Midgar feels like home.

Of all the remakes, remasters and reimaginings we have seen in gaming history, there is none with higher expectations than Final Fantasy 7.

An age-old classic on the original Playstation, it holds such a dear place in the hearts of fans around the globe – how could a remake on modern hardware possibly live up to such lofty expectations?

The good news is that – despite being only a sliver of the original plot – this classic tale is surrounded with modern visuals, modernised gameplay and a storyline with some significant swings that even the most die-hard fan will be amazed and surprised in equal measure.

They really did it.

 

Story

Broad strokes altogether the same, the city of Midgar remains the opening for this ambitious remake – a city severed by the avarice of monolithic corporation Shinra.

You play Cloud Strife, a sword-for-hire brought in by activists to bring down The Man and make life more bearable for the downtrodden.

With Shinra literally extracting the energy of the planet to power their gleaming utopia, a ragtag group of terrorists (whose motivations are surprisingly well explored) plot to balance the status-quo by destroying one of the many reactors fuelling the city.

The game thrusts you into this conflict from its impressively faithful opening scenes, making for a fast-paced thrill-ride which eventually changes gears and gives you room to immerse yourself in minutiae of both your crew and the residents of Sector 7 slums.

 

 

Swiftly the stakes rise and the battle for the cause becomes all the more keenly felt for Cloud, who has his own personal demons and a shady past fuelled by memory loss…

So far, so Japanese role-playing game, but the care and attention that this story is given shows that Square Enix was acutely aware of straddling a fine line of fan service and making for an accessible entry-point for newcomers alike.

It steers clear of being impenetrable to those without intimate knowledge of the original, but finds plenty of time for nods and Easter Eggs for those who’ve inhabited this world before, or simply have the curiosity to veer from the beaten path on occasion.

Nostalgia abounds as you trek through familiar areas, meet a cast of characters like Biggs and Wedge – now fully fleshed out characters as opposed to quip-cracking ciphers – and bump into a familiar flower seller along the way…

Many will be aware that this is only the first portion of the sprawling original, but there is more than enough meat on the bones of this plot that the journey feels like an entirely satisfying, albeit not entirely self-contained, experience through its 30-hour playtime.

 

Graphics

In a word, phenomenal.

The original’s blocky polygonal characters and pre-rendered backgrounds might look a bit basic by today’s standards, but there were some groundbreaking techniques on display and its visuals were a large part of the Final Fantasy series truly breaking through in the West.

Throughout, your jaw will hit the floor in just how much things have progressed in 23 years, with many sequences proving indistinguishable from pre-rendered cutscenes throughout.

Cloud Strife’s leap off the train, with the camera seamlessly panning around and leading you into your first skirmish, will impress those seeing it for the first time, but blow away those with any recollection of the original.

Jessie, Biggs and Wedge look like people and whilst Barret still exhibits the angry black man stereotype in his behaviour, he’s got a softer face and cool sunglasses now!

Which is progress, I guess?

The main character of this game is now the city of Midgar given that the majority of your playtime is here, and the sprawling mass of buildings now explodes out into a living, breathing metropolis with districts and interlinking areas to fill the gaps which were left to your imagination before.

The Shinra building is more imposing than ever, and the loving, lived-in feel of famous locations like Tifa’s bar and the playground in which Aerith and Cloud share a private moment just leap off the screen in an incredible way.

Character Design

Character designs have been given more natural proportions as opposed to the cartoony ‘super-deformed’ style of the original, making every exchange of dialogue or glance between protagonists simply mean so much more.

It’s been a long time, but it’s so good to see this cast so well-rendered, and the lavish production values and time taken to deliver this remake is on the screen for every frame.

There are admittedly some seeming rough patches or reused assets that crop up at some rather pivotal moments, but the game makes a great go of lending beauty to the masses of cyberpunk industrial tech, battered buildings and world-weary landscapes you traverse through.

But for the most part, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a sumptuous visual delight, that entirely rewards the patience of its legions of fans waiting to make a return trip to Midgar.

 

Gameplay

The gameplay in Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a curious beast, taking quite some time to really get to grips with the kinetic flow of combat and bring your party together as a cohesive team.

Gone by default is the original’s ATB (Active Time Battle) mode, where any conflict whisked you off to a turn-based battle arena, with action bars slowly filling up and politely allowing an ebb and flow of exchanges.

Remake takes plenty of cues rather from 2017’s Final Fantasy XV, where battles occur in the same world that you inhabit whilst running around.

Combat is more immediate, with light and heavy attack buttons,  and special moves tied to both mana energy and ATB bars which operate in tandem.

It can be a little overwhelming controlling multiple characters at a time, each with their own unique attributes and skillsets which come to the fore depending on who you’re up against.

Mechanics feel polished and engaging, but also very personalisable.

 

 

Each party member has their own unique playstyle – Barret is great for ranged attacks, Tifa has a high damage ‘rushdown’ style, whilst Aerith is great for magic and healing,

It is down to you to work out what works best in what situation making for some deep strategy-based combat.

As the game progresses you develop extra layers to the combat, including powerful special Limit Break attacks as well as summoning ancient spirits to fight alongside you in battle.

The Materia system of magical orbs can be linked-to weapons and armour to develop various attributes makes the journey to the PlayStation 4 largely unchanged, also allowing for elemental traits as well as the use of unique attacks and abilities.

Audio

For many, the music has to be one of the most important ingredients to this game and Final Fantasy 7 Remake ties it all together masterfully.

Many of the themes of the original game have been masterfully updated and re-mixed making listening to them a nostalgic but also energising experience.

We had no hesitation in acquiring the full soundtrack and just letting it loop constantly, it’s simply fantastic.

There are variations of the themes to which you can collect as you make your way through the slums of Midgar.

They’re essentially just collectables but you can listen to them at various jukeboxes you find along your journey.

 

Verdict

Regardless of whether you played the original or not, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is an incredible achievement.

The wait for this game was a long one.

The gameplay is deep and involved, the story is classic and yet shocking in its revisions and refinements, characters are both precisely as you remember and unrecognisable in a current-gen sheen, and the music is both nostalgic and yet somehow expanded upon, more orchestral and bombastic – all combining to make the nearly interminable wait entirely worth it.

For newcomers, simply get lost in a world of good versus evil that has to be played to be believed.

Returning fans? This certainly may not be the Final Fantasy 7 you remembered, but it’s the Final Fantasy 7 your heart always wanted.

Unmissable.

 

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