Fast Links
Title: Final Fantasy VII Remake
Available on: PS4
Developer: Square-Enix
Publisher: Square-Enix
Genre: Action RPG
Version Tested: PS4
Official Site: Square-Enix
Release Date: Out Now
Spoiler warning: Spoilers for the story of Final Fantasy VII Remake are collected in the last section of the review.
Now that that’s out of the way, we see a lot of content do-overs in video games. Remakes, remasters, up-rezes, GOTY editions, HD reboots, there’s a lot of different names for what boils down to retelling a story already told but with better graphics or new controls or with all the epilog or prolog added on as a bundle. Final Fantasy VII Remake is one of the best of those and more.
Pushing Pixels
Final Fantasy Games have, almost always, looked and sounded great. Final Fantasy VII: Remake is no exception to that rule. Using the graphics engine from Final Fantasy XV has paid dividends and created an incredibly good looking version of the Midgar some of us know so well. On a base PS4 or PS4 S, the occasional rough edge in the visuals appears, though. Some minor NPCs’ faces don’t animate well, and occasionally textures will pop in late when loading a new scene or environment. These issues are minor and almost unnoticeable throughout a playthrough. Only the highest tier of first-party games, your Gods of War, your Horizon Zero Dawns, look noticeably better.
Fighting for the Planet
Final Fantasy VII is all about fighting to make the world better, and you will do a lot of fighting in this game. It’s lucky then, the combat system in Final Fantasy VII: Remake is absolutely fabulous. Combat here feels like controlling what the original game left to the imagination. Players execute attacks and blocks to charge up a meter, called the Active Time Battle(ATB) gage in homage to a system in the original. Once charged, characters can do special actions, like cast spells, use items and pull off special moves. The system gives battles a rhythm and flow that is both a joy to take part in but also reminiscent of the original.
Combat is also the only place where the game’s difficulty settings come into play. There are three settings: Normal, Easy, and Classic. Normal and easy are pretty much what you’d expect, though Normal can be surprisingly tough sometimes. The Classic setting let’s AI control the characters movement, basic attacks, blocks, and dodges. In this mode, players need only pick major actions when the ATB gauge is full. Returning fans of the original FFVII who have fallen out of the gaming hobby will feel right at home in Classic mode. Other aspects of the combat have been updated as well. Character equipment is now more customizable and distinct. The Materia system, which allows for spellcasting and other special abilities to be added to and transferred between characters, has also been tweaked slightly to fit better with the new combat.
Exploring Midgar
One of the best aspects of the original FFVII was the game’s level and environment design. Of all the environments in the game, the vast majority are intricately designed with a lot of attention to detail. Towards the end of the adventure, the environments also do a great job of giving all the characters things to do. So the remake of a twenty-three-year-old RPG finally bothered to answer the question of what all the other characters do when only two or three in the player’s party. One or two areas where side quests are set are a bit plainly laid out, though.
Traversing the environment is also where most of the game’s non-combat interaction happens. Finding a path through is the primary challenge that will drive players to solve puzzles that usually have to do with operating some Diesel-punk piece of machinery throughout the game. They are a nice break from combat that help pace things out evenly.
Spoiler Territory
Now it’s time to discuss characters and story, so it’s necessary to spoil some things. The more shocking twists will be left hidden but there will be some discussion of changes made to the story. So if you don’t want to be spoiled, eject now.
Those looking for a one hundred percent faithful retelling of FFVII will be unsatisfied with Final Fantasy VII Remake. As the events of the original FFVII narrative play out, things begin to deviate from the expected course of events. Very early on, it feels like a broader view of the events of the original game, but it quickly becomes apparent that some things are very different in the Remake. Major events take place that is never mentioned in the original game. And towards the end, it becomes clear that the title of this game, Final Fantasy VII Remake, is not referring to the original FFVII but the fictional universe that game took place in. Someone who has finished Final Fantasy VII multiple times could play this remake and be at a loss for what might happen in the second part of the planned Remake Trilogy. All this is done with a clear respect for the original game. There are also a lot of new and revised side quests, and all new areas are visited. There are a lot of the typical RPG fetch quests and ‘clear this area of monsters’ missions, but they all connect to the main story eventually.
This remake is not precious about the source material and does take a license in some places, but there are a lot of nostalgic touches. Homages to the original will show up in the way certain characters are blocked out in a cutscene or the way they are animated. Then there are all the rearrangements of the music from the original game both in the orchestral score and as collectibles scattered throughout the game.
The main characters of the story, Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, etc. all remain mostly unchanged, for better or worse. Cloud is still permanently sullen and emotionally unaware. Tifa is still pensive and protective. Aerith is still a compassionate firecracker. Red XIIV isn’t in the game enough to get much of a sense of whether the character’s changed much, though. Barret is the most changed of the original cast. In the original Barret’s character pivoted wildly between corny lines about loving the planet and a caricature similar to the celebrity persona that is Mr. T. It was not a good look even in 1997. In the remake, it is clear that work was done to soften Barret. When Barret talks about saving the planet, it’s actually believable that people would follow him into revolution and when he talks about his daughter Marlene he’s clearly a loving father. The rest of the time, he’s still more of a caricature than a believable character. The parody aspect of Barret is exacerbated by the fact that all the dialog is fully voiced in the remake.
This is not meant as a criticism of the performance of John Eric Bently, who voiced Barret. The fact that Barret is in any way believable as a character is a credit to Bently’s performance. By the same token, though, hearing any human voice say Barret’s more over the top lines makes them stick out like a sore thumb. Few new characters are added, and they are mostly bit players and not major figures. Existing characters are introduced earlier into the story, and side characters get more fleshed out by way of new side stories.
Finally, the infamous ‘Wall Market’ section of the game is thoroughly re-worked. The original’s gay panic and transphobia are gone. The looming threat of sexual assault remains part of the chapter, though, and characters still ‘lose time’ in it as well.
The opening of this review makes the case that Final Fantasy VII Remake is something more than another brick in the wall of video game remakes. The game successfully takes the first few chapters of a story as a springboard for taking an established setting and characters in a completely new direction. This type of ret-con is common in comics, manga, and anime, and rarer in other entertainment media, but the original work’s creators rarely do it as in this case. In games, this type of reimagining is almost unheard of as companies go for safer choices making this attempt incredibly bold. Final Fantasy VII Remake totally sticks the landing on the ret-con, giving fans of the setting a reason to be excited for new stories about their beloved world and characters and making space for neophytes to become fans in their own way.
More remakes like this one, please. I can play the originals on Steam or Switch anyway.
Verdict: Final Fantasy VII Remake is a bold revision of a truly classic video game. Updating the look, action, and story in a way that will please old fans and new alike. The only drawbacks are some rough-around-the-edges character work and one or two slightly boring environments.
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