No surprises FFVII means a lot to a gamer who came of age at exactly the right time to be caught up in the hype, but what I'm especially thankful for is how Remake has brought me back to something I enjoyed wholeheartedly for years. Between this and the extra time on my hands - thanks Covid! - I've racked up more hours gaming this year than the last ten years combined. And I love it.
It's a miracle FFVIIR works as well as it does. When something is similar but not exact, it can feel repellant. Locations are updated, but faithful. Musical motifs are remastered and modern, but retain their emotional heft for people familiar with them from 20+ years ago.
What's especially impressive is how it doesn't rely on that nostalgia. This thing stands on its own two legs, plus the gameplay is emphatically 2020. That comes with its own problems too: some chapters are obvious padding, getting caught up in criticisms lobbied at FFXIII, feeling all too linear for linear's sake. Maybe they're there to add some realism as you navigate the massive Midgar, but turning on light switches in an uninspiring factory isn't a welcome addition.
Still, it's easy to soldier on because it's these characters, now with added depth, and the battle system is so much fun that extra time spent slashing baddies to bits is no bad thing.
What's really stayed with me is how it's in conversation with its own legend, and the pressure to tell *a story or tell the* story. Is there value in retreading old familiar beats when the original still exists and is easily accessible? Does it become a different game entirely if, say, certain characters survive who should have died (not that one, the other one)? With remake culture particularly prevalent in cinema at the moment, I appreciated this as a piece of art wondering about its own legacy, taking that responsibility far more seriously than just a cynical cashgrab like the Disney remakes. I feel FFVIIR wants to get it right, and that might mean deviating from what we know and love. That's pretty scary, but based on this first instalment, I'm quietly optimistic now we're ahead on our way.
It's a miracle FFVIIR works as well as it does. When something is similar but not exact, it can feel repellant. Locations are updated, but faithful. Musical motifs are remastered and modern, but retain their emotional heft for people familiar with them from 20+ years ago.
What's especially impressive is how it doesn't rely on that nostalgia. This thing stands on its own two legs, plus the gameplay is emphatically 2020. That comes with its own problems too: some chapters are obvious padding, getting caught up in criticisms lobbied at FFXIII, feeling all too linear for linear's sake. Maybe they're there to add some realism as you navigate the massive Midgar, but turning on light switches in an uninspiring factory isn't a welcome addition.
Still, it's easy to soldier on because it's these characters, now with added depth, and the battle system is so much fun that extra time spent slashing baddies to bits is no bad thing.
What's really stayed with me is how it's in conversation with its own legend, and the pressure to tell *a story or tell the* story. Is there value in retreading old familiar beats when the original still exists and is easily accessible? Does it become a different game entirely if, say, certain characters survive who should have died (not that one, the other one)? With remake culture particularly prevalent in cinema at the moment, I appreciated this as a piece of art wondering about its own legacy, taking that responsibility far more seriously than just a cynical cashgrab like the Disney remakes. I feel FFVIIR wants to get it right, and that might mean deviating from what we know and love. That's pretty scary, but based on this first instalment, I'm quietly optimistic now we're ahead on our way.