The amount of thought that went into this game becomes clear when you stop and listen to music. *Please note that I was playing this on an original PS4, so the graphics experience may differ. Some texture issues also showed up, which slightly detracted from the overall experience. Understandably, you’re not spending a whole lot of time on these less pivotal characters, but it was enough of a difference that it occasionally took me out of the otherwise beautifully designed world. With that being said, you will occasionally get real Sonic (2006) vibes with some of the lesser NPCs. The graphical design of this game straddles the line so well between remake and reimagine that everything feels like a romanticization of the original game’s then awe-inspiring graphics. The number of little graphical Easter eggs littered about that feature deep cuts from the original was a great touch of series reverence without detracting from the overall presentation. The models for Cloud and the gang are stunningly designed and hit me like the then jaw-dropping FMV scenes of its original. This insightful strategy of adaptation and inspiration is also present in the design and graphics for FF7 Remake. Think of all of this as if Square Enix gave up the series to Platinum Games and let them mash their action game expertise with Final Fantasy XV (2016). While you may have been able to grind in the original to hurdle over difficulty spikes, this game will instead force you to maximize your materia loadouts and character balance abilities. Rarely did I feel like I had to slog through a section to get to another point. These gameplay adjustments largely negate the sometimes grinding nature of the original. Whether it’s fine-tuning the new Materia management system in pre-battle or controlling your party members in real-time, the player is expected to take an analytical and active tact instead of just leveraging level differences. Spamming lower-level opponents, the defacto tactic for older RPGs, is replaced with an active management system that heavily relies on leveraging the abilities of your party member’s elemental abilities. Don’t think that this dumbs down the gameplay to a hack-n-slash experience far from it. Modifications to the Active Time Battle (ATB) and Materia systems closer align it to the action-RPG mechanics prevalent today. Instead of relying on the classic tried-and-true JRPG mechanics that were so prevalent when Final Fantasy Seven (1997) first came out, FF7 Remake is more of action-RPG. This divergence from straight-port to adaptation can be most evidently seen in its gameplay. While this doesn’t always succeed, it does bring forward a game that largely expands on the universe of the original, while also being respectful of its source material. The expanded focus on fleshing out previous small-time characters, such as Wedge and Jessie, shows that Square Enix is not relying on its old tactics to create the same emotional pull that the original had, but instead looking for new methods to create the same feel. FF7 Remake is more of an attempt to adapt its source material to meet the modern gaming landscape than a reiteration of the original gameplay and story structure. Most remakes and remasters are concerned with directly translating the gameplay experience to a new platform. Balancing fan service with newer action-RPG advances, FF7 Remake succeeds in bringing in old and new players alike with its adapted story focus. While some may decry Square Enix for taking an episodic approach to the remake, this choice has given them the ability to enrich the overall game experience without being beholden to the source material’s dated structure. Instead of retelling the entire saga in one game, FF7 Remake diverges from its predecessor by focusing on fleshing out the characters, places, and plot of the Midgar section of the original. Throughout this iconic journey, we’re introduced to Cloud’s troubled mercenary past and the often intersecting stories of his party mates Barrett, Tifa, and Aerith (to name a few). Final Fantasy 7 Remake (2020) retells the tale of a radical eco-terrorist group (Avalanche) struggling against an ever-oppressive energy company (Shinra) and provides an extended look at the characters and events involved. Director(s): Tetsuya Nomura, Naoki Hamaguchi, Motomu ToriyamaĬloud Strife and company are back in the long-awaited retelling of a Playstation classic.
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