Final Fantasy 7 Remake Spoiler Free Review – A masterpiece that’ll get everyone talking!
The first in the Remake series is here and is shockingly good, FF7R is a game I had massive expectations for but it’s blown all those away. That’s not an easy thing to do for a lifelong fan but dammit Square you did it again!
I wrote up a review that includes spoilers for the game. If you’re OK with spoilers or have already played the game you can read that here.
Plotline
I’m not gonna say this is a re-telling of FF VII because it’s not. Remake is a series of games based on Final Fantasy VII but told in a whole new way and with lots of things added, changed and taken away.
Remake 1 (which is what I’m gonna call this game, it just makes sense.) Covers all of the “Midgar section” of the original game.
You play through the section of Midgar as Cloud, originally a mercenary who is hired by AVALANCHE to help them blow up a mako reactor as he is ex-soldier and used to work for Shin-ra.
Gameplay
Most of the gameplay in certain areas is pretty linear but that’s understandable as it’s a mako reactor. Then you get to the massive slum towns that you can do side quests and buy items from and it’s clear this is a whole new game.
The side quests serve a genuine purpose, they’re not just there to make the game bigger so they don’t feel boring or too much.
There is a character that gives you ample reason to use all of your tactics in battle. Even though the battle system itself does that, it’s still good to be rewarded for being tactical. I won’t spoil what the character rewards you with but it’s worth it, very worth it.
All in all wandering around the towns is alot of fun. The world is massive and there’s so much to do and none of it feels too much.
Battle System
The battle system is genuinely one of the best I’ve ever come across in a Final Fantasy game. It has it’s turn based elements with the ATB gauge having to fill before you can use an item or magic but it’s not turn based at all.
The ATB gauge forces you to be careful what you choose. To prioritise certain fighters and be clever before you jump into a fight. You cannot just start button mashing and hope for the best, you need to use the Assess materia (not least for Chadley’s research.) And take advantage of weaknesses.
There’s also the different fighting styles of the characters. For example, Barrett is good long range and his ATB gauge fills quickly but he doesn’t have the strongest magic stat and he’s a very slow mover. Meaning if you prioritise using him for a certain boss or fight you need to be aware that it’s unlikely he’ll be able to dodge away from their attacks.
Overall thoughts
I have so much to say about this game that it’s hard to put it all into words.
Yes there is a revelation that will shock some, maybe even anger others. That being said, I liked it. It solidified this game series as it’s own thing, which is what most of us have been saying to begin with so I don’t really understand the outrage.
I played this game without the original in my thoughts at all. I knew it was it’s own thing and I think if anyone goes into it expecting a remake of what they knew they’ll be disappointed.
This is a re-telling of the Final Fantasy 7 universe’s story and it’s a great one at that. The animation is beautiful. The voice acting is amazing. The bonds between the characters have been explored more and are much more meaningful and Sephiroth is flipping terrifying!
I don’t believe in perfect games. No matter how good a game is, generally speaking, it will always have it’s issues. I was sitting there looking for those issues. Looking for those problems to pick apart because I couldnt find them. That’s how I knew this game was as close to perfect as I was ever going to get.
I cannot wait for disk two. For now, I’ll be trophy hunting and re-playing the game as much as possible.
