That hub is like a giant wheel with spokes, which lead to sidequests and stores to buy stuff from. After a guided intro ( Remake begins just like the original, with the initial bombing run from the demo), the slums of Midgar (where Tifa’s bar is located) becomes your home hub. The chapter-based setup is also extremely digestible, which is going to be give and take if you’re expecting a sprawling, open world complex RPG (more on that in a moment). If you find yourself in hot water while fighting a specific boss, you can swap your setting without penalty. There’s an easy and normal difficulty setting available right off the bat, with a third “classic” mode that serves as easy-adjacent, allowing characters to attack and defend automatically, while you simply perform commands like a JRPG. For newcomers, Final Fantasy VII Remake pulls out all the stops for making everyone feel comfortable. Naturally everyone will want to partake, not just veterans. In terms of technical problems, I encountered very little: light audio issues for 10 minutes (a muted dialogue track) that worked after restart, and a few pathing issues that cleared up after several seconds. Like the remake plot changes, some are better than the source material, some aren’t.Īctually, a lot of it (especially the injection of Sephiroth as seen in the game’s trailers) is going to be controversial for purists, but newcomers generally won’t care and I don’t either outside of some issues with a very weird (Nomuraaaaaaa!) last act. The new score also does a great job of channeling the original soundtrack while maintaining its own feel: especially those killer jazz track remakes. The grunt workers of Shinra are more humanized and less cartoonish, though the latter qualifier still applies for several of the main mustache-twirling higher-ups. Even rando NPCs speak, and sidequests, for the most part, are fun to complete: especially when coupled with an automatic teleport turn-in system. Cloud’s freakouts are a little more grounded and less goofy looking. If this was my first time ever experiencing the FFVII story, I’d still be enamored by these characters.Ī lot is also cleaned-up with the new coat of remake paint. Plus, she made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion with her zingers, which is always a plus. Aerith (Aeris) is perhaps the remake’s biggest direct triumph, as she gets more of a chance to shine beyond her duty as a healbot that only had a place in select parties. Midgar, which has been ingrained in popular culture for several decades, is more alive than it’s ever been. Seeing kids frolicking in the playground in the intro that was once barren in the original PlayStation entry gives us new context for the city and the class-based politics that define it. There’s brand new cast members, several of which slot right in naturally and a few that are clear sequel-bait.īut really, it’s the atmosphere of Midgar that wins out as the true pivotal character of the remake. Previously throwaway characters now have motivations and personality thanks to modern technological advancements and a bit of creative storytelling. There’s a lot that’s changed, and it’s safe to say this is one of the most comprehensive remakes ever created. I know what you’re thinking, but this isn’t really about nostalgia: the remake is a straight-up good RPG that builds off a great foundational story. I think for a lot of people, Final Fantasy VII Remake is going to have that same impact. It wasn’t just a game, it was an experience. I vividly recall passing around Final Fantasy VII‘s three original PlayStation discs in school: regaling classmates of what I had just experienced, and what was to come. Like Chrono Trigger before it, VII was a gateway into the enchanting land of role-playing games for a lot of folks. I’m just kidding, I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to wax poetic about the landscape of JRPGs in 1997. I’m not even going to try to summarize the monumental impact Final Fantasy VII has had on countless lives, the JRPG genre and gaming as a whole.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |