Final Fantasy VII Remake

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8148 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6,327 out of 8148
  2. Mixed: 727 out of 8148
  3. Negative: 1,094 out of 8148
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  1. JadeRhiece
    Apr 19, 2020
    10
    Loved the original so had high hopes for the long anticipated remake. This game does not disappoint. Enjoyed all the nostalgia mixed with the new experience. Content was fantastic and the battle mechanics are well thought out. Graphics are 1st class. Cannot wait for the next installment.
  2. Rkodev1
    Apr 22, 2020
    10
    Svajonė išpildyta, gavau mėgstamiausia vaikystės žaidimą. Grafika neriali, istorija nuostabi, nėra ką pridurti.
  3. SouthTsar
    May 7, 2020
    7
    I regularly check Metacritic for 'user' reviews of movies and games but I never made an account before, did it just to review this game. To put it up front I am a big FF7 fan but did not mind the episodic release, the real-time gameplay, or even moderate changes to the plot. In some ways it is two games put into one, a fantastic 10/10 and a 5/10 which makes you wonder why anyone wouldI regularly check Metacritic for 'user' reviews of movies and games but I never made an account before, did it just to review this game. To put it up front I am a big FF7 fan but did not mind the episodic release, the real-time gameplay, or even moderate changes to the plot. In some ways it is two games put into one, a fantastic 10/10 and a 5/10 which makes you wonder why anyone would spend the money and time developing it.

    Originally I was going to give this game a 8. Most of the game was fantastic, the story, the gameplay, the world building, how old characters and places were fleshed out. It went down from a 10 to a 8 because there were several directorial decisions and new additions that just seemed odd and the pacing slowed down way too much at a few parts, at least 20% of the game, when it should have picked to match the drama of the moment (I actually didn't mind the sidequests much though they were relatively uninteresting). Likewise, the excessive inclusion of a character from the original that had very little presence at all in Midgar only weakened them with respect to the plot and compromised the Midgar/Shinra drama without bringing much to the table. While most everyone knows how the story plays out, a truly great story like that of FF7 keeps its magic with every replay/retelling and so I think it was a mistake to retcon them back into the story so early. It also went down to an 8 because of some of the graphical texturing and 2D pre-rendered background drops looked pretty bad, the Midgar plates in the distance looked pixelated to me (on PS4 Pro), which was only made more jarring when compared to the amazingly crafted character models in the center of the screen. Why is there no blood, at least in cut-scenes? Games can get Teen rating and still have some blood in them, they had talks of transexuality and basically a not so subtle allusion to climaxing during fellatio, but no blood? Also, the music was sometimes great, but some of the remixes felt off, and I was disappointed that the Wall Market music was reserved only for the Highway Ruin but instead got something lame in its place.

    From a nostalgia/story perspective, as the 1997 FF7 is one of my favorite games and I played it maybe 5 times, I thought most of the game respected and innovated with respect to the original in great ways. However, the last 10% of the game starts to differ in significant and significantly weaker ways and it climaxes in an utter garbage finale that makes no sense not only in the context of the FF7 universe but, even nostalgia aside, would make no sense in an FF7 Reboot that would have consisted of the plot up to that point. Even a particularly striking difference in FF7R from the original that occurs throughout could have had compelling meaning if tied into some of original's motifs like J----_ or the Lifesteam... but no, it culminates into a garbage finale that on its own would be given a 3/10, just garnering some points for moderate visual spectacle and some fun gameplay. Many have pointed to Nomura and Kingdom Hearts nonsense for that, and I really liked KH1 and think it's much better than the FF7R ending. Some people says it justifies the creators taking the game in a new direction, but that's not what most people wanted (is it even legal to brand it as a remake then?) and the Remake already differed in noticeable ways before the Finale without the ridiculous deus-ex-machina moment as a justification. Much of the game just awed me, and some of the additions and embellishments made future events, that I already knew were coming, all the more compelling. A great example are some of the Avalanche characters, their fleshing-out moved me all the more since I knew what was coming... or at least thought I did... In fact I did not mind saving (or not saving after being ghosted...) one of them, but then they shouldn't have had an earlier cutscene for them... Likewise, the expiration of the other members is done in a really hokey and drawn out way (example of bad pacing), should have followed the original where they are still talking and breathing till the very moment, well, where it would be impossible for them to. Well, the ending completely upends all of that, so, I actually don't know if they're dead or alive at the moment. The ending left me feeling utterly drained and disappointed... it's been days since then and I am still not over it....

    Kitase claimed in an interview that the rest of FF7R will still follow the original FF7 story... I hope so, and quite frankly it would be AOK with me if the rest of the episodes just completely ignored the final ending of FF7R-1 and ret-retconned the Big Bad to a more mysterious, distant position. I am tempted to give it a 6 because the ending is so bad, poor pacing and childish directorial decisions, significant graphics drops and poor music remixes, but I think an 7 is more fair given that 3/4 of the game was amazing.    … Expand
  4. tkplay852456
    May 3, 2020
    10
    I love FF7 R this game is absolutely amazing. The characters are so well made and more personal than the originals. A remake done right!
  5. ToolSnipeZ
    Apr 11, 2020
    9
    first i wanna say that i have no nostalgia for the original game whatsoever. i didnt play it back then, i played it some years ago on steam. havent played all the way through but i know the part of the game that this first part is covering.

    lets get this straight: ppl who call this a sequel have no idea what a sequel is. its a reimagening. and so far i love it. the game looks    first i wanna say that i have no nostalgia for the original game whatsoever. i didnt play it back then, i played it some years ago on steam. havent played all the way through but i know the part of the game that this first part is covering.

    lets get this straight: ppl who call this a sequel have no idea what a sequel is. its a reimagening. and so far i love it.

    the game looks stunning, i love that the side characters get their time to shine. it makes the world more believable as everyone cloud meets on this adventure matters more and interacts with him and the world in a more natural way. the battle system people say is that of FF15. they have not played FF15 then. ff 15 feels a lot clunkier and has way less complex systems. it is a very good expansion or reboot of the ff 15 system, that much is true.

    lets get some things out of the way that bother me:

    1) the english voice acting is mixed extremely quiet. i have turned ingame music and sound effects down and now i finally can understand what they say during parts with loud music.

    also: when the party members talk to you when traversing areas with population, as soon as you pass some npcs the game uncontrolably spits chunks of dialogue at you. you can sometimes not understand a single word and have to resort to reading the subtitles as they storm in. feels clunky. could have been solved by sidechaining the npc talk whenever somebody more important talks.

    particulary in the slum area, there are a lot of textures that wont load in to full detail. really breaks the immersion, i hope they fix that soon in a patch. i first thought that they where sloppy in development, but this doesnt seem to be the case as sometimes textures reload afterwards and look fine, and sometimes they just dont for basically forever. especially ground textures and doors/signs are impacted by that.

    other than that i love the altered concepts which i wont spoil. i love the drawn out story. you can never really predict whats gonna happen next, is it gonna be something similiar or something that was never in the original.

    also i like that they kept the materia system and added summons very early into the game.

    the combat has a really nice flow to it where you are basically waiting for cooldowns while also planning the next move and at the same time that slight unpredicatability, especially in bossfights.

    i cannot understand for the life of me while people would call this cheap or a ripoff. people who where hyped for this game as a remake knew what the combat would be like. they knew they would only get part of the story. how did they think this was gonna be achieved other than adding tons of content in between the original plotpoints and setpieces. and it really doesnt feel out of place. it feels like a fanfiction that acts like its a book based on the original game.

    for me it achieves what i expected: its a modern stage for an amazing tesla/steampunk fantasy universe with timeless story. i couldnt have imagined an action jrpg to doing a better job at breathing life into this story.

    you could compare this to the hobbit, which was also an original story drawn out into 3 movies. but here it works, because there is thought and heart put into it and you can tell. i wouldnt have it any other way. this story works as a saga. probably some jrpgs could be a saga, as rich as the universe and plots often are.    … Expand
  6. ultima786
    Apr 10, 2020
    10
    Incredible game that makes me relive my childhood again. There ain't no gettin' off this train we're on. Graphics are beautiful, acting is characteristic of who the characters were in the OG FF7, music is profound and astounding, and story is well put together. Combat is perfection. It'll be hard for anything other game to be more fun than this.
  7. GreenBoots_
    Apr 17, 2020
    9
    This game is incredibly bold in the choices it makes, particularly near the ending, in a way that is sure to infuriate some, but excites me to no end. As a series fan, I was looking forward to the prospect of a faithful modern-day FFVII remake, the nostalgia factor of seeing one of the best casts in video game history trod a timeless path. The original game is a classic for a reason, andThis game is incredibly bold in the choices it makes, particularly near the ending, in a way that is sure to infuriate some, but excites me to no end. As a series fan, I was looking forward to the prospect of a faithful modern-day FFVII remake, the nostalgia factor of seeing one of the best casts in video game history trod a timeless path. The original game is a classic for a reason, and any excuse to spend more time in this world is an excuse I will take. However, I was also somewhat frustrated that this multi-part remake by Square Enix's division 1 team likely meant we wouldn't be getting a new original mainline Final Fantasy for some time. Without spoiling too much, they've managed to successfully open the door for this ongoing project to become something more than just a remake, and instead become a brand new take on a familiar story.

    This in and of itself wouldn't normally excite me, except that the game here on offer is brilliantly realized in how it adapts events from the original game with excellent presentation and storytelling. The characters are alive and vibrant, and despite the talk above about what the game changes, it keeps the core elements of their personalities and world views untouched. The additions are embellishments that support the strong characterization of the original, and almost all of the additions land. The character relationships are better than ever. Cloud's complex psyche can be seen in things as subtle as eye movement and body language. Wall Market has never felt so lively and debaucherous, and Seventh Heaven has never felt more like home.

    The combat is excellent as well. I would've been more than happy with turn based, but this is a fine action RPG system that leans very heavily on the RPG side of the equation. Combat is tactical, and strategic use of your characters' different abilities is key to boss fights and even many regular fights. The game is visually gorgeous most of the time, but there are some janky texture issues. It's unclear if it's lack of polish or a technical issue preventing them from loading in, but it's very noticeable in certain sections. The music is a standout, choosing to feature a extremely varied blend of a lot of tracks from the original remixed and reordered. The new tracks are largely ambient, though there are a few new memorable melodies scattered throughout. I'm a particular fan of the somehow even moodier interpretation of "Anxious Heart," my favorite from the original as well.

    I cannot wait for the second part of this project.    … Expand
  8. DoTheBartMan
    Apr 17, 2020
    10
    Final Fantasy VII was one of the first games of substance I played as a kid and hold it in high regards

    The remake holds onto everything I loved as a kid while improving on the story using everything we know today through all instalments of the series Graphics are great (albeit with the occasional rendering issue) Combat is drastically better than XV, Remember before you buy this game    Final Fantasy VII was one of the first games of substance I played as a kid and hold it in high regards

    The remake holds onto everything I loved as a kid while improving on the story using everything we know today through all instalments of the series Graphics are great (albeit with the occasional rendering issue)

    Combat is drastically better than XV,

    Remember before you buy this game that it’s a remake and not a remaster, so expect changes

    RIP Keiji Fujiwara    … Expand
  9. Robbie_Bobby
    Apr 12, 2020
    10
    Great game and totally new experience of 7th without making the original 7th worse, which still the best game with limited technical capabilities at the time. Thank You SE, can't wait for the second.
  10. frienlist
    Apr 17, 2020
    10
    Really glad what they did with this remake. Instead of just doing the same thing, they tried something different by changing the story a bit while adding more depth to the existing story. Not really perfect, but at least this make the wait for the next part more worth it. Love it
  11. lerh
    Apr 17, 2020
    10
    gorgeous! Life stream reminds me of the end of FF13-3,Something green floats pass universe and finally lands in "a star".Maybe we players can see a surprise in FF7-2.
  12. OGTortoise
    Apr 12, 2020
    8
    This more like a 7.5 but rounded up to an 8. I’m 18 hours in and the game feels so cutscene story heavy. This is fine, but it just feels like story scenes connected by hallways of battles. So many times I’ve felt as though I just want to fight enemies and level up a bit, but it seems after you clear out enemies they don’t respawn? No doubt I’ve spent more time in cutscenes and dialogueThis more like a 7.5 but rounded up to an 8. I’m 18 hours in and the game feels so cutscene story heavy. This is fine, but it just feels like story scenes connected by hallways of battles. So many times I’ve felt as though I just want to fight enemies and level up a bit, but it seems after you clear out enemies they don’t respawn? No doubt I’ve spent more time in cutscenes and dialogue than actually fighting and exploring. The combat system is solid, but I have to say I’m a bit disappointed so far in this first entry.

    It’s nice to have more time with the characters...but I’m getting annoyed by the slow paced walks followed by a cutscene. Just let me run loose. I understand not losing the sense of urgency, but this is a game at the end of the day and not a movie with game like elements. I’ve read the game never really opens up and that’s disappointing. It would have been helpful for that the areas you visit in side quests were larger and fought bigger enemies. That probably would’ve satisfied me.    … Expand
  13. Dussek
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    Es un juego Excelente. Su jugabilidad e historia son de lo mejor que he visto. Simplemente excelente.
  14. franpm04
    Apr 15, 2020
    10
    Un juego fantástico 100% recomendado, la música, el mundo, los personajes, la historia, todo es genial.
  15. Muffinman181
    Apr 16, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 90% faithful to the original, absolutely loved the new direction it’s taking with certain plot points and new plot lines too. Can’t wait for the next 2 parts.… Expand
  16. Caesar0710
    Apr 18, 2020
    8
    There are several points that I would like to point out, but the graphics and sound are satisfactory qualities.
    The portraits and the backgrounds which digged deeper into the characters complement the original well, and I think it is worthy of name of "remake".
    It took time for me to understand the battle system. Players are very busy during the battle. So, it is rich in tactical    There are several points that I would like to point out, but the graphics and sound are satisfactory qualities.
    The portraits and the backgrounds which digged deeper into the characters complement the original well, and I think it is worthy of name of "remake".
    It took time for me to understand the battle system. Players are very busy during the battle. So, it is rich in tactical nature, if we speak favorably of it, or it is extremely complex, if we speak unfavorably of it. Also, the equipments must be replaced such as Materias frequently, because the party members often join and leave. I feel that deploying a system for this is necessary. In addition, the cap of growth factors such as level is low, and the exhilarating feeling and decreasing difficulty for battles are small even after the clearing of the game.
    Finally, the story is upgraded well from the original. However, new elements (ending, fury, a scene of the grave for trains, i.e.) appeared in this time stand out from other elements as a bad meaning, and I feel that those are not along the flow of the story and not suitable for the world view of FF7. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the biggest and only problem of this work.
    Overall, it's an entertaining game and a very good remake of FF7. However, I regret that it would have been a perfect game if they had settled down a bit more and reviewed the entire flow of the story and they had have more respect for the original ff7.    … Expand
  17. Jehquis
    Apr 17, 2020
    10
    Arleady 55 hours in less than a week. Can't put the controller down.
    Not exempt of default but i now consider it a must-buy if you're a FF fan.
  18. FurryKok
    Apr 18, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Outstanding! Wish they would have released it all in one shot to truly call itself a remake but I’ll take what I got for now. Wonderful graphics and smooth gameplay and I love the new elements they’ve added to the story. Truly outstanding. Excited for part 2.… Expand
  19. Boss357mag
    Apr 20, 2020
    10
    This is an amazing remake of arguably one of the best games and storylines of all time. As a big fan of the original, I appreciate the level of detail and fidelity they took in following the content. Furthermore, the improvements and additional content to make Midgar a game of it's own was well done and in keeping with the style and feel of the original. The overhaul of the battle systemThis is an amazing remake of arguably one of the best games and storylines of all time. As a big fan of the original, I appreciate the level of detail and fidelity they took in following the content. Furthermore, the improvements and additional content to make Midgar a game of it's own was well done and in keeping with the style and feel of the original. The overhaul of the battle system was also very well thought out. It merges the original with a new action based system that is certainly challenging. While you can button mash, you'll find much more success in embracing strategy, which you'll certainly need in the tougher battles. I am infinitely curious about how they will fold our games into the follow on chapters. I hope they don't do something foolish like standardizing our characters and equipment for the start of a new game. I hope they allow for the continuity of our characters and how we've developed them. Also, I hope they continue to keep in line with the original, and don't begin to veer off. Lastly, I hope they don't keep us waiting too long!… Expand
  20. Aiz888
    Apr 20, 2020
    10
    Great Game, Great Expansion, Great Music, Great Visual! Best! 10/10 Can't wait for part 2!
  21. Dan1d1
    May 4, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Absolutely amazing.

    My phone isn't letting me format this properly so full review to follow. All I will say now is play this game. Be prepared for some changes from the original, but you are in for 40 amazing hours.    … Expand
  22. tamarabity
    Apr 17, 2020
    10
    One of the most impressive video game graphics I have ever seen. FF 7 remake also has some of the best music arrangements I've seen from a video game. The game really feels immersive because of those aspects

    The combat just feels right and the story is very good. Like it a lot
  23. meterbin
    Apr 17, 2020
    10
    I never rated a game in my life, but this remake has made me in such a way that I had to come here, create an account and rate it 10.

    I immediately and rate the original Final Fantasy VII game 10 also. (Something that I've done a long time ago.)

    By the way, I used to not to trust metacritic "Critic Reviews", but not anymore. Holy cow they rate this remake 88? Excellent choice
  24. Talfrey
    Apr 10, 2020
    10
    Incredible run diving deeper in to character backgrounds. Very very much worth the buy.
  25. M4ttCH
    Apr 16, 2020
    10
    A 40+ hours of gameplay with best performance in game history. It's not perfect but definitely deserves a 10.
  26. Beniviper
    Apr 21, 2020
    10
    Incredible game. Should definitely get your hands on it even if you dont particularly are a FF fan like me. FF7 Story and combat style are just on point; The materia system, weapons diversity, limit breaks, summons - The plot is great, characters are unique, ect. Only good things to say about this game. A MUST TRY (AT LEAST)
  27. dkhosa
    Apr 11, 2020
    9
    Game is good, graphics are variable. Some places look good, other times look like PS3 game. If graphics were good then I would give it 10.
  28. danuffo
    Aug 2, 2021
    5
    Not my taste...

    All the classical feeling is gone, even the music sounds off, the original style was already good. The game feels more like a interactive movie (you know, the "quick action button" parts), too much cutscenes, irrelevant characters, no true turn based game. Only graphics get better but the rest get worse, there was no need to change the plot. On top of that, the    Not my taste...

    All the classical feeling is gone, even the music sounds off, the original style was already good.

    The game feels more like a interactive movie (you know, the "quick action button" parts), too much cutscenes, irrelevant characters, no true turn based game. Only graphics get better but the rest get worse, there was no need to change the plot.

    On top of that, the absence of a latinamerican spanish dubbing, it's a real pain to be listening american english voices specially when they casted star talents or youtubers as voice actors.    … Expand
  29. Ti621
    Apr 11, 2020
    10
    Amazing all around game, if you’re an rpg fan I’d highly recommend this game can’t stop playing it.
  30. GuitarJester
    Apr 16, 2020
    10
    If this is the quality we can expect from the Remake. Than as a whole, The Remake is going to be better than the original game. Hands down. The first game itself has many things better. The only thing controversial is the ending. Which no one really knows how much it will effect anything until the next game is out. The Remake has exceeded all my expectations. Excited to see what comes next!
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best PS4 Game of 2020
5
#5 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020
4
#4 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 126 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 116 out of 126
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 126
  3. Negative: 0 out of 126
  1. GameMAG
    Sep 14, 2020
    90
    Final Fantasy VII Remake is the game we've been waiting for from Square Enix for so long. Atmospheric, interesting and exciting all your attention modern jRPG with an interesting story and spectacular battles. To achieve the ideal, the project only needs more even graphics and all the content from the original release. If you were waiting for a turn-based classic with new graphics you will most likely be disappointed, since the game has changed a lot. Everyone else is happy with the release of the first really powerful single-player release from the internal Square Enix studio for many years. Especially after the failure of Final Fantasy XV.
    Read full review
  2. Riot Pixels
    Aug 20, 2020
    80
    A good remake of the introductory part of the cult-favorite Final Fantasy VII. It improves on the original game in almost all aspects, yet lacks in scale and drops the ball at the very end.
    Read full review
  3. Finger Guns
    Aug 10, 2020
    90
    What matters is still intact, and that’s the heart and soul of one of the greatest stories in video game history. It’s a return to form that has felt a long time in coming, and what’s even better is that there’s still at least two more games of this quality to come...They can’t mess this up, can they?
    Read full review
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