Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this Video Game Review. Please read with caution.

This classic video game revival was a long time coming, but FF7 Remake had finally arrived in April 2020. I purchased the digital copy during that weekend and casually played throughout the Quarantine month. My experience with the original video game was pretty outstanding to say the least, but this remake heightened everything—the characters, plots, graphics, combat, and world-building—to grander levels.

The idea to expand a small portion of the game—maybe 5 hours of original 1997 gameplay—into a full-blown 40-hour adventure was a welcomed addition and an effective way to give us a real video game experience without feeling like the designers were holding back, even though they were. As a result, the game wasn’t a total play-by-play remake with better graphics; there were added scenes and side-quests that weren’t presented in the original game. FF7 Remake felt more like a Reinvention at various times.

This expansion on Midgar allowed the players to explore the vastness of the city and its inhabitants as Cloud Strife and his team—Tifa, Aerith, and Barrett—battle against Shinra, an evil corporation. All the side-characters were also given more backstory and ample character development too, including Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge—members of AVALANCHE. I hardly remembered those characters from the original game, but FF7 Remake made sure I would never forget them ever again.

FF7 Remake’s combat system was the best part of the whole game in my professional opinion. While hack-and-slash may seem ideal in the beginning fights, it ultimately won’t get you far against the stronger boss fights. Each party member has a specific weapon and fighting style that switching out / commanding them to follow your battle plan will become essential to achieving victory, as different enemies have different weak points or conditions to make them Stagger. Also, it was straight-up fun playing as other people than Cloud Strife and his Buster Sword.

Let’s talk about the negatives of the side-quests in terms of storytelling. The side-quests appeared like filler. While I loved doing side-quests in role-playing games, I could see how it affected the main story’s pacing. For example, “Let’s go save Tifa / Aerith… after doing side-quests for these NPCs first.” The high-stakes of the plot weren’t taken seriously as a result either. I joked a lot about this flaw during my playthrough. However, the beautiful graphics and music was amazing throughout the side-quests and the game as a whole.

Overall, Final Fantasy 7 Remake delivered. The main story did get convoluted at times especially toward the end, but it wasn’t a total dealbreaker as it was just following the original story faithfully. The new combat system was amazing, all the main characters—especially Tifa OMG—had relatable emotional arcs, and Midgar was a great city to explore. I still have Hard Mode to grind through at some point, so I’ll likely be going for the 100% PS4 Trophy Achievement in the near future. I’m excited for the next part to come out in the next few years… hopefully not longer.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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