointed by the nuanced emotionalism and epic feats shown in the cut-scenes.
The game has one notable flaw that makes it fall just short of being a masterpiece. It... kind of drags. Some dungeon sequences really outstay their welcome, side quests feel important but are pretty boring when you just want to see the amazing story play out, and for some reason most play areas are covered in thin spaces and tightrope walks that force your character to slow down considerably.
I guess they did what they had to to stretch the first third of the original game into a full play experience, but I honestly would have been fine if it was just 15 hours long and more tightly paced.
That being said, it's worth the slog. Again, whether you're a new fan or old, there is payoff here and lots of excitement to be had along the way.
The battle system in itself is a brilliant mix of old and new, a synthesis of traditional FF7 combat mixed with action combat. Somehow it feels exactly like the original game, and something brand new. The boss are beautiful and the game coaxes you into exhibiting more skill with the mechanics in what has to be the most perfect difficulty curve of all time. By the end of the game, you're using an inventory of character and player skills that you've built up in a stunning confrontation.
Despite having played the original, I kind of had a hard time understanding some of the story beats... so it's very true to the original in that way. What the story lacked in coherence it makes up for in complexity and spectacle. New and old fans will not be disappointed by the nuanced emotionalism and epic feats shown in the cut-scenes.
The game has one notable flaw that makes it fall just short of being a masterpiece. It... kind of drags. Some dungeon sequences really outstay their welcome, side quests feel important but are pretty boring when you just want to see the amazing story play out, and for some reason most play areas are covered in thin spaces and tightrope walks that force your character to slow down considerably.
I guess they did what they had to to stretch the first third of the original game into a full play experience, but I honestly would have been fine if it was just 15 hours long and more tightly paced.
That being said, it's worth the slog. Again, whether you're a new fan or old, there is payoff here and lots of excitement to be had along the way.
This one is hard to give a numerical score to. It's more FFXVI content so if you wanted more, here it is.
The story is good but suffers from the game's usual tendency to reinforce its themes EXCESSIVELY through repetitive exposition. However, the combat is fun as ever and the boss fights presented feature fresh mechanics, a welcome move considering how repetitive the main game's roster of enemy moves gets.
The standout moment is the final boss fight, and in my opinion this part alone is worth the price of admission. The dungeon leading up to it is meaty but doesn't overstay it's welcome, and there is some excellent scenery to check out if you have a mind to.
Overall, it felt really good to come back to Valisthea and engage in the combat. While the story beats are not particularly fresh, the story does tie nicely into the overall themes of the game. It's more of FFXVI at it's best.
The story is good but suffers from the game's usual tendency to reinforce its themes EXCESSIVELY through repetitive exposition. However, the combat is fun as ever and the boss fights presented feature fresh mechanics, a welcome move considering how repetitive the main game's roster of enemy moves gets.
The standout moment is the final boss fight, and in my opinion this part alone is worth the price of admission. The dungeon leading up to it is meaty but doesn't overstay it's welcome, and there is some excellent scenery to check out if you have a mind to.
Overall, it felt really good to come back to Valisthea and engage in the combat. While the story beats are not particularly fresh, the story does tie nicely into the overall themes of the game. It's more of FFXVI at it's best.