This review contains spoilers
There are certain classics that just emanate a kind of magic. The original Final Fantasy VII is definitely one of them and I'm very happy to say that this reimagining of the first few hours of og are able to capture that magic beautifully. Now, I never played much past the plate falling in OG so everything going forward in Rebirth will be completely new to me and if that is able to keep the quality going is completely up in the air for me as of now. (Who knows, I just might play the OG to the end at some point in the near future.)
Final Fantasy has always been a very interesting franchise to me. I'd never played one before so I never understood all the hype but now that I have I think I might be in love. I don't think this game is flawless but with time and research I think it could very easily become one of my favorite series alongside Xenoblade and Zelda. (They already all share the sexy blonde anime dude who I have a crush on as a protagonist so its got a step in already.)
From what I can tell this game is not just a retelling. It's also sort of a critique of what a remake can and should be, and its not subtle with this. I think its actually a very interesting way to handle it and aids the audience in getting an idea of how to story will progress going forward as opposed to the original. And even with this meta subtext the game does not skip out on telling a meaningful story with great characters. Obviously since this is basically just a seventh of the original's plot the entire story hasn't really revealed itself yet but so far I already adore all these characters. Especially Barret! The soft giant dad archetype is always my favorite and Barret is one of the best in the trope.
The combat I'm a bit iffy on. Overall I think it works but I'd be lying if I said I prefer it over the traditional turn-based ATB style that the original used. I think it just feels cozier not having to worry about what the enemy who's off screen is doing while you're wearing down another. Also maybe I'm just bad at the game or I'm not fully grasping the flow of combat but I found this game a lot harder than I expected. Usually in action games, dodging is very often the best way to avoid taking damage but here it sometimes feels like there is no proper way to actually avoid a lot of the attacks so blocking takes priority. I guess that makes sense when you consider the source material but as a modern GOW fan it was really hard to get to grasps with.
Anyway i think I might be obsessed with this game now. I really just want more of it as soon as possible because I adored this. Luckily as of writing this, Rebirth is only a couple weeks away and I've already preordered it. Here's hoping it upholds the quality that was set in motion by this game. Depending on how this trilogy plays out I can easily see this becoming one of my new Top 10 favorite games.
Final Fantasy has always been a very interesting franchise to me. I'd never played one before so I never understood all the hype but now that I have I think I might be in love. I don't think this game is flawless but with time and research I think it could very easily become one of my favorite series alongside Xenoblade and Zelda. (They already all share the sexy blonde anime dude who I have a crush on as a protagonist so its got a step in already.)
From what I can tell this game is not just a retelling. It's also sort of a critique of what a remake can and should be, and its not subtle with this. I think its actually a very interesting way to handle it and aids the audience in getting an idea of how to story will progress going forward as opposed to the original. And even with this meta subtext the game does not skip out on telling a meaningful story with great characters. Obviously since this is basically just a seventh of the original's plot the entire story hasn't really revealed itself yet but so far I already adore all these characters. Especially Barret! The soft giant dad archetype is always my favorite and Barret is one of the best in the trope.
The combat I'm a bit iffy on. Overall I think it works but I'd be lying if I said I prefer it over the traditional turn-based ATB style that the original used. I think it just feels cozier not having to worry about what the enemy who's off screen is doing while you're wearing down another. Also maybe I'm just bad at the game or I'm not fully grasping the flow of combat but I found this game a lot harder than I expected. Usually in action games, dodging is very often the best way to avoid taking damage but here it sometimes feels like there is no proper way to actually avoid a lot of the attacks so blocking takes priority. I guess that makes sense when you consider the source material but as a modern GOW fan it was really hard to get to grasps with.
Anyway i think I might be obsessed with this game now. I really just want more of it as soon as possible because I adored this. Luckily as of writing this, Rebirth is only a couple weeks away and I've already preordered it. Here's hoping it upholds the quality that was set in motion by this game. Depending on how this trilogy plays out I can easily see this becoming one of my new Top 10 favorite games.