I should preface this review by stating my history with this game. That is to say, I have none. Not only did I never play the original, but this is also the only Final Fantasy game I’ve played to the credits. I’ve played about half of FFIV and FFVI and I have my own thoughts on those, but that’s not what this review is about. Suffusive to say, this perspective will be discussing FFVII REMAKE as a game on its own. If there’s anything that this game does that is different from the original, I don’t know about them, and if there’s anything about this game that originated in older Final Fantasies since the original, I don’t know about those either. With that out of the way, here are my thoughts.
I think the first thing to touch on is how gorgeous the game looks. I’m not one to play every newly released game as soon as they come out, but from what I’ve played, this is probably the best looking game I’ve ever seen. It’s not perfect; some smaller details are very poorly rendered and obviously NPCs don’t look as good as the main cast, but the model quality, the animation, and the environments look absolutely astounding.
I really like the story. For a fantasy RPG, especially one made by Square Enix, it has a very down-to-earth and realistic premise. The plot touches on the corruption of corporations and governments, the horrors of war and terrorism, and the contrast between the upper and lower classes in ways that are very relatable and applicable to the real world. Seeing Cloud doing jobs in the slums of sector 5, watching the aftermath of the mako reactor explosion in upper sector 8, these moments have a real somberness to them that made me stop and soak in the weight of the tragedies that were happening in this world. That’s not to say it doesn’t have completely ridiculous, bonkers moments — it has plenty of them and I love them just as much — but it’s refreshing to play a game in a genre (and from a studio) usually known for its outlandishness that feels very grounded.
I also love the characters. Cloud isn’t an amazing protagonist, but I enjoy seeing his cold, hard-ass personality being tested not only by the much more outgoing, bubbly people surrounding him, but also by the harsh, cruel events that he’s involved in. He’s also just plain cool. Tifa doesn’t have a particularly captivating personality and she’s probably my least favorite of the main cast, but she isn’t bad at all and I really like watching her personal struggle with the morality of Avalanche’s actions. Barrett is awesome. He’s so over the top and I love pretty much all of his lines. He has a great dynamic with Cloud, and I like how they make him a big softie with his daughter and the people close to him; he isn’t a wuss (in fact he might actually be deranged), but he’s got a heart of gold. Aerith is almost as good. When I saw her in the opening cutscene, the way she moved and acted gave me the impression that she would be timid and soft-spoken, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. She’s perky and sassy and is always trying to help people out (I also really appreciate how she never sides with Avalanche, and even though she has similar interests, she’s just doing her best to be an ordinary person). She’s the polar opposite of Cloud and it’s great watching them play off each other, especially seeing her read Cloud like a book. All the minor characters like Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, the Turks, Chadley, the heads of Shinra, Red XIII, all of them were great as well.
Gameplay wise, it took a while for me to get a hang of the combat. I’m used to playing Kingdom Hearts, so I usually approach ARPGs with that kind of gameplay in mind. Needless to say, that did not work here. The focus of the combat in Kingdom Hearts is identifying patterns and punishing openings; it’s very reactionary. Here’s it’s a lot more methodical. You have to analyze what you’re capable of that can stagger your opponent in order to cripple their defenses and deal a lot of damage in a short amount of time. In Kingdom Hearts you have to figure out WHEN to attack enemies. Here you have to figure out HOW to attack enemies. And once I understood that difference, I fell in love with it!
I think the turn-based format transitions really well into a real-time 3D system. I think the balance between combat and menu navigation was really well handled. I like how summons and limits were handled, only giving you access to them when you were in a pinch; they definitely change the tide of battle into your favor but you have to be at a pretty big disadvantage in order to access them, and that made it feel like you weren’t given free damage. The fights that really take advantage of your knowledge of how the game works and puts your skills to the test were awesome (the fight against the Behemoth being my favorite boss easily).
Outside of combat is where my opinions become a bit more mixed. I absolutely loved the more linear sections. I already mentioned exploring sectors 5 and 8, but I also loved chapter 4, the second reactor in chapter 7 and especially infiltrating Shinra HQ in chapter 16. These more linear segments were the highlight for me; they feel like such a tightly designed narrative and gameplay experience. I also really like the slower, more puzzley elements like the awkward platforming and lever-pulling segments. Usually these moments would break a game’s pacing in half, but I oddly enjoyed them. They fit in really well with more realistic approach of the plot, so I don’t mind them.
However, the game will frequently pause from these more linear moments and give you open areas where you complete a bunch of side quests. Perhaps this is more of a personal issue since I usually hate side quests in any game, but these were some of the worst moments for me. I hesitate to call them padding because for the most part they’re all fun, rewarding, narratively rich, and (most importantly) optional. I did enjoy doing them, but they’re such a stark contrast from the more intricately designed linear sections that they ruin the pace in my opinion. I can say that the game handles side quests better than most games do, but I’m a very direct and simple man; I usually want to experience the game that the designers have created and not waste my time with stuff like this unless it’s in the post-game (which it isn’t in this case).
The only part of the game that I outright didn’t like was chapter 11. It’s a very cliché sub-plot about a haunted trainyard. It introduces and resolves a conflict within one chapter, has no influence on anything that happens before or after, and is so thematically inappropriate considering how much tension there is in the story at that point. It is purely filler; it could have been removed entirely and the game would have been better for it.
That’s most of my thoughts, but I want to briefly talk about the ending. I know there’s some sort of controversy about the ending but I don’t know what that is considering 1. I avoided it for spoiler reasons and 2. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with how it was changed from the original which, again, I don’t care about. What I want to talk about are the themes of destiny and fate that show up at the end. Personally, I thought these were completely out of nowhere and undermined a lot of the story’s weight up until that point. Shinra was a great villain, and for them to ultimately be cast aside for some spiritual mumbo jumbo about altering destiny was really jarring.
Truth be told, I’m not against the idea of religion and spirituality being a factor in the plot. I think that the idea of Shinra looking for a prophesied land being the motivation behind their terrible acts toward the public and the planet was a really intriguing and unique idea. It’s just that the themes of fate and destiny wasn’t what the story was about up until that point.
But maybe that has more to do with a different, potentially controversial issue I have: Sephiroth is a terrible villain. Not to say I don’t like him. He’s really cool, genuinely intimidating and thought-provoking. The problem is that we know nothing about him, and I think that problem stems from the fact that there’s a lot of background information that the game doesn’t tell us about. Who even is Sephiroth and how did he supposedly die? What was the war about and when/where did it take place? What is a SOLDIER and why is it capitalized? Why did Cloud want to become a SOLIDER, and more importantly, why did he quit? Why does Cloud have mako cancer or whatever causes his headaches/hallucinations? Who is the creepy old test subject guy that keeps showing up and who everyone thinks is Sephiroth? Why is the world going to end and what makes Sephiroth the greatest threat to the planet? And most importantly, what is the relationship between Sephiroth and Cloud, and why is Cloud seemingly traumatized by Sephiroth’s existence?
I know that some of these questions may be there for us to think about for future parts, but a lot of these feel like essential background information that the game doesn’t tell us about. Sephiroth isn’t a great villain because we know absolutely nothing about him or his backstory, and for him to ultimately take the spotlight away from Shinra, who was not only the main villain for the entire game but also very well fleshed out, is odd to say the least.
That’s pretty much all I have to say. The only thing left to talk about is HOT DAMN the music is incredible! 10 hours of gorgeous compositions that fit the game perfectly and are great listens outside of the game as well. Probably one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard, if for no other reason than how much there is. I’ve been learning how to play Hollow and Jessie’s theme and have had them on loop for days.
Also, my favorite moment of the game was Cloud dancing with Andrea in the Honeybee Inn. I could not stop laughing that entire time, and it was easily my highlight.
Overall, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a phenomenal game. It is easily my favorite game that I’ve played so far this year, and unless Breath of the Wild 2 comes out in 2020, this will probably be my game of the year. It also has its hooks really deep in me; not only am I excited for future parts, but this is the first game I’ve played since A Link Between Worlds seven years ago that I immediately wanted to play again once I finished it. It’s held back by some pacing issues in the gameplay and an underwhelming conclusion, but it is nonetheless fantastic.
I think the first thing to touch on is how gorgeous the game looks. I’m not one to play every newly released game as soon as they come out, but from what I’ve played, this is probably the best looking game I’ve ever seen. It’s not perfect; some smaller details are very poorly rendered and obviously NPCs don’t look as good as the main cast, but the model quality, the animation, and the environments look absolutely astounding.
I really like the story. For a fantasy RPG, especially one made by Square Enix, it has a very down-to-earth and realistic premise. The plot touches on the corruption of corporations and governments, the horrors of war and terrorism, and the contrast between the upper and lower classes in ways that are very relatable and applicable to the real world. Seeing Cloud doing jobs in the slums of sector 5, watching the aftermath of the mako reactor explosion in upper sector 8, these moments have a real somberness to them that made me stop and soak in the weight of the tragedies that were happening in this world. That’s not to say it doesn’t have completely ridiculous, bonkers moments — it has plenty of them and I love them just as much — but it’s refreshing to play a game in a genre (and from a studio) usually known for its outlandishness that feels very grounded.
I also love the characters. Cloud isn’t an amazing protagonist, but I enjoy seeing his cold, hard-ass personality being tested not only by the much more outgoing, bubbly people surrounding him, but also by the harsh, cruel events that he’s involved in. He’s also just plain cool. Tifa doesn’t have a particularly captivating personality and she’s probably my least favorite of the main cast, but she isn’t bad at all and I really like watching her personal struggle with the morality of Avalanche’s actions. Barrett is awesome. He’s so over the top and I love pretty much all of his lines. He has a great dynamic with Cloud, and I like how they make him a big softie with his daughter and the people close to him; he isn’t a wuss (in fact he might actually be deranged), but he’s got a heart of gold. Aerith is almost as good. When I saw her in the opening cutscene, the way she moved and acted gave me the impression that she would be timid and soft-spoken, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. She’s perky and sassy and is always trying to help people out (I also really appreciate how she never sides with Avalanche, and even though she has similar interests, she’s just doing her best to be an ordinary person). She’s the polar opposite of Cloud and it’s great watching them play off each other, especially seeing her read Cloud like a book. All the minor characters like Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, the Turks, Chadley, the heads of Shinra, Red XIII, all of them were great as well.
Gameplay wise, it took a while for me to get a hang of the combat. I’m used to playing Kingdom Hearts, so I usually approach ARPGs with that kind of gameplay in mind. Needless to say, that did not work here. The focus of the combat in Kingdom Hearts is identifying patterns and punishing openings; it’s very reactionary. Here’s it’s a lot more methodical. You have to analyze what you’re capable of that can stagger your opponent in order to cripple their defenses and deal a lot of damage in a short amount of time. In Kingdom Hearts you have to figure out WHEN to attack enemies. Here you have to figure out HOW to attack enemies. And once I understood that difference, I fell in love with it!
I think the turn-based format transitions really well into a real-time 3D system. I think the balance between combat and menu navigation was really well handled. I like how summons and limits were handled, only giving you access to them when you were in a pinch; they definitely change the tide of battle into your favor but you have to be at a pretty big disadvantage in order to access them, and that made it feel like you weren’t given free damage. The fights that really take advantage of your knowledge of how the game works and puts your skills to the test were awesome (the fight against the Behemoth being my favorite boss easily).
Outside of combat is where my opinions become a bit more mixed. I absolutely loved the more linear sections. I already mentioned exploring sectors 5 and 8, but I also loved chapter 4, the second reactor in chapter 7 and especially infiltrating Shinra HQ in chapter 16. These more linear segments were the highlight for me; they feel like such a tightly designed narrative and gameplay experience. I also really like the slower, more puzzley elements like the awkward platforming and lever-pulling segments. Usually these moments would break a game’s pacing in half, but I oddly enjoyed them. They fit in really well with more realistic approach of the plot, so I don’t mind them.
However, the game will frequently pause from these more linear moments and give you open areas where you complete a bunch of side quests. Perhaps this is more of a personal issue since I usually hate side quests in any game, but these were some of the worst moments for me. I hesitate to call them padding because for the most part they’re all fun, rewarding, narratively rich, and (most importantly) optional. I did enjoy doing them, but they’re such a stark contrast from the more intricately designed linear sections that they ruin the pace in my opinion. I can say that the game handles side quests better than most games do, but I’m a very direct and simple man; I usually want to experience the game that the designers have created and not waste my time with stuff like this unless it’s in the post-game (which it isn’t in this case).
The only part of the game that I outright didn’t like was chapter 11. It’s a very cliché sub-plot about a haunted trainyard. It introduces and resolves a conflict within one chapter, has no influence on anything that happens before or after, and is so thematically inappropriate considering how much tension there is in the story at that point. It is purely filler; it could have been removed entirely and the game would have been better for it.
That’s most of my thoughts, but I want to briefly talk about the ending. I know there’s some sort of controversy about the ending but I don’t know what that is considering 1. I avoided it for spoiler reasons and 2. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with how it was changed from the original which, again, I don’t care about. What I want to talk about are the themes of destiny and fate that show up at the end. Personally, I thought these were completely out of nowhere and undermined a lot of the story’s weight up until that point. Shinra was a great villain, and for them to ultimately be cast aside for some spiritual mumbo jumbo about altering destiny was really jarring.
Truth be told, I’m not against the idea of religion and spirituality being a factor in the plot. I think that the idea of Shinra looking for a prophesied land being the motivation behind their terrible acts toward the public and the planet was a really intriguing and unique idea. It’s just that the themes of fate and destiny wasn’t what the story was about up until that point.
But maybe that has more to do with a different, potentially controversial issue I have: Sephiroth is a terrible villain. Not to say I don’t like him. He’s really cool, genuinely intimidating and thought-provoking. The problem is that we know nothing about him, and I think that problem stems from the fact that there’s a lot of background information that the game doesn’t tell us about. Who even is Sephiroth and how did he supposedly die? What was the war about and when/where did it take place? What is a SOLDIER and why is it capitalized? Why did Cloud want to become a SOLIDER, and more importantly, why did he quit? Why does Cloud have mako cancer or whatever causes his headaches/hallucinations? Who is the creepy old test subject guy that keeps showing up and who everyone thinks is Sephiroth? Why is the world going to end and what makes Sephiroth the greatest threat to the planet? And most importantly, what is the relationship between Sephiroth and Cloud, and why is Cloud seemingly traumatized by Sephiroth’s existence?
I know that some of these questions may be there for us to think about for future parts, but a lot of these feel like essential background information that the game doesn’t tell us about. Sephiroth isn’t a great villain because we know absolutely nothing about him or his backstory, and for him to ultimately take the spotlight away from Shinra, who was not only the main villain for the entire game but also very well fleshed out, is odd to say the least.
That’s pretty much all I have to say. The only thing left to talk about is HOT DAMN the music is incredible! 10 hours of gorgeous compositions that fit the game perfectly and are great listens outside of the game as well. Probably one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard, if for no other reason than how much there is. I’ve been learning how to play Hollow and Jessie’s theme and have had them on loop for days.
Also, my favorite moment of the game was Cloud dancing with Andrea in the Honeybee Inn. I could not stop laughing that entire time, and it was easily my highlight.
Overall, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a phenomenal game. It is easily my favorite game that I’ve played so far this year, and unless Breath of the Wild 2 comes out in 2020, this will probably be my game of the year. It also has its hooks really deep in me; not only am I excited for future parts, but this is the first game I’ve played since A Link Between Worlds seven years ago that I immediately wanted to play again once I finished it. It’s held back by some pacing issues in the gameplay and an underwhelming conclusion, but it is nonetheless fantastic.