Funny story, I had been waiting for Final Fantasy 7 Remake for three years. Yes. Ron preordered it for me for my birthday and then it got delayed so three years later I got my birthday gift. I was excited to start playing and dove right in. From the start, I was amazed at how great the game looked as it introduced Cloud during the first mission. I did like the fact that you could adjust the settings in the game options menu which includes setting the difficulty of the game according to what your play style. I personally like the easy mode as that is easier on my hands and allows me to enjoy the story. The first mission gives a good tutorial on how the game controls and battle system work. One of the things that is different from the original is you get more time with Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge which makes them fully realized characters. Wedge is the lovable heart of the trio and it was great getting to know him. This first part of Final Fantasy 7 Remake takes place in Midgar. Sure you don't get to see places like The Golden Saucer, but this allows you to get to really see Midgar and appreciate the setting and the people who live there. Getting to explore the sector 7 neighborhood and seeing Tifa's bar was fantastic. I took a moment just to take it all in.
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| Cloud ready to explore sector 7. |
The big thing in the areas were side quests. Doing side quests earns gil, items, and in one case a free sword for Cloud. Various people in the sector need help and as you complete each side quest your reputation goes up. This is also a smart way to level grind your characters as well as earning money for upgrading weapons and accessories. You also find moogle medals which you can trade in to an adorable kid named Moggie dressed in a moogle costume. One of those items is a key item for another side quest so it's a good idea to check in with Moggie often.
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| Getting a side quest and rewards for moogle medals from Moggie. |
The story is still relatively the same, fighting against Shinra a greedy corporation that only cares about the wealthy elite and is killing the planet as it drains it of Mako. You mainly play as Cloud, but with the battle system consisting of three party members you can switch between each character according to what you need during the battle. For example, if there are flying enemies you can switch to Barret who can shoot at them with his gun arm. You can also use spells that target an enemy's weakness. There are limit break attacks as well which is a stylized special attack for each character.
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| Taking down an enemy together. |
The materia system is in this battle system too. The different orbs fit into your weapons and accessories. Each orb has a unique ability ranging from wind spells to a chance to get a first strike on enemies. The more you use these spells and abilities, the stronger the materia gets which unlocks more powerful spells and abilities. There are summons too and the summons are incredible doing specialized attacks. Battles are fun and exciting with this new system and I found myself enjoying every second of the game because of it.
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| The materia system in action. |
The game has a nice auto save feature with save spot areas which consist of a bench and a potion vending machines. This is convenient because you can also buy healing items, materia, and accessories from the vending machines. There are story checkpoints throughout the game that have auto saves as well. There are 18 chapters in Final Fantasy 7 Remake and each chapter brought something exciting and wonderful to the table. Seeing Midgar in all of its glory was incredible. There are also mini games in some of the chapters. My personal favorite was the dance mini game. It added an extra layer of fun and depth to the story.
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| Taking time to save the game at a bench area. |
There are some differences from the original, but it is well done and the essential part of the story is the same. One big difference is Sephiroth is there a little earlier adding a lot more tension and showing a little more of the story with him and Cloud. With some of the side quests you also get a little more time with Aerith. Taking the time to explore and take in the sights was such a great experience. Getting to see Aerith's house was one of my favorite scenes in the game. Taking it all in made me appreciate the beauty of each aspect of the game.
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| All the pretty flowers at Aerith's house. |
Cloud himself stands out more too. In the story it takes the time to show the trauma and pain Cloud is experiencing and it shows his emotions much better here which includes showing elements of his relationship with Tifa, how he slowly becomes better at opening up with Aerith, and how he comes to have a sense of friendship with Barret. That is one of the big things in the story for me, how everyone is working together to achieve this goal to stand up to destiny and choose their own fate. These relationships really shine as they interact with each other, but as they get to know Cloud it also shows how he gradually changes and becomes a little better.
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| Cloud, Tifa, and Barret working together to the end. |
I loved every minute of the story and gameplay. Final Fantasy 7 Remake got so much right and each detail showed a nod to the original while also becoming its own special thing. The city of Midgar truly came to life as I got to explore each aspect of it and getting to know all the characters for the main story as well as the supporting characters was amazing. There are 18 chapters in the game and for me doing everything including the side quests, the game was about 33 hours for me. Once you finish the game this unlocks the hard difficulty setting and you can select a chapter to play. If you have a favorite chapter you would like to replay you can do that after finishing the game. This also gives you a chance to finish any side quests or get special items you may have missed like different theme songs for areas and characters. The game is so good that I want to play through it again. If someone asks me if Final Fantasy 7 Remake is worth it, the answer is a resounding yes. It updated aspects of the game making it feel modern and new while keeping the emotional elements of the original story and characters. For me, it is a beautiful adventure.
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| Taking a moment with Cloud. |
*Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation 4
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