Final Fantasy VII Remake
A breathtaking, expanded reimagining of the most beloved RPG opening in history.
Review
Final Fantasy VII Remake is a fascinating artistic project: rather than simply rebuilding the 1997 JRPG with modern graphics, Square Enix expanded its opening section — the city of Midgar — into a full 35-40 hour game, adding new characters, extended story beats, and a hybrid combat system that synthesizes real-time action with the ATB strategic depth of the original's turn-based battles. The result is simultaneously faithful and audacious.
The combat system is superb. Switching between Cloud's heavy Buster Sword strikes, Barret's long-range burst fire, and Aerith's magical ranged attacks in real time while pausing to queue Materia abilities and items creates a rhythm that is mechanically satisfying and visually spectacular. The Stagger system — building enemies into a stunned state of vulnerability before unleashing maximum damage — gives every encounter an underlying structure without making it feel mechanical.
Character work is the game's strongest achievement. The cast of protagonists — particularly Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Barret — are given enormous room to breathe and develop across the game's length. The quieter moments — Cloud sitting with Aerith on a rooftop, Tifa and Cloud's shared memories — are genuinely moving. The game's controversial ending choices (avoiding spoilers) expand the narrative's scope in ways that either excite or frustrate depending on your relationship to the original. Rebirth, the sequel, takes the expanded universe further.
Strengths and Limits
- Hybrid ATB/action combat is a genuine evolution of the JRPG formula
- Character writing gives the ensemble genuine depth and warmth
- Midgar is realized with extraordinary visual fidelity
- Stagger system makes every major encounter feel structured and rewarding
- Music — a mix of remixes and new arrangements — is beautiful throughout
- Significant padding in several chapters disrupts the narrative momentum
- Ending choices are narratively bold but divide the fanbase sharply
- Game is restricted to Midgar alone — original's scope is not represented
- Some mandatory fetch quests feel beneath the game's overall quality
Reader Fit
This review is written around fit: who should play it, what kind of session it rewards, and what friction might make it wrong for another reader. A high grade does not mean every player should buy it immediately. It means the game has a clear identity, a strong reason to exist, and enough craft to justify attention from the right audience.