That reminds me, I was going to try FF7 remake, since I've never played the original and I heard it's a cult classic. I'm more of a real time RPG fan, but I played my fair share of turn based ones too, including ones that have no movement etc, only attacks.
Do you recommend FF7 remake to new player, or is it strictly for the old fans?
I think it's a fun game in general, and an absolute top tier action RPG. Even the few detractors it has are quick to point out how deep and well designed the combat system is. Four years into its life players are still discovering new tricks and combinations.
I'll give you the full review. Mind you this is my opinion, so take it with your own tastes applied.
Let's start with the bad and get that out of the way.
Experience Lockout
You can't talk about the Remake without talking about the OG. Final Fantasy 7 put JRPGs on the map for the general public. For better or worse, it's thus far the single most influential RPG ever released, and rates right up there with Pac-Man, Street Fighter 2, and Super Mario Brothers for overall impact. Really, if you weren't there, it's just not possible to describe what an event this game was. I missed out precisely
because of the hype. I was sick to death of hearing about it and don't usually go for that kind of cyberpunk aesthetic, so I only tried it a couple of years later borrowing a friend's copy. After playing it, yeah... I get it.
It's a mistranslated, trope filled mess of a game, and the later half just leaves you with such an empty feeling, but that's exactly what it's supposed to do. You don't walk away from FF7 with a good vibe, and you're not meant to.
Do you recommend FF7 remake to new player, or is it strictly for the old fans?
I said all the above to answer this question. Yes, and no. Remake is not actually a remake (I'll get to that below). It's a
stealth sequel. The story can stand on its own for the most part, but some things won't make much sense without the original as a backdrop.
Again. It still stands fine alone, though won't be the same if you're not an OG fan, but that's not a flaw in the game itself. There are tons of moments and set pieces that on their own are amazing and crazy fun, it's just that they hit even harder for a fan of the original.
This battle is a good example. Does it look fun? It is. But there are so many little references here back to the OG that make it that much better.
Anime Tropes
Thankfully, nobody spends twenty minutes trying to turn fist fights into philosophy dissertations, and there's no overblown Tsunderes or smooth brain himbos in the main cast. There are a few annoying eastern anime cliches sprinkled into the the story though, and dialog is loaded to the gills with pointless grunts, nods, and shrugs that are supposed to pass for deep conversation. Not quite enough to ruin the experience, but definitely an annoyance unless you're a fan of that kind of stuff.
Corridor Layout
The closest thing you get to open world freedom is a Chapter Select after one playthrough. The entire game is essentially an expansion of the original's roughly five hour introductory chapter, which all took place before you gained access to the open map. In other words, you spend all of Remake either indoors or in cramped paths, with your destination mostly laid out for you. It's very story driven and linear. There's plenty to explore, see, and do, but if you want a free roaming world, this ain't for you.
Filler Quests
Lots and lots of side quests, and a bit of padding thrown in. You CAN ignore the quests, but if you do, it will cost you. The game keeps track of your every move, and if you don't do everything it thinks you should, characters and scenarios will treat you accordingly.
Now... on to the good.
Combat
Remake's combat is basically Devil May Cry mixed with Marvel vs. Capcom... and then some. At any time you can have three active characters in a battle, and every character is a completely unique experience to use. You can freely switch between which one you control, and the AI will play the other two defensively. Your basic button commands are Dodge, Attack, Block, and Special. The first three are obvious. Special is where things get interesting.
As an example, with the main character Cloud Strife, Special switches between two stances (Operator and Punisher). In Operator (default) stance, you run around quickly and can hold Attack to cancel your string into a wide arc that covers all around you. If enemies are airborne or far away, you automatically jump or dash to attack them. In Punisher, you creep along slowly, your attack lunge is very short ranged, you can't jump after airborne targets, you can't block spells or projectiles, and dodging switches you back to Operator stance. However, your attacks are much stronger, less likely to recoil when hitting armor, come in a longer, faster string, and you can hold Attack to cancel into a killer ground stab that puts you in temporary rage state for free. If you block a physical attack, Cloud instantly counterattacks, and this is the key to beating several enemies. So obviously you want to learn to switch between stances depending on the situation.
While you fight, every character has a two section meter (called ATB) that constantly builds up. At any time, you can call up a menu. The action goes into bullet time, and then you can command anyone with at least one section of the meter filled to use spells, items, or abilities. You can also assign any command action to a set of key shortcuts. Items and Spells are obvious, and you need the item or enough MP to cast. Abilities are unique for every character, and they are free other than the ATB.
Example: Cloud starts out with Braver, a massive flipping chop for big damage, and Focused Thrust, a fast sliding stab for multiple hits that build up the enemy stagger meter. You'll get plenty more as the game progresses.
Managing ATB and teammates is a big part of the game, and there's more tricks and whatnot here than I could ever list. The magic system is based around materia, which are orbs any character can equip on their gear to get boosts, cast spells, gain immunities, support others, break game rules, etc., and that's also a huge part of it. Materia can link to other materia for an almost infinite number of possibilities. That's one of the reasons four years on the game is still being discovered, and even the original still has new combos show up now and again.
Growth is spread over several facets.
- Levels - You have conventional levels with all the usual stuff. Hit points, base attack and magic, etc.
- Skill Points - Each weapon has an upgrade tree with a crapload of built in enhancements you can select from spending skill points. You get skill points from level progression, and from certain finds in game. You can always reset them for a money cost.
- Abilities - Each weapon has an associated ability you can use while equipped. Train yourself correctly and your character permanently learns the ability to use any time.
- Materia - The materia orbs themselves level up. So a Fire Materia gets bigger fire spells unlocked, while something like Warding goes from giving you small chance of avoiding an a bad effect to completely ignoring it.
- Equipment - Buy for find better gear, then mix and match for different bonuses and whatnot.
Story
Quite a few purists from the OG hate the ending because it opens the orginal story up for new directions. I like it. It's going to be very interesting to see where the next parts go with it. The rest of it is spot on. The voice actors nail just about every line, and other than the previous mentioned grunt silliness, they will pull you in, make you laugh, and hit you in the feels.
Presentation
Some NPCs cross into the uncanny valley a bit, and there's one odd scene toward the end of the game where they make a painfully bad art error, and... that's it for the flaws. Presentation is absolute perfection in every other aspect. The game won several graphical and soundtrack of the year awards, and you'll see why very quickly.
Old tunes are remixed with love and care, new ones fit in perfectly, and it seamlessly segues into whatever you're doing. Characters will banter randomly as you walk around, exchange trash talk with enemies (sometimes each other too) in fights, and it's all tuned to the situation. No weird non-sequitur stuff like say, Soul Calibur. Even NPC dialog flows naturally. You don't walk up and push a button to make most people speak, they just have conversations you might (or might not) overhear depending on proximity. Reminds me of the Batman Arkham series, but a bit more organic.
Visual models are stunning, and dang near EVERYTHING you do has a unique animation and associated voice/sound effects. For example, equip up a materia called Parry that lets you cancel blocking directly into a dodge for reduced block damage. Any other game would add a little flash spark and then you dodge. Not here. The dodge itself becomes a whole new animation with its own unique properties. Take note too, it's all character specific.
All this said, if you have access to a PS5 that's the one you want. It obviously has more content with the Yuffie chapters added, but also makes a lot of subtle enhancements and quality of life upgrades, especially load times and some menu tweaks.
I know that was a lot. Figured I might as well give you the comprehensive review... hope it helps!
DC
