This review contains spoilers
Final Fantasy is good again! Well, at least this remake series of an older game is so far. There’s so much to love about this game, the audio and visual upgrades to the music and the setting instantly got me nostalgic. The art direction for the various locations in Midgar really make this game stand out, every area’s distinct color palette gives it it’s own unique feeling. Final Fantasy VII just has its own whole sci-fi/fantasy thing going on that you really can’t get anywhere else.
The combat is a breath of fresh air, combining real time fighting with an ATB meter for your magic and abilities, and allowing you to slow the combat down at any time to really soak in the visuals. It’s a really nice blend of action and tactics, and I never got tired of it. So much so that the areas of the game that some have criticized as pacing issues, never managed to bother me, as I enjoyed the combat so much. A part of me still wants to go back and try it on the harder difficulty which forces you to manage your combat resources even more closely for a truly tactical experience.
These characters are more than two decades old at this point, but their personality still shines through in this game. I love how spunky and fun Aerith is. Barrett still being a political radical fighting for the planet against a massive corporation is one of my favorite things, and definitely hit different in 2020; and his soft fatherly side is also wonderful to watch. I love Cloud’s fake tough guy demeanor, and how the improved animations let you see the subtlety in his performative attitude.
Before this game came out, I was really worried about how it would handle the whole Wall Market section, given some problematic elements in the original game. But they updated it in a way that made it stand out as my favorite section of the entire game by far. The Honeybee Inn song still gets stuck in my head, and I am a stan for Andrea Rhodea.
Ending spoilers past this point
The ending to this game is what elevates it to something special for me. It’s this whole meta-commentary on what a remake is, and how creators can feel an overwhelming pressure from fans to not stray too far outside the lines in re-imagining the original work. In the end, the main characters of the game ultimately decide to destroy their fates, which kept them tied to the events of the original game, and free the creators to take the story where they want to. It’s a bold ending for a AAA game to take, especially for a game this beloved. I’m excited to see what comes next, and hopefully they stick to their guns and have a story they feel passionate about telling, and aren’t going to renege on the ending or just use it as a way to add fan service. But whatever happens with the sequel, the boldness of this first part’s ending will still be there to stand on its own, and deliver a powerful message about art.
The combat is a breath of fresh air, combining real time fighting with an ATB meter for your magic and abilities, and allowing you to slow the combat down at any time to really soak in the visuals. It’s a really nice blend of action and tactics, and I never got tired of it. So much so that the areas of the game that some have criticized as pacing issues, never managed to bother me, as I enjoyed the combat so much. A part of me still wants to go back and try it on the harder difficulty which forces you to manage your combat resources even more closely for a truly tactical experience.
These characters are more than two decades old at this point, but their personality still shines through in this game. I love how spunky and fun Aerith is. Barrett still being a political radical fighting for the planet against a massive corporation is one of my favorite things, and definitely hit different in 2020; and his soft fatherly side is also wonderful to watch. I love Cloud’s fake tough guy demeanor, and how the improved animations let you see the subtlety in his performative attitude.
Before this game came out, I was really worried about how it would handle the whole Wall Market section, given some problematic elements in the original game. But they updated it in a way that made it stand out as my favorite section of the entire game by far. The Honeybee Inn song still gets stuck in my head, and I am a stan for Andrea Rhodea.
Ending spoilers past this point
The ending to this game is what elevates it to something special for me. It’s this whole meta-commentary on what a remake is, and how creators can feel an overwhelming pressure from fans to not stray too far outside the lines in re-imagining the original work. In the end, the main characters of the game ultimately decide to destroy their fates, which kept them tied to the events of the original game, and free the creators to take the story where they want to. It’s a bold ending for a AAA game to take, especially for a game this beloved. I’m excited to see what comes next, and hopefully they stick to their guns and have a story they feel passionate about telling, and aren’t going to renege on the ending or just use it as a way to add fan service. But whatever happens with the sequel, the boldness of this first part’s ending will still be there to stand on its own, and deliver a powerful message about art.