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. Shasserix
    Apr 10, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. They sell me REMAKE for 5 years, they showing trailers with oryginal content, playing with nostalgia, nad in the end they give me game that isnt remake, but sequel, or reboot? With **** time travel ending, super linear locations and boring sidequests? **** you SE, I should know it will be dissapointing after FF15 disaster.… Expand
  2. SinsOfChaos
    Apr 10, 2020
    4
    Final fantasy 7 is not a remake for fans, it's a remake for Square Enix's pockets and we can see that through the decision to make a single game into 3-4 games. They wanted to squeeze as much as they could from their consumers and this first installment is a proof of that.

    This first installment could've easily been an 8 to hours long game, it didn't need to be this long. It's basically a    Final fantasy 7 is not a remake for fans, it's a remake for Square Enix's pockets and we can see that through the decision to make a single game into 3-4 games. They wanted to squeeze as much as they could from their consumers and this first installment is a proof of that.

    This first installment could've easily been an 8 to hours long game, it didn't need to be this long. It's basically a series of repetitive mundane activities that you do for the sake of prolonging the game without bringing any substance or development to the story. The little story we have in this installment is interesting, some people might like the major changes to the story and others who are nostalgic might not.

    As for combat, they are using ff15's combat system which I personally hated. Movement in combat feels almost robotic, camera movement is annoying and characters sometimes just stand there and do nothing when you're not controlling them.

    I do feel that if they would've just made the whole game, worry more about giving fans who have supported the company for years and years what they deserve instead of thinking of how they can abuse them, it would've been a great game. It doesn't need all these unnecessary content that brings absolutely nothing to the player, it needs to engage people, to make sure that we are having fun at every step of the way. This is not a final fantasy game, this is just another software SE created to fill their pockets like every console and mobile projects in the recent years.    … Expand
  3. Sembritch
    Apr 11, 2020
    4
    I've played almost all of the final fantasy games and FFVII is my favorite game this is sickening to a fan, the game was purely made for easy cash anyone rating this as good either has clearly never played the original or any game of the series even FFXV which is pretty much the same thing is somewhat superior this game only has poorly implemented features meant to drag on the gameI've played almost all of the final fantasy games and FFVII is my favorite game this is sickening to a fan, the game was purely made for easy cash anyone rating this as good either has clearly never played the original or any game of the series even FFXV which is pretty much the same thing is somewhat superior this game only has poorly implemented features meant to drag on the game fetch/slay quests, mini-games and pointless story alterations which in the end result in nothing but wasted time, even if the graphics are good and the expanded story on the Avalanche team is beautiful this game is nothing but a waste of time and money if they keep on with their plan of releasing it in episodes its dead as my dreams of a remake because this is not one.… Expand
  4. Godhand1982
    Apr 10, 2020
    4
    If 5 is an average than I can only give this game a 4. As a die-hard final fantasy fan I knew I wasn't going to get the remake I really wanted, the current attention span limited generation of gamers wouldn't allow it but square..what the heck is this square? A stupid real time combat system that seems to take the very worst parts of kingdom hearts with its crap camera and bad AI, aIf 5 is an average than I can only give this game a 4. As a die-hard final fantasy fan I knew I wasn't going to get the remake I really wanted, the current attention span limited generation of gamers wouldn't allow it but square..what the heck is this square? A stupid real time combat system that seems to take the very worst parts of kingdom hearts with its crap camera and bad AI, a nonsensical story also seeming like it was vomited up by the worst of kingdom hearts., why was the story meddled with at all? Why? It makes no sense.the excuse that this is just part one of God knows how many parts is a poor one too, if Atlus can give us Persona 5 royal and CD projekt red can deliver the witcher 3 then why can't square make a decent game anymore?. Don't give into the hype people, it's hot garbage and that's coming from a lifelong final fantasy fan of 37 years of age.… Expand
  5. Lowflunky
    Apr 11, 2020
    4
    The initial playthrough was enjoyable but a subsequent one has removed the rose tinted nostalgia goggles and the rough edges stand out strong. Where there is beauty in the cutscenes and majesty in the new soundtrack, there is a far more worrying trend of anime style over acting, poorly textured environments and side characters, unnecessary side quests that provide no long term benefit and,The initial playthrough was enjoyable but a subsequent one has removed the rose tinted nostalgia goggles and the rough edges stand out strong. Where there is beauty in the cutscenes and majesty in the new soundtrack, there is a far more worrying trend of anime style over acting, poorly textured environments and side characters, unnecessary side quests that provide no long term benefit and, most importantly, story additions and amendments that break this away from a remake down a path of potential retcon. Fun can be had but this feels like multiple teams and directors fighting each other to tell their own version of the story whilst cashing in on the obvious fanbase love that will have driven many to pre-order. I suspect the second game will make or break not only the trust original fans will have lost since this first part, but also the final hopes for many that have been met with disappointing modern Square Enix games. I want them to do well, I want to fall in love with a modern JRPG, I want to feel lost in their world's. Only time will tell.… Expand
  6. godessoftime19
    Apr 11, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a longtime, devoted fan of Square Enix and the original FF7 and the other spin offs, this has to be the worst one. Yes. Worst than Dirge of Cerberus, worst than Crisis Core, and most certainly, worst than the original FF7. There are spoilers down below so read at your own risk, i have marked them accordingly.

    When playing this game in the beginning, I was rather excited for the invigorating game play, the stellar level designs, and the beautiful character. As the game progressed, it quickly went downhill.

    1. I will say, the gameplay was what kept me on my feet but the boss battle lasted WAY too long and did become repetitive. My BIGGEST problem was how the first 30 hours of the game was just milling around in Midgar doing meaningless fetch quests just to earn some boring character cut scenes. While I did like exploring Midgar a little more, it was nothing like they marketed. It isn't really open world nor as expansive as they tried to advertise it as. In reality, this is the biggest marketing gimmick I've ever seen.
    2. The voice acting was alright in the beginning, and then it just hit a brick wall. The voices are jarring and bland, it pulled me out of the character immersion, the characters became rigid and in the end, it was very stale and unbelievable. It was as if I was watching inexperienced actors table read a script for the first time. Not what is to be expected in a Triple A game. Get Troy Baker, Jennifer Hale, and Nolan North in there and have them voice everyone, it would sound a million times better. Heck the original cast would have nailed it better than this cast.

    3. The storyline (will contain endgame spoilers) . Boy oh boy, this is where it tanked for me. If you were expecting just a little shuffle with the story, a little additional content with the backbone of FF7, this game isn't for you. It completely re-wrote FF7 within an hour's time. Not only that, Sephiroth appears WAY too much and does not have that mystery surrounding him. They are shoving this character in your face as much as possible. FF7R is like a sequal to Advent Children in the way that both Cloud and Sephiroth have traveled back to the past to relive the events of the original but both battling to stop it with their Advent Children selves...or something like that. The dead to not stay dead, they NEED to stay dead. It's like they saw how popular these characters were in the past and then wanted to keep them alive for a cash grab. Not cool man, part of the reasons we like them is because of their sacrifice. They made this game to be a giant "what if" where you can't take characters deaths seriously. It's ridiculous.
    4. The music is lackluster at best. It looks like they took Uematsu's compositions and then just butchers them and then stuck his name in the credits to try to appeal to fans. It's not well done. Don't get me started on the Chocobo rap, hip-hop thing.

    All--in-all, this game does not live up to the hype it is receiving. It was a huge letdown. I don't really have faith in them to fix this for part 2, but I sure hope they will see what dumpster fire they created.    … Expand
  7. CyberX
    Apr 11, 2020
    4
    Final Fantasy 7 Remake is far from being perfect! It’s quite the contrary. Let me explain!

    The battle system is extremely positive, in the sense that it rivals action games. For a JRPG this is the most impressive fragment of the game. I THINK THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH SQUARE ENIX IS STORYTELLING AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT – They just don’t know how to tell a good story. All the Final    Final Fantasy 7 Remake is far from being perfect! It’s quite the contrary. Let me explain!

    The battle system is extremely positive, in the sense that it rivals action games. For a JRPG this is the most impressive fragment of the game.

    I THINK THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH SQUARE ENIX IS STORYTELLING AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT – They just don’t know how to tell a good story. All the Final Fantasy up to FFX had good stories and good character development. Since FFX and onward, every FF game was a disaster in terms of story.

    My Final Fantasy 7 Remake Ratings
    Story 0
    Character development 1
    Game play 10
    Graphics 5
    Overall rating 4

    FF7 ORIG already had a complicated story and now Square Enix made even worse. To come back from this will be difficult. All I see is another FF13 on the rise.    … Expand
  8. enansein
    Apr 13, 2020
    4
    This game is not a Final Fantasy VII remake. The idea of splitting it and make just the first Midgar part is a very bad idea to begin. This make the game a very slow paced experience that makes you not even want to finish it. The great plot of the original is ruined by Nomura's fan fiction with ghosts and Sephiroth popping out as much as he can. Combat System is a mess. I mean how couldThis game is not a Final Fantasy VII remake. The idea of splitting it and make just the first Midgar part is a very bad idea to begin. This make the game a very slow paced experience that makes you not even want to finish it. The great plot of the original is ruined by Nomura's fan fiction with ghosts and Sephiroth popping out as much as he can. Combat System is a mess. I mean how could anyone think that combat system makes sense? If you don't hit, you don't get ATB, so if enemy is out of range you basically can't do anything, no use items no use of magics. Lot of damages taken without even noticing, ATB ruined if you get hit while doing an ability.
    What was SE thinking?    … Expand
  9. Gravvy85
    Apr 11, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As an avid fan of the original awaiting a faithful remake I was sadly disappointed while some points were great and they did well expanding on the world and the side characters but some of their changes to combat and the materia system made it a bit jarring to play as I realised the ramifications of that system and that my favorite combinations and some of my favorite attacks/materia wont make it into the game. Then to get sucker punched with the ending where they basically completely rewrote the story and are trying to turn it into a Kingdom Hearts spin off **** thing just made me sick to my stomach.… Expand
  10. Samriv
    Apr 12, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The audio/visual presentations top notch. Some texture work is a but pedestrian in some ares, but FFVIIR got the visual part right. Where it steers wrong, is perhaps on the most important category in an RPG: Story telling. The original Story was a harsh, if social relevant one, but this time around some changes are made from the get go to portray the game's cast as more heroic than they actually well. Avalanche is a Geo-Terrorist group and the FFVIIR tries to sugar coat that. Perhaps more egregious of all, is Nomura's penchant for the nonsensical. FFVIIR pulls a stunning 180 degree turn into Kingdom Hearts 2 and beyond territory. A move that renders the original cannon (which was the superior work) meaningless in the end. Truly the game in someways is a slap in the face to the original fervent fanzine.… Expand
  11. Punkit
    Apr 12, 2020
    4
    Los gráficos son una risa con patas, las texturas son de play 3, lineal a no más poder y lo más importante el final... Cambiarle el nombre a este juego porque no es un remake.
  12. Keymons
    Apr 13, 2020
    4
    Pro Graphically high quality detail in the characters and environment. (Some background scenes are poor quality)

    Good instrumentals but very quiet at times. Pretty much bug free (current moment could 2 bugs both missable, you can complete the game still.) Narrative is good with the serious scenes and the humour to boot, the comedy did make me giggle a lot. Con Story/narrative (the last    Pro Graphically high quality detail in the characters and environment. (Some background scenes are poor quality)

    Good instrumentals but very quiet at times.

    Pretty much bug free (current moment could 2 bugs both missable, you can complete the game still.)

    Narrative is good with the serious scenes and the humour to boot, the comedy did make me giggle a lot.

    Con
    Story/narrative (the last segment of the game ruined it, this is new content but it felt a half arsed attempt to finish the game)

    Battle system is ok but there are flaws such as rolling is a gimmick (evading) hence enemies will always hit you no matter what. (I would class it as 1000% hit wich for me is a pettty system, instead of the sensation of fighting a battle, instead I feel like I am playing against a scripted code aiming to resolve everything as fast as possible)

    Overall It is a good game but I am worried about the direction it may go, it could be a good game or it could go very bad being at the current moment give a take about 20% ish of the game is out as the remake compares to the original.    … Expand
  13. 0xf8006
    Apr 13, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is the epitome of style over substance.

    For everything this game does well, it gets overshadowed by staggering things that it does wrong. The way SE expanded some characters and gave them more development is then immediately followed by meaningless kill X amount of monsters side quests. Or a sequence involving a reactor that turns a short sequence from the original into a sprawling set piece chased with a new character and a fast paced boss fight that is then followed by a 30 minute sequence of walking to the next city with maybe 2 encounters (see combat for later problems with that) and "character development that could have been established just as well without slamming the brakes on the pacing.

    Visually, the game looks wonderful, I'm not going to argue that. In fact, the game looks so well made, that I believe that a movie called Final Fantasy VII Reimagined would have been a more pleasant experience than this game. I will defend this by also pointing out that every meaningful fight and experience is pushed so hard to be a cinematic experience that they should have just crafted a cinematic experience.

    The sound is not my thing at all, but for the most part is well composed. I don't enjoy jazz or modern takes on old video game music. The music from the original was the first game that spoke to me that music in a video game could be a well made thing. But I get that everything must be made modern lest there be money left on the table. The new compositions by Uematsu are also some of his worst compositions to date, in my opinion, and don't add anything of substance to the game.

    The combat system. Oh boy, here we go. So, the combat system is SE once again trying to redefine a concept that doesn't need redefinition in Square's titles, but not taking the same missteps in formerly Enix made titles. For an example of this, look to every Final Fantasy title since 10, then compare that to every Dragon Quest title since....I suppose, 1. On one side, you have redefining every iteration, sometimes successfully, other times, less so. Then on the other side a series who knows what it is, stays true to that and continues to receive praise and enjoyment from it's fan base. So, true to form, SE decided once again to redefine combat for a Final Fantasy title. And...it works...except when it doesn't. This aspect is the one I had the most concern for up to release. I do not usually enjoy action rpg's so I went into FF7R expecting the story to carry me through a combat system I wasn't a fan of. The combat system is actually fun and enjoyable, but there are caveats. The first caveat is that a battle is either over in milliseconds or is a sweeping epic encounter to last the ages. There is no just middle difficulty battles. The easier battles only draw out the already padded sequences which halt the pacing and the harder battles end up serving as a signpost that there will be much less content of interest past that point.

    The story is where the game completely bottoms out its score for me. I wasn't looking for a 1:1 story of the original, but I didn't want something like this mess either. The original is still highly regarded to this day because it did so much right: character development, sound, gameplay, story-telling (which includes pacing), it even subverted expectations before that was the cool thing to do. So, what could be done with something so perfectly crafted? You can look at the result objectively, see the tiny cracks and flaws that time has shown, subtly repair those imperfections and improve the entire project through minor changes. Instead, we got Nomura. And Nomura does things the Nomura way. This means we get ridiculous over the top villains (but not really, cause friendship will save the day), we got convoluted plot lines designed to span over years and years of content with the pay-off usually amount to too little, too late, and we get his story that he wanted to make. What we got was NOT Final Fantasy 7 Remake, what we got was Final Fantasy 7 Reimagined. Nomura's direction allowed the fundamentals of the game to exist, but not when they would get in the way of the story he felt he needed to change the original in to.

    Final thoughts: Final Fantasy 7 Remake is an overproduced game that will appeal to fan boys in a similar vein that a jingling pair of keys will appeal to an infant. It's shiny and sparkly and new. It lacks any substance or reverence for the original story (not world, there's a difference). This game will sell very well and will pave the road for canon spin-offs spanning multiple consoles and hand-helds and maybe in 15 more years, the final part will come out where Sephiroth and Cloud join forces to prevent Aerith's death at the hands of the watchers because the black materia and the white materia can bring paradise to the planet if they're linked.    … Expand
  14. Elfyth
    Apr 14, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am very disappointed wtih Squer Enix. They took a diamond which was the FF7 and transformed to a charcoal. Apart that the whole scenario is for kids of 10 years old the biggest disappoint is that there is not an open world. FF7 without beeing an open world it is not FF7 not even a remake .… Expand
  15. cormacmcs
    Apr 14, 2020
    4
    An, at times decent and endearing, although unnecessarily padded, reimagining of a classic, marred by convoluted and ridiculous story changes, which are equal parts baffling and amateurish. The last section of the game takes what should of been an easy win for Square-Enix and drives it headfirst into a wall of disappoint, so foul, it almost strips away all positive feelings garnered by theAn, at times decent and endearing, although unnecessarily padded, reimagining of a classic, marred by convoluted and ridiculous story changes, which are equal parts baffling and amateurish. The last section of the game takes what should of been an easy win for Square-Enix and drives it headfirst into a wall of disappoint, so foul, it almost strips away all positive feelings garnered by the fluid combat and enjoyable character interactions.… Expand
  16. Laschoni
    Apr 15, 2020
    4
    I didn't wait all of this time for a sequel. I have to say it was a masterful troll job to bait me with a remake - I honestly can't believe the ending. Nomura shows no restraint, makes Star Wars sequels look well written.
  17. r3zuri
    Apr 15, 2020
    4
    I feel like I was bait-and-switched. Aside from the ridiculous ending and the last few chapters, this seemed like it was a faithful retelling of the game I loved. The characters and dialogue and set design was so, so great. And then they threw it all away with an absolute mess of an ending. I feel so sad.
  18. Hemcsi
    Apr 16, 2020
    4
    Once the fantastic visual department is removed, the game proves unable to aspire even to mediocrity. a system of mutilated and simplified materials to meet the children, the summons were better not even put them since it is the game that decides when they can be used, the growth of the pg seems the simplified and badly made version of ff10. Leaving aside the fact that the whole game isOnce the fantastic visual department is removed, the game proves unable to aspire even to mediocrity. a system of mutilated and simplified materials to meet the children, the summons were better not even put them since it is the game that decides when they can be used, the growth of the pg seems the simplified and badly made version of ff10. Leaving aside the fact that the whole game is the fair of the script, and the recycling of models is extremely ridiculous (someone even advanced by Kingdom Hearts), just to water and lengthen the number of hours ... Who would you like to address this game to? those who have not played the original FF7 do not understand more than half of the events, with players who hate Sephiroth without reason since they don't even know it ... And those who have played the original finished the powerful nostalgia effect of finding those characters so beautiful, there was once again a growing hatred for this which is clearly a work of total cancellation of the original plot. With the grip for the final pads "Thanks for financing the cancellation of the memory of FF7"… Expand
  19. OGFF7FORME
    Apr 16, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is not a remake. It is a re-imagining/sequel to the original ff7. It is not meant to be played instead of the original JRPG. The audience is expected to have a familiarity with at least the original game and Crisis Core. The "remake" follows the original game somewhat, often stretching out plot points as much as possible to make the game seem longer. Tasks that took 10-20 minutes in the original game now take over an hour, because Cloud needs to walk as slowly as possible down narrow hallways and play cutie pie waifu simulator at regular intervals.

    Cloud also spends a lot of time doing thrilling side quests such as finding cats and killing rats in a junkyard.

    Additionally, there are new and exciting fanfiction characters who add nothing to the plot except filler. That is what this game basically is: a double decker filler sandwich with a little bit of plot holding it together.

    Why did I rate it a 4, you may ask? The combat is pretty fun. The graphics and music are good. And sometimes the game surprised me by being faithful enough to the source material that I felt like I was actually just playing the original with upgraded graphics. Then, the spooky time ghosts would show up, and I would realize that nope, I was still playing an expensive Kingdom Hearts fanfiction.

    You know how a lot of people play the original game every few years? They're going to keep doing that. You know what they're going to do with the remake once the initial hype of seeing their favorite characters in HD wears off? Toss the game in the back of the closet until they are looking for stuff to throw in the Goodwill donation box.    … Expand
  20. DevAtStation
    Apr 16, 2020
    4
    The parts of the game that were taken from the original most of them remain good. ALL THE NEW PARTS, specially the dementors from Harry Potter, ruin this game.
  21. rpgconsumer
    Apr 17, 2020
    4
    It's not a remake as they promised us but a reinvention of the title, only for that reason the game has a negative aspect of great importance. After years, waiting for it after the promise of the remake, we find ... this. Playable and graphically it's outstanding (except for the popping in some textures and the camera during fighting in small spaces). But what gives the suspense without aIt's not a remake as they promised us but a reinvention of the title, only for that reason the game has a negative aspect of great importance. After years, waiting for it after the promise of the remake, we find ... this. Playable and graphically it's outstanding (except for the popping in some textures and the camera during fighting in small spaces). But what gives the suspense without a doubt are the plot changes that not only influence this chapter that concerns us but will also affect the following chapters. We all like the story of the original game and absolutely nobody has asked for events to change, I do not consider myself a purist and I would have tolerated certain changes, but this is too much, in an RPG the story is a fundamental pillar and add time travel , premonitions and resurrections makes it a cheap story worthy of a B-movie, in short, the game is overflowing with fanservice from all sides in an uncontrolled way. They had it very easy, they just had to repeat what they did 23 years ago with current technology, that was the only thing we asked for and we found a first part that is only faithful to the original during the first hours of the game and that is going crazy for as the story progresses with an ending taken from the top hat that leaves a very bitter taste and completely eliminates the desire to acquire the next episode of the title. Conclusion: this is not Final Fantasy VII.

    No se trata de un remake como nos prometieron si no de una reinvención del título, solo por eso el juego tiene un aspecto negativo de gran importancia. Después de años esperándolo con ilusión tras la promesa del remake nos encontramos con... esto. Jugable y gráficamente es sobresaliente (salvo el popping en algunas texturas y la cámara durante los combates en espacios estrechos). Pero lo que le otorga el suspenso sin duda son los cambios argumentales que no solo influyen en este capitulo que nos atañe sino que también afectarán a los siguientes capítulos. A todos nos gusta la historia del juego original y absolutamente nadie ha pedido que cambien los acontecimientos, no me considero un purista y abría tolerado ciertos cambios, pero esto es demasiado, en un rpg la historia es un pilar fundamental y añadirle viajes en el tiempo, premoniciones y resurrecciones la convierte en una historia barata digna de una película de serie B, en pocas palabras, el juego rebosa fanservice por todos lados de manera descontrolada con todo lo que ello implica. Lo tenían muy fácil, solo tenían que repetir lo que hicieron hace 23 años con tecnología actual, eso era lo único que pedíamos y nos encontramos con una primera parte que solo es fiel al original durante las primeras horas de juego y que se va desmadrando a medida que se avanza en la historia con un final sacado de la chistera que deja un sabor muy amargo y elimina por completo las ganas de adquirir el siguiente episodio del título. Conclusión: esto no es Final Fantasy VII.    … Expand
  22. Kitika
    Apr 17, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First of all, I've finished the game, so I'm going to talk about the entire content and not just the demo. (No spoilers though).
    Indeed, the demo was really in the spirit of the original is this and that explains most of the sales. But how many people actually played the game with it?
    Indeed the game is quite beautiful, even very beautiful at times. However, there is a huge problem with the physics of the engine. A lot of objects on the ground are moved when you crash into them. I can understand this when you crash into a small plastic stud, but a 200 kg steel beam? this is quite ridiculous. Then, the majority of dialogue scenes in the form of cinematic are plan-plane, no real gestures, in short, this is the level of animation of the years 2010... in the end, it hasn't evolved since FFX. Most of the dialogues are very badly written, unlikely. Since The last of Us I haven't seen another game being able to tell me "it's credible!", the only interaction I found credible was Cloud and Jessie, the rest was forced, badly played or pure filling. A lot of filling for not much in this remake. Moreover the game is enormously sanitized, never the slightest drop of blood or evidence of physical violence makes the whole thing very unbelievable...
    As for the main story of the FF7 Midgar game, it's basically correct but nothing more (the ending is just absolutely rubbish). For the rest, I'll go to the Spoiler zone.
    Otherwise, the music is either nice (well, only in the playable part of the demo, which takes the theme of the game) and then, in everything else, or it's massacres of the original themes (the TURKs theme for example, what a horror). Either from the insipid nightclub sound... but hey, since de Nobuo Uematsu doesn't deal with FF musics anymore, they are only interchangeable background musics and not musics designed to express an emotion or an atmosphere.
    Then, the fighting system... I didn't know that the future of jrpg was dark drunk and even slower and more boring... it goes at the beginning, but becomes very quickly heavy, repetitive and slow. Maybe the solution found to increase the playing time .
    Anyway, my ideas are in a mess, but clearly, this game doesn't deserve the notes (probably made only on the demo) of the game. It's a game that relies only on nostalgia to ensure its sales, but taken as a standalone on a new license would have been an average PS4 game and not a "best-seller".

    POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT

    But for me this game is to FF7 what Star Wars 7 and Star Wars 4 are to FF7, that is to say an identical narrative, but without impact because it's very badly brought. For example, Sephiroth is shown as the big bad guy at the end in a completely stupid fight just to make fan service advent children. There is absolutely nothing that says Sephiroth is the bad guy before the last 10 minutes. Moreover, the previous comparison remains valid, I felt like I was playing a design game by Disney. No one dies, no more stakes, everyone comes back to life.
    And as for the ghosts, which is a deus ex machina bad, but so bad... Those ghosts are only there for people who finished the game in 1997 saying, well, you wanted the game from then? well, we don't want to do it again. I see the ghosts as being the players wanting to force the story to be the same as it was back then, and the developers saying to force fate and tell people who want to play a remake **** you, we're changing the story". In that case, don't do a remake, release FF16... But hey, considering the quality of 15 and 13-213-213-3, Square clearly has no more aura. This is the last Final Fantasy I buy. In my mind the license is definitely dead.    … Expand
  23. Zyvera
    Apr 18, 2020
    4
    So! 33 year old boomer here. Like many here I first played the original FF7 when I was around age 12, leaving a significant mark on my childhood. In the 21 years that have passed I've finished the original at least 50 times, done a few runs of Crisis Core, and watched Advent children.

    Positive; - Graphics - Music - Battle system Even though textures are surprisingly bad in some    So! 33 year old boomer here. Like many here I first played the original FF7 when I was around age 12, leaving a significant mark on my childhood. In the 21 years that have passed I've finished the original at least 50 times, done a few runs of Crisis Core, and watched Advent children.

    Positive;
    - Graphics
    - Music
    - Battle system

    Even though textures are surprisingly bad in some maps I'm generally positive about the graphics. Especially the main characters are exceptionally well done, and the majority is pure eye-candy.
    Some tracks are a bit 'overdone' or lower quality than Uematsu's classic tracks but I still loved most of it. It was beautiful hearing the classic themes I remember in a new coating.
    I've seen many criticising the battle system, but I believe with it being a hybrid this is as good as it gets. The battles are fast paced, interactive, and even though the AI seems lacking at times, with some fast swaps and command inputs with L2 and R2 this is no deal-breaker.

    Mixed;
    - Voice acting
    - Pacing

    Though some are especially well done (mainly Barret), I have mixed feelings. Some voices don't seem to 'match' and miss the emotional depth I expect them to have in certain scenarios and contexts.
    When it comes to movement the game tends to feel very 'sluggish' at times. Narrow alleyways, frustratingly slow movements in some spaces, and the inability to simply walk/run faster in specific places seem just there to extend the game.
    Further the game is loaded with needless 'boring' detours (every path is always blocked, and bridges always break) that increase the gap between main events to the extent it completely takes away their value and meaning. Endless corridors, ladders, switches and enemies for pretty much every dungeon does not equal good content for me.

    Negative things;
    - Lineair/Railroading
    - Sidequests/Padding
    - Story..

    Now one of my main issues - especially compared to the original game - you have next to no freedom. It is literally spelled out for you through the entire game where you absolutely must move. In case you want to look around a bit you get told off, followed by a slow turn around. It feels like you're constantly in a narrow box without freedom of movement to forcefully follow the script.

    The padding and sidequests are nothing short of obnoxious. The sidequests would've been fine would they have any relevance to the story line (think about Fort Condor in FF7 for example, optional bosses like weapons etc.), however, the sidequests feel like they've been taken straight from a random generic MMORPG, with zero relevance. They are but simple fetch quests, kill x enemy quests for random characters that nobody really cares about. Had this been in the original game it would've felt equally out of place, as it would demean the story.

    Last, the story. I expected some adaptations, perhaps in the sense of fleshing out characters, and going more in depth on all the facts around the events. However, the story as presented in the remake for me was the difference between an 8 and a 4. Now I think we can safely assume that the audience the remake was intended for are people that have played at least the original game, and preferably crisis core. I find it hard to believe people that have no affinity whatsoever with the original game would understand what is going on. Think about flashbacks, the identity and relevance of some characters, and the significance of the final ending sequence - because let's face it, you don't get a lot of background information at all.

    So if the audience was intended to be mainly oldschool FF7 players, why change the story so drastically towards the ending? I understand very well where they were going with the ending, and in what perspective it has to be seen. To go against fate, and against the 'known facts'. But this is at least not what I wanted for this game.

    The game severely lacks the original slow-burn feel of impending doom and build up towards significant events that take place. Instead we get an installment with a lot of sensory-overload and zero build-up to actually make certain events seem relevant. Different timelines, alternate realities, and the ending in general does not add anything to a story that was already great, and - from my perspective - they feel absolutely nonsensical. After I finished the game I couldn't help but feel a pretty big 'what the actual ****' boiling up.

    With this said, this game - even if awesome in many aspects - does not feel like a REMAKE, but more like a modernised spin-off that seems to miss the point in regards to what actually made this game great in the first place. The freedom, the mystery, and the story. I honestly feel like SE missed an opportunity here to make something great by choosing this route, and I really hope they manage to surprise me in some unforeseen way in the upcoming releases. It's painful for me to give this game a negative rating. It just could've been so much more.    … Expand
  24. RamManRamsay
    Apr 18, 2020
    4
    So let's get this out straight away.....its not a remake of FF7, its game where about 20% of it is based on about 10% of FF7. So let's break that down.

    Everyone knows that its only the midgaurd section that is included, and the actions that do follow the path of the original, I.e. the opening and main plot to destroy the reactors, is an amazing nostalgia trip of the original, and a visual    So let's get this out straight away.....its not a remake of FF7, its game where about 20% of it is based on about 10% of FF7. So let's break that down.

    Everyone knows that its only the midgaurd section that is included, and the actions that do follow the path of the original, I.e. the opening and main plot to destroy the reactors, is an amazing nostalgia trip of the original, and a visual treat, save for some of the most noticable texture streaming pop up in recent times. However it's what happens between these sections that let's the game down so badly.

    Once you're given the freedom to run around midguard, the problems become evident quickly: busy work. There are lots of side missions, but they all involve the same basic mechanics and reuse the same locations over and over. These locations, thought often stunning, suffer from poor texture optimisation and steaming outdoors, and long empty corridor sections inside to hide each hub area loading in the background.

    The new story additions too are very our of place, and in particular the motorcycle sections and boss there seems very at odds with the rest of the grotty setting, complete with controls so bad that it leaves the impression that your playing a 90's arcade game. The graphics too outside of the main story, especially these sections, are often poor - one mission to a residential area has you walking around a completely pristine neighbourhood that would look more at home in the sims than FF, and it utterly spoils the deep of the game. Its painfully evident where the new story elements are being written.

    For die hard fans of the mechanics of the original, classic mode is offered but it's really nothing more than an AI controlled version of action mode, which in itself is too often hidden behind a screen so busy you just mash buttons randomly and hope for the best.

    Summoning is also hugely disappointing, with the ability to do it control to only boss level battles where the game decides you should be able to do it, and choosing which character to use - if you pre-ordered prepare to see the Chocobo Chick, the least useful of all, on a VERY regular basis. In fact at one point the game let me summon Ifrit and I had genuinely forgotten I even had him.

    The realtime combat also means that confrontations are less frequent than before, and normally feature only one or two creature types per large area, pressumably due to memory limitations.

    The games transition to 3D also lends to some amazingly glaring "linear path" moments....one early in during a factory missions sees you running down a path with wooden fences on each side and coming to a section which has fallen over, but which your character refuses to cross because.....reasons.

    The game does look amazing, and the main FF7 story is as compelling as ever, and I challenge any fan of the original not to get chills during the opening section, but the forced realtime combat, frequent confusing and bland level design, numbingly boring side quests and unskippable dialogue, and poor summoning mechanics take so much away that I didnt enjoy the experience nearly as mich as the demo. In fact, after the first 4 hours, I'd day it's not even worth playing.

    And that's before we even discuss the guiding "ghosts" which serve as nothing more than a mechanic to allow them to dispense with the open map sections in the next installment, and diverge away completely from the story we all love.

    What should have been amazing is in reality a run of the mill action slasher riding the coat tails of legend.    … Expand
  25. CidVicious87
    Apr 19, 2020
    4
    ###SPOILERS###

    Anybody who gave this game a good score, hasn't finished the game or is so worn down by square enix that they just don't care. While the first 2/3rds of the game made me feel like the good times, before the empire, the last third of the game is a blatant slap in the face to fans of the classic game. I understand it's a remake, and that you need to make it fresh, but to    ###SPOILERS###

    Anybody who gave this game a good score, hasn't finished the game or is so worn down by square enix that they just don't care. While the first 2/3rds of the game made me feel like the good times, before the empire, the last third of the game is a blatant slap in the face to fans of the classic game. I understand it's a remake, and that you need to make it fresh, but to change critical story points and add a half baked notion of fate/destiny to a world where that never existed is disgusting and disrespectful to the classic. This game takes away from the agency of the characters, their trials their sacrifice in order to make something more Nomura like, i.e. bringing Kairi back to life in KH3. Barrett is basically Kairi in this game, he gets stabbed in the chest by Sephiroth, then the fate ghosts bring him back to life, yes their are actual FATE ghosts in the game. Not to mention that the fate ghosts look like giant mummified phallus. I'm sorry if you have to suffer through this game, because if someone with half a brain had kept Nomura from writing this ending then it could have been a classic.

    Also the combat is amazing, till you realized it doesn't evolve at all. Enemies use too much interrupting abilities to actually play the game without hitting r2 to pause. Also they turned it into an mmo where you have to manage aggro, because guess what, your allies' atb bar doesn't fill up on its own. So you will be spending most of combat slamming square to build it up. It's needlessly micro-managey. I hoped they would implement mechanics so that your teammates didn't stand around doing jack while you build your atb, but nope. Basically they took a less refined version of ff12's combat and made it even more useless. Add all up this isn't even a complete game and they have the nerve to charge a full price is the end. The good will earned by 14 and 12 is done. I will not buy a single square enix game again, even the western ips. Thanks guys for being arrogant and disrespectful.    … Expand
  26. Thesgnuk
    Apr 20, 2020
    4
    Oooh, Square enix...
    You just had to do the nomura magic trick and change the story uh?
    I Mean, we alll wanted a remake, we shouted that for years, and the community wanted a remake that doesn't go off the rails Was that too much to ask? You had to go crazy interdimensional space stuff timeline vortex in the last hour? Dunno about the rest of you guys but i felt the last part was    Oooh, Square enix...
    You just had to do the nomura magic trick and change the story uh?

    I Mean, we alll wanted a remake, we shouted that for years, and the community wanted a remake that doesn't go off the rails
    Was that too much to ask?
    You had to go crazy interdimensional space stuff timeline vortex in the last hour?
    Dunno about the rest of you guys but i felt the last part was weak and uninspired, and i ENJOYED every moment until then. What a shame, but at least i know that to expect from the project
    And seeing the recent SE works (FFXV, KH3).. well you get the idea of what to expect    … Expand
  27. Vincent_graymor
    Aug 25, 2020
    4
    EDIT: I really did not want to lower my score but so many reviewbump this that I feel that I have to.

    This game is a great game. There is no going around that but giving it 10 out of 10 should not be what either old or new fans do because it is not perfect as a remake nor stand-alone game, yet the ones giving 10s are complaining about review bombing while they do the reverse. People are    EDIT: I really did not want to lower my score but so many reviewbump this that I feel that I have to.

    This game is a great game. There is no going around that but giving it 10 out of 10 should not be what either old or new fans do because it is not perfect as a remake nor stand-alone game, yet the ones giving 10s are complaining about review bombing while they do the reverse. People are being hyperbolic on both sides and the claim of "a true fan" is given far to much attention as it is never about being "true fan" so I will give my fair assessment. Throwing Purist or newbie around is not creative but I understand the need to vent emotion.

    What I am seeing here is a very passionate fanbase because the game does a lot of things right. This game means a lot to a lot of people and almost always because of either selective nostalgia (both sides suffer from this whether it is seeing old characters again or not staying true to combat mechanics or something else) or the simple fact that this is a Square (Enix) title. Those that praise it too much should realize this because blaming bad reviews on nostalgia is just as bad as praising because of wanting more content regardless of form. It is also unfair to blame the marketing because many people from both sides avoided trailers and discussion to try and not spoil their experience. Hopes were shattered for some (as is always the case) and people that want to drown out critical voices, hostile or not, need to check their own level of investment and reactions. I will keep this spoiler-free but there will be mentions in a non-specific way.

    Great things:
    ++ Main character realization is amazing, banter is mostly good, the dialogue feels like real characters, so much more body language, great use of small scenes being longer
    + Characters looking very much alive, even if some mouth movement was very strange
    + Expanded maps and areas, feels like a real place most of the time, it has nice views but sometimes horrible textures but these are seldom a problem
    + New combat that feels fluid and works great, it is a pleasure working with the combat even though it has many flaws.

    Moderate
    * The music is good but not so special people think. Personally I find gripes with the music being too bombastic and orchestral at times and adding new weird music seems unnecessary (hip the Chocobo, no more needed to be said). It is wrong to expect the music to be in tune with the old game but that game had simple gentle music and such exists in this game but blends out because sometimes it feels like I am sitting in a theater. It fitted Advent Children better because that was a movie. The music also reminds me of FF XIII sometimes.
    * The padding is sometimes just a get through. Many mention certain areas and it is easy to understand why they do

    Bad
    - Camera, the camera was very annoying at times and while it never destroyed the game it was frustrating how it worked when it seems it should be something simple. A simple "restore" button would be nice.
    --- The new story elements that are tied to specific spoilers. Now before a tantrum is cast this is actually something that even those that give 10 or nines actually states in their reviews so don't freak out at this mention. There is also no truth in that selective parts of media can't be judged on their own or give an impact on the review score. Many praise the game for being something new but this is like Terminator dark fate all over again with the difference that this calls itself a remake while Terminator dark fate was Terminator dark fate. There is much to be said and it cannot be explained away by positive reviews as "it is a remake so expect X" nor discarded as "didn't like it" by negative ones. People are entitled to their opinions but people are too eager to engage and thus we have another media war (like with so many titles these days). The truth is that this is not faithful to the originals story and will not be in future titles, regardless of how much people praise it or try to twist the obvious lore breaking stuff. This does not mean it is bad but from a story perspective, it is baffling. It would be the equivalent of rewriting the new testament so that Jesus survives. This both as the lore alteration and that there is a cult following. It is a remake alright but people should understand what this means for different people and respect each other.

    People of all ages and old or new fans can and many will like this game a great deal but this game seems to have started a fan war where people just blame each other rather than thinking. The game is very similar to Kingdom hearts on many levels and that is off-putting for many people because FF VII never had that kind of stuff in it regardless of what people want. It also feels as even the game knows when they deviate with voice acting shifting in tone and characters themselves being indifferent or overreacting.    … Expand
  28. Nimler
    Apr 21, 2020
    4
    Honestly I think a lot of people rating this very high are blinded by the hype that this game has come with. The game has issues for me. The battle system been one. Not what I wanted to see in a ff7 game at all and yes I know it's 2020 but a good old-fashioned system would now be refreshing again amid all the action titles that are out on the market today.the game has some very bad textureHonestly I think a lot of people rating this very high are blinded by the hype that this game has come with. The game has issues for me. The battle system been one. Not what I wanted to see in a ff7 game at all and yes I know it's 2020 but a good old-fashioned system would now be refreshing again amid all the action titles that are out on the market today.the game has some very bad texture issues if you look at it and has a lot of character clipping when running through areas to which Squares answer it to not run through the areas rather than to sort the issue. I know my opinion is in the minority but it's still a valid opinion and I didn't enjoy this game at all I'm very disappointed that Square didn't make a game for the fans that wanted it but for the masses who like to bash buttons.… Expand
  29. kenpy
    Apr 22, 2020
    4
    A massive dissapointment I have to say and sadly the main reason is just one. They decided to make this episodic. Really square enix? like really? The first time I played this game I was like omg this game is amazing.

    - Cool graphics - Amazing Story staying loyal to the classic while also surprising you with extra content and details - Amazing combat system - New sidequests - Great    A massive dissapointment I have to say and sadly the main reason is just one. They decided to make this episodic. Really square enix? like really? The first time I played this game I was like omg this game is amazing.

    - Cool graphics
    - Amazing Story staying loyal to the classic while also surprising you with extra content and details
    - Amazing combat system
    - New sidequests
    - Great Enviroment
    - Awesome music

    Everything was painted in pink until I found out that this amazing game only covers 25% of the game. I felt cheated. I felt like I bought a long demo. I was expecting to find characters like yuffie, vincent, cid, cat-seith and kick sephiroth's ass with a whole new amazing animation for the omnislash but all I got was a "stay put for the part 2" ****

    If they are going to make this episodic. I doubt they will be able to cover the whole thing in part 2, meaning that we are gonna have to wait for part 3 and maybe even 4.

    This makes me believe that they are just a bunch of greedy mofos and they wanna make more money by selling this game in parts. and Its gonna suck even more if they release future episodes for a different console. PS5 is coming soon. So this is gonna be a mess spreaded into multiple consoles and multiple episodes.

    Summary

    Everything is cool except for the fact that is episodic, and no, you won't get to see the whole content in this game    … Expand
  30. Climhazzard101
    Apr 26, 2020
    4
    Dont believe the critics, they are written by fanboys blinded by what hides under the surface.

    As someone who worshipped the original and wrote essays about it in high school, i looked forward to to FF7R for years. I thought, what could possibly go wrong? Considering the impeccable source material, crisp graphics and action packed battle system. It would turn out to be the greatest    Dont believe the critics, they are written by fanboys blinded by what hides under the surface.

    As someone who worshipped the original and wrote essays about it in high school, i looked forward to to FF7R for years. I thought, what could possibly go wrong? Considering the impeccable source material, crisp graphics and action packed battle system.

    It would turn out to be the greatest disappointment in video game history.

    FF7R is lazy game design at its finest. It may appear as grandeur and ambitious, but i assure you its not. Almost every map of the game is a thin corridor with only two directions: backward and forward. Actually, strike that. Most of the time you are not allowed to go back to visit previous areas in FF7R. Not that you wanted to anyways because all the environments are unappealing and there is little incentive to explore, unless you want to commit to stereotypical JRPG quests (rescue kittens, kill some rats yay!) but more on that later.

    You may think I'm nit picking, but really the core of an RPG is exploration and to be able to walk around freely. Unfortunately, FF7R holds your hand so tight its not much different than playing a FPS like say Modern Warfare. You may also say, "well the original game's Midgar section was fairly linear." Yes, but at least you could walk in more than 2 directions! Often times, the game forces you to walk in slow motion, or slowly crouch under an object or along a tight space, which is to mask the loading times. This completely ruins the games pace, something that Square Enix started doing since Tomb Raider 2012. Thus, traversing the corridors of ugly rubble is not only boring but extremely tedious.

    Keep in mind that FF7R is about 100gb, the same size as Red Dead Redemption 2. However, the latter is a sprawling open world with endless opportunities and freedom. My question is, where did all the FF7R data go?

    The best parts of the game, is when they stick to source material. The Sector 1 bombing mission, the church meeting with Aerith or the Sector 7 plate collapse are all well done pieces. As soon as the game deviates from the original's path it gets bad quickly. One of the worst sections is the chapter with Roche. He is a repulsive annoying prick that served no purpose. Classic ridiculously directed action from Nomura side. There is a lot of needless filler that was obviously put in to make the longer and less enjoyable, such as Hojo's lab or the Leslie mission. The NPCs are stereotypical, out of place and you can only overhear their conversations. Many times through the game, the party says "you wont be able to go back, are you sure you want to continue?" Seriously, when did this happen in the original? Why does the game decide what you can do and where you can go? Furthermore, the great majority of the sidequests are petty and outright stupid. It was fully possible for the developers to go further in the story than Midgar and have a more well balanced and focused experience. Regretfully, Nomura and his team chose to make this project a cash grab and have it in installments.

    The music and the battle system are the brightest part of the remake, but it can also be a hit and miss. Wall market replaced the funky tune of "The Oppressed" with some generic jazz music. Fighting is fun, but the environments were so dull that it took out all the enjoyment.

    The nail in the coffin was the ending. Just wow, talk about going off the rails. Without going into detail, I can just say that it was utterly abysmal and didnt feel like Final Fantasy, it felt more Kingdom Hearts-esque. I cringed through the whole part and lamented the fact that Square Enix had defiled one of the most beloved RPGs of all time. The implications of the ending quickly eradicated all the excitement about the potential of any sequels. Certainly, the argument could be made that a remake must be different, but this is out of proportion. A good remake (i.e RE2) sticks to the original and builds upon what made it so great. Playing FF7R is like watching a bad filler arc in an anime waiting for it to get back to the main storyline.

    This game could have been a masterpiece but in my opinion it was developed by a mediocre team marred by mediocre results (FF13 + spinoffs, FF15, KH3). The failure is a testament of the downward spiral of the company. There hasnt really been a good Final Fantasy since XII and I sadly dont see it getting any better. Playing FF7R felt like playing the second half of FF15 with FF7 characters. Critics are mesmerized by the surface without looking underneath and they are too obscured by the love of the original. Also, theres the fact for many that bad game design is not an issue as long as it is wrapped in a neat package with impressive graphics and a cinematic story, as we have seen with Uncharted and the Last of Us. But I decided to be honest and see it for what it is.

    The greatest disappointment in video game history.    … Expand
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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.
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  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.
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  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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