Final Fantasy VII Remake Review

One of the most beloved games, not only in the Final Fantasy franchise but in the history of gaming itself, has returned!

One of the most beloved games, not only in the Final Fantasy franchise but in the history of gaming itself, has returned. Once again, we take on the role of Cloud Strife, a former mercenary of the evil corporate group of Shinra Electric Power Company. 

This review is already long overdue but due to the state of the world right now, Final Fantasy VII Remake had been stripped away of the release 'hype' that it deserves as many gaming stores were closed during its release week and many were deprived of their copies on launch.

So let's start our review, shall we? I would just like to say that I've finished three complete playthroughs in a span of a month just to complete the game to 100% and also get the Platinum Trophy (because why not?) First playthrough on Normal and the last two were on hard mode.

GRAPHICS - 8.5/10 

This is where the first problem with the game occurs, I am a bit skeptic and hesitant on what rate I would give it just because of the graphical issues. The problem is, some textures are slow to load and sometimes, don’t load at all. You will notice that the textures are very below standard for a PS4 game and even below average by Square Enix's standards themselves as they were “blurry and ugly" as some players would say. In addition to this, let me just take note that even at the time I'm writing this review, FF7R is still on patch 1.0. Many expected that it will be patched soon by the devs and it was only delayed because of the current pandemic.

Nevertheless, the problem still persists to this day. Don't get me wrong though, Final Fantasy VII Remake is absolutely a gorgeous looking game. Cinematic cutscenes are absolutely insane and at times, you won't even notice if it's already pre-rendered or it's using the in-game textures and graphics, but after quite a few hours, you would actually be able to contrast what is pre-rendered or not.

Facial expressions are great, and also the sync on the lips and the voice itself are actually good. Surprisingly, it is exactly synced with the English voices, something that is not usual from a JRPG. Talk about dedication from the animators, Good job with that! Midgar is exactly what you would imagine Midgar would be, this reimagining of the world of FF7 really gave players a fresh but familiar look on the city that surely made a mark on the hearts and minds of the original fans. All I had were tearful eyes when I was able to see the original cast and the nostalgic events of the game on Full HD. If the texture loading problem doesn't exist or is fixed already, I would be so happy to give it a 10. 

GAMEPLAY - 9/10

COMBAT: Combat is superb in Final Fantasy VII Remake. At long last, they were able to properly modernize the battle system of a Final Fantasy game. I can even say that this is the BEST battle system they have ever created since the fade of the traditional turn-based battle system (last seen on FFX). They kinda mixed the traditional gameplay and modern action style, fast-paced gameplay of Final Fantasy 15 (which is pretty bad and repetitive in my opinion). They managed to bring back the "Active Time Battle" mechanic or ATB for short, this is what made the classic Final Fantasy so effective and memorable and they were able to properly bring it back to life. Huge clap for that one as I am wondering myself how they would do it without returning to the traditional combat style.

ATB is now used for special attacks or Magic and is built up by using your normal attacks or still, by time itself. Limit Breaks still make an appearance and is still satisfying as ever to use. As in the original, Limit Breaks still build up as the player takes damage over time, which are very helpful during near-death situations – a situation you’ll find yourself in a lot of times. Final Fantasy VII Remake is not a hack and slash game, it still upholds the value of tactics and strategy to win an enemy encounter. You will even see that "Game Over" screen a few times in your playthrough, trust me.

I'm not saying that it is Dark Souls type of hard, it's just that you really need to think about what move or magic you're going to use for certain types of enemies. This is actually a good thing for the franchise going forward, a Final Fantasy game with good combat mechanics and acceptable difficulty? A dream come true indeed.

Speaking of strategy, the game still relies heavily on the use of Materia, an orb-like augmentation item which gives a character skills and spells. Proper combination and use of these Materia are key to defeating certain bosses or even mobs as they are very unforgiving to players who totally neglect upgrading or thinking about the mechanic. The reason why I did not give a perfect 10 is because I myself, am giving room for improvement to the combat. Personally, they should add Materia loadouts or presets because it can be very tedious and confusing to switch around them during certain fights, and having loadouts for certain types of enemies would really help and save the headache for players.

Another thing to be improved on for me is Air Combat. Air Combat can be very repetitive at times because you literally just do the same thing over and over, I get it that certain characters such as Barrett excels at this (due to his ranged attacks) but it wouldn't hurt to give more combinations or even new animations for other characters when it comes to fighting enemies that are above ground. Last suggestion would be to have linked moves from your current party members, give the players more incentive to use some abilities in unison with your other characters.

In future updates, I would also like to see something that powers up the move if it is used in accordance with your other party members' abilities. I would really love a three-way deadlock move from Cloud, Tifa and Barrett.

FIELD: Final Fantasy VII Remake is very much a linear game, since we are only in Midgar here in the first part. They still fleshed out everything that it is in the original, but it still managed to slide in some open world aspect during certain chapters as you go through past sections just to complete side quests in the game. I have to say that they are really nice additions to the content and at the same time very rewarding. However, the problem I had with this one is the blandness of it at some areas. Yes, you have to chase cats. Enough said.

Locations still have "hallways" like in FFX but nothing like FFXIII's style of hallways. Final Fantasy VII Remake doesn't force you to continue right away as it feels like there is always something else to do while you're in an area.

I cannot stress enough that players should always avoid to miss any Materia lying around as the game has many "point of no return" areas and can only be accessed again in another playthrough or chapter select after finishing the game.

Cloud's animations when running, talking, climbing, crawling and many more look really polished but can feel quite repetitive as well, I know these are all due to the limitations of the current hardware and these drawbacks in phasing are used for loading purposes but I hope this can be reduced in the next game.

MUSIC - 10/10

I cannot praise the music in this game enough as it is, Nobuo Uematsu is really a musical genius. All of the battle themes, area themes and boss themes that we loved are all IMPROVED and REARRANGED as well. Huge clap for the musicians who rearranged the original composition of Uematsu and transformed it into something more EPIC.

They added quite a few new tracks that are good as well especially the song "Hollowed" which were mostly advertised with the themes of the game. I literally cried when I first heard the Jenova Battle Theme and One-Winged Angel. GOOSEBUMPS ALL OVER AND I KNEW, THEY NAILED IT ONCE AGAIN.

Now, before we dive into Final Fantasy VII Remake’s story, be forewarned that this section will contain major spoilers due to the nature of how Square Enix executed its ending. Needless to say, it’s an integral part of the overall review for it to be conclusive.  

STORY - 8/10

Final Fantasy VII is really known for its weirdly written stories and sometimes, non-sensical plot but fans still really loved it overall. This is pretty much the Final Fantasy VII that you loved.. that is true until before the end game itself.

The new story elements became quite the talk back then, who are the Arbiters of Fate, also known as the "Whispers"? What role are they going to take for the whole narrative of the game? Why is Sephiroth already appearing to meet Cloud so soon? It was only until late in disc 1 that we actually get to meet him.

These questions may or may not be answered without stepping in on some spoiler territory but one thing that I can say is this. This is not a 1:1 Remake of the original but rather a mixture of it being a SEQUEL AND A REMAKE INTO ONE. I repeat. To totally grasp the concept of what is happening, having a background of what happened in the original FF7 will truly help. Don't get me wrong. It can very well be played by those who are new to the series but a clearer picture of what's happening and what's to come is rather solved by playing the original 1997 game.

They made us reimagine everything that we, the fans, loved from the original Final Fantasy VII. I even appreciated the characters and scenes even more because of what they did with this game with all the risks they took. They wanted us to experience it again and open ourselves to new possibilities. They wanted us to know that fate is something that is not set in stone and we have the power and choice to change it. This is exactly the recurring theme of Final Fantasy VII.

Now, while I loved the story and everything about the original game, it’s terrifying to think of Tetsuya Nomura’s history of messing up certain stories because of how convoluted and deep he wants them to be. Nevertheless, I’m still looking forward to the next chapter of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

OVERALL - 9/10

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a great game and I, as a die-hard fan, am very happy to have played it. It gave justice to everything that the original has accomplished, and this is only the first part of the saga. We may not know what will happen in the future, but in the developers and writers we trust as they know the risks that they took.

They know that this is one, if not the most relevant game that they've created in the history of Squaresoft and Square Enix. There are still areas to improve in the game as it is in any other video game, but that didn't hinder me to fully enjoy what it is like to be taking on the role of Cloud again fighting both Shinra and Sephiroth.

They gave everything they got with this one, I just don't know how much more can they top it when it comes to the quality of boss fights and music but I know they'll eventually do it. This is a bold statement, but I would say that this is the BEST Final Fantasy since X. Personally, I was disappointed with XII (slightly), XV and most especially XIII but they managed to redeem themselves and bring back the identity of the Final Fantasy franchise. Now we can say that "At last.. the promise has been made and granted". Final Fantasy VII Remake is indeed, a dream come true.