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. Shockscape
    Aug 17, 2023
    6
    Got this game, I think because it was free on PS plus at the time. I played it a fair bit and it’s OK. I couldn’t care less about the story because the cutscenes are incredibly boring, which is what drags this game down heavily for me. The same thing happened in FXVI for me, but the combat in that game was better. In this game combat is OK but gets repetitive and is pretty easy. I only gotGot this game, I think because it was free on PS plus at the time. I played it a fair bit and it’s OK. I couldn’t care less about the story because the cutscenes are incredibly boring, which is what drags this game down heavily for me. The same thing happened in FXVI for me, but the combat in that game was better. In this game combat is OK but gets repetitive and is pretty easy. I only got stuck on 2 bosses in the time I played. Overall it’s better if u skip the cutscenes but still not great.… Expand
  2. xsmittyxcorex
    Jul 12, 2023
    0
    Stop letting square get away with literally lying. It’s not a remake, it’s an unnecessary sequel with fan-fiction-tier writing. How on earth there isn’t unanimous laughter at the whispers in the same vein as Star Wars Prequel’s midichlorians is beyond me. One of the dumbest ideas to ever get greenlit for a big budget project.
  3. RenatoG
    Jul 24, 2023
    0
    O jogo do PS1 é 10 vezes melhor. Esse ramake só enfia cutcines a cada 20 segundos de gameplay, fora não ter um controle de inteligência artificial para os companheiros do grupo. 30h de jogo e 26h foi o próprio jogo mostrando cenas automáticas .
  4. TruthSeaker
    Aug 15, 2023
    2
    Extremely underwhelming.
    Small part of the full game that was bloated with worthless content and sold for 70$
  5. ignore78
    May 6, 2020
    9
    i have never played the original game. and at first, i thought this game was not so good. what i did not know at the begining was that the game has great story and great characters. after i finished the game. this game is one of the best jrpg i ever played. and after checking more info about the game. this remake has more deep twisted story than the original game. this game is NOT thei have never played the original game. and at first, i thought this game was not so good. what i did not know at the begining was that the game has great story and great characters. after i finished the game. this game is one of the best jrpg i ever played. and after checking more info about the game. this remake has more deep twisted story than the original game. this game is NOT the original game. its like the characters are going through the game again with alternative time traveling, changing how the game series are supposed to end. this game series can have multiple endings.… Expand
  6. Azgarod
    Apr 18, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I will have very mild spoiler type addendum statements at the end. They do not spoil story in any way, but I felt like this warning was warranted

    This is an amazing game, but it is not without it's flaws. It probably rates 5 stars but it should get a lower score based on some questionable design choices and development decisions.

    Pros: -stellar story. They have expanded on the main story and didnt ruin the heart of it with their additions. *

    -music is great. I didnt like all of the remixes, but overall, the music and sound was fantastic.

    -artwork was beautifully done. This game is stunning visually.

    -the list of pros is short because the game is great. It's far easier to nitpick at its minor flaws than to espouse everything it did so right. Do not take my longer con list as a bad thing.

    Cons:
    -corridore style. The original game was linear and corridory but we're in the future, it could have been a little more open than it was.

    -block mechanic. If you're going to have a block mechanic AND make enemies bullet sponges, block needs to animation cancel. It's already nearly impossible to see enemy attacks coming in the chaos, allow us to block without forgoing doing all damage to wait for the attacks. I blocked only 4 or 5 attacks in the whole game because block was just entirely unneccessary and cumbersome.

    -canceled abilities due to attacks/enemies getting too far away after attack initiated. This more of a personal annoyance but limits especially should not suffer from enemy uses a dash during charge up so you miss entirely.

    -episodic nature. I was on board with the episodic nature until I heard square said each titles development would take as long as the first, around 5 years. 5 years between titles is a very long time. A lack of info on how the episodes work is annoying as well. *

    -have to start every battle as cloud. Several aspects of the game only allow you action when if full control of a character. If you have a character switch function and you can play other characters in the world map, there is no reason to not allow you to use another character as the combat starter.

    -squeeze through/slow walking. Look I understand the reason for these, they are the new load screens, but theres so many of them and they feel arbitrary.

    This ends the review. The next bit has the spoilery addendums. They arent major, but they are what I'd consider spoilers.



    *the whispers was a bad choice of an addition. They serve, what appears to be, a macguffin designed to force the story to be like the original instead of simply making the story like the original. Also they are annoying at times.
    The you cant go here right now, turn around mechanic is annoying instead of adding blocks to prevent you. It's also buggy, I got locked into turn around moments 3 times in the game the longest being a 2 minute wait for the game to get me unstuck from moving forward into a you cant go here right now.

    *with lvl 50 being the cap, there can be no real way to allow us to keep our gear/lvls/materia between games. A power reset is ridiculous and immersion breaking. There is only one way to fix one of these problems. An equal power but lvl reduction in episode 2, basically your lvl 50 is episode 2's lvl 20. It still wont work though and it shows bad forethought.

    ***if on the unbelievably likelyhood that someone with any real decision making power at square reads this. The deluxe edition of the game was near perfect in its execution. For a game going after nostalgia expanded, the disk box should have had a user manual. Something that goes in the tabs on the box the disk comes in. It was the only part of the box I recieved I was mildly bummed about.***    … Expand
  7. Metalgatedragon
    Apr 18, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game gave me feels. As an player in 1997 of the original title on PS1, this game was an amazing recreation of the PS1 as well as adding a lot of material to lesser characters like Jessie, Wedge and Biggs. First of all let's start by talking about the graphics. They're absolutely beautiful. The models are beautiful and close-ups to characters faces are very detailed. The models don't look plasticky or one tone color skin. The backgrounds and colors are beautiful. Look, for example, at Aerith's house. It's amazing to see.
    The music.
    If you played the original, you'll love the fact almost all the music is here rearranged. You would think that would be a bad thing, but the music just plays amazingly and beautifully. Gameplay.
    The gameplay is not turn based. Sorta. It has a mix of the active time battle system and the battle system of Crisis Core FFVII for the PSP. The difficulty selected during gameplay will determine how the battle scenes will play out. Replayability.
    If you are a trophy hunter, you will need to play this game multiple times to unlock the Platinum Trophy. To obtain all the dresses you will play this game more than one time and there is also a trophy to beat the game on hard difficulty, which unlocks after beating the game once. Veredict.
    This game is nostalgia for anyone who played the original and Crisis Core before it. My only complaint is that the game only covers the Midgar portion of the story, but the amount of extra content placed in the story makes up for it. The game is around 35 hours of length for the first playthrough.    … Expand
  8. h0mez
    Apr 20, 2020
    9
    Find it funny how all these purist are trying to low vote this game, the ending is amazing. they can go in any directing with this, ( they still staying true to the original FF7 ) for me a perfect 9, the only thing that was a bit disturbing were the textures. but not enough to lower my vote. lol
    to all the purist out there, Suck it. just go back to fortnite.
  9. neilmagic
    Apr 18, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pros:
    Graphics - beautifully designed, models all highly nostalgic

    Characters - nice designs as with graphics, visually this game is a masterpiece

    Music - again a great job here and lots of nostalgic renditions of original pieces

    Cons:
    Gameplay - the battle system is a huge downgrade from the original, if I wanted a hack and slash or press X as fast as you can many options such as devil may cry or kingdom hearts are available.

    Story - every new introduction and change from the original is a bad idea, they all have a sense of "why the hell is this happening" and / or "who the hell is this??". This feel massively padded out at times and also it's rather linear, you could argue it is just midgar which in the original also is, but the argument that this was a "full game" cannot also take the cake and eat it. The whole time / dimension thing is a load of crap to try to appeal to all basis to give a sense that anything can happen - I don't like this at all and it's a real sellout. The biggest sellout of all though is the Sephiroth appearances, this shows zero build up to the character, he should not be seen at all throughout the entire midgar section, this along with the time displacement crap has ruined the story for me. I give it a 3/10 for the reasons above, a lot of effort and love went into this, but it was led astray from the very start and it's one of gaming's biggest disappointments for me ever,the original game is a solid 9.5/10 just for some context and I would argue if you're new to the game and characters, play the original and forget this mistake of a game.    … Expand
  10. lastofreviews
    Nov 22, 2020
    10
    One of the best games i have played in 2020! Every studio should look at this or RE2 remake for examples how to remake a game!
  11. awokengenius
    Apr 22, 2020
    9
    *never played the original* the game was great the whole way through up until the last half of the final chapter. Then I was confused af. Though after playing through the entire game again on hard mode I began to appreciate the story more. The game is mostly carried by the combat and the great characters, story isn't bad but I don't think they did enough to explain some things to new*never played the original* the game was great the whole way through up until the last half of the final chapter. Then I was confused af. Though after playing through the entire game again on hard mode I began to appreciate the story more. The game is mostly carried by the combat and the great characters, story isn't bad but I don't think they did enough to explain some things to new players before the end. But! The final half of the last chapter still felt really epic and if that was what they were going for, then they nailed that. So despite me being confused it was fun and I was kinda blown away.

    My other complaint is that there is nothing to do now, I've got the plat and every item etc. An extra dungeon or an endless wave challenge might have kept me busy for awhile. If anything the game told me to play the OG and I'm definitely here for the next installment, once again the characters are soo good I love them. The boss fights were top notch, music is a 10/10.    … Expand
  12. Davak
    Apr 17, 2020
    9
    Juegazo que recrea el mítico jrpg del 97. Destila la esencia del FF VII por todos lados. Una jugabilidad espectacular connun sistema de combate innovador y sólido que creará precedente en los jrpg. Es linial como el juego del 97, y si bien en los capítulos que siguen la historia esto es correcto, en otras zonas esa linialidad le sienta mal.
    Un diseño artístico delicioso, buena iluminación    Juegazo que recrea el mítico jrpg del 97. Destila la esencia del FF VII por todos lados. Una jugabilidad espectacular connun sistema de combate innovador y sólido que creará precedente en los jrpg. Es linial como el juego del 97, y si bien en los capítulos que siguen la historia esto es correcto, en otras zonas esa linialidad le sienta mal.
    Un diseño artístico delicioso, buena iluminación y modelado de personajes que transmite magia pura. Sin embargo tiene fallos de texturas y npcs genericos sin buen diseño.
    Sobre la narrativa es una marabilla. Como han sabido recrear el original, planteando mil y un detalles. Hay cosas que cambian y amplian y en su mayor parte es interesante. El desarrollo de personajes y sus diálogos es perfecto. Consiguen profundizar en ellos y dotarlos de personalidad y carisma huyendo de los clichés del original.
    En definitiva, sin ser perfecto, SE ha conseguido un remake a la altura. Una experiencia que se tiene que jugar si o si.    … Expand
  13. Vigilem
    Apr 18, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Spoilers ahead

    The game is one of the most iconic, brilliant and unique games you will ever play - even if you played the original - but there are quite a long list of things that it has got very wrong that stops it being at the same level as the original.

    1. Some things it should have done differently - it failed at, like being less linear but instead the 'free roam' segments just send you back down the same linear paths you already travelled for very generic filler sidequests that serve little to no purpose. The linearity wouldn't be bad if not for the very poor attempt at simply extending the available play time, but its fine where there's actual quality to be had which is true for 90% of the story segments. The cutscenes are fantastic fantasy/action goodness that you'll love if you're familiar with FF/JRPG cutscenes. The Honeybee Inn was just perfection.

    2. The story isn't faithful to the original. This will be a dealbreaker for many. Unfortunately, Tetsuya Nomura seems to have turned this much loved story, at least for the ending of part 1, into a pretentious extridemensional time-travelling 'struggle against fate'. I hope, damn near PRAY, that the word 'fate' is never used in the sequels' stories. Just before the ending credits roll, you're given the text "The unknown journey will continue", making it clear that from now everything will likely be different from the original. A real shame, but there is potential in the FF7 world to create an amazing alternate tale IF they stay away from the 'fate and timeline' nonsense that has no place here.
    There's Shinra deepground, the Tsviets, the Turks, Genesis, Wutai, the Weapons -- so much great content if they just keep it grounded but I have my doubts with the people in charge.

    3. There's such incredible variation in quality. Some moments you have the absolutely stunning main character models that I never tire looking at (Tifa's grey dress comes to mind), and then you have a PS2-era texture thrown at you. I'm genuinely not exaggerating. The door to Cloud's room early in the game is a blurred brownish-grey slab. I thought there was a problem with the game/my PS4 Pro with loading textures, it was that bad. Bad textures are glaringly obvious and hard to miss that really makes you wonder what kind of budget/effort went into it.

    4. The combat is probably the best in an FF game since FF10. The ATB system adds a turn-based feel to otherwise realtime action. Though sometimes it suffers from feeling too 'in-the-moment' and not strategic enough for hardcore JRPG fans. Hard mode should have been available from the beginning, not locked behind New Game Plus.

    5. Most of the characters have been brought to life perfectly. Barret, Cloud, Tifa and Aerith have perfect voice actors and they have so much personality and chemistry that gives me faith that, no matter what story Nomura and co produce, the characters will be the saving grace. Meanwhile, Sephiroth was disappointing. His voice lacked that evilness to it and in terms of his character it was all over the place. Why can he timetravel? Why could he create a 'singularity' and take Cloud to the edge of creation? This isn't our Sephiroth. He isn't even scary powerful and we shouldn't have been able to fight him in part 1 at all.

    The game is a real mixed bag if you're a fan of the original.    … Expand
  14. Plavix
    May 6, 2020
    10
    Love it. While I do understand from where the critics are coming, you need to consider the deity aura the OG is envolved with. The authors had to test the waters, seeing how everything would fall with the dans and new players. If this would have been a flop, they could easily stop here, without compromising the playability of the game as a solo shot.Since this was an excelente game, allLove it. While I do understand from where the critics are coming, you need to consider the deity aura the OG is envolved with. The authors had to test the waters, seeing how everything would fall with the dans and new players. If this would have been a flop, they could easily stop here, without compromising the playability of the game as a solo shot.Since this was an excelente game, all this safeguard made by the director is considered as cringe meta crítics. Stop it and enjoy the game Boy what it os, not what you would like to to BE, on tour head.… Expand
  15. FoldupJosh
    Mar 17, 2021
    0
    An insult to the original.
    If you love mindless boring hallway running then this game is for you!
    Sound engineers need sacking, terrible balance to the point you need subtitles on. Lip sync is the worst ive seen in a long time. Distant graphics and character graphice are great but the immediate area you run around in is rushed. Soooo much padding its beyond a joke! They just had to remake    An insult to the original.
    If you love mindless boring hallway running then this game is for you!
    Sound engineers need sacking, terrible balance to the point you need subtitles on.
    Lip sync is the worst ive seen in a long time. Distant graphics and character graphice are great but the immediate area you run around in is rushed.
    Soooo much padding its beyond a joke!
    They just had to remake the best game ever made but instead decided they were gonna milk as much from fans as they could and split the story over three. Large game developers should just be abandoned. Its nothing but money money money for them.
    People should take a good look at indie devs and support good gameplay and new ideas not this repetitive reskinning pumped dlc crap the major studios have all latched onto. Such a shame to mess up one of the best games to have existed    … Expand
  16. Zakis1991
    Mar 12, 2021
    0
    Спасибо за отсутствие русского текста. Может игра и хорошая, но когда не знаешь языка, сложно играть
  17. Deathsubtractor
    Jun 24, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I loved the original final fantasy VII. I was under the impression this was gonna be a remake not a reboot… Expand
  18. peanut_1223
    Apr 11, 2021
    6
    (+)Satisfying combat

    (+)Good graphics

    (+)Good music

    (-)Slow pacing

    (-)Boring puzzles

    (-)Awkward dialog
  19. rdx73
    Mar 14, 2021
    2
    What the hell? My first Final Fantasy game, and TBH I have no idea why people obsess over them. This has some serious flaws which are effectively blocking me from continuing. Core is that it doesn't explain some things. Like why, in combat, can I sometimes take a potion and at other times I can't? How do MP regenerate? Can I regenerate them in combat? This all becomes critical when theWhat the hell? My first Final Fantasy game, and TBH I have no idea why people obsess over them. This has some serious flaws which are effectively blocking me from continuing. Core is that it doesn't explain some things. Like why, in combat, can I sometimes take a potion and at other times I can't? How do MP regenerate? Can I regenerate them in combat? This all becomes critical when the battles go from being rather easy with a bit of a challenge when a larger mechanical enemy comes along to a sudden, massive jump not very far into the game. This is basically an impossible battle unless you have the combat system really thoroughly down. That might be fine if you have played other FF games, but that is ridiculous. It is not like the combat in other games I've played.

    Ruins what looked like being a reasonable game.    … Expand
  20. Schweeps
    Mar 19, 2021
    4
    Plot details side this game has buggy textures and the npcs look kinda bad. Moving on from that the game is filled with extermely tedious and entirely not fun segments. The motorcycle scenes are so noninteractive and suck so much fun out of the game. Wayy too much padding you really start to feel it as you near the end of the game and you pray that its over but it never feels like itsPlot details side this game has buggy textures and the npcs look kinda bad. Moving on from that the game is filled with extermely tedious and entirely not fun segments. The motorcycle scenes are so noninteractive and suck so much fun out of the game. Wayy too much padding you really start to feel it as you near the end of the game and you pray that its over but it never feels like its ending. Played for free on PS+ , would never spend money on this.… Expand
  21. Neens
    Mar 21, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Level design was far too linear in comparison to the original game , not many secrets and items to find in 'dungeon areas'. Lack of materia. Ending changed, giving away far too much of the latter story. Did not stay true to original game Sephiroth introduced way to early. Positives - graphics look amazing, some of the reworked sound track sound good however not all.… Expand
  22. judgment_
    Apr 3, 2021
    4
    Square-Enix (que no SquareSoft, la verdadera creadora del videojuego) han cogido uno de los mejores juegos de la historia, y lo han destrozado. La nostalgia de ver ciertos eventos me ha mantenido jugando hasta el final, pero tan difícil era coger la historia, un lavado de cara y ya está? Se han centrado más en los gráficos (con tantos fallos que necesitaría varias reseñas para explicarlosSquare-Enix (que no SquareSoft, la verdadera creadora del videojuego) han cogido uno de los mejores juegos de la historia, y lo han destrozado. La nostalgia de ver ciertos eventos me ha mantenido jugando hasta el final, pero tan difícil era coger la historia, un lavado de cara y ya está? Se han centrado más en los gráficos (con tantos fallos que necesitaría varias reseñas para explicarlos todos) que en la historia original, añadiendo nuevos personajes que sobran, antiguos que han evolucionado fatal, y misiones paralelas para alargar un juego corto. Sephiroth que era todo misterio en esta parte del juego, acaba aburriendo de tanto salir. Cero interacción con el entorno, que era una de las mejores cosas de FFVII. El combate es un machacabotones fácil. Y te pasas más rato viendo escenas cinemáticas que jugando. ¿Lo peor de todo? Que está misma experiencia ya la viví con otro juego: Kingdom Hearts 3. Y ambos comparten director. Así que por favor, Tetsuya Nomura, lárgate, lejos, y no vuelvas a poner tus zarpas en ningún videojuego más. Si quieres dibuja, pero nada más.… Expand
  23. MrSt0ne
    Mar 30, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What have they done?! Is it my romantic late childhood memory or just the fact that the original game was so much more intense than this ... „product“. As I first heard about the remake, I really couldn’t trust my ears, nearly zwo decades after releasing the original, there was announced what everyone wanted for years .. but with this wish, the look back at squares latest projects and the sky high expectations at this Remake, they had have just let it in retirement .. Absolutely nonsense story extensions, useless extended bossfights, with absolutely no demand for strategy, just button smashing, waaaay to silly story(moires? Really??) - they missed the original so much, they missed to create the atmosphere. The whole game feels like a tube level extended to the max, less content, worthless story extensions and the last 30% of the game consisting out of bossfights, which are even artificially stretched to the max. FF 7 is one of my all time favorites - I absolutely loved this game! But this remake isn’t worth, to be called a ff 7.. Maybe I’m a little bit too hard with my critics, but for me, this game is just disappointing.… Expand
  24. FF7RFangays
    Apr 13, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wow, What a steaming pile of recycled anime excrement. I had watched reviews warning me away but I was still not prepared for how atrocious the story in this game was.

    Arbiter of Fates? Defying fate? Does the current SE even know what the original themes of FF7 were? How anyone thinks that the defying fate trope is not overused and written to death is beyond me

    I think this game solidifies the fact that although SE make the best looking games in the industry they have the most convoluted, pathetic, childish stories. Their current story writers must have grown up on Anime and not had any real life experiences like the original team pre-merger.

    Usually when I hate a game I just stop playing but something about this remake and in particular its fanbase kind of pissed me off enough to make an account and put a review.

    If you loved pre 2003 FF games, you will hate this one. The shocking drop in quality of the story compared to FFX and earlier titles is so noticeable.    … Expand
  25. adbayzzzzzz123
    Apr 21, 2021
    0
    Laughably bad plot. Check.
    Meta commentary insulting the original fans. Check.
    Crappy Side Quests. Check. Anime. Check. Unnecessary convoluted story line with potential for multiple timelines and a metaverse. Check. Characters brought back to life so the stakes cannot be lower. Check. Building Hype by revealing characters at times where it least makes sense. Check. Yep, looks like    Laughably bad plot. Check.
    Meta commentary insulting the original fans. Check.
    Crappy Side Quests. Check.
    Anime. Check.
    Unnecessary convoluted story line with potential for multiple timelines and a metaverse. Check.
    Characters brought back to life so the stakes cannot be lower. Check.
    Building Hype by revealing characters at times where it least makes sense. Check.

    Yep, looks like certified Kingdom Hearts Spin off to me.    … Expand
  26. SauceBox6
    Nov 26, 2022
    9
    10 - Masterpiece
    9 - Amazing
    8 - Great
    7 - Good
    6 - Okay
    5 - Mediocre
    4 - Bad
    3 - Awful
    2 - Painful
    1 - Unbearable
  27. Wimpher
    Apr 18, 2020
    10
    Honestly? At first I was like many who immediately were disappointed by its story execution and changes. Right out of the gate I was comparing it to the original and have realized there's no way I could be fair to this game and what it was trying to be if I had given it such a disservice.

    No way in hell this is a game anything below an 8. As a game itself, it is truly one hell of an    Honestly? At first I was like many who immediately were disappointed by its story execution and changes. Right out of the gate I was comparing it to the original and have realized there's no way I could be fair to this game and what it was trying to be if I had given it such a disservice.

    No way in hell this is a game anything below an 8. As a game itself, it is truly one hell of an immersive experience and oh my god what they did to those characters. Just seeing them presented like this in a game with such high visual fidelity is enough for me. They nailed every single character.

    Right now, all I can say is that the only thing I'm not too fond of are key story changes like that one "promise" scene just for a quick example. I felt now in this game it was just so out of place while in the original it was executed perfectly and was shown at the perfect time in the story. So just things like that...and yeah, the story is important to me when it comes to FF games but the bottomline is....I cannot deny the fact at how much fun I am having playing this game. No matter what, I prefer it to games like The Witcher 3 and Skyrim - those just aren't my thing.

    So yeah, this game truly delivers from a character development standpoint, visual standpoint, sound, art design and especially the gameplay and how well executed I thought it all was. It just always felt so satisfying to just play. So if I just let the story go for a bit and don't compare it to the perfect original's story, I find myself enjoying it more.

    Do I wish it followed the story a bit more closer to the original? Sure. Is the game slightly disappointing in this way? Yeah, maybe. But all in all, every scene still blew me away and some of the new added sequences were absolute FIRE to watch. There's no denying the care that went into this project and I can appreciate that for all its worth.

    And the most important thing? When I'm not playing it all I do is think about just getting back into that world. Because honestly, it's probably the most spectacular world ever created in a game for me. And to me that speaks volumes. Midgar is truly a living, breathing city now and that alone gives this game an ultimate pass.    … Expand
  28. Adules
    Apr 24, 2020
    8
    The game itself is a flawed masterpiece in a schizophrenic fashion. They do things here that are a masterclass in design and presentation that is some of the best work in the business. They also do things in this that are a complete embarrassment. Luckily, the things they do right, are phenomenal.

    PROs: Incredible battle system. Hands down, one of the best RPG battle systems I have    The game itself is a flawed masterpiece in a schizophrenic fashion. They do things here that are a masterclass in design and presentation that is some of the best work in the business. They also do things in this that are a complete embarrassment. Luckily, the things they do right, are phenomenal.

    PROs:
    Incredible battle system. Hands down, one of the best RPG battle systems I have ever played. Intelligent combination of tactics based old school command based rpg mechanics, mixed with well designed fluid action combat. Very few flaws, very well designed, and very well implemented with the rpg mechanis.

    Rpg mechanics are phenomenal. They translated the excellent materia design of the original and just improved and iterated. Weapons upgrading and providing the character with unique abilities is an excellent and polished addition.

    Music. This game has one of the best soundtracks of all time and it's a love letter to another one of the best soundtracks of all time (the original FF7).

    Characters: probably some of the best realized characters I have seen in an rpg. From the phenomenal acting, to visual design, to writing, to perfect animations and subtle facial animations, to story beats, to everything related to characters. Just truly masterclass. Even if everything else was horrible, this game is MADE on the strengths of these characters.

    Setting/Story: The setting is an excellent presentation of the iconic and wonderful setting of FF7 and the parts they do right with the story, they do REALLY right. The places they expand on with characters is phenomenally done and the moments they preserve from the original are masterclass. It serves as testament of how good the original story was in the first place. And the way it was expanded was just wonderful.... except...

    CONS:
    Level design. As per usual with final fantasy games, some of the worst level design I could possibly conceive of in otherwise competently designed game. Serviceable at best, but not really the point of the game (-1 point).

    Quality. Whether it's texture issues, random low points in quest design, lip syncing, or random imbalanced audio design, this game can get kind a rocky (-0.5 points).

    Story: For everything they do so so so RIGHT with this game, they have beats in this story that are so amateurish and bad, that it is shocking that this game is made by the same people. I am not a purist by any means. I celebrate the changes in this game in comparison to the original. But there are additions and changes to the original story that absolutely gut and rob the game of it's initial impact and meaning on a criminal level. Without getting into spoilers, there are specific moments throughout the game that are just inexplicably done in a way that is decidedly worse, especially in the latter act. From the way they handle the villain, to the removal of subtlety of the original, to the complete gutting of iconic moments, it's just cringe at times what they do with the story. I can't separate this game from the fact that i have played the original. Perhaps these moments can still work for new fans, but with the original as context, they just completely miss the tone and theme and soul of the original in a way that seems it's purposefully hack. Leaning towards things that are bad cliches and moving away from moments that were truly inspired in the original. It's difficult to describe, without spoiling and going into detail, and it is a point that could be argued for and against. Specific decisions, made with this game, could be debated for hours. I think a major way to sum up my feelings on things they have done, is that they have somewhat diminished and in some cases outright robbed the story of consequence, horror, and subtlety.

    Nowhere more can the above criticism be explored, than the underlying B-plot that serves as the core of this game throughout the entirety of it. I won't get into details, but this B-plot is the most controversial thing about this game. It's why you see so many zeros, and to put it simply, it represents a major departure from the spirit and identity of the original, for something a bit more akin to a marvel movie. Some people make a comparison to kingdom hearts, but I feel that this is a surface level comparison. I WILL say, that once you mull over the story and play through a second time, it's obvious that they thought this story through and it all pieces together properly. But does that make it good writing? No. It's hack, over the top, tonally inconsistent, it's silly, it's not a good direction for the game/franchise, and it willfully misses the point of the original for an arbitrary reason. It makes the story convoluted for new fans and it subverts not just the audience, but its own themes. It's clear they have no interest in producing a remake, but it's also clear they don't have a good idea for a future story (-0.5 points)    … Expand
  29. EY0290
    Apr 18, 2020
    10
    The battle is striking and the direction is also very good. and People who like the original may be disappointed that it is not a perfect remake, but I still like the next episode, including stories.
  30. uharin
    Apr 20, 2020
    10
    I went into this remake thinking that I would very much dislike it. How could SE possibly capture the wonder of the original after so many recent fumblings with the FF franchise? Well, was I ever wrong.

    It is so clear, even from the first 20 minutes of the game, that Square put every effort into making this game a wonderful and heartfelt homage to the original. So much detail, depth,    I went into this remake thinking that I would very much dislike it. How could SE possibly capture the wonder of the original after so many recent fumblings with the FF franchise? Well, was I ever wrong.

    It is so clear, even from the first 20 minutes of the game, that Square put every effort into making this game a wonderful and heartfelt homage to the original. So much detail, depth, and thought was put into every facet, from the character designs, to the level layouts and puzzles, to the updated combat. They must have spent hours pouring over things from the original game in an effort to remain true in spirit in this Remake.

    Characters: the characters (even the side characters) are all brought to life in beautiful, cutting edge, graphics. I was worried that their personalities would have been dumbed down, but no, they remain the wonderful, nuanced characters we have always known and loved. And the voice acting, I'm happy to say, isn't just passable...it's downright good! Added time with the core Avalanche crew and Shinra goons is just icing on the cake.

    Gameplay: Everything is here: exploration, combat, item and materia management, and they NAILED it. I was a huge opponent of changing the combat system, but SE has truly given me something I didn't even know I wanted, and I am SO glad they did. The combat feels fun, fresh, and exciting! Each character has their own unique moves, stats, and abilities that make them each their own unique assess to a party composition. The combat feels surprisingly real. Even placement matters; you can't just iframe out of an attack. You really need to be aware of your surroundings to make it through some of the more challenging encounters. And the challenges are present, at least on the mode on which I played (Normal). It was exhilarating bouncing between characters, attacking and issuing commands, syncing their unique abilities, and taking down huge foes with flashy grace. Most enemies, and especially the bosses feel almost like mini puzzles that you have to solve in order to take them down. Again, SE could have dialed it in and made it a cash grab purely on nostalgia value (see: RE3 Remake), but decided to really put their heart and soul into it and make engaging and fun gameplay.

    Environments: wow...just wow. Most of the environments in this game are absolutely stunning. There were many times where I would just stop and circle the camera around my character in order to take it all in. Each major hub feels so unique and full of life. Again, they somehow managed to get it all right; it's actually incredible to me. Aerith's house, the church in the slums, the Shinra building, the Mako reactors, Wall Market, all of these places are so incredibly faithful to the original imaginings of them that I would actually chuckle in glee when I would discover little nods to the original game (e.g. barrels in the church, sad old man in the diner in Wall Market, moveable trains in the train graveyard!). I was legitimately moved by some of the set pieces in this game, and I really can't remember the last time I felt that way about a game.

    Music: This. This may truly be the standout. Absolutely incredible. My wife would actually walk into the room and say things like "wow, this piece is beautiful" or "wow, that's a real banger, huh?". All of the music from the original game is adapted to full orchestral tracks. Many of the original's more memorable themes have leitmotifs and adaptations that are used throughout the whole experience and really add a sense of cohesion to the game. The battle themes are particularly incredible, although pretty much every area's track (yes, even the new ones) will stick in your brain for months to come.

    Negatives: Many people say the game is bloated and that the side quests are boring and don't add much to the story. I didn't find the sidequests to be any different from the sidequests in most other JRPGs or even western RPGs. Not all games have Witcher III quality sidequests, and the ones present here are refreshing, fun, and offer either a good reward, a chance to explore, or a nice nod to series lore that will bring a smile to your face.

    I do, however, agree that some of the areas (in particular, the dungeons) could have been trimmed a bit. I felt like they went on just a little longer than they needed to, and would from time to time disrupt the narrative pacing of the game. I aimed for as close to a 100% completion as I could on my first play through and near the end of the game, I felt a little weary. Weary not of the good parts (of which there are sooo many), but of the longer dungeon slogs.

    All in all this is a triumph. I know some people have avoided it due to not all of the story beats being the same. I can understand the frustration. That said, I loved the way it all ended, and I couldn't recommend this game more if you're a FF7 fan. It gave me chills, it made me shed a tear, it made me laugh. Cloud is back and better than ever!    … 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?
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