When Final Fantasy VII was released on the original PlayStation,
it had a profound impact on the industry.
It skyrocketed the series far beyond any of its predecessors
and changed the landscape for Japanese role-playing games in the West.
In 2015, when Square Enix announced that a fully-fledged remake was in development,
it came with a lot of fears and high expectations,
especially once the news broke that this is only the first part of a multi-game series.
It's been a controversial subject, and whether you agree with Square Enix's decision or not,
what they've achieved with Final Fantasy VII Remake
is an excellent reimagining of a beloved classic.
This first game that we have today takes place solely in the city of Midgar,
but brand new content has been added, including new characters, stories, and events.
All of the iconic moments from the original are here and looking better than ever,
but don't expect everything to play out as it did in the original,
as some story elements have changed quite a bit.
Thankfully, these additions are delivered in a way that enhances the overall narrative
and sets up some new threads to keep an eye on.
And even though this is only the first part of a larger story,
it feels like a complete arc that culminates in a satisfying manner.
Many of the chapters take place in specific locations.
For the most part, this makes for a linear experience,
but that doesn't necessarily mean you're stuck on a single path.
There’s plenty to explore, and some areas are quite large with treasure to find
and activities to complete like side quests and mini-games.
Once you finish the game, you unlock hard mode and chapter select,
which lets you replay chapters with all of your current levels and gear.
Our final playtime came in around the 38-hour mark, with plenty left to do.
Never before has the world of Final Fantasy VII looked or felt so good.
Whether it be a crowded section on an upper plate, the cold and soulless setting of a reactor,
or the dirty and cramped streets of Sector 7, every location is brimming with detail.
The redesigned versions of classic enemies are a sight to behold,
and bosses are wild spectacles that rival some of the best in the series.
The game looks great for the most part,
but some of the outdoor sections exhibit very noticeable texture pop-in
or low-resolution textures overall.
It’s distracting, and the short waits can make it a hassle to do simple things like reading signs.
Square Enix has nailed the look of all the prominent characters, and they act exactly how they should
at this point in the story.
Their interactions are excellent,
and seeing the members of Avalanche communicate with Cloud is particularly amusing.
Along with old characters getting more screen time,
there are also a handful of great new characters like Johnny and Leslie who you meet along the way.
The music also impresses, with each song perfectly capturing the mood in ways that feel fresh,
standing toe-to-toe with the original versions and raising anticipation for the journey ahead.
Combat is much more action-oriented this time around, with realtime battles
replacing the original turn-based system.
However, strategy and planning still play a substantial role.
Your party members have the basics like regular attacks, blocking, and evading
as well as abilities you select in the command menu.
This menu slows the action to a crawl, giving you time to navigate your options
and think about your next move.
The ATB gauge also makes a return and it’s required to cast spells,
use items, and execute certain attacks.
It's an appreciated nod to the original and helps keep the strategy aspect up.
There are four playable characters: Cloud, Barret, Tifa, and Aerith,
and each of them feels completely different.
Tifa focuses on speed and quick, powerful punches
while Barret excels at blasting opponents from afar.
Each character has a unique action tied to the triangle button
such as Cloud's Punisher Mode, which focuses on more powerful attacks and counters
with the tradeoff of slower movement.
You can quickly switch characters with the D-pad,
allowing you to get the most out of every party member in an encounter.
The stagger meter from past Final Fantasy titles also makes a return.
This meter builds up during combat when you attack an enemy,
and when it's filled, the target becomes vulnerable, taking increased damage.
Mastering your tactics to build the meter is essential for defeating tougher enemies.
Overall, the combat system is an exceptional mix of action and strategy.
The camera can be problematic at times, making it hard to keep track of enemies,
but we recommend enabling options to zoom out further to get a better view of your surroundings.
Materia once again plays a substantial role.
Materia are crystal orbs that grant special abilities when slotted into your equipment.
These come in many forms, such as magic materia which allow you to cast fire, lightning, or healing spells,
as well as spells that have passive effects such as raising HP or MP.
The system starts off pretty basic, but as you progress,
the materia you get and combinations you can equip do get more interesting.
For instance, the Elemental materia adds the properties of another linked materia to your equipment,
infusing attacks with attributes like fire or lightning and gaining resistance to that element as well.
You can also obtain more powerful versions by leveling-up materia.
The system is flexible and impressive, allowing you to build any character any way you want.
Since the materia system was such a standout of the original game,
it's great to see it recreated so faithfully to the source material.
The iconic summons of the Final Fantasy series also make a return
with creatures like the fire elemental Ifrit and Choco/Mog among the roster.
During particular encounters,
you can call upon these powerful summons to fight alongside you in battle.
They act on their own accord and last for a limited amount of time,
but you can use your ATB gauge to direct them to use special attacks,
giving you some control.
For the most part, equipment functions as you would expect,
granting enhancements like more defense or additional materia slots, but
weapons are a bit more complicated.
Besides their base stats, you can level-up weapons and purchase enhancements with skill points.
However, you don't need to worry about leveling your weapons individually,
as all weapon experience is shared.
Weapons also have distinct skills tied to them, which you can learn permanently by using them in combat,
providing incentive to try out every weapon.
Most of the game's focus is on the main plot,
but there are times when various side quests become available for you to tackle.
These can include basic kill quests or helping a young girl find her cats, but
as the game goes on, they get more captivating, with a few surprises we won't spoil.
These side quests give you more meaningful character moments between your party
and help bring more life to the citizens of Midgar.
Additionally, there are Moogle coins to collect that you can spend at the appropriate vendor
and battle arenas you can fight in to unlock rewards if you want to test your skills.
Outside of your party, one of the most significant characters is a boy named Chadley.
Throughout the story, Chadley assigns you combat tasks to complete like staggering 15 enemies
or defeating two or more enemies with a single hit.
Completing these tasks rewards you with valuable new materia like Wind and Auto-Cure.
You can also acquire new summons from him by battling them in VR simulations.
So it's worth spending the time to complete his goals.
Final Fantasy VII is an ambitious retelling
that updates its systems and story for the modern era.
The new battle system is fantastic and does a superb job of blending strategy and action.
Additional stories and character moments are appreciated,
and the way each character is portrayed is perfect.
Some technical aspects could be better,
but if future installments maintain this trajectory, we can all rest easy.
Easy Allies Reviews are made possible by generous viewers just like you.
If you like what you see, check out patreon.com/easyallies to help us make more.
For just $1 a month, you can gain access to weekly updates, spoiler discussions, and exclusive shows.