Second Look - Final Fantasy VII Remake

Note: This review contains spoilers for Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.

Back in April, when Final Fantasy VII Remake first came out, I played and enjoyed it in spite of my lack of context with the original game. However, as I thought about the story more, I realized that even though the game was billed as a jumping-on point, it still made several references to both the original Final Fantasy VII and the contents of Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. After I subsequently immersed myself in all the major titles, Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core, I decided to go back and replay Final Fantasy VII Remake with the full context in mind. This second playthrough gave me a different opinion on the story and changes, some for the better, and helped me better appreciate the improvements the game made over the 1997 original.

Without retreading too much of what I had said in my previous review, I realize with the full context of the original game that this version does tell the same story, just a little differently. For the purpose of stretching out the first eight hours into at least 30, this means expanding on some aspects of the story or changing things up a bit. One minor change I noticed was that although Cloud still has the same flashbacks, they’re sometimes put in a slightly different point in time, but nowhere that really takes away from the story. I also realized just how cheesy some of the dialogue could get (ex. Cloud saying “You owe me a pizza” during a dramatic moment), but then again, the original game had its own fair share (lest we forget moments like Cloud saying “Let’s Mosey” right before the final dungeon).

From what I could remember of the original game, I was fine with some of the additions that Final Fantasy VII Remake made to the story. This included expanding on the aftermath of the Mako Reactor 1 explosion, exploring Shinra’s motivation to drop the Sector 5 plate and additional scenes with Reeve Tuesti, who I find an interesting character by virtue of actually questioning Shinra’s actions. I also wasn’t that bothered by the early appearances of Sephiroth in the story, since it put an interesting twist on Sephiroth’s relationship with Cloud and ties into the ending.

Reeve Tuesti has more screen time in Remake.

The biggest difference, of course, is the introduction of the Whispers of Fate, who exist to push people toward their intended destiny. Introducing such a concept arguably undercuts the idea that every action in the original game was of everyone’s own free will, but I felt the fact that the Whispers are destroyed mitigates this a bit, as the story and characters are free to go in their own direction. Of course, to show the purpose of the Whispers, certain changes are made to the story. Two of these moments stand out, the first being that Hojo casually reveals a major twist about Cloud that originally occurred much later on, only for the Whispers to drag him away. The other is that the past is rewritten so that Zack survives the ending of Crisis Core instead of dying his canon death. I wasn’t really a fan of the Hojo scene, since there’s less room for ambiguity, and I had mixed feelings on Zack’s second chance at life. Considering how important Zack’s death was to Cloud’s backstory, it potentially opens up a big can of worms depending on how accurate later parts will be to the original game.

Aside from the early mention of the major twist with Cloud, the story also drops an early mention of Zack as Aerith’s first love, though the name isn’t heard, and has an early look at Cait Sith, who originally first appeared at the party’s first trip to the Gold Saucer. Neither of these really bothered me, but I can see how the latter would feel confusing to a newcomer. There are also two noticeable omissions, which are a lack of a meeting underneath the Seventh Heaven bar and a lack of a blood trail left by Sephiroth after a massacre. While it’s true that there is no blood trail, there is instead a trail of Jenova fluid, which subtly sets up a boss fight.

Apart from a noticeable increase in minor swearing, like Aerith saying “Shit” for the first time, there is obviously more character development given to minor characters, particularly Biggs, Jessie, Wedge and the Turks. This seemed appropriate to the nature of the game, but I wasn’t sure that Jessie flirting with Cloud really added anything to the story apart from shoehorning her into the love triangle already in place between Cloud, Aerith and Tifa. President Shinra also gets some extra screentime, particularly in his office, where he argues with Barret before his canon death by Sephiroth’s hands. While the impact of President Shinra’s death isn’t exactly the same as in the original game, the new approach does tie into the new treatment of Sephiroth, so I wasn’t upset by it.

Sephiroth's role in the story is a little different than in the original.

Since I put myself through the Compilation, I recognized a lot of references to the different entries, which I now have more mixed feelings on. Some were rather subtle and simply added flavor, like the LOVELESS play from Crisis Core, Aerith referencing selling flowers at the Sector 5 playground from that same game, Sephiroth’s now iconic black wing and Rude carrying around extra pairs of sunglasses as seen in Advent Children. There was also a moment where they obviously recycled footage from Advent Children, but it was very short, so I didn’t really mind.

Other references, however, are more questionable, since they’re presented with no context for newcomers. Showing Zack’s last stand is one of the biggest, since there’s no context as to who Zack is, but there’s also an appearance by another Avalanche cell, except based on their appearance in Before Crisis, a defunct Japan-only cell phone game. Additional out of context Crisis Core references included a mention of Kunsel, a Shinra infantryman recognizing Cloud, the idea of cellular degradation from Mako infusion and a mention of S- and G-type SOLDIERs. That last one is used to make a certain comment by Hojo seem less depraved than in the original, but the exact reasoning only really makes sense for people who played Crisis Core.

Everything about Zack is presented with no context.

Moving on to the gameplay, I still enjoyed it on my second playthrough, though it’s still very linear, even when compared to the original, and sometimes has small blue arrows on the ground telling you the intended direction you need to go in. Playing through the New Game Plus on Normal via post-game Chapter select shaved off about 20 hours of my playtime, since it also made the same difficulty level easier, but I realized just now tedious the side quests really are, since they don’t add much once you’ve completed them the first time around. However, they can influence what dresses Cloud, Tifa and Aerith wear during the Wall Market portion, so keep that in mind.

Speaking of Wall Market, the Honeybee Inn segment plays out differently, arguably more tastefully than in 1997, but the rhythm game elements still helped put it over the top, which helped retain some of the spirit of the original. Wall Market also now has a combat arena, which I only discovered this time is where Cloud and co. can earn an additional Limit Break to use during combat. For someone looking to shake things up, it helps to pay areas like this another visit.

Combat is still one of the biggest strengths of this game due to how it integrates the original game’s ATB and Limit system into real time combat while also taking full advantage of the unique Materia system. Since each party member has their own strengths and weaknesses, switching between them often can give the player a huge leg up as the game goes on, since it keeps you on your toes and makes it easier to outwit the tougher bosses. Notably, Red XIII is an AI-controlled party member, but I wasn’t bothered by this since he appears so late in the game that the player wouldn’t have much time to do anything with him anyway. The Stagger system is also a neat touch, as it gives a window of opportunity to freely deal more damage after exploiting an enemy’s weaknesses.

Red XIII is controlled by the AI rather than the player.

That being said, I'm still not a huge fan of how easy it is to waste ATB and MP on enemies that suddenly move out of the way of your attacks, thanks to a questionable lack of enemy tracking, or Summons relying on how much room is available at the time, which can feel like a hindrance during tough battles. Also, while you gain AP from each successful battle, which helps level up Materia to increase their potency, the Revive Materia requires 5000 AP, which is a bit much. As such, I still hadn’t hit its MAX level even after two full playthroughs and with the natural AP bonus from New Game Plus. I’ll admit that having it equipped to Aerith and not using the AP Up Materia for a while might have contributed to this, but it’s a pain nonetheless.

Now that I’m a lot more familiar with the original game’s depiction of Midgar, I noticed a lot more of the extra content in Remake’s version. Given the scope of this game, I actually liked some of the additions, since they felt more like natural extensions of the original. These included the idea of bigger maps, the extra lore in the Reactor 5 train tunnel, having the opportunity to weaken the Airbuster, filling in events that originally happened offscreen, additional exploration of the Shinra building and getting to play on some playground equipment. There’s also a noticeable increase in the number of boss fights, including those against Reno and Rude, which I wasn’t really against, and Jenova Dreamweaver, which made some sense given the change made to the encounter with President Shinra. I also liked how bosses could now feel more cinematic, though I do admit that there are times where the cinematics can awkwardly break up the flow of combat. Another change I liked was expanding the optional stairwell used to infiltrate the Shinra building. Although you actually have to climb 59 flights of stairs, the journey is bearable, and even laugh-out-loud funny, by the increasing sense of fatigue from both the characters and the music.

Of course, not all of the expansions are great and actually feel like they contribute nothing really meaningful to the game. Increasing the playtime also means more filler, like adding dungeons that mess with the sense of urgency in the story, including the Train Graveyard and the additional lengthy visit to the Sector 6 sewers on account of Leslie, Don Corneo’s bodyguard. The game also could’ve done without the Reactor 5 dungeon or Hojo’s lab, the latter of which didn’t feel organic and instead stopped the plot cold just to give the player more time with Aerith. The game also adds a new character, Roche, who acts as a boss at the end of a bike mini-game, but his appearance goes absolutely nowhere beyond his second appearance not too long after (maybe a later part will bring him back somehow?).

Since Wall Market is much larger than before, it also felt a little more labyrinthine than before. Though I had an easier time keeping track of everything during this playthrough, it’s generally easier to get lost in all the back alleys and alternative pathways as opposed to the original’s more straightforward layout. Plus, you now have to complete a combat tournament to advance, which caps off with a fight against Hell House, a regular enemy re-imagined as a lengthy boss fight. In fact, there are a few other bosses in this game that in the original were regular enemies you could more easily dispose of. The newly expanded Sector 5 Slums doesn’t have the same issue as Wall Market, but it’s still made longer and a little more tedious to get through, especially if you’re also doing the side quests.

Wall Market is much larger than in the original.

My familiarity with Final Fantasy VII also gave me a greater appreciation for the quality of life changes introduced to Remake. I still found benches and vending machines helpful, since I could top off my HP and MP while making sure I as fully stocked, even though I used items far less this time. The biggest change, however, and by far my favorite, is the complete absence of random battles, as enemies now have predetermined spawn points that make plowing through them feel far more efficient. It’s also much easier to view enemy stats, including weaknesses and resistances, as long as you’ve used the Assess Materia on them once. You do have to use Assess again to view their exact HP values, but each enemy also has a visible health bar to give a good idea of how much HP is left. I also still liked the ability to open a menu after some cutscenes to better prepare for an upcoming boss fight.

The Materia Exchange system from the original game was also significantly improved, as you can now swap not just Materia, but weapons, armor and accessories between characters anywhere and anytime, even if someone isn’t in your party. While you do still have to pick up some items to obtain them, most are automatically added to your inventory, reducing the need to search for them. I also liked that any running changes in inventory or condition, including level ups, are very quickly listed off to the side to avoid unnecessarily long strings of notifications. Other small changes that make the game faster include the ability to slide down ladders and instantly return to a quest giver upon completing a side quest, as well as skip both bike mini-games.

I also better appreciated some of the smaller changes. Apart from skipping the bike mini-games, the motorcycles are now much easier to control, which makes actually completing them more bearable. Puzzles are also much less awkward than before, with only optional timing-based puzzles left, and some puzzles compensate for the player’s mistakes, making them less frustrating to complete overall. You can also toggle between a compass or mini-map to aid in navigation or have nothing depending on player preference. There’s also one tiny detail that I’m not sure gets mentioned, but the Reactor 7 bomb timer after the Guard Scorpion fight actually stops briefly while opening chests rather than run continuously. It doesn’t make much of a difference, since even 20 minutes is plenty of time to escape, but it might come in handy for someone who’s really taking their time.

The bike mini-game is improved (and you can skip it).

It wouldn't be right to go this far, however, without mentioning the DLC, a first for the series. At launch, players who pre-ordered the game had access to additional summons, Cactuar, Chocobo Chick and Carbuncle (the last of which was removed from the physical Deluxe Edition), which are good in their own right but outclassed by later in-game Summons. From my experience, Cactuar's fixed damage output works best in the early game and Chocobo Chick can give you access to specific magic in a pinch, but is generally weaker than what the player can cast themselves. Then, there was a Butterfinger promotion where buying certain candy bars and confirming your purchase would grant access to up to five additional items and a free PS4 Dynamic Theme. Since I obtained the items after I had already beaten the game the first time, none of them were as good as my endgame setup. However, they are unique, including special abilities, so they might find a place in some loadouts, at least until the player can get better equipment.

If there’s one thing that’s undeniable, it’s that Final Fantasy VII Remake is visually stunning. The characters and environments look the best they ever have, especially more than their Advent Children appearances, and the more anime-like presentation felt fitting, since the series had headed that way since the film anyway. Certain key moments from the original are also recreated pretty faithfully while also taking advantage of Unreal Engine 4 to play out more cinematically. I also liked that equipped weapons and Materia show up in cutscenes, though there is some visible clipping with Cloud’s swords, since it’s clear that his animations were made with the Buster Sword in mind. There’s also sometimes some minor texture loading and at least one door at Cloud’s apartment in Sector 7 that looks unfinished somehow, plus it’s obvious that some high views of Midgar are simply slightly altered images.

This time, I did pay better attention to a couple minor things that I liked. One of them is how ambient conversation are rendered off to the side of the screen. I appreciated this more after playing other games that place all subtitles for spoken dialogue at the bottom of the screen, so Remake’s implementation makes it easier to focus on the main dialogue. I also noticed that they updated the technology to include smartphones rather than flip phones, which made sense, as it reflects the level of technology we have now and still fits in with the world.

Although the voice cast is different from previous Compilation entries, I thought the new cast was good in their own right, since their voices and performances, even if they’re not exactly the same, still fit the personalities of the characters. The two that stood out to me the most this time for their differences were Tyler Hoechlin as Sephiroth and James Sie as Hojo. I’ll admit that George Newbern is my favorite English voice for Sephiroth, but Tyler Hoechlin’s take will likely improve for later parts as he continues voicing the character. As for James Sie, I actually prefer his take on Hojo over Paul Eiding, since he sounds more reserved and far less hammy.

James Sie has a more reserved take on Hojo.

As with my first playthrough, I really enjoyed the music, both the original tracks and the updated takes on classic tracks from the original Final Fantasy VII. Many tracks from both categories are just as memorable as the original game and I’m still interested in trying to pick up a physical copy. Of course, it’s still a bit pricey to do so, but one can hope.

Now that I’ve played through Final Fantasy VII Remake with the full context of the original game and Compilation, I feel more comfortable with my opinion on it. I don’t like that some references to events from across the series only make sense to longtime fans and may alienate newcomers, but it’s clearer that the game can be enjoyed in spite of this and I can more safely recommend it to people, as long as they don’t mind playing something that isn’t a total 1:1 remake. There’s some filler the developers could’ve trimmed, sure, but the fun combat and good story are the worth the effort. I can’t say confidently whether or not players will like the ending, but I’m personally willing to at least see where the story will go from here.