i started a replay of this about a month ago because i remember liking this game a lot as a kid and playing it all the way through, but maybe a little under halfway through the game i put it down when ff7 rebirth came out and i started playing that and i dont have much inclination to finish my replay. it's a very whatever game that's carried by the characters considering the gameplay is extremely repetitive and easy. i guess i don't absolutely hate the gameplay but honestly it just feels like busy work to do in a game that could probably have just been made a visual novel. the characters and story are what you should be here for, they treat the story like a sitcom by having laugh tracks thrown in when characters do certain things, and while you're working on making weapons you can read dialogue of characters going out on quests with weapons you rent them. i do think the way the story is laid out is nice and i enjoy seeing the way characters behave, but the writing is very very cheesy and tropey, and occasionally they really like to date themselves by using slang people have not said since the game's release in 2014. i personally dont mind it though because i feel like the way everything is handled, it works well and gives the game a nice cozy casual feeling, but man the gameplay just being so uninvolved really brings it down. this game has potential to be one of those eshop hidden gems like something like gunman clive or pushmo but it just doesn't quite get there

rarely do i ever get post game/movie/tv show depression after finishing something but i just beat the game about 30 minutes ago and it is hitting so hard that it's over. granted i still have a little bit of side content to go back and finish so im not truly done with the game yet, but just the fact that the journey with this standalone game is done is just a whole other type of feeling. i dont really want to get into any details about gameplay or story or anything because i'd probably be here forever. in my opinion, i think the best way to sum this game up as a package is that they really flesh out essentially everything about ff7 as a world and a video game and crank it all up to 11. while i get that this game probably isn't going to be everyone's thing, for me personally it hit all the things i wanted it to and went above and beyond. i seriously can't tell you how many times i had a big goofy ass grin on my face while playing this. what a beautiful game man.