Cloud saving

Can you believe it has been 23 years since Final Fantasy VII released? I couldn’t. I remember working at GameStop (then EB Games) when it first launched and the pandemonium that surrounded its release day. Now, after years of teasing and development, we get the first part of one of the most influential and beloved RPGs returning in remade glory. The character models are gorgeous, the story more complex and robust, and of course the music brings back all the nostalgia I have of that game released two decades ago.

The first thing we should get out of the way is that this is only the first part of many in the planned remake of this classic. The first entry takes place entirely in Midgar and encompasses only a small portion of the opening of the original game. While that is the case, Square has done an amazing job of fleshing out the characters and giving more back story to otherwise bit parts. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie all see substantial character development, which makes their fates all the more impactful.

MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Price I’d Pay: $59.99

To bring these characters to life Square has delivered quality voice acting for all the parts in the game, including all of the NPCs. The main characters are well-performed even when they are delivering cheesy dialogue and goofy emotions. There is still a bit too much exposition at times with some cut scenes delivering minimal plot progression and plenty of groans and head nods that really deliver nothing.

This leads me to my biggest problem with this remake. The pacing just feels padded right from the get-go. I know that stretching what was originally 4-5 hours of gameplay into an entire 30 hour campaign had to be a challenge. There are so many portions of this game that drove me nuts by its end. Slow walking, useless cut scenes, padded quest design, and some truly drawn out sequences and battles that had me struggling to power through to the end. I felt like this could have been a solid 15-20 hour experience with the content here, but instead it clocks in closer to 30 hours once all is said and done.

While the pacing bummed me out, the rest of the game is spectacular. Starting with the combat system, the updated style feels like a mix between Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts. Players can now attack in real time, with the option to pause combat to issue commands. It can be as simple or complex as I wanted, and I loved that. Being able to queue up abilities and spells among my party at the press of a button felt great. By the end of the game I was dispatching enemies with elemental attacks and swapping over to set up barriers and healing as needed.

The materia system also makes a return with a more streamlined approach, there are even options to auto upgrade weapons for three separate styles so I didn’t have to worry about the skill tree if I didn’t want to. I love that FF7R incorporates simplification for those that simply want to experience the story. This also extends to the difficulty, with a bevy of options for all players. Easy mode is a breeze while hard mode will test even the most veteran of Final Fantasy players. The game strikes a strong balance of remaining true to the original while adding enough modern quality of life improvements to make it feel fresh. I wish the fast travel system was better though. It is introduced late game and feels more convoluted than it needed to be.

The story remains a strong point even in the remake. Bringing some of the more obscure characters to the forefront has opened up so much for this game. This first chapter is extremely linear by design and doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the entire Final Fantasy 7 story. This makes me wonder how long we will have to wait for the next entry, and more so how it will be handled. The story does take some liberties that I will not go into, but once the credits rolled I was instantly curious how part two would take things. I am also interested to see how they handle this game in a more open world area that the later pieces of the game follow.

If there is one point no one can argue it is that Final Fantasy 7 Remake is absolutely gorgeous. The character models are some of the best I have ever seen. Seeing the likes of Cloud and Tifa in this new engine is the stuff we dreamt of ever since Square teased these games in new engines. The world looks great, even with some blurry textures at times. Yes there are portions of the game that made me say “wow this is the best looking game ever”, and other times where I was just amazed at how bad a wall texture was.

Finally, the music. This is the best Final Fantasy music ever crafted and the remixes here are just as stellar. Everything from the Bombing Run track to the instantly recognizable Aerith theme. I loved that they added a collection aspect of tracks that can be found and played at any jukebox. Seriously this music is the best in the history of the series, and quite possibly in gaming period.

It feels like we waited a lifetime to finally play this game, and even now it has only just begun. There is so much more of the original game to come. The problem is we have no idea when it will land and how many more times we will have to pay for a chapter, but if they are as quality as this entry I am all for it. Final Fantasy 7 was the first in the series that really grabbed me. It has its nostalgic hooks into me and I will be here for every entry. I hope they clean up the pacing issues and continue to wow me as they go along. For now this is one of the best games of the year, and still gives me chills with its presentation and music.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.