[Flagged for spoilers because I briefly talk about the ending and the story overall]

While I usually don't tend to go back to games I played a long time ago (or games I rated four stars or lower) to give them lengthy reviews, I figured it could be a good time to make an exception, and do something like Square Enix did by dropping a remake of Crisis Core a year leading up to Rebirth, so everyone gets to know who Zack is, and get my genuine thoughts of the Remake project in general out there. Because when I'm done with Rebirth I get the feeling I'm gonna wish I had done this before.

Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorite games in the world. My Hall of Favorites might shift around a lot, but the original FFVII is one of those games that remains in the Top 3 consistently, and while I also think I should save that story for a review of that game, I'm gonna save it for an eventual revisit.

Let's go back to mid 2019, where the first trailers after a long period of radio silence were first starting to drop. It was a special time to be an FFVII enjoyer, but also one of uncertainty, as by this point we had already been confirmed that the Remake wouldn't be the full game. There was also the concern that anyone would have when their favorite piece of media is being remade, "Are they going to fuck it up somehow?"

Months later, it's 2020, the game is finally out, and it feels as magical as we all envisioned it. Midgar has never looked better, and the first couple of chapters are the strongest first impression a game could give. It feels good to play, every character has their own unique way of being controlled, and the materia system is surprisingly well implemented, there was that care I was hoping to see put into a game of this caliber.
Hell, even the new sections were proving to be interesting, and the new characters (Roche, I'm looking at you) or more well-developed returning ones (Avalanche guys I'm also looking at you) are ticking all the right boxes. It's clear that good characterization was a priority when making this game because they all feel like their best versions from all those years of the Compilation, and the music feels as fantastic and special as its MIDI versions were, it was feeling like Heaven.

But something is not quite right, Sephiroth is showing up earlier on, like waaaaaaaaaaay earlier on, and while I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, I think he's the only one whose characterization gets hurt by this a lot more. It's true that Sephiroth might not be the mysterious figure he once was in the Original and that now everyone knows who he is, but I truly feel like him showing up as hallucinations kind of serve no purpose (aside from maybe setting up things for those who haven't played the original) until nearly the end of the game where he actually shows up in the flesh.

But ok, if that was the only issue, I would let it slide, however, now there are weird looking Ghosts showing up every now and then, what the fuck is up with that?

Like I said, segments that were in the original return shining even brighter, the Honey Bee Inn Dance number, Infiltrating Corneo's Mansion, Train Graveyard, The Fall of the Plate, Infiltrating Shinra's HQ (SPECIALLY if you take the Stairs), It's all there, and it's a treat to watch... until the weird ghosts, now known as Whispers start becoming more and more present in the story, I'm sure that by now, you might have seen overblown hatred for them, which honestly I kind of feel its justified. They feel like a meta mockery put there by the writers directed at the fans that wanted nothing changed in "their" story, and that they are the ones in charge of everything. At the time, I thought it was borderline arrogant, and I would have a lower respect for VII Remake, if it wasn't because of the ending, hear me out on this, I promise I'll explain what I mean by that in a moment

The final chapter of Remake which should lead to the events of the main party leaving Midgar, is where the storytelling grabs you by the balls and doesn't let go, not only it becomes a bizarre festival of references from the original and other points of the Compilation, they also tossed Sephiroth in there as a final boss because I assume they just didn't want to close off the game without giving players the chance to square up with him even if it's not entirely consistent with the rest of the story. But once he's defeated, is where the actual hand of the story gets shown, and where things once again click for me

Not only the Avalanche gang is still alive, but Zack somehow also is, the heavy implication that things might not play out the way we expect them to, is surprisingly brought up. Once again, the mysteries and story beats of FFVII are once again that, mysteries. It's once again a game you can be spoiled on, it's a new story I'm invested in, and I want to see how it develops, in what new ways I get impressed and get my heartstrings tugged.

If it wasn't clear enough for me before, it's clear enough now:

This isn't a remake, it's a retelling of the original Final Fantasy VII, and it's entire compilation

Which makes me bring up the question again of "Did they manage to fuck it up?", it might be a yes for some, a no for others, whatever you think you are valid for doing so even if we disagree.
It's personally hard for me to answer, because I just don't know how to answer it, maybe I won't be able to do it until I finish Rebirth. Hell, maybe I won't be able to answer it until the Trilogy itself is finished. But all I know is that I'm on board, and if they DO fuck it up, the original will still be there for me, with its goofy translation mistakes and its outdated, but charming look. But for the time being, there is no getting off this train I'm on.