OVERVIEW

It looks better, it sounds better and most of all it plays as well as a modern tale should. The story has been deepened turning five hours from the original game into 35 but is incomplete. This surprisingly works in fulfilment and to make you want more. Overall it is much more than a remake, for better or worse depending on your opinion, Final Fantasy VII Remake sets a precedent for what a remake really is.

STORY

To put it bluntly, the bombing run and your somewhat limited time spent in Midgar is the same story plus all context and character development you could possibly want.

Ancillary characters from the original game give weight and purpose to their fates. They play important roles in the plot and they even join the party as a non-controllable characterev in some instances. Frankly you care about them, and it isn't just fam service.

Just because you played the original game won't mean you'll know what’s going to happen here. Yes, the general structure is still the same but it isn't just filler that expands the game time, it's a true fleshing out of the politics and stories of what is happening and how the impacts the people of Midgar. It's a much bigger question of whether what the branded ecoterrorist organization of Avalanche, of which main character Cloud has been pulled into, is doing the right thing. It weighs on the characters and turns their previous simple RPG typesets into something more complex. They are still who they are from the first game, but they are more of who they are.

As good as all this expansion is, and there really isn't much that isn't valuable the story is incomplete. As stated before, this remake represents five hours of the original game, that leaves a lot unresolved. Despite this, it still ends about as well as you could hope for as well as adding a entire new wrinkle that wasn't present in the original. It’s satifying, inconclusive and leaves you craving more.

TECHNICAL

Completely solid is the best way to describe the updated look. It couldn’t be imagined in any other way. Since the game takes place entirely in Midgar environment variation is subdued. Lighting is done fantastically well and despite occasional texture pop-in (which does nothing to impact the experience) the environments are never subpar. It’s the character models and battle animations that really what the appetite. Even with the AdventAdvent Children designs taken into consideration, I can't imagine a better design than their PS4 incarnations. They are all immeadiatley identifiable and accented to the point of finding a critique is moot. This extends to the afore mentioned ancillary players, which are now fully realized and not just a jumble of polygons and color. It's not the prettiest game on the console but it's a perfect representation.

MUSIC

Another staple of the original game is the music, again, faithfully recreated in better quality and slightly improved composition. The first time hearing the boss theme again will get you even more jacked up than in 1997. The original is absolutely quintessential listening and even the symphonic versions of the originals are bested here.

There is some new stuff, but nothing to displace the classics. Obviously some of the themes from the original are not included because those scored scenes aren't here, but there are some subtle calls to them, calls that make you tell yourself, “I can’t wait to get to that part.” It’s a smorgasbord of videogame hits the perfect balance of nostalgia and still top class composition.

GAMEPLAY

By far the largest departure from the original gameplay, is the battle system, which is brought into the modern era here. It's fair to call this an action RPG, battles are in realtime, there is nothing turn-based and your party members can attack and react on their own. There is a tactical mode that in short, is a better version of Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts yet retains the the abilities and famous limits and attacks as the original. It’s pretty seamless when wanting to switch from a standard attack to a heavy attack, but the battles rely on the use of the ATB meter which allows for special abilities or spell casting. The defualt combat is mostly free flowing, only slowing while giving commands outside of normal attacks (like choosing the aforementioned spell or special attack) or instructing another party member. Any of your three party members can be directly controlled, but each battle begins with your party leader before you switch. Utilizing your parties strengths adds depth to every encounter. Flying enemies aren't easily reached by melee weapons and ranged weapons are generally less effective against grounded enemies. There are certain weapons and abilities that can negate these weaknesses somewhat or change the style of fighting (for example Barrett's weapons are a real projectile based but one that is strong melee only). Each weapon, which can be leveled up with use, has it's own ability, which once the weapon is fully leveled, can be used at anytime. It's a great incentive to use and fine every option available and most abilities come in handy at one time or another. The battles are by far the most engaging part of the game and luckily it's also the majority of it.

When you're not fighting, most of the gameplay is running from point A to point B. Even side missions are running from one portion of the map to the next, many times fetch quests, but they're short and almost always include a battle. It's fairly linear but there are some branching paths that almost always end up and that right place and are worth it to explore. These are mostly abput showing off Midgar and the environments are mostly interesting enough.

In typical Final Fantasy fashion there are some mini games that break up the primary gameplay such as some rhythm games and of course the motorcycle fight, but this game is built upon the battle system which doesn't disappoint.