I came into this game with nearly zero FFVII nostalgia. I played the original far after release and thought it was a solid JRPG but didn't see what all the fuss was about. This game, however, hooked me early and held me all 40 hours it took to get through the main game and intermission.

There is a lot to praise here, but for me the combination of excellent voice acting, music, and visuals really took the cake. The combat is complex and interesting, and the Midgar was such a fun and interesting place to learn about and explore. I came away from the experience feeling far more connected to the cast of characters than ever before. The story feels like typical anime fare, but to me it felt like more of an excuse to get to know the characters and the world than a draw in its own right.

Overall, I loved this way more than I expected to. Looking forward to digging into the subsequent entries and very glad I decided to check it out!