Final Fantasy 7 Remake: One of the Greatest Remakes of All Time

Final Fantasy 7 is a game I was always interested in playing but never got around too. My only knowledge of the Final Fantasy 7 universe came from the Kingdom Hearts series. In those games, I adored Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, and Sephiroth from the roles they played. This all changed when I purchased Final Fantasy 7 on my Nintendo Switch last year.

While I was aware of some crucial moments from the game since they're so iconic, I had no idea what sort of adventure I was jumping in for. After clocking in a total of 50 hours, I understood why so many gamers considered the game a classic though I wouldn't put it as one of my favorite JRPGS that I've played. However, my opinion is the complete opposite of the remake.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is one of the finest JRPGs and even one of the most excellent video games I've played in a while. From the moment I started to the moment I finished my immense enjoyment of the game never waned. As most already know, the remake does not tell the full story of Final Fantasy 7. It only tells the story of Disc 1 from the original.

To rectify this, Square Enix has massively expanded upon both the storyline and locales you explore during this portion of the game. For example, in the original, it only took me 7 hours to complete Disc 1 while in the remake, it took me a total of 42 hours. The remake is, by all means, a complete game and not a half-baked experience.

By expanding the game to an incredible degree, Square has given the characters more screentime and characterization than before. Take the Avalanche gang as an example. Without going into spoilers, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie of the group called Avalanche were minor supporting characters in the original that weren't precisely memorable due to lack of screentime.

In the remake, you spend more time with them, learn their backstories, and see how they became the people they are today. Overall, the game does a phenomenal job of making you care about these characters who before only served an incredibly minor role in the plot.

Not only have the characters done a complete overhaul, but so have all the locations you explore. Unlike the original where players could explore the whole world, the remake only takes place in Midgar, a bustling technologically advanced city that is the center of the remake's story.

Despite only being able to play in a single town, the game does a fantastic job of making Midgar and its residents feel alive. While playing, I sometimes actually believed that Midgar was a real place that exists in our world. This is in part by how well the game handles its NPCs.

While running through town, you'll hear NPCs have plenty of conversations with each other. There is a multitude of things they can say to each other, and those conversations will change depending on what is currently happening in the story.

The best part is that all of their dialogue is voiced and not just text, which is something Square did not need to do but is much appreciated. It's little touches like these that shows how much time, heart, and care was put into this game by the developers.

The soundtrack in the remake is spectacular. The majority are rearrangements; however, there are a plethora of original tracks too. Some of the new tracks are so good that I honestly enjoyed them even more than the original game's tracks, with my favorites being The Valkyrie and The Collapsed Expressway.

The main highlight of the game is the new reworked battle system. As most gamers know, the original game's battle system was turned based combat. The remake ditches this in favor of real-time combat instead.

The main gimmick attached to this is the ATB (Active Time Battle) system, which determines when you can use your special attacks, magic, and items. Players can use one of these only when one of the blue ATB gauges at the bottom of the screen is full.

It takes no time to fill up as long as you actively engage in combat by attacking the enemy. The gauge gradually fills up overtime as well. If you press the X button to access the command menu, the game will enter "Tactical Mode." This will pause the game, allowing you to freely choose between your commands, magic, or one of your items without worrying about combat.

Photo Credit: IGN.com

Another feature of the battle system is the ability to switch between your party members on the fly. This allows you to strategize and come up with tactics to defeat enemies effectively. If you find the game too challenging, you can lower the difficulty at any time by going to the pause menu.

There is also a difficulty mode called "Classic" that allows players to play the game like the original Final Fantasy 7. In this mode, the character you control will move, dodge, block, and attack on his her own. All you have to is choose what attack you wish for them to perform.

I didn't care for the mode that much, but I appreciate that it's there for those who are struggling. Even though the camera could sometimes get a little wonky during combat and the air combat could be better, I thought the battle system overall was still fantastic and had a blast with it all the way through.

As soon as I booted up Final Fantasy 7 Remake, I knew I was going to be in for an extraordinary adventure, but this exceeded my expectations. With a gorgeous revamped soundtrack, a beautiful cast of characters, great attention to detail, and an enjoyable and engaging battle system, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is the highest love letter Square can give to Final Fantasy fans and a prime example on how to remake a beloved classic.

My Rating: 9.8/10