This review contains spoilers
I'm somehow more in disbelief that this is a real thing that really exists after playing it than I was when it was still unreleased. I already know Final Fantasy VII. I already love Final Fantasy VII. So all I really needed to consider this a success was for it to be a "Gaia HD Simulator" where I can see some of my favourite locations and cinematic setpieces in glorious Squeenix HD, and my goodness does it fulfil that in spades. It's just a constant stream of awe at the grimy architecture of the slums, or seeing Midgar as an actual functioning city. But everything surrounding that was great too. It seems like for every 2 minutes spent following the plot I spent 6 just wandering around and staring at things. So much time has been spent just blankly admiring the sight of the plate above Sector 7 while listening to the music haha. I've always said that since upscaled Crisis Core was already like a breathtaking semi-remake of VII then the real one would probably blow my mind, and that held true. One particular moment that's really stuck out to me was the alleyway scene after the first Sephiroth encounter. The music they used in that scene was a somber version of The Promised Land from the beginning of Advent Children. It's something that probably meant more to me than most others, but that part totally made me stop in my tracks. I pay a lot of attention to music in games and anime, and VII's soundtracks have all always meant a lot to me. I suppose it was never really in question since the very first teaser was set to Beyond the Wasteland from Advent Children's soundtrack, but it's still really cool to see them dipping into more than just the original game's soundtrack. The music itself was phenomenal. I was a little worried after playing the demo where all the renditions of Bombing Mission and Mako Reactor were orchestral only, but there ended up being a healthy helping of the synths that were so emblematic of VII's steampunk identity.
I do miss Steve Burton as Cloud since that was one of my all-time favourite voice actor castings. He had such a unique voice that fit Cloud so perfectly. But on the other hand he was, well, not exactly the best voice actor. He did have it in him to do good performances, but most of them were pretty drab. The new guy is immediately more dynamic than him, so I can accept that. The loss of the old Sephiroth VA hits hard though. I guess his voice was too deep so they wanted a less caricature-esque guy this time around, but man Sephiroth just does not sound intimidating at all.
Although it's probably a little controversial I do like, or rather appreciate the change in style. Not as something that replaces the original per se, but as a new imagining. It was always apparent to me from reading their PR for the game that they were approaching this "remake" not with the mentality of "updating 1997's Final Fantasy VII to modern standards", instead “what if we made FFVII in the late 2010s". So I have no reservations about the difference in direction or pacing, indeed I'm actually really excited at the prospect of them taking Midgar and turning it into an entire standalone game. Using the "remake" branding since that's VII's big buzzword that isn't technically incorrect, but being a dramatic reimagining based on the same script. A new Final Fantasy VII, not just a shinier coat of paint. With the flashy combat and movie-level theatrics, this version ends up feeling like what VII would be like if it was envisioned more in line with the wider Compilation. Losing some subtlety along the way as it becomes a bit less politically ambiguous, but supplementing it with a hammier and more action-packed aesthetic, full of ridiculous anime-esque fights as Cloud flash-steps around and leaps incredible heights with ease. Whether it's the entirety of Advent Children, the Sephiroth-Genesis-Angeal fight scene in Crisis Core, the assault on Midgar cutscene of Dirge of Cerberus, even wider stuff like Dissidia, Kingdom Hearts, Mobius Final Fantasy, or heck even the VR theme park ride they had a while ago, everything outside the original VII has always that style of breakneck aerial combat going on. So it's really neat to see a reimagining of the original that puts it in line with those. I also enjoyed some of the Compilation references like Myler talking about a secret lab under the slums (Deepground from DoC), or them paralleling the AC motorbike fight with Cloud leaping onto the other guy's bike and using Braver on it - even if I ultimately think the Remnants were an embarrassment who should be scrubbed from VII history. Damn near had PTSD from the mentions of degradation and “type S and G SOLDIERS” though.
There were tons of changes to the narrative, big and small. It's inevitable though when you think about their aim of taking Midgar and turning into its own individual game. What was originally just the introductory segment (lasting only 3-6 hours generally) had to become a standalone game with its own dramatic setpieces and high-strung climax. Which means that with the new pacing some things from the original obviously don't work anymore. The biggest one for example, is that in the original Sephiroth is treated much more mysteriously. The first time he's even mentioned is when you climb the Shinra tower, follow the trail of blood and find President Shinra impaled with Masamune, and it's not until way later that you even see him for the first time. But that obviously doesn't work when Midgar is its own game, since the new audience will be clamouring for VII's famous villain.
Generally speaking the changes can be attributed to excess. It sacrifices some of the subtlety and moral ambiguity of the original; Tifa isn't supposed to start having doubts until after the plate drop, for example. But in VII:R they launch right into that character conflict from her very first appearance. Or how Wedge was originally supposed to die after falling from the pillar, and Jessie never had that whole arc about visiting her home and seeing her decrepit father. Rather it instead chooses to supplement it with a sense of theatrics, becoming hammier and more action-packed, full of anime-esque fight choreography as Cloud flash-steps around and Tifa effortlessly leaps into aerial combat. The original was more grounded, you didn't have these smartphones, holograms and magical grappling guns. VII:R's style ends up falling in line with what we saw of its older extended universe works like Crisis Core and Advent Children. Though for as much as there is to hate on in the Compilation, likening VII:R to them isn't a criticism imo. I've been really appreciating seeing a VII that resembles them more, since there's always been such an obvious stylistic divide between the original and the Compilation. As as a long-time fan all the small references and nods were fun too. In fact one of the parts I enjoyed most in the game was just watching how Reno and Rude are straight out of Advent Children with their banter and fighting style.
Apparently a controversial take, but I'm not quite sold on the sequel/time loop/Rebuild theory quite yet. Most of it seems to be hinging on Sephiroth's all-knowing personality and the scenes of actual Compilation footage in the Arbiter battle. But like...that's just Sephiroth. Him being this seductive, taunting overseer isn't something that requires him to be the AC character. That's just Sephiroth. He's been that way since Dissidia, and frankly even the original game. It's how his modern character setting is understood and implemented. These are all the modern incarnations of their respective character settings. These are anime swordsman Cloud, Aerith from The Maiden Who Wanders the Planet and Compilation Sephiroth. Not in narrative, but in irl construction. That's just where these characters are at nowadays. The Compilation footage used likewise can be simply explained away as them merely reaching for existing high-budget CGI they already had. Note that they only used the scenes from ACC's opening which specifically recreated VII events. When the Whispers and their fascination with fate are already a surface-level narrative element it's simply more coherent to accept that the borrowed footage ties into that.
I do miss Steve Burton as Cloud since that was one of my all-time favourite voice actor castings. He had such a unique voice that fit Cloud so perfectly. But on the other hand he was, well, not exactly the best voice actor. He did have it in him to do good performances, but most of them were pretty drab. The new guy is immediately more dynamic than him, so I can accept that. The loss of the old Sephiroth VA hits hard though. I guess his voice was too deep so they wanted a less caricature-esque guy this time around, but man Sephiroth just does not sound intimidating at all.
Although it's probably a little controversial I do like, or rather appreciate the change in style. Not as something that replaces the original per se, but as a new imagining. It was always apparent to me from reading their PR for the game that they were approaching this "remake" not with the mentality of "updating 1997's Final Fantasy VII to modern standards", instead “what if we made FFVII in the late 2010s". So I have no reservations about the difference in direction or pacing, indeed I'm actually really excited at the prospect of them taking Midgar and turning it into an entire standalone game. Using the "remake" branding since that's VII's big buzzword that isn't technically incorrect, but being a dramatic reimagining based on the same script. A new Final Fantasy VII, not just a shinier coat of paint. With the flashy combat and movie-level theatrics, this version ends up feeling like what VII would be like if it was envisioned more in line with the wider Compilation. Losing some subtlety along the way as it becomes a bit less politically ambiguous, but supplementing it with a hammier and more action-packed aesthetic, full of ridiculous anime-esque fights as Cloud flash-steps around and leaps incredible heights with ease. Whether it's the entirety of Advent Children, the Sephiroth-Genesis-Angeal fight scene in Crisis Core, the assault on Midgar cutscene of Dirge of Cerberus, even wider stuff like Dissidia, Kingdom Hearts, Mobius Final Fantasy, or heck even the VR theme park ride they had a while ago, everything outside the original VII has always that style of breakneck aerial combat going on. So it's really neat to see a reimagining of the original that puts it in line with those. I also enjoyed some of the Compilation references like Myler talking about a secret lab under the slums (Deepground from DoC), or them paralleling the AC motorbike fight with Cloud leaping onto the other guy's bike and using Braver on it - even if I ultimately think the Remnants were an embarrassment who should be scrubbed from VII history. Damn near had PTSD from the mentions of degradation and “type S and G SOLDIERS” though.
There were tons of changes to the narrative, big and small. It's inevitable though when you think about their aim of taking Midgar and turning into its own individual game. What was originally just the introductory segment (lasting only 3-6 hours generally) had to become a standalone game with its own dramatic setpieces and high-strung climax. Which means that with the new pacing some things from the original obviously don't work anymore. The biggest one for example, is that in the original Sephiroth is treated much more mysteriously. The first time he's even mentioned is when you climb the Shinra tower, follow the trail of blood and find President Shinra impaled with Masamune, and it's not until way later that you even see him for the first time. But that obviously doesn't work when Midgar is its own game, since the new audience will be clamouring for VII's famous villain.
Generally speaking the changes can be attributed to excess. It sacrifices some of the subtlety and moral ambiguity of the original; Tifa isn't supposed to start having doubts until after the plate drop, for example. But in VII:R they launch right into that character conflict from her very first appearance. Or how Wedge was originally supposed to die after falling from the pillar, and Jessie never had that whole arc about visiting her home and seeing her decrepit father. Rather it instead chooses to supplement it with a sense of theatrics, becoming hammier and more action-packed, full of anime-esque fight choreography as Cloud flash-steps around and Tifa effortlessly leaps into aerial combat. The original was more grounded, you didn't have these smartphones, holograms and magical grappling guns. VII:R's style ends up falling in line with what we saw of its older extended universe works like Crisis Core and Advent Children. Though for as much as there is to hate on in the Compilation, likening VII:R to them isn't a criticism imo. I've been really appreciating seeing a VII that resembles them more, since there's always been such an obvious stylistic divide between the original and the Compilation. As as a long-time fan all the small references and nods were fun too. In fact one of the parts I enjoyed most in the game was just watching how Reno and Rude are straight out of Advent Children with their banter and fighting style.
Apparently a controversial take, but I'm not quite sold on the sequel/time loop/Rebuild theory quite yet. Most of it seems to be hinging on Sephiroth's all-knowing personality and the scenes of actual Compilation footage in the Arbiter battle. But like...that's just Sephiroth. Him being this seductive, taunting overseer isn't something that requires him to be the AC character. That's just Sephiroth. He's been that way since Dissidia, and frankly even the original game. It's how his modern character setting is understood and implemented. These are all the modern incarnations of their respective character settings. These are anime swordsman Cloud, Aerith from The Maiden Who Wanders the Planet and Compilation Sephiroth. Not in narrative, but in irl construction. That's just where these characters are at nowadays. The Compilation footage used likewise can be simply explained away as them merely reaching for existing high-budget CGI they already had. Note that they only used the scenes from ACC's opening which specifically recreated VII events. When the Whispers and their fascination with fate are already a surface-level narrative element it's simply more coherent to accept that the borrowed footage ties into that.