We've finally reached the point in gaming where several titles have actually been released. After years of being teased and in development, Final Fantasy VII Remake (FF7R for the rest of this review) joins the likes of Kingdom Hearts 3, The Last Guardian, and a few others as being finally in our hands. Those who know me will recognize that I'm a giant Final Fantasy fan so this game has been hotly anticipated for myself among countless others. When it was announced that this project would be split up into multiple installments, I was of course curious as to how this would be done. Unlike the countless individuals that were wary and protested this move. FF7R essentially turns the Midgar portion of the original (which lasted around 5 hours) and turned it into a fully fleshed title. You play as Cloud Strife, an Ex-SOLDIER turned mercenary hired by the eco-terrorist group known as Avalanche.
Their ulterior motive revolves around stopping the corporation known as Shinra from draining the planet dry of its energy/life source. The cell in particular is led by Barret, a loud and brash individual who wields a gun arm and therefore excels at long-range combat. As you progress through the story you then meet up with other familiar party members like Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gainsborough. Much of this game follows the same story beats that fans of the original will recognize. Of course with this being a remake, it certainly allowed Square Enix to deviate and add things to further enhance what they did back in 1997.
With new hardware comes new capabilities in the graphical department and holy hell does FF7R not disappoint in that regard. Iconic locations such as the first reactor in the bombing mission to Aerith's house look breathtaking in both structure and color. Certain environments come to life such as the seedy Wall Market which now looks like a mini version of Las Vegas, and the Sector 5 Church is huge in size along with being beautiful in so many parts. The character models look impressive aside from some of the normal townsfolk which sometimes look like they came straight out of Skyrim. That certainly took me out of the experience for a bit.
Combat in this game is a perfect marriage between turn based and action (a la Kingdom Hearts). As you move around and attack with square, the characters have two ATB bars that fill up as time moves on. Once filled, you are then able to use a command whether it's an ability, a magic spell, or using an item. Depending on what you select, either one or both bars will be consumed. You can freely swap between each party member which actually becomes important. Mainly because the enemy will always seem to fixate on who you're controlling. This is an excellent way to prevent players for having a favorite to focus on. I know for me personally, Aerith in the original game wasn't too exciting to play as. Now she dances around firing magical projectiles and has an elegance towards her. Tifa is a brawler and moving as her plus activating certain abilities feels satisfying as all hell.
The Materia system for using magic pretty much remains unchanged from the original. You can slot various types either by themselves or linked up in your weapons/armor to create devastating combos. This can prove to be highly essential along with making certain fights much more manageable. What's also new is the fact that weapons cannot be sold off, instead they each come with a unique ability and skill tree that players can further develop. I found this to be another awesome addition as there really isn't a "favorite/overpowered" weapon to use. Each one had valuable playtime for me in order to permanently learn the attached weapon ability. When fighting enemies, you're able to build up a stagger meter which renders a foe immobilized once filled. Increasing the meter through certain moves allows for insane amounts of damage to be dealt.
Earlier I mentioned how the graphical quality of FF7R is a marvelous thing to view. One aspect however that really went above and beyond for me was the music. Composer Masashi Hamazau did an incredible job with rearranging the classic tunes that OG fans are so familiar with. Hearing certain pieces for the first time that were instantly recognizable caused me to have a giant grin on my face. The music also works dynamically with the same tune being sped up or changed when you enter/leave battle situations. I pre-ordered the soundtrack while going through my first run and hearing new pieces just has me amped for it to arrive in May.
The voice acting is absolutely incredible and having new voices was a solid decision on Square's part. I grew to love the other Avalanche members who were given MUCH more screen-time compared to their original selves. New characters were created and introduced and I loved practically each and every single one of them. After I finished the full story, I did some little clean up/last minute collecting until I felt satisfied with what I've done. Of course there's certainly more to do and I can see myself going back to FF7R at a later date. For now, I'm just reflecting on what I just witnessed, all while thinking that this was certainly worth the wait. Final Fantasy VII Remake certainly exceeded the expectations I had put to the game.
Should you Play this Game?
Absolutely! Fans of the original will find a lot to love about this Remake. FF7R successfully pays homage to the original while adding new additions that make it be able to stand on its own. Newcomers that have some knowledge can appreciate what came before it but will have a blast fighting as some of the most iconic characters in gaming history. From beautiful scenery to an engaging battle system and an amazing soundtrack, FF7R is a game that everyone should experience at least once.
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