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Here is my thread containing my final thoughts after my first playthrough of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Please post any replies on the last message of the thread. I will try to keep things relatively spoiler free.
GENERAL
Overall I enjoyed most of my time with the game. There were definitely some highs and lows through it all, but for the most part I do feel it was a fun game. It did drag on way to long in certain sections though making some of the more emotional bits less impactful.
Overall I enjoyed most of my time with the game. There were definitely some highs and lows through it all, but for the most part I do feel it was a fun game. It did drag on way to long in certain sections though making some of the more emotional bits less impactful.
STORY
Definitely go into this game knowing that it is not a remaster of FF7. I would go as far as calling it a full retelling. Most of the major story beats are in tact, including the last chapters, but several events are changed or expanded to tell a different story from before
Definitely go into this game knowing that it is not a remaster of FF7. I would go as far as calling it a full retelling. Most of the major story beats are in tact, including the last chapters, but several events are changed or expanded to tell a different story from before
The ending does go pretty well off the beaten trail though, and leads to potentially making major changes to future events.
There is a lot of new events, and some of them do not exactly hit the mark, and come off as blatant padding.
Characters were fleshed out greatly.
There is a lot of new events, and some of them do not exactly hit the mark, and come off as blatant padding.
Characters were fleshed out greatly.
COMBAT
When it's all going well the combat is a dream, and keeps you on your toes. It's a spectacle of a combat system, and the majority of the time there is a lot of fun to be had. Some late game enemies though remove a lot of the depth from the combat and require you to
When it's all going well the combat is a dream, and keeps you on your toes. It's a spectacle of a combat system, and the majority of the time there is a lot of fun to be had. Some late game enemies though remove a lot of the depth from the combat and require you to
approach them in a very specific way without room for player expression. One example is an enemy that has a passive that actively pushes you away when staggering forcing you to use magic instead of any of your basic tools.
Air combat in particular is a slog, and not well done.
Air combat in particular is a slog, and not well done.
LENGTH
My first run took just over 35 hours. Up to chapter 11 it was a great time, and I was having a blast. Starting at 12 though it was much more up and down with my enjoyment. Several sections went on for way to long, threw in a lot of needless dialogue,
My first run took just over 35 hours. Up to chapter 11 it was a great time, and I was having a blast. Starting at 12 though it was much more up and down with my enjoyment. Several sections went on for way to long, threw in a lot of needless dialogue,
branched away from the main path for arbitrary reasons, and simply acted as padding instead of furthering the plot or characters motives. There was still fun to be had, but it was sandwiched between long sections of time sinks. For me this lead to a moment where a major emotional
moment was completely lost for me due to the fact I was just so ready to be finished with that part of the game.
MAJOR COMPLAINTS
A lot of my negative feelings towards parts of the game were unfortunately the result of a design decisions in one particular area that bled into every aspect of the game. That being Square wanting everything to look cool, even if it ment sacrificing gameplay.
A lot of my negative feelings towards parts of the game were unfortunately the result of a design decisions in one particular area that bled into every aspect of the game. That being Square wanting everything to look cool, even if it ment sacrificing gameplay.
I was constantly having the controls ripped from my hands so the game could make me slow down to walking speed and listen to dialogue, or point the camera at a point of interest for long periods of time. This is almost a non stop problem.
This also is a problem with bosses where invisible damage barriers will cause you to stop dealing damage so a mid fight cutscene can play. This happened a minimum of 3 times per fight. Several Limits and specials went to waste because the game wanted to show me something cool.
ENDING
This one is highly controversial, but for spoiler sake I am going to stick to the gameplay.
IMO Square went too far with the final chapter of this game in terms of what and how you fight the multiple final battles. They we're grand scale spectacles,
This one is highly controversial, but for spoiler sake I am going to stick to the gameplay.
IMO Square went too far with the final chapter of this game in terms of what and how you fight the multiple final battles. They we're grand scale spectacles,
and I have no idea what they are planning on following them up with. This fights scale was what should have been the final fights of the entire remake series, not the final bosses of the first game.
The final boss could have been way less of an event and made for a great battle.
The final boss could have been way less of an event and made for a great battle.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I am glad I experienced the game, but there were multiple moments of real irritation where I wished things would just move on.
I do recommend this game to players wanting to experience FF7 in a new light, or players that want a narrative expierence.
I am glad I experienced the game, but there were multiple moments of real irritation where I wished things would just move on.
I do recommend this game to players wanting to experience FF7 in a new light, or players that want a narrative expierence.
I do not recommend this game to players that want a "gameplay first" expierence. The story and spectacle take the front seat here 100%, and your gameplay expierence comes in at a solid 3rd.
END
I apologise for this thread being so long, but I do hope it helps potential players make the right decision for their own personal tastes.
Every game is not for every player, and ensuring people know what they are getting into if they are on the fence with buying this one.
I apologise for this thread being so long, but I do hope it helps potential players make the right decision for their own personal tastes.
Every game is not for every player, and ensuring people know what they are getting into if they are on the fence with buying this one.
