Love hate this game. When it’s peak, it’s peak, until it isn’t. Horrible pacing, inconsistent, and a waste of time for most of the game, but the good moments made up for it.
My beloved covid lockdown game... this is the first time I fondly remember being like "So this is the next generation of video games..."
I'm not huge on the goofy anime dialogue/plot either but man this game just gives too much for me to write it off for that alone. One of the prettiest games I've ever played-- the environments are a treat to look at and explore. My favorite bits are the Sector 4 plate, Wall Market, and the Collapsed Expressway (tedious robot arm puzzle aside). I'm sure nostalgia has something to do with it... seeing these places as I'd always imagined them a kid realized in front of my face was something else.
I really like what they did with the gameplay. I feel like the turn-based combat of the original was turned into something interesting in this one without losing any of the original spirit. I had tons of fun doing the summon materia battles over and over. The minigames were a treat too. I loved just messing around with darts in Seventh Heaven and exploring every corner of Wall Market and the Sector 5 Slums before finally advancing the plot. It felt like areas were populated with actual people and things to do rather than a flat area with a couple of dialogue boxes that don't contribute to the development of the world you're inhabiting. Also man the score of this game is amazing...
Far from perfect though-- it was a grind at some bits and the Shinra Building dragged on for what felt like ages. I remember the Train Graveyard was a huge slog which is so early in the game too. The vocal performances aren't even on par for the general flub that I come to expect from Squeenix dubs-- it's worse. I can excuse it with stuff like Kingdom Hearts because the entire atmosphere of those games is pure narm, but this level of corny dialogue (in both JP & English tbh) on arguably SE's most anticipated release feels like a bit of an oversight.
Speaking of KH, I'm not thrilled about the current narrative team in charge of the plot for the rest of the reboot. There's some heavy content in FF7, albeit muffled behind some poorly translated or stiff dialogue. I was half-afraid they wouldn't even commit to the plate drop in this one because showing the mass execution of an entire population isn't exactly Nomura's forte. They teased otherwise, but I hope he has the balls to actually let some characters DIE for once. I doubt they'll let Aerith go this time around, but I'd love to be proven wrong. Part of what I liked so much about the FF VI-IX run was how it handled its difficult subject matter. Having serious plot beats potentially retconned or completely omitted just because it's sad sounds so disappointing considering the overarching themes of the plot. Aerith's death in the original was the big jaw drop moment, and if they're able to recreate even a little of that magic somewhere down the line with this reboot series it would be amazing... but my expectations for that are very low with Nomura & Co at the reins. I get he's not the only guy in charge and KH is held to different standards because kids game with Disney properties, but bits of dialogue in the remake have certain Sora-isms that concern me lol.
Maybe I trauma bonded with this game or something because there was nothing else to do while I was in lockdown... but I'll always have great memories of it. I think part of the reason I've put Rebirth off is I'm scared of it soiling my experience of Part 1. That ending was so goofy -___-
Sorry to be an old head but I do recommend getting at least part of the way through the original before you play this one. It is extremely tedious, especially by today's gaming standards so maybe just pop on a plot summary video if it's not your forte TBH. The remake feels akin to RE Zero as in it's meant to be a starting point timeline-wise but there are so many references and callbacks to previous entries I feel like a lot will be lost on people with no prior knowledge.
TLDR: Cloud good. Four years after release I can confidently say it's worth whatever resale price you can find it at.
I'm not huge on the goofy anime dialogue/plot either but man this game just gives too much for me to write it off for that alone. One of the prettiest games I've ever played-- the environments are a treat to look at and explore. My favorite bits are the Sector 4 plate, Wall Market, and the Collapsed Expressway (tedious robot arm puzzle aside). I'm sure nostalgia has something to do with it... seeing these places as I'd always imagined them a kid realized in front of my face was something else.
I really like what they did with the gameplay. I feel like the turn-based combat of the original was turned into something interesting in this one without losing any of the original spirit. I had tons of fun doing the summon materia battles over and over. The minigames were a treat too. I loved just messing around with darts in Seventh Heaven and exploring every corner of Wall Market and the Sector 5 Slums before finally advancing the plot. It felt like areas were populated with actual people and things to do rather than a flat area with a couple of dialogue boxes that don't contribute to the development of the world you're inhabiting. Also man the score of this game is amazing...
Far from perfect though-- it was a grind at some bits and the Shinra Building dragged on for what felt like ages. I remember the Train Graveyard was a huge slog which is so early in the game too. The vocal performances aren't even on par for the general flub that I come to expect from Squeenix dubs-- it's worse. I can excuse it with stuff like Kingdom Hearts because the entire atmosphere of those games is pure narm, but this level of corny dialogue (in both JP & English tbh) on arguably SE's most anticipated release feels like a bit of an oversight.
Speaking of KH, I'm not thrilled about the current narrative team in charge of the plot for the rest of the reboot. There's some heavy content in FF7, albeit muffled behind some poorly translated or stiff dialogue. I was half-afraid they wouldn't even commit to the plate drop in this one because showing the mass execution of an entire population isn't exactly Nomura's forte. They teased otherwise, but I hope he has the balls to actually let some characters DIE for once. I doubt they'll let Aerith go this time around, but I'd love to be proven wrong. Part of what I liked so much about the FF VI-IX run was how it handled its difficult subject matter. Having serious plot beats potentially retconned or completely omitted just because it's sad sounds so disappointing considering the overarching themes of the plot. Aerith's death in the original was the big jaw drop moment, and if they're able to recreate even a little of that magic somewhere down the line with this reboot series it would be amazing... but my expectations for that are very low with Nomura & Co at the reins. I get he's not the only guy in charge and KH is held to different standards because kids game with Disney properties, but bits of dialogue in the remake have certain Sora-isms that concern me lol.
Maybe I trauma bonded with this game or something because there was nothing else to do while I was in lockdown... but I'll always have great memories of it. I think part of the reason I've put Rebirth off is I'm scared of it soiling my experience of Part 1. That ending was so goofy -___-
Sorry to be an old head but I do recommend getting at least part of the way through the original before you play this one. It is extremely tedious, especially by today's gaming standards so maybe just pop on a plot summary video if it's not your forte TBH. The remake feels akin to RE Zero as in it's meant to be a starting point timeline-wise but there are so many references and callbacks to previous entries I feel like a lot will be lost on people with no prior knowledge.
TLDR: Cloud good. Four years after release I can confidently say it's worth whatever resale price you can find it at.