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. RaizReview
    Apr 15, 2020
    9
    Often heard people say that it felt like order chicken sandwich but got beef instead.. the thing is you ordered a chicken sandwich and you get a chicken sandwich just a different upgraded version of chicken sandwich..you might feel the original chicken sandwich is better but you don't own the restaurant you just brought the sandwich and expected you get the same sandwich menu when theyOften heard people say that it felt like order chicken sandwich but got beef instead.. the thing is you ordered a chicken sandwich and you get a chicken sandwich just a different upgraded version of chicken sandwich..you might feel the original chicken sandwich is better but you don't own the restaurant you just brought the sandwich and expected you get the same sandwich menu when they only sell the new chicken sandwich currently.... so is it their fault.. you tell me.. was it not ff7 ?.. was it bad in any form game play, music, etc?? no... was it advertised differently? doubtful... there's nothing from trailer which is differ from what you get.. everything they advertise they delivered 100% and more... a very good game in presentation but people give bad review just because they don't like the ending.. review bomb the game its pathetic to think when they enjoyed 9/10 of it and suddenly after ending 0/10 game suck... grow up...… Expand
  2. dddvg4
    Apr 15, 2020
    10
    Best REMAKE ever made. In recent years, we have seen a lot of modern Remakes utilize more reimagining approach to make old games fit in the current generation. This makes the balance of "new elements" vs "faithful to the original" a big challenge. We have seen Resident Evil fans complained about how their new Remakes didn't find the balance for a 20 years old classic. A lot of people doubtBest REMAKE ever made. In recent years, we have seen a lot of modern Remakes utilize more reimagining approach to make old games fit in the current generation. This makes the balance of "new elements" vs "faithful to the original" a big challenge. We have seen Resident Evil fans complained about how their new Remakes didn't find the balance for a 20 years old classic. A lot of people doubt if that is even doable to make a PS1 game work in 2020. However, FF7 Remake is the one who did it. Perfect recreation of the original/careful executions to the minor details/revamped but actually better combat system/best graphics of the generation. You name it. This is basically the standard of Modern Remakes, if not every kind of Remakes. There are some concerns about certain part of the tweaked story/gameplay. But this game is just too polished that you can easily give it a 10 for how great the majority of the game is. If you are a FF7 fan, get it. If you are a new fan to FF, get it. You won't regret. (BTW the game is LONGGGGGG, don't judge it by OG FF7)… Expand
  3. Lowbu
    Apr 15, 2020
    10
    This game was an absolute joy to play, sure it wasn't 1:1 with the original but it was absolute beauty to play and experience. Everyone that is so upset with it not being a complete clone of the original but solved up is extremely small minded. Albeit the game is very linear, I feel they were able to get away with it due to the nature of the midgar portion from the original game.This game was an absolute joy to play, sure it wasn't 1:1 with the original but it was absolute beauty to play and experience. Everyone that is so upset with it not being a complete clone of the original but solved up is extremely small minded. Albeit the game is very linear, I feel they were able to get away with it due to the nature of the midgar portion from the original game. Hopefully we do see a return to freedom when the gang ends up on the outside for part 2. That is the only thing I can see being a true disappointment. Aside from that, I'm more than excited to get to play as my boy Vincent in the next part and really appreciate what they have done with the game. Definitely a must buy for any fans of spiky hair boy!… Expand
  4. TSoultz1995
    Apr 16, 2020
    7
    Going into this, I was optimistic that Square Enix would deliver another memorable experience like the original. In many way they came very close, even improving upon some things, but varying levels of polish and some stumbling towards the end detracted from the overall experience and creates concerns for the rest of the episodes.

    Pros: -Overall script and acting are superb, Tifa,    Going into this, I was optimistic that Square Enix would deliver another memorable experience like the original. In many way they came very close, even improving upon some things, but varying levels of polish and some stumbling towards the end detracted from the overall experience and creates concerns for the rest of the episodes.

    Pros:

    -Overall script and acting are superb, Tifa, Cloud, and Jessie especially.
    -Cutscenes and direction are fantastic (I'm looking at you, Wall Market!)
    -Great expansion of some areas you visit
    -Some great additional fleshing out of the characters and world
    -Battle system retains the necessity for strategy and gives a nice nod to the original, while feeling fresh and more immersive with the added action elements

    Cons:

    -Overall uneven quality: Some parts of the game are breathtakingly beautiful, while other parts look like they are from a Nintendo 64 game. It can be jarring to see beautiful environments laid out in front of a giant, low resolution JPEG in the back ground or have beautiful main character models interacting with NPCS that look like they are on a PS3. Textures on doors, railings, flowers, fences, etc.. are especially lo-res. Latter half of the game in general feels like it doesn't quite have the polish of the earlier bits.

    -Pacing: While many of the additions to stretch this small section of the original to full game size are nice, others feel like unnecessary padding and are often oddly placed. Several times in the main narrative, you are told time is of the essence and the story builds up this great tension only to send things to a grinding halt a few minutes later, hitting you with a series of side quests that involve you finding lost cats or kids.

    -The last part of the game feels rushed (in terms of development) and pacing becomes worse. What is an intense, breakneck section with a sense of urgency in the original, gets bogged down with more unnecessary padding. Dungeons are ill placed and certain sequences go on too long. Dialogue seems not as carefully crafted as the rest of game.

    -New narrative choices: Some major plot changes occur that come seemingly out of left field and conflict or don't feel in line with the themes of the original. They also have concerning implications for the rest of the project as well as SquareEnix's marketing for it....detailed below WITH LIGHT SPOILERS:

    *Spoilers*

    -End seems to imply this is a reboot and future installments may not follow the plot of the original. This could potentially be exciting, however, the plot developments that lead up to this are not very assuring. It also seems to be in conflict with Square's marketing of this project as an expanded, "faithful retelling" and interviews with the co-director who said the basic beats would be there.

    -Alot of powerful, emotional scenes have their teeth taken away (Sector 7 Plate)

    -Changes in Shinra building felt like padding and an iconic scene was changed for one that seems to be more friendly to a Teen rating.

    -Narrative changes are confusing for veteran players, who know who certain characters are or become, but are especially unfriendly to new players. It is never established in this game who a certain character is, why he is bad, and why we should want to stop him. As a result, the story seems to require that players have played through the original (but even then, it still feels out of place).    … Expand
  5. jomcey
    Apr 17, 2020
    10
    I want to preface this by saying I did 10 because 9.5 isn't available. 10 is perfect. The game isn't perfect at the moment I played it, but it is near perfect. What is keeping it from a 10? Graphical bugs relating to texture pops; photorealistic characters walking into rooms with blurry rectangles as doors...it was jarring. The more I played, the less I noticed though.

    I beat the game    I want to preface this by saying I did 10 because 9.5 isn't available. 10 is perfect. The game isn't perfect at the moment I played it, but it is near perfect. What is keeping it from a 10? Graphical bugs relating to texture pops; photorealistic characters walking into rooms with blurry rectangles as doors...it was jarring. The more I played, the less I noticed though.

    I beat the game and reached the New Game Plus screen just under 40 hours, at 39 hours 52 minutes and 43 seconds.

    I have played the original game. I was 10 when it released, so the majority of my memories are from watching my brother. But, on my own, I did get as far as Disc 3. I never bothered to finish it over all of these years, but I know the story from years of reading up on it and watching the spin-off media, be it the movie, anime or games (Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus.)

    With all of that out of the way...

    WOW!

    I loved this game so much.

    Gameplay: 10/10

    The hybrid system that they created for combat is one of the best I've ever played with. Merging real-time combat with the ATB system for Abilities, Spells and Items plays so well. You don't have to worry about button-mapping and remembering to press L1/R1 or L2/R2 to get access to certain abilities. There's a simple menu to pull up in a fantastic Tactical slowdown/pause. Brilliant!

    Wandering around was great too. Sure, Cloud is bound to the ground unlike his namesake, but the situational bounding/ducking/slipping areas were all you need to traverse the areas presented.

    I encountered a few annoyances of interacting with the environment, like maybe I was too close to a lever to pull it and had to re-position, or too far away to trigger a conversation, but nothing to ruin my enjoyment.

    Overall, the feel of running around as Cloud, traveling the parts of Midgar that were available through different chapters, encountering monsters and Shinra goons to fight – it was all exhilarating. I had a ton of fun with this game.

    Graphics: 10/10
    I said it above: photorealistic characters walking into rooms with blurry rectangles as doors is jarring. It's a texture-loading issue, though, and it can be fixed with a patch. Surprisingly, SE has been silent on that. But maybe that's just the Japanese dev way?

    Aside from the texture-loading making some environments look wonky, everything else looks amazing! The updates to the characters is fantastic. Jessie is dreamy! Biggs looks and sounds like Charlie Sheen. Wedge looks a bit anime-fat-guyish, but that's fine. Tifa looks strong and capable, and it seems like they might have reduced her bust to what it could have been, making her look more believable (in the age of breast and butt implants.) Barrett looks great with his burly barrel chest taking up the screen as he barked insults. Aerith is beautiful - we never really saw much, if any, of her in Advent Children, so there wasn't really an updated graphics model for her like there was for some of the others.

    The game is gorgeous! I found myself stopping to admire what scenery there was under the plate. We know the engine can support amazing graphics, so there's no doubting how beautiful the world will look in part 2.

    Writing: 9.5/10

    The characters were amazingly done. They fleshed out every character. Cloud is no longer the mumbling, nearly-silent protagonist. Tifa steals your heart (I did have her with the Steal materia also.) Jessie, Biggs and Wedge come close to being liked more than the core party members.

    The story is expanded, reworked and revisited. There’s a lot of the same, what one would expect from something labeled “remake” – but there’s also a lot new and some different. The new stuff benefited the game without question – most of it is introducing new characters, but also just world building and fleshing out some gaps between the original’s big moments.

    The different stuff is where a lot of people are complaining. But I’m not. I like remixes, especially of things that I like the originals of. Nothing significant has changed in the story – all of the same basic beats are there. There’s just some tweaks that make you question where they’re going with it. Some of the tweaks wander into the new category, and that’s an interesting path they’re taking. I’m intrigued to follow!

    Music: 10/10
    Wow! Wow! Wow! There’s not a single track I wouldn’t jam to outside of the game.

    Hitting the credits and hearing “Hollow” with the lyrics, after having heard the music/melody in different parts of the game, was such an experience! It hit me in the feels for sure.

    Replayability: 7/10

    Not much incentive to replay unless you’re a collector or completionist. But it’s an RPG, that’s not surprising. Collectibles, side quests/odd jobs, maxing out the characters and making different choices to influence what dresses characters wear at certain times are all what are left for me to do. Hard mode might be fun too. Maybe.    … Expand
  6. Akiro
    Nov 19, 2020
    10
    Amazing game.

    Good parts: + Characters & their development + Incredible music + Fun to play- combat + Great visuals, aside from some minor texture problems. + Story moments, with an ending twist Bad parts: - Lesser chapters with a bit to much padding - Aerial combat - Iffy camera & companion AI issues - Sudden twist in story Overall the game is an experience and the lows    Amazing game.

    Good parts:
    + Characters & their development
    + Incredible music
    + Fun to play- combat
    + Great visuals, aside from some minor texture problems.
    + Story moments, with an ending twist

    Bad parts:
    - Lesser chapters with a bit to much padding
    - Aerial combat
    - Iffy camera & companion AI issues
    - Sudden twist in story

    Overall the game is an experience and the lows aren't low enough for me to give this game a lesser rating. Reduce it by 1 point, if you have not played FF7 before.    … Expand
  7. Shadow1234
    Apr 12, 2020
    5
    Don't get me wrong this game is amazing in every sense. I highly recommend playing it however.... wait for a sale to purchase. Let me explain:

    The graphics are top notch and not something that even needs to be discussed. They nail the end life of this gaming generation and everything it is capable of with the next generation coming soon. Hearing the music and soundtracks take me back    Don't get me wrong this game is amazing in every sense. I highly recommend playing it however.... wait for a sale to purchase. Let me explain:

    The graphics are top notch and not something that even needs to be discussed. They nail the end life of this gaming generation and everything it is capable of with the next generation coming soon.
    Hearing the music and soundtracks take me back to the original for sure. The voice acting is superb and the audio while playing is great. From Barret's one liners to Jessie hitting on Cloud, even listening to the background voice as you walk through a section of town is great.

    The battles are awesome and and you can choose if you want it to be simplistic or more challenging. With many original monsters making a reappearance.

    I like everything about this game but here is why it only got a 5.

    I did not read up on anything about this game pre-release so I could be totally surprised by everything and enjoy it all. Everything was going great. Then the game ended and I was not even out of Midgar,

    ARE YOU JOKING ME!!! Looks like SE is going to make this into a three part series I would guess. While some may enjoy that I do not. Yes it makes the overall game larger but it also means we as players wont be done it until 2023, provided they release the next part every year and I doubt that is going to happen but it sure as hell better. If they do it every two years then we will be done this series by 2026. No way this game is just a two part series as Midgar was the first game. If I recall the game took place over a few towns and areas of the world map. Yes they really fleshed out Midgar with a town more to do and it was great but now I have to buy another game/DLC maybe two at $79.99 CAD each I am guessing. MONEY GRAB!! That is why this game gets a 5, Buy it; just wait on a sale.    … Expand
  8. peanuts
    Apr 18, 2020
    10
    Spoiler free review: They did it. Thank-god for Square Enix. The game was wonderful.

    I went purely for plot elements, side-quests, and map exploration- and it took me about 80 hours to finish the game... without attempting 100% completion in everything. I purchased the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Digital Deluxe Edition Pre-Order which included Cactuar, Baby Chocobo, and Carbunkle    Spoiler free review: They did it. Thank-god for Square Enix. The game was wonderful.

    I went purely for plot elements, side-quests, and map exploration- and it took me about 80 hours to finish the game... without attempting 100% completion in everything.

    I purchased the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Digital Deluxe Edition Pre-Order which included Cactuar, Baby Chocobo, and Carbunkle summon materias. These summons slightly enhanced gameplay, yet the chance to use summons in battle is quite random to begin with- at least in this game - until certain conditions are met. Still I imagine there are some die-hard fans that insist on using these optional summons just because they look cute.

    After playing RPG's for almost 3 decades the original FF7 was clearly the best of them all given the context and when it launched. I have compared new RPG's to it as the standard for judging. I think after playing the first chapter of this series- FF7 Remake (in it's entirety) will surpass even the original FF7 by a comfortable margin. The plot, story, and characters are simply too good in most places.    … Expand
  9. Lamorak87
    Apr 10, 2020
    10
    My honest review thus far is an 8-9/10 but upon stumbling across certain egocentric review posts marking this game at a 0/10 I have no choice but to bump this game up to a 10/10 to balance out the fake outrage. When a game is a zero that implies that the product is outrageously incomplete or unplayable and that is certainly not the case here and anyone claiming it as such is beingMy honest review thus far is an 8-9/10 but upon stumbling across certain egocentric review posts marking this game at a 0/10 I have no choice but to bump this game up to a 10/10 to balance out the fake outrage. When a game is a zero that implies that the product is outrageously incomplete or unplayable and that is certainly not the case here and anyone claiming it as such is being factually disingenuous. The only thing I noticed thus far is that certain background textures are graphically out of place, but due to certain recent world events I suspect this is due to not being able to polish the final product properly as they previously planned in their release date extension. I suspect the low reviews are due to the fact that the ending puts the developers in the reigns of fate and gives them complete freedom to do something new to the story. The first Final Fantasy 7 game is my favorite game of all time and I for one was not excited to play the exact same game that I’ve been playing for the last 23 years because I feel that the original is already perfect. I wanted something new and creatively fresh and to my delighted surprise, Im getting it here. Entertainment is subjective and ppl are free to feel what they feel in their respective entertainment mediums, but to give a game that is not broken in anyway a 0/10 is completely laughable and dishonest and it’s clearly not warranted here. Im keeping my verdict here at a genuine 10/10 because it has everything I look for in a game: compelling story, addictive and immersive gameplay, and stunning visuals and to my surprise a new fresh creative direction with the same characters I fell in love with and spent so much time with as a kid. Fake outrage artists be damned, “there ain’t no gettin off this train we’re on!”… Expand
  10. 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
  11. caseman2012
    May 1, 2020
    10
    This game was everything I was hoping it was going to be. It brought joy, sadness, fear and anger but also delivered on the fun. It was not without minor flaws. Some sidequests felt tedious, some monster fights felt like button mashing madness, and some textures were blurred. I would still argue that this part is better than the original part it was based on due to the level of detailThis game was everything I was hoping it was going to be. It brought joy, sadness, fear and anger but also delivered on the fun. It was not without minor flaws. Some sidequests felt tedious, some monster fights felt like button mashing madness, and some textures were blurred. I would still argue that this part is better than the original part it was based on due to the level of detail placed into the world and characters. The ending has some people upset and I can understand that but for me it created excitement to see what happens next. Not sure I wanted to pay 160 dollars plus (all parts) for the exact same game again.… Expand
  12. Ryuzen
    Apr 20, 2020
    10
    This game is amazing. Gameplay 10, OST 10, Story 10, Graphic 9.
    I played the first final fantasy 7 over and over again and I fully accept the changes made to the story.
    It was an emotion to take on the role of Cloud again.
  13. Sergio97costa
    Apr 15, 2020
    9
    Amazing game! It’s my favorite final fantasy game of all time! Waiting for part 2!
  14. HTGamer
    May 3, 2020
    9
    Final Fantasy VII Remake is the 1st part of the biggest and most ambitious videogame remake project ever. This release surely isn't perfect, but sets the stage for something truly memorable down the line.

    Disclaimer: I have played a bit of FF7 in the past but I'm not a FF7 purist, so you won't find here any criticisms like "oh they changed that story bit and it's awful" etc. It's just    Final Fantasy VII Remake is the 1st part of the biggest and most ambitious videogame remake project ever. This release surely isn't perfect, but sets the stage for something truly memorable down the line.

    Disclaimer: I have played a bit of FF7 in the past but I'm not a FF7 purist, so you won't find here any criticisms like "oh they changed that story bit and it's awful" etc. It's just the opinion of a first-timer (kind of).

    This remake focuses on the Midgar portion of the original game, which originally lasted a few hours, thus Square Enix have largely expanded the content, the story, the character arcs, introduced tons of boss fights, etc. in order to make it last 40 hours.

    I warn fans that some story bits of the original have been changed a bit (ignoring the new content, the overall plot is 95% the same as the original up until the end of the Midgar portion) and Square Enix hint that the story will change even more in the sequels, for better or worse. Treat it like a parallel universe relative to the original 1997 game. This remake is not just the same game with modern graphics, and that's what I appreciate most in remakes of this kind. At least Square Enix take creative chances and don't play it safe. Had it been a straight retelling of the original's story, it'd have been boring for everyone who's read about FF7's story, and even hardcore FF7 fans would have yawned at it.

    The story is pretty straight-forward but also heavily cryptic (thanks to it having to be continued in the sequels), so there is no clear resolution, just a cliff-hanger. With the expanded scope, nearly every character is fleshed out and has the chance to shine a bit. Cloud is a seemingly emotionless man of few words with a mysterious past, Tifa is a childhood friend of Cloud's, Aerith is a carefree florist with plenty of mystery surrounding her, the trio of Jessie/Wedge/Biggs make for some nice chat, and Barret is a father genuinely concerned about the planet and his daughter Marlene. Of course there couldn't be a FF7 game without Sephiroth, but he's more of a guest star and isn't fleshed out at all. Red XIII is introduced very late into the game and has no real time to shine, but he should be fleshed out in the sequels.

    Gameplay is the most important feature of any game and I can say Final Fantasy VII Remake has one of the best battle systems I have played on any JRPG. Gone are the battle screen transitions, you simply engage any foe encountered on the environment. Battles flow like a mix of real-time action and turn-based specials. You can move, dodge, execute basic attacks and guard in real time, while items/spells/special moves can be used only after the ATB bar has been filled. Same for limit breaks or summons, whose respective bars are slowly filled during prolongued battles. I just wish the combat was more challenging, Normal Difficulty is just too easy for me. I never had to use de-buffs or status ailment curatives, and I only lost and continued 3 times.

    Graphics are great overall. The use of Unreal Engine 4 brings about weird artefacts in some places later in the game (particularly inside the Shinra building with all their reflective surfaces), but main characters are rendered and animated beautifully. While there are a few CGI videos every now and then, at least 90% of the cinematics are rendered in real-time and are the most impressive of the generation so far. Performance is rock-solid 30 fps both during battle and real-time cinematics, even when the screen is filled with plenty of special effects.

    The soundtrack is mostly the same as the original score (obviously re-recorded) with a few new tracks or songs. The sound effects are great, as is most of the voice acting. Unfortunately Barret's growling voice tone is annoying, while voice actor James Horan (Skull Face in MGSV) is not the right choice for voicing President Shinra.

    But not everything is perfect with Final Fantasy VII Remake. There are some technical issues which detract from the game's overall high quality. As of posting, there is no patch for the game fixing any of the following issues (which are minor complaints, nothing major). 1st, quite often textures either pop-in right in front of the camera, or fail to load the high-res version and remain in a low-res, jagged mess. 2nd, the overabundance of narrow corridors and "hold Triangle button" sections, which are invisible loading screens actually. 3rd, the level design is linear and almost on-rails, reminding me of the dreadful FF13.

    All in all, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a virtually flawless game in what it attempts to do. It's not easy for Square Enix to develop this remake while also meeting and exceeding fans' expectations. I definitely had a good time playing through the game and wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone.    … Expand
  15. calibur66
    Apr 16, 2020
    9
    This game is comes with a caveat, that is, if you are looking for a 1:1 recreation of the original game and hoping not a single thing will change, you are going to be disappointed, but I also think this is the wrong way to think about remakes, personally.

    Outside of that point, this game is an audible, visual and game-play delight. It has so many faithful and loving recreations of    This game is comes with a caveat, that is, if you are looking for a 1:1 recreation of the original game and hoping not a single thing will change, you are going to be disappointed, but I also think this is the wrong way to think about remakes, personally.

    Outside of that point, this game is an audible, visual and game-play delight.

    It has so many faithful and loving recreations of locations, enemies and characters with only a few characters having major changes to them, usually for the better. The combat is a great mixture of modern final fantasy and the original ATB system, that allows for some great combo-ing that results in some truly awesome "explosions" of damage when your whole team executes moves simultaneously.

    The only major point that people have legitimate feelings of contention towards is the changes in story, which mostly stem from personal opinions instead of genuinely factual improving or Damaging of the original story. For me personally, these changes were neither for the better or worse, they clearly were put there to specifically NOT destroy the original and instead offer a narrative that's both nostalgic for fans as well as giving them something that isn't note for note the same thing again, whilst also not spoiling story beats for the new people, though it will likely be slightly less impactful for newcomers as there is a definite focus on giving fans their service.

    I have to address the BIZARRE argument (From an admittedly small minority) that the game has no subtlety and that all emotional weight has been removed from 'ruined' moments such as Cloud and Aerith's first meeting:

    This is just wrong. While you may personally enjoy the original versions more for whatever reason, but between the cinematography, (mostly) great voice acting/dialogue and absolutely magical soundtrack, there is no way you can argue such a false notion as a lack of emotion or subtlety.

    Don't skip out on this game unless you genuinely have no interest in Final fantasy or RPGs. Whether you only care about the story, or only care about the combat, both are more than good enough to be worth the price and the amount of content available overall is far surpassing the price tag of the game, that's if something like game length is a key point for you.    … Expand
  16. bersi84
    Apr 13, 2020
    9
    Straight of: rating this title must be one of the hardest for a lot of people so I kinda wanna say that for me this is a 8.5 and (as usual) following my gut to rounding up or down, so this time I ll go with 9 but it might deserve an 8 depending on how you look at it and with what emphasize. I ll try to thoroughly explain why. So if you are interested, then read on.

    Engine 9/10: First    Straight of: rating this title must be one of the hardest for a lot of people so I kinda wanna say that for me this is a 8.5 and (as usual) following my gut to rounding up or down, so this time I ll go with 9 but it might deserve an 8 depending on how you look at it and with what emphasize. I ll try to thoroughly explain why. So if you are interested, then read on.

    Engine 9/10:
    First of all I ran this on a PS4 Pro with SSD and had no issues at all. No bluescreens. No frame drops and no texture pop-ins. I know many have those issues and I can just advise everybody to upgrade their console to SSDs to prevent these pop-ins. Of course it could be still better optimized. Also loading times are okay-ish. Considerung I already have a SSD inside they are sometimes a little bit too much, which is frustrating especially in some mini-games you need to do for completionist. Still the game in total runs very smooth and I am really waiting to play this again on the PS5.

    Graphics and sound 9.5/10:
    I personally can only say that I loved both to an extend that it really immersed me into the game. The graphics are really good except that sometimes there seems to be an issue with very low-detailed texture tiles. I m not sure whether this is intended to save memory or not but SquareEnix should really try to enhance this a bit. Mostly those things occur outside of the normal game view so it is not bothering me too much but it reduces the overall really good quality of the game. Also I want to emphasize the very good HDR implementation.

    Sound is awesome as usual, there is not much to say. Rockets explode, swords cling in the air and spells occur nearby. For me the biggest let down here is, that they remixed many of the vanilla soundtracks which is truely cannot understand. Of course many and most of the iconic tunes are back again but then some remixes are (IMHO) bad or at least worse then the orginal ones. It d be cool to have an option for this. In addition I cannot understand why they touch things like these when they know that people consider these things as the most valuable.

    Now the probably hardest part: Story and game length 7/10:
    I finished this game with a guide nearby on normal in around 43hrs. Having this said I didnt rush too much and I was on completionist route (doing ground work for the 100% trophy). That said the game length seems okay BUT... (here it is) a lot seems really unnecessarily drawn out. There are many passages where you can only slow-walk (which I truely hate) and many passages where you have to climb under, over, around or squeeze. I dont mind these mechanics but they should not be over-used.

    In addition the concept of chapter slices is personally one of the biggest let downs. It does not feel very consistent. Also the slices vary from 1hr to 4hr parts which might be annoying for casual players. The side quests could ve done a lot but SquareEnix missed the opportunity to include enough of those and make them enjoyable. Most of these are very basics or next to pointless which is very sad.

    The Remake changes:
    So they changed stuff. Wont spoil it here. I m personally okay with those changes. It gives some new impressions and most of these are really OKAY. People are very upset of minor changes which feels unnecessary. You can enjoy the game, you learn a lot on the characters and discover more bit in detail which is amazing. The ending is very controversial and I m very torn about it. Whether this is good or bad will be decided by whats coming next.

    And this is the biggest issue with FF7R!
    Of course I knew it was released episodic but oh boy... this part is maybe 20% of the initial plotline. It misses the open world in general and it gives plot indication to the players that wont make any sense without the rest. This might be okay for classic players but is an absolute no-go for the new crowd. Also I hope they will be reasonable on the prices and release periods for the other parts because otherwise this could be considered a huge rip-off.

    I wont loose faith and I really enjoyed this part so far. If you are not sure, wait for a price drop. It is still a very good game with awesome characters and good action that is presented decently on current gen PS4.    … Expand
  17. Myto77680
    Apr 13, 2020
    9
    An awesome trip to Midgar, and a fantastic legacy. THANK YOU SQUARE ENIX !!!
  18. coltdogster
    Apr 16, 2020
    10
    This. Game. Is so good, I was hooked from chapter 1, there's so much beauty, the music and cutscenes bring tears to my eyes. It's such a gorgeous game that will be remembered forever.
  19. Kavr1el
    Apr 16, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Square Enix took on a very difficult challenge with Final Fantasy VII Remake. It did so brilliantly, but not perfectly. I recommend the game whole-heartedly, though if you are a veteran that wants to play final fantasy VII as it was, play the ps1 title, not this one.

    Let's start with the objective cons, as they are few :
    1 :Textures,
    Some are blurry, some are pixelated. The door texture of Marle's buidling in sector seven, the plate textures, and some junk textures look like placeholders. Not worthy of a published game.
    2: Combat :
    The mp regen is very slow.
    Some attacks you can't block, some you can't dodge (dodge had no i-frames), some you can't possibly mitigate if you're in an animation, it feels like a guessing game, which rewards experience, but includes a bit of frustration. Lots of animation lock.

    As a subjective con, at times the game felt a bit too slow, in moments where you should feel pressured into going fast. It sort of ruins the momentum created by the story and pulls you out of it.

    Now onto the pros:
    It's a very solid game. Everything except some textures is beautiful and polished.
    The combat looks amazing and feels pretty good to play.
    The characters are even better than in the original, as their facial expressions and voice really help give them depth.

    Spoiler part starts now so don't keep reading if you don't want to be spoiled (though it's a minor spoil in my opinion)

    Right, here goes.

    The game is a remake, which means follows the core concept and core plot elements of the original but not to the letter. It's not a port, it's not a remaster, neither is it a reboot, too close to the original, it's a remake, as it says it is.

    The whole game felt good to play, but i wasn't surprised by anything. It felt prectictable, a bit boring maybe, though still very enjoyable. That was until the last chapters.
    The makers of this game had an idea in head all along. That one thing that was completly new and mysterious, was a hint all along.
    Maybe that specific traumatic event sparked this idea, but they decided to make changes feel possible.
    If changes are possible, then everything is not safe, predictable, and boring. It's exciting, it's full of possibilities, it's hopeful.

    I'm looking forward to the next one, maybe on the PS5 ?    … Expand
  20. Mastery6945
    Apr 11, 2020
    10
    This takes me right back to the glory PlayStation days in the nineties, My first two hours I played through were excellent, the combat is great, the story and peculiar detail they've put into this game is the best I've experienced so far, an absolutely unmissable game you can't look away
  21. VenusGospel
    Apr 10, 2020
    10
    Absolutely amazing I was in tears most the game! What amazing job the crew at square did. Lives up to the hype for sure.
  22. Bypelu
    Apr 10, 2020
    9
    Juego en todos los aspectos de 10 salvo por los problemas de texturas, el rendimiento va perfectamente, muy estable, destacar el sistema de combate que es de lo mejor que tiene junto a su historia, al principio estaba preocupado por las horas de juego que fueran escasas pero a cumplido con creces ya que son mas de 40 y si quieres el 100,% del contenido unos 60 a lo poco, muy recomendableJuego en todos los aspectos de 10 salvo por los problemas de texturas, el rendimiento va perfectamente, muy estable, destacar el sistema de combate que es de lo mejor que tiene junto a su historia, al principio estaba preocupado por las horas de juego que fueran escasas pero a cumplido con creces ya que son mas de 40 y si quieres el 100,% del contenido unos 60 a lo poco, muy recomendable si te gusta este género… Expand
  23. Rakszma
    Apr 12, 2020
    10
    Playnig this game you laugh, cry and be shocked by many things. It has everything great game should have - memorable characters, epic music, interesting story and unbelievably awesome gameplay. Give it chance it won't disappoint you.
  24. DMMetal
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    Obra maestra en todos los aspectos. Historia expandida, más detallada y con toda la esencia que tenía el Final Fantasy VII Remake original.
  25. flourless
    Apr 14, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Overall, an amazing game, with some minor infuriating points that tarnish the experience slightly. One of these is that basically the musical arrangements are very uneven in quality. Some of the tracks are beautifully rearranged, but in some other places it completely ruins the experience because of how bad it is, I'll mention two instances:

    1-There is a very annoying battle theme that plays about 3 times across the game (the experimental Shinra creatures, the electric 'centipede' thing and the Shinra combat simulator). This music just takes you back to the bland world of Final Fantasy XIII, which is not a surprise considering it's the same incompetent and bland composer Masashi Hamauzu. He continues to repeatedly fail at his attempts to change the themes or improvise on them and every single new track in the game is soulless and bland just like him. This guy should never touch another Final Fantasy game in the future. A lot of the themes are completely butchered and made hard to be recognizable.

    2-The second one is how he ruined the scene with the stairs in the Shinra building. This part of the game is supposed to have a slightly comic element to it, but this terribly bland composer just puts some generic 'epic' battle music in this part. Completely ruined it for me, to the point that I had to go to the settings and mute the music.

    I believe that the music + other minor elements warrant the deduction of 2 points, but other than that, some of the best games in a long time. I just hope the story continues as in the original in the part 2, and not some alternate realityy version as suggested in the ending.    … Expand
  26. Ferrarik1
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    Giving this a 10 because of all the shills. This is a great game, opens up the story and leaves so much opportunity in the future. A must buy
  27. Blaze2002
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    The game is absolutely breathtaking and just a masterpiece all around, would definitely recommend
  28. Hewatza
    Apr 16, 2020
    10
    Before, the game closest to bringing to tears was the original Final Fantasy VII.


    This one made me cry in the opening cutscene.
  29. LeesanJP
    Apr 17, 2020
    6
    The game is a 8 technically, but the ending just killed it for me. Don't expect anything good for now on from this project, u are gonna die not seeing a real FF7 Remake.

    Expect btw, Aerith not dying (or resurrecting in some way) expect Zack coming to help Cloud and so on...
  30. Thejuidy
    Apr 19, 2020
    10
    I have played before crisis, crisis core, original FF7, Dirge of Cerberus, and watched advent children and short anime. I loved remake so much
  31. ELipson85
    Apr 19, 2020
    6
    This is the first game I felt compelled to write a review for because it does so many things right, but there is room for improvement and I really want to see the series succeed, as I think it has the potential to be a masterpiece.

    Visuals: Cut scenes, main character models, and many of the locales are beautiful, HOWEVER, the game is very inconsistent.....there are many bad textures,    This is the first game I felt compelled to write a review for because it does so many things right, but there is room for improvement and I really want to see the series succeed, as I think it has the potential to be a masterpiece.

    Visuals: Cut scenes, main character models, and many of the locales are beautiful, HOWEVER, the game is very inconsistent.....there are many bad textures, NPCs that look like they are from a PS3 game (with bad lip movements), and some really awkward blurry JPEGS for backgrounds. It doesn't feel like a very polished game or one that took 5 years or so to make.

    Gameplay: I really enjoyed the new battle system. Its immersive and still retains the tactical element (in tougher fights, at least) of the original.

    Pacing: This is where the game stumbles a bit.... in trying to make this a full game's worth of content, its hard to feel that they didn't pad it out. There is some backtracking, some questionably long and oddly placed dungeons (looking at you, Hojo's lab), and the side quest are on the basic side. Some of the side quest hubs are also placed at weird points in the narrative, Chapter 14 in particular. When the main narrative is ramping up and creating stakes, it just kills it when immediately after the game sends you in search of kids and chocobos.

    Story: This is the tough one.... many of the story additions and even changes were great. The fleshing out of Avalanche and Wall Market were superb. However, some of the other changes, notably regarding character deaths and "that ending" lessen the impact of some of the original's narrative beats and also don't make sense with the themes of the original. Changes aren't bad at all, but they should make sense and be consistent with the overall narrative. The ending felt very out of place and honestly, took away some excitement for the rest of the series.

    Music: In general, the music is fantastic.

    Acting: Fantastic overall. Tifa, Cloud, and Jessie's actors did a great job. Aerith was pretty good, but she had the most potentially "cringe" lines, which can be difficult to pull off and require a lot of nuance to not come off as cheesy.... I think there is some room for improvement there.

    All in all, an enjoyable experience, however I do not think I will be pre-ordering the next one. It doesn't quite feel like a $80 (I got the deluxe edition) experience and with what the ending implies for the rest of the episodes, I will wait for reviews and a price drop.    … Expand
  32. Potnoodle999
    Apr 15, 2020
    10
    One of those games that has....kind of ruined other games for me. It’s THAT GOOD! Any issues I had were so minor and petty I had forgotten about them 5 minutes later when I reached the next incredible story beat or faced the next amazing boss. At times I couldn’t believe they had exceeded my expectations in every way, I never imagined this game would be made, let alone be so passionatelyOne of those games that has....kind of ruined other games for me. It’s THAT GOOD! Any issues I had were so minor and petty I had forgotten about them 5 minutes later when I reached the next incredible story beat or faced the next amazing boss. At times I couldn’t believe they had exceeded my expectations in every way, I never imagined this game would be made, let alone be so passionately created by a lot of the original devs who truly understand what these characters mean to us all. The wait for part 2 will be long and difficult, but this has left me so hyped that I know it will be worth the wait. The fact this was just Midgar boggles the mind when you think about how much more is to come from FFVII original story. The changes were welcome, I can see how some diehards may disagree but not me. Loved them. This is a must play for any RPG lover of any kind and for anyone who loves great worlds and stories. 10/10 from me. Thanks Square-Enix for finally giving us a final fantasy game worthy of real praise for the first time in years!!!… Expand
  33. McWidgets
    Dec 8, 2020
    9
    Everything I hoped it would be. Can't stop thinking about how the next games will turn out, and if other FF's will get a remake and how those will be.

    Square is one of the best game developers in history and is currently shining bright again, after a rocky period. Every game I've purchased from them has delivered a quality experience recently. So excited to see where things go!
  34. Berserk9
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    Best experience this year and easily a game of the year contender it was a beautiful love letter to the original and imo it's one of the best remake ever made!!
  35. Msbubu
    Apr 23, 2020
    10
    Love the game all the way,seeing midgar in moden graphic is such a trip down memory lane,and the ending give endless possibility,cant wait to see what Square enix does with this remake.
  36. Jolleygreen3
    Apr 28, 2020
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If you want to be throw into left field with lazy writing this game is for you, if you want the game you grew up with youlle still like this game for the mechanics but the way they added the arbiter of fate boss fight to hint to you that you arent getting FF7 story anymore is a huge let down. I didnt want a remake story, I wanted the old story with new remade graphics… Expand
  37. NoctLightCloud
    Apr 30, 2020
    10
    As a long-time FF-fan who has played every FF from FF6 to FF15, this game is everything I wanted and comes only second after FFX for me. It might even surpass it on a second playthrough. It made me laugh, it made me cry. It made me care for characters I couldn't care less in the PS1-version. It is MUCH less repetitive and cliché than its PS1-counterpart, and the music is world class.As a long-time FF-fan who has played every FF from FF6 to FF15, this game is everything I wanted and comes only second after FFX for me. It might even surpass it on a second playthrough. It made me laugh, it made me cry. It made me care for characters I couldn't care less in the PS1-version. It is MUCH less repetitive and cliché than its PS1-counterpart, and the music is world class. Finally no random encounters, a minimal loading time, very good animations and graphics, but most importantly: fun and engaging gameplay. As cheesy as it sounds, but this was an experience I thought I would never have in a video game again, ever. Especially in dire times like these.… Expand
  38. NooShame
    May 2, 2020
    0
    - Characters that make you uncomfortable (childish manga acting)
    - Spoils with end story revelations
    - Boring fillers
    - Harry Potter inspiration ...
    - Magnetic enemies attacks you can't evade

    Play FF7, it'll cost you nothing and you'll get a lot more.
  39. ongtongt
    Apr 17, 2020
    6
    To be honest, I don't think this is a bad game at all and I wish I could score it higher. I had a fair amount of fun playing it until right at the end. But the last hour of this game is a complete slap in the face to fans of the original as well as making no sense. An end boss made no sense at that point in the game. They hadn't even introduced Sephiroth or Jenova properly so why was ITo be honest, I don't think this is a bad game at all and I wish I could score it higher. I had a fair amount of fun playing it until right at the end. But the last hour of this game is a complete slap in the face to fans of the original as well as making no sense. An end boss made no sense at that point in the game. They hadn't even introduced Sephiroth or Jenova properly so why was I fighting them.

    The game is fun to play, however, but since ff7 is a story-driven game so I had to mark it down dramatically for ruining it at the end and I'm worried about the direction it's heading.    … Expand
  40. JuliusSkeezer
    Apr 13, 2020
    6
    To start with, i'm not a nostalgia junkie for this game. Yes, I've played the original, and no, I wasn't 12 at the time, nor was it my favorite game, or even favorite installment in the series. I also came into the remake with zero expectations, but cautiously optimistic and hoping to enjoy it on its own merits.

    The game certainly looks gorgeous - at least when all the textures actually    To start with, i'm not a nostalgia junkie for this game. Yes, I've played the original, and no, I wasn't 12 at the time, nor was it my favorite game, or even favorite installment in the series. I also came into the remake with zero expectations, but cautiously optimistic and hoping to enjoy it on its own merits.

    The game certainly looks gorgeous - at least when all the textures actually load in, which to be fair, is most of the time. No complaints there. And the remixes of the old soundtrack all sound pretty fantastic (save for the jukebox versions, which may have given me ear cancer).

    The entire cast, including supporting characters have been greatly fleshed out, and for the most part the characterizations are done pretty well. As far as voice acting goes, in English, Cloud really nails it, but the rest of the cast is extremely hit & miss, with the majority being voiced by the same bottom-barrel zero-talent troupe that has been making a laughing stock of dubbed anime and JP games for decades. While they certainly do a better job than they do with most games, putting whipped cream on **** only does so much to make it more appetizing. I'm fairly convinced some of these people have never had a natural conversation in their lives at this point.

    Some new characters make their appearances as well, and they really stand out. Not in a good way. You can really tell the difference between the old cast designs and personalities in comparison to the super ridiculous trash characters added in. They add nothing, and only really serve to make the world less coherent and less... I would say believable, but that's not quite the world. Best I can do though.

    Now gameplay, and hooboy, where to start. SE has never been able to make a decent action-combat system, and it's really showing here. All the problems that combat had in XV show up here with bells on. Some actually worse.

    To start with, the party A.I. is abominable. All they do is auto-attack (with a very, very few exceptions if you give them certain materia) and they do so at a snail's pace, meaning they build ATB for spells and abilities at roughly 1/10 the pace of the character you're controlling, further meaning that if you actually want to use any spells or abilities on your party characters, you are absolutely forced to constantly swap between them - and given the lackluster targeting and lock-on system the game uses, this can quickly become disorienting when you're in a large group battle or boss battle.

    Also, the AI does very little to actually avoid incoming damage, so you constantly need to babysit them as well.

    Gambits, Square-Enix. Give them to us if you're going to insist on inflicting your sub-par action combat on us. For God's sake. I'm not one of those people who whined about the game not being turn-based like the original, but given how this turned out, and how your past endeavors with action combat have failed so miserably, I can very well understand their position.

    Dodging does fundamentally nothing, except against the most rudimentary of foes, and their most basic attacks, as everything from anything more beefy - especially bosses - WILL track you until it lands. Likewise you can guard, but this is mitigated by the fact that many enemies have grab attacks which go straight through your guard, and have tells which are nigh indistinguishable from their other attacks, especially amidst the rain of particle effects showering the screen at all times. Bosses just don't care if you guard or not in most cases.

    Status-attacks are nearly useless to use, and when used by enemies naturally track you until they hit, often leaving huge lingering clouds of effect that WILL give you status ailments 100% of the time unless you expressly put on something to immunize yourself before you encounter them. Usually not too dangerous, but extremely annoying nonetheless, especially given the near zero success rate of your own.

    Like Ice magic? Enjoy the fact that it doesn't damage on contact, but rather you have to wait for an overblown animation where the ice crystal grows and then finally - seconds later - explodes where it initially impacted, giving enemies more than ample time to just casually stroll out of the area of effect before they get hurt.

    Speaking of mobility in combat, enemies have it in spades, and you generally don't. As usually SE is grossly in love with their animations, and you have to sit through the end of every overblown animation before you can do whatever it is you want to do next, be it move, cast, attack or dodge, meaning by the time you actually can, generally you're out of position for it. Some enemies are so mobile that nearly every attack will whiff, no matter how good your stats are, because in the time between your button-press and the attack going off, they're far, far out of range. It's intensely frustrating.

    Well, I'm at the character limit, so there's that. Oh, and every mini-game is absolute cancer. Enjoy.    … Expand
  41. Billyhavok
    Apr 13, 2020
    10
    Best game I’ve played in nearly 20 years, hands down, took me from menu music and hasn’t let me go 50 something hours in, considering what people buy for 3-4 hours of content this just blows everything in the market out the water, especially if your an OG fan. Feel spoiled with all the awesome visuals and dialogue, genuinely stunning game
  42. Joe1549
    Apr 16, 2020
    6
    TL;DR: A mixed bag, some really great nostalgic moments combined with a game designer force feeding their own narrative onto a classic game.

    I'm a bit shaken right now, as someone that likes to get lost in fantasy worlds, I've had my share of disappointing endings. It seems there's no escaping it, I can count on one hand the amount of "good" endings I've seen come out of media of all    TL;DR: A mixed bag, some really great nostalgic moments combined with a game designer force feeding their own narrative onto a classic game.

    I'm a bit shaken right now, as someone that likes to get lost in fantasy worlds, I've had my share of disappointing endings. It seems there's no escaping it, I can count on one hand the amount of "good" endings I've seen come out of media of all types whether it be film, television, or video games.

    I should have known when I saw Square's recent line of work that this game would turn into a mess. Luckily, for the most part, it waits until the final act to do so.

    If you played the original Final Fantasy 7, there's no doubt you will overlook a lot of rough stuff early on in the game. You'll stick it out because you are excited to spend time with the characters you love and the settings that you enjoyed. Over time though, the problems will be too much to ignore even for the most loyal of fan.

    The good: Spending time with these iconic characters was a treat. The voice acting was top-notch. The character models were great. There were several moments where I became emotional.

    The okay: Combat was more than a little frustrating. While it was pretty to look at, ultimately it became an exercise in mashing the square button. Team members do not accrue AP fast enough to be useful in battle, requiring you to constantly switch from team member to team member. Most combat boils down to firing a spell which targets the enemy's weakness then mashing square once they are "staggered". Unfortunately on bosses, you would often stagger just as the boss entered the next phase, thus negating your stagger. There were also other annoyances such as getting interrupted when trying to cast a spell which happened much too frequently.

    The bad: Looking back at the game, there's no doubt there was filler content or "padding". I can count 6 of the 18 chapters that felt like unneeded, stretched out padding levels, that's 1/3 of the game. Even the content that's not "padding" is presented in the same linear style as Final Fantasy 13. Nowhere is the padding more evident than the side-quests which are the lowest-effort side quests I've ever seen in a game. You are tasked with killing rats or finding cats. If you think the quests will get more complex, you are mistaken.

    There's been much discussion of the textures in this game. I must admit as a PC gamer who bought a PS4 just to play this game, I was taken aback at the texture quality throughout the game. I just chalked it up to it being a console game and felt that this is what console gamers had to deal with. However, some of the textures are downright awful and oddly enough are used as set-pieces in certain chapters. You will often see texture pop-in and just overall, some low quality textures throughout the game. To me, this was easiest to ignore as I felt that this could be corrected when the game came to PC.

    If I was going to nitpick I'd say that the NPCs felt out of place, certainly they did not have the look of slum dwellers. I've seen this done much better in other games that even came out of Japan (Yakuza for example).

    The ugly: The ending. The most coherent explanation was that the ending was metaphorically defeating the real life purists who wanted to see FF7 remastered faithfully. It seems that square-enix have given themselves a green light to make broad changes to the game. A bold move when you're selling an episodic game. I can't say that I will pick up part 2 and I was damn excited for part 2, I thought that would be the meat of the game. Now, much like Star Wars, I guess the new Final Fantasy 7 was made for new fans, not us original fans. I'll take a wait-and-see approach, pre-ordering part 2 is laughably out of the picture now.

    This was a wake-up call for me. It caused me to give a hard look to the final fantasy series and made me realize that even though I played 7, 8, 9, and 10, the only one that actually stuck with me was Final Fantasy 7. it almost looks like it was an accident now, an anomaly in the JRPG world. Well no longer, now it gets to join the rest of the JRPGs with it's own nonsensical plot.    … Expand
  43. Sebsta696
    Apr 18, 2020
    5
    Battle system is lacking, battles don't feel satisfying due to hybrid system that isn't as nice as the original, lack of grinding, story changes are shoehorned and feel like Kingdom Hearts. The cutscenes and production values feel too overdone, gameplay suffers. The linearity of the original is exacerbated by extremely lengthy and boring hallways and corridors.
  44. Nickolia
    May 2, 2020
    10
    Many of us fans from the previous game have been in anticipation of a FF7 Remake for over a decade now, with it seriously being hinted at since mid/early 2010s. Many were hoping for a fresh coat of paint and some voice acting, but this does much more than that to the benefit of old and new players. One of the things we loved most in FF7 were the characters and this does an exceptional jobMany of us fans from the previous game have been in anticipation of a FF7 Remake for over a decade now, with it seriously being hinted at since mid/early 2010s. Many were hoping for a fresh coat of paint and some voice acting, but this does much more than that to the benefit of old and new players. One of the things we loved most in FF7 were the characters and this does an exceptional job in this aspect. Music is amazing. All of the small details were excellently carried out in this game.

    Some small gripes that I've seen and experienced were resolution quality of textures loading, especially in sector 7 and 5. I've read that this might be a reoccurring problem of the Unreal engine, but am not sure, and would love to see that patched. Running through towns and having NPC dialog spammed at you. I love this detail as it helps to build up the world, but it could be tweeked. Some areas are also more about taking in information about the world and looking around and there is not much to do. The level designs are not all that interesting or complex as far as the dungeons and fairly linear paths between towns, but this wasn't too much of a detractor for me because of the good dialog and character development during these segments.

    And then there is the ending, which has been divisive to say the least. Most of the very negative ratings seem to be about the "Kingdom Hearts" ending. I had the same thoughts when I first finished this game as well; "That ending was a big middle finger to the fans" and "They added the ghosts to say we are doing whatever they want now". BUT, as I keep going through theories online, I think it is starting to make sense.

    If you have finished FF7 R and absolutely hated the ending, go to youtube and search for "spoiler mode FF7 Remake" by Easy Allies. It was enlightening. I am now highly anticipating where this is going and do not think we are going down Kingdom Hearts territory.    … Expand
  45. 245218899
    Apr 20, 2020
    10
    Started the game with low expectations and without watching any trailers and it blew my mind. What the game does best is world building and atmosphere.Combine that to its deep combat, a fantastic soundtrack and few story surprises to make this game a must buy.
  46. EpsilonEagle
    Apr 26, 2020
    10
    Super graphic, super osd, great characters and great story. Maybe it's the best remake ever of a masterpiece. Immortal, now we can't wait for the sequels.
  47. Oneofthemisme
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    This game is everything that I loved about the original but it expands it in many ways. It is a beautiful game and I absolutely cannot recommend it enough. Buy it now.
  48. Akumako
    Apr 23, 2020
    10
    Despite people hating of this game, most of the time for dumb reasons and sometimes with fair criticism, this is a love letter to FF7 fans. Practically everything in this game is amazing. The music, character development, story, graphics (except some textures) and incredible gameplay (despite the camera being a bit weird sometimes). A must-have that will undoubtedly become a legendary rpg,Despite people hating of this game, most of the time for dumb reasons and sometimes with fair criticism, this is a love letter to FF7 fans. Practically everything in this game is amazing. The music, character development, story, graphics (except some textures) and incredible gameplay (despite the camera being a bit weird sometimes). A must-have that will undoubtedly become a legendary rpg, just like the OG.… Expand
  49. THEGAME1380
    Apr 11, 2020
    10
    A Fantastic remake of the ffvii . A game i have many memories with . Good graphic and gameplay is also included . Waiting for the part 2
  50. Victor2049
    May 2, 2020
    9
    Really engaging story; starts off shallow but moves on really well. Graphics are top notch, one of the best of this generation. Dialogue and voice acting is great 95% of the time. Combat is so damn fun and addictive. Boss fights are the best in a video game. I had issues with pacing, some filler and useless side quests. I also didn’t like that you have to stand directly in front of aReally engaging story; starts off shallow but moves on really well. Graphics are top notch, one of the best of this generation. Dialogue and voice acting is great 95% of the time. Combat is so damn fun and addictive. Boss fights are the best in a video game. I had issues with pacing, some filler and useless side quests. I also didn’t like that you have to stand directly in front of a terminal to activate it. And i hate the frequent delay between gameplay and cutscene. All in all fantastic game 8.9/10… Expand
  51. mehdi_m9
    Apr 11, 2020
    10
    Exceptionnelle surprise malgré le puissant challenge la réalisation reste fidèle à la légende avec une adaptation fidèle et inventive!!!
  52. hfc419
    Apr 12, 2020
    10
    All I have to say is the first couple hours were very captivating and amazing...it’s hard to explain the feeling...you feel connected to the classic but it also feels like a new final fantasy game that you are playing.
  53. SpiritBoOy
    Apr 12, 2020
    10
    The developers were right when they said that we would not be disappointed and that this game goes beyond their expectations and ours too. And boy were they right, fan or no fan everyone needs to experience this game at least once, this is one of those games you must play before you die. Final Fantasy VII Remake is by far one of the greatest games i have ever played in my entire life andThe developers were right when they said that we would not be disappointed and that this game goes beyond their expectations and ours too. And boy were they right, fan or no fan everyone needs to experience this game at least once, this is one of those games you must play before you die. Final Fantasy VII Remake is by far one of the greatest games i have ever played in my entire life and believe me i have played a lot of amazing games, Square Enix have really set the bar high here not only for this game but for JRPGs in general, from the music to the combat to the story and characters, this game will have you gasping, smiling, laughing, crying and more. Believe me when i say that this is a game that people will be talking about for generations to come. If i had to sum it up in one word that word would quite simply be "Phenomenal".… Expand
  54. Xeno_zegzaag
    Apr 12, 2020
    10
    This game is perfect in my book for a final fantasy fan especially FFVII , the gameplay perfect the story is great the characters are lovable and Midgar never felt more alive ! . My only issue is the phasing of the game is a bit boring to much fighting nonetheless it's a perfect remake and a dream came true
  55. JustJC
    Apr 12, 2020
    9
    I want to start this review by expressing my deepest sympathies to those who have written justifiable negative reviews about this game. I'm sorry if you feel like this game didn't live up to your expectations or made choices (whether it be with the story, combat, or character development) that ruined you experience. Hopefully SE takes your criticisms and uses them to improve the nextI want to start this review by expressing my deepest sympathies to those who have written justifiable negative reviews about this game. I'm sorry if you feel like this game didn't live up to your expectations or made choices (whether it be with the story, combat, or character development) that ruined you experience. Hopefully SE takes your criticisms and uses them to improve the next chapter of this title. For me thought I had an incredible time from the word go. Are there flaws? Yes, but some of the greatest games of all time have bugs or minor issues.
    Story: Personally I had a great time with the story. I enjoyed how it kept many of the core elements while hitting you with curve ball here and there. I understand that many people are not fans of the game ending right when you leave Midgar, but I did appreciate getting to know some of the side characters more than I did in the previous game. 8.5-10
    Graphics: Have you ever read a book and while you read how they described a location you envisioned it in your mind. That's how I felt while seeing certain sights and locations in this game. Yes we saw them before in the first game, but there was a realism and life breathed into them that made them feel like they could be real. Yes there are some texture issues, but it would be wrong for me to bring the score down because of the rare amount of times this happened 10/10
    Music: Immersive and brought back feelings of nostalgia. I won't spoil it but the way they introduce the battle theme is manufique. 10/10
    Unfortunately I need to end this review with a rant. One of the biggest gripes I have is not even about the game but with the fan base. I get that it's final fantasy 7, but there's a "BIG!!!" reason why the first trailer back in 2015 showed the word "remake". I get that many of you wanted it to be the same, but don't blame SE for making tweaks to the story when they let you know way in advance that there may be some story changes. If you hated the changes that's a discussion for another time, but don't mark this game down because they were apparently "lying". That would be like review bombing games like "The last of us:Remastered" and "Call of duty modern warfare Remastered" for changing the story when it's clearly just an upgrade of the previous game. And let's face it, if they did keep it the exact same, there would still be tons of people whining saying this game is a cash grab attempting to trigger people's nostalgia and not doing anything to improve it. Just my opinion (Rant over)    … Expand
  56. MidoriTringo
    Apr 12, 2020
    9
    The journey was amazing, made me feel nostalgic but also added something new to enjoy for original player like me. The characters development were marveolous. I really enjoy it. But, the ending was quite dissapointing tbh. Overall, it's still a very very good game. Excited to see the next part
  57. vawaz
    Apr 12, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I haven’t felt this joy, awe, and excitement in a game since 2006 when I played Kingdom Hearts 2. When I reached chapter 3 of this game, I knew I didn’t want it to end because of how perfected it is and wished it would last forever. A nice surprise to an awful time. Stuck at home with nothing to do except play an amazing video game brought me back to my childhood. Thank you to whoever made this game, I’m wishing you won’t take long for your next visit, and hopefully it will be on much happier times than this. Thank you again for this amazing game. Though I wished I could’ve had my pizza date though.… Expand
  58. Bladex15
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. un juego fantastico y muy bien cuidado, respecto a su final al principio creo que estaba decepcionado porque me sentia niño de nuevo y el pensar que posiblemente las proximas entregas no serian tan fiel me "molesto" pero luego de procesarlo no es para nada un mal final y plantea algo nuevo o tal vez sea lo mismo que en esta parte fiel con algunos cambios sea cual sea tengo hype por ambas y ver que nos trae la proxima entrega.… Expand
  59. Kushncookie2020
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    Amazing game square finally got ff back on track. Gameplay is great I wasn't sure if I would be a fan of the new battle system but it works well.
  60. NeoTokyo
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    สุดยอดเกมในดวงใจ
    หลงรักเกม FF7R มากมาย
    ความทรงจำเดิมกลับมาเต็ม ๆ และได้สิ่งใหม่ ๆ มาเต็ม ๆ เหมือนกัน
  61. Regis0
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    Absolutely incredible remake. Apart from a few texture issues, and one reused area for a bit of filler (sewers) this game is truly remarkable. The OST in paticular stands out, and may be perhaps the best ost for a video game I have heard. Truly epic, emotional and diverse, just great stuff. The battles system Is great and the boss battles in paticular are just hype to the max, with someAbsolutely incredible remake. Apart from a few texture issues, and one reused area for a bit of filler (sewers) this game is truly remarkable. The OST in paticular stands out, and may be perhaps the best ost for a video game I have heard. Truly epic, emotional and diverse, just great stuff. The battles system Is great and the boss battles in paticular are just hype to the max, with some great challenge. The character development on display here really enhances the story in ways the original couldnt due to constraints.
    Very excited for the next part.    … Expand
  62. Killieboy1973
    Apr 23, 2020
    10
    No spoilers here. This remake, such wow, so true to the original and so beautifully crafted for today. Cannot wait to insert disc 2.
  63. SLecky
    Apr 26, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Everything I wanted it to be and more. Love the character development and all additions... Can’t wait to see what’s next *2 thumbs up*. Only negative is wanting it not to end. Just hope part 2 doesn’t add to confusion. But has clean clear understood dialogues that build on what was set… Expand
  64. mathios
    Apr 10, 2020
    5
    I will start by saying that the game looks amazing(most of the time) and that the battle system is fun and addicting. I loved seeing all these characters realized in modern graphics and seeing them interact with some newly added dialogue. With this said... this is not a "remake" and people understanding the plot should see that once they have completed the game. The story turns into aI will start by saying that the game looks amazing(most of the time) and that the battle system is fun and addicting. I loved seeing all these characters realized in modern graphics and seeing them interact with some newly added dialogue. With this said... this is not a "remake" and people understanding the plot should see that once they have completed the game. The story turns into a total mess the last third of the game and introduces some very ridiculous scenes and concepts that further strongly implies that this game is not a remake. I can only liken it to the ridiculousness of the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

    The game is also extremely padded with parts/dungeons being too drawn out which also impacts the games overall pacing. The side quests are nothing to write home about and are also very few. Lastly, the game is a little too linear for my taste. I never expected it to be open-world but I also didn't expect it to play like this considering this game only takes plays in the Midgar portion of the original.    … Expand
  65. Darkiboo
    Apr 15, 2020
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. With how often promotional material for Final Fantasy VII Remake advertised a "faithful" remake, after completing this game, you'd question how these people would function in a romantic relationship. Perhaps to them, being faithful is only cheating on their partner once a week. Let that metaphor sink in for the following review: This Is Not Final Fantasy VII Anymore.

    Here is a list of 'absolute' story changes this "Remake" deploys on its player base:

    1) Wedge and Biggs survive the fall of the Sector 7 plate, removing Barret's raison d'être for his fueled hatred against Shinra. So much emotional weight was put into these connections for it to be satisfyingly sad when they perish. Except permanent death is not a thing nowadays. It is now a sin to have an audience experience negative emotions that capture the tapestry of life.

    2) Sephiroth is not an unknown presence to be feared and learned about. He is immediately recognized as a threat to every single person who witnesses him--and everyone witnesses him because he appears multiple times throughout the game, including as the final boss. This final encounter copies the cinematography and choreography of Cloud's battle at the end of FF7: Advent Children. Sephiroth envelops Midgar in shadow; Cloud and him face-off 1v1; Sephiroth tells Cloud he'll exist forever after being defeated. Previous ideas are recycled to pad nostalgia further in this climax.

    3) The overall story now closely resembles Kingdom Hearts. The epicenter of divergence from the original story happens in a place called "Destiny's Crossroads" (like Destiny Island from Kingdom Hearts). Here, you'll encounter a massive fiend the same shape as a Darkside Heartless. This fiend is attached to three new Time/Space entities that give visions to EXACT FOOTAGE from the END of FF7 and FF7: Advent Children (such as Meteor hitting the planet, Red XIII and his children, Aerith dying, and the final battle against Sephiroth). This story now involves multiple timelines and time travel I guess.

    4) Speaking of timelines, Zack appears and he's alive and well, watching you defeat Sephiroth. It is unknown if every game after the original FF7 will become moot after this Remake is complete.

    5) After defeating Sephiroth, Cloud already has a feeling that the Sephiroth wasn't real and needs to find the real one. There is little reference to Jenova in this entire game, and the concept of "Reunion" seems like common knowledge, so it is impossible how these characters come to such a comfortable conclusion of hating Sephiroth, believing he was a fake, and thinking he'll destroy the planet. Aerith even goes so far as to say to Sephiroth, "Everything about you is wrong." Remember, Aerith has never met Sephiroth before. You'll often find this dichotomy of writing that has the characters fully aware of the game's expanded lore and then sometimes not at all.

    6) Sephiroth transports Cloud to a distant planet for a short duel. He wins, but says that Cloud has 7 seconds to make a change. If you count to 7, nothing happens by the end of it... Afterwards, Cloud somehow returns to Midgar and his party is ready to track down and destroy Sephiroth. None of this makes sense.

    7) The earliest change players will encounter are called "Whispers". These mysterious, hooded ghosts appear during divergences from the original game. It quickly becomes apparent that these ghosts sometimes impede your progress to sustain the original FF7's plot, and then sometimes intervene to change it. They ensure you can't save Jessie, because she's supposed to die, but they are involved in the final battle against Sephiroth that is felt by every citizen of Midgar. Also, these Whispers are seen by Aerith immediately, and then eventually everyone else in the gang, including Rufus Shinra, but not by any of the Turks for some reason. These things exist solely to be theorized about by Youtubers to prolong the exposure of FF7R.

    Conclusion:

    This game's combat and materia system is complex and beautifully designed. The music is astounding and very fitting, except for a new arrangement of One Winged Angel that sounds flat. These components are the sole reason to play the game. New characters like Roche fit well into Midgar, but new story scenes create a lack of urgency that get annoying. And the main plot is now the epitome of everything wrong in modern storytelling. Content is obtuse, actions are convenient, characters never speak their mind which lead to cliche story problems, and the more mystery for people to talk about the better. Final Fantasy VII Remake is well-worth renting, or buying used for ~$30. The story experience and concluding frustration and confusion is not worth full price. I will not support the future games that draw on the same tropes and rehashing of ideas that exist in parallel franchises. Depending on your taste in storytelling, buyer integrity, and disposable income, you will make a choice appropriate to your life.    … Expand
  66. Kakashi2
    Apr 14, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Here is my list of letdowns:

    The action RPG elements ruins some of the settings. Instead of making interesting looking places, the game has to create these open battle fields due to the combat system.

    Some of my favorite scenes were cut or significantly altered. Climbing up the wall in wall market to the upper plate was changed heavily (the tone wasn't as dark and this section was essentially changed to a generic combat level). The graffiti was toned down and it just had a very different feel.

    You can't play as Red XIII, he is included in the game and plays along side you but you have no control over him. This is a major letdown, because he was my favorite side character of the original. If the game wasn't cut into sections, Red XIII would be a playable character. Since he is acquired so close to the end of the game, I think the developers just wanted to postpone adding his weapons, abilities, and game-play.

    The music at times was a letdown, this I didn't anticipate. The original FF7 has arguably the best video game soundtrack of all time. The remixes in this just had a different tone (some generic electronic music for example was added). I miss the soft piano and the ominous melodies.

    The padding. Often this game throws overly long battles and battle segments that really slow down the experience.

    Certain characters who originally died survived. I think this minimizes the bleak tone of the original.

    The Shinra Sephiroth sequence was changed heavily. My absolute favorite Migard part of the original was when you follow Sephiroth's trail of blood. It was scary, made Sephiroth feel like a formidably villain. This was changed to a trail of mako gloop. This just ruined the tone of the best Migard section IMO.    … Expand
  67. guiletheguiles
    Apr 16, 2020
    8
    buckle up, this will be very long and emotional.
    First things first: FF7 is my favorite game of all time. The original, to me, is not only the ultimate masterpiece in gaming, but also something that shaped my entire life. With that said, let's go.
    This game is beautiful. Everything in it makes me want to cry! Every detail, sound effect and animation. A lot of heart was put into this    buckle up, this will be very long and emotional.
    First things first: FF7 is my favorite game of all time. The original, to me, is not only the ultimate masterpiece in gaming, but also something that shaped my entire life. With that said, let's go.

    This game is beautiful. Everything in it makes me want to cry! Every detail, sound effect and animation. A lot of heart was put into this project and it shows.
    I absolutely loved the soundtrack. It's a mix between FF7's OST and FFXIII's "modern vibe". It works just fine with the Remake. Every little (and huge) sound in this game is perfect. It oozes high budget.
    The combat is also great. It's not perfect, but it's the natural and positive evolution of FFXV's. It's challenging and rewarding. Pulling off a good ATB combo makes you feel like a badass. The stagger system can make things hard, but once you figure out what to do, it's fine. Overall, this is the best hybrid I can think of between the Classic TBC and the modern one.
    The best parts in this game happens when it follows the original. New additions are great, but nothing beats the story when it gets down to business. Everything was incredibly reimagined and it made me tear up more times than it should. Also, thank god for the mini-games!

    But the game fails sometimes. If in one side, things are beautiful, on the other, things can get ugly.
    There is padding everywhere. Unnecessary filler is spread throughout the whole game. This game could easily go past Midgar, if the devs wanted. And I'm not talking about the sidequests. The quests are super nice! I'm reffering to story bits and gameplay pieces that just feel out of place. Many things feel out of place in this game. Which leads me to my biggest disappointment: They changed the ending.
    I won't spoil things, but basically, Square paved the way to **** with the original story. They might change everything after what they did by the end of the final chapter. Honestly, it breaks my heart. Things just got very convoluted and nonsensical. I was not expecting the EXACT same thing, but I DEFINITELY wasn't expecting whatever happened in the conclusion. I guess I hoped for an upgrade in an already superb story, but what I got was only 70% of that... Maybe I wouldn't feel this way if this was the FULL remake experience.

    In the end, this is an incredible remake. Every Final Fantasy fan should play. Actually, every RPG fan should play it! What it does right, it accomplishes wonders. But what it does wrong... Well, here's to hoping that the second part comes soon and fixes the story for the best, because on the gameplay area, the nailed it.    … Expand
  68. KagerouShinobi
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    An expanded reimagining of the events of the original game. However be warned, this is a "reimagining" kind of Remake. Which means things are not 100% like in the original game. Regardless, it's practically perfect.
  69. j03
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    All of the 0 reviews are from the people who are purists who want a one to one remake of the original or people who do not understand the story and refuse to understand it. It is a fantastic game and it tells its own stand out story and everyone should buy it. Its a must own game
  70. Agatio
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    Perfect remake part 1 of my all time favorite game. This AAA style fits it well. Best part is of course Tifa :3
  71. mikehook1
    Apr 15, 2020
    10
    Fantastic! This game makes me smile! This game makes me cry. Cry so hard. It's all work so well.
  72. FJesus31
    Apr 10, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It was really worth waiting so long, I admit that the ending is controversial, but that does not affect the whole experience.… Expand
  73. TheMathKing
    Apr 20, 2020
    5
    This game steals failure from the jaws of success. All but the last hour of the game is an absolutely mindblowing recreation of the first bit of the original FF7.

    Story: (3/10) ========== The recreation is far superior in nearly every way, which is frustrating as the alterations at the end and throughout the story are childish, idiotic, nonsensical and ruins work they achieved here.    This game steals failure from the jaws of success. All but the last hour of the game is an absolutely mindblowing recreation of the first bit of the original FF7.

    Story: (3/10)
    ==========
    The recreation is far superior in nearly every way, which is frustrating as the alterations at the end and throughout the story are childish, idiotic, nonsensical and ruins work they achieved here. These alterations are no different than teenage fan-fiction, taking what was cool about the original story and perverting it with childish concepts that miss the whole point of the original plot.

    If you thought final fantasy has been in a decline since the days of old, they've brought that stale decline to the classics as well. For new players, the new stuff will make absolutely no sense to you as they bring up plot points that you'd only understand if you played the original game.

    The new story line elements spoil or ruin nearly every major story element in the original game. All possibility of including, in a later sequel, what made Final Fantasy 7 a great story has been effectively eliminated by the cheap, non-sensical and childish alterations the writers of this game included. This is a shame as they did a perfect remake of the midgar part and it would have been amazing to see them recreate the parts that actually made FF7 great.

    I had lost confidence in squaresoft's ability to produce good content a while ago, and this just confirms what I already knew about the writers at this company. If only they stuck to the original plot instead of fumbling their way through making a new plot.

    Game Mechanics (10/10)
    =====================

    The battle system is astronomically good. They managed to perfect the combat system that started with final fantasy 1 with modernizations from the modern era. Their past attempts (FF15, FF13) have been sloppy in comparison to the strategic ATB of the days of old, but this includes the best of high action combat and strategic RPG mechanics.

    My only gripe about the system is that you cannot fully explore it with access to the limited materia included in this game. Another issue is that there are some quality of life improvements needed, like the range of attacks being displayed on the battlefield, or materia swapping between characters.

    Quests (4/10)
    ===========
    With games like the Witcher 3 or Skyrim, RPG quests have come a long way from the old days; yet Final Fantasy is still stuck in the past. You literally have a "find all the X" quest appear a few times, and the rest are just "kill or fetch" quests. They have little story to them what-so-ever. Luckily the main story quests are stunning and have nice, albeit linear dungeons to explore. This is a linear part of the game, so the linearity is acceptable.

    One major gripe I have over the side quests is that they reuse many of the dungeons multiple times.

    Acting (10/10)
    ============
    The acting is absolutely amazing. It's on the level of being on par with full feature film. The character models portray emotions and there isn't a single main character that falls behind in this regard.

    GraphicsArt Style (10/10)
    ======================
    The game is stunning, and the design of the world is something unique. The amount of detail put into the world is amazing, and the graphics engine is used to the fullest of it's potential to show that detail to you. The combat is so cinematic you feel like you're watching an action movie as you play.

    Music (10/10)
    ===========
    Not only do they remake the entire original music score, they expertly place these scores, and many variations of them, at perfect places in the game. It sounds like going to an opera, and honestly is so overwhelmingly epic that my heart was racing the entire time. The don't over-do any of the themes either so they are always fresh. It's perfect.

    Overall Feel (5/10)
    ================
    I feel like this was a perfect 10/10 masterpiece of a game that had some aberrant and immature child come in, with authority, and mar it with new and terrible story elements. It is like being fed a perfect meal from a 3 Michelin star restaurant but finding something tastes a bit off. As you eat and enjoy your meal the taste gets worse and worse till you find out there is a dead rat at the bottom of your dish. Yes, it was mostly great, but you can't get over that dead rat, which is a representation of the poor storyline elements and the boring quests.    … Expand
  74. Loffs
    Apr 11, 2020
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I like this game. At times I love it, but unfortunately at other times I hate the monumental story changes that I wish somebody spoiled it early so I could've cancelled my preorder. Just because Sephiroth is a fan favourite doesn't mean you can squeeze him into every cutscene, make him the final boss AND give him time travel powers to justify him appearing so early. How will the actual ending even work now that we've already fought him and sliced buildings like it's Advent Children? Square Enix changed up the story just for an "epic" fanfiction fight, and it will cheapen any use of Sephiroth later.

    I might be in the minority here but I really don't like how anime this is. All the gasps, grunts, moans and exaggerated animations outside main stort cutscenes is super awkward. I thought after FF15 they understood that. I know it's a Japanese production but you don't see Capcom doing this in their games. I don't need an "ugh-huh" every time a character makes a movement.

    I hate comparing everything with the Witcher 3, but that game set a standard for how sidequests can be immersive and fun. It also set a standard for detailed and well crafted NPCs, while in FF7R at one point I saw the same low resolution person copypasted three times in the same frame. The sidequests are literally World of Warcraft "Go over there and kill 10 rats" level of originality. It's not even an open world game! What were they even doing all those years when developing this?

    Positives: Love the gameplay, the music and the atmosphere of Midgar. When the game sticks with the core of the story, it's incredible. It's got tons of potential. Again, I do like this game. But I really wanted to love it and introduce my friends to it who never got into the original. With all the story changes I can't do that, and it's frustrating. A remake shouldn't require beforehand knowledge of the game. It's disappointing.    … Expand
  75. TCGoudy
    Apr 11, 2020
    2
    Its technically a game, but this version is way too linear and anytime you try to explore youre halted with invisible walls, but later within the same chapter if you choose to explore then or backtrack youre not halted. Side missions are not naturally rewarded when talking to random people, everything has a guidance point so you pretty much are spoon fed the way. Also way too many loadIts technically a game, but this version is way too linear and anytime you try to explore youre halted with invisible walls, but later within the same chapter if you choose to explore then or backtrack youre not halted. Side missions are not naturally rewarded when talking to random people, everything has a guidance point so you pretty much are spoon fed the way. Also way too many load transitions and time wasting mini-games that arent fun (i.e. "crane game").

    Flip side, the battle system is for the most part great, however its annoying that im forced to start with cloud every time when i would rather start with aerith or tifa for a while instead of transitioning in battle. plus you have to wait to build atb to even view a characters spell list in combat when you may not remember which character has what spell or ability, thats more poor design choices i dont agree with, like wise healing outside of battle is a chore now because you have to keep menu hoping even with the 'remember cursor' option enabled.

    im halfway through the story and TLDR: repetitive battles, poor design/ level management choices, feels like youre checking boxes instead of playing an RPG, and lack of exploration. Battle system is alright once you get the hang of it, and i appreciated some of the 'foundational' story line they implemented such as backgrounds of other avalanche members , etc.    … Expand
  76. Parag0N
    Apr 21, 2020
    10
    One of the absolute best JRPG’s I’ve ever played. Love, love, LOVE this game! One of the best Square games in years. They did the impossible in remaking this classic in satisfying the old schoolers and the new generation in every aspect. They only thing I can say is they goofy Japanese script is a little strange sometimes but well acted and combat is a blast. Voice acting is great and theOne of the absolute best JRPG’s I’ve ever played. Love, love, LOVE this game! One of the best Square games in years. They did the impossible in remaking this classic in satisfying the old schoolers and the new generation in every aspect. They only thing I can say is they goofy Japanese script is a little strange sometimes but well acted and combat is a blast. Voice acting is great and the graphics are incredible. Buy this one!… Expand
  77. duffz
    Apr 24, 2020
    1
    ‪70 euros for maybe a fifth of the original game (and no... about 30 hours playtime is not a full final fantasy game). And then it is not even clearly communicated when the next part will appear. Sorry, but this is a rip off and not what this classic deserves.
  78. HappyHermyHype
    Apr 12, 2020
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not really great... Less than 1/3 of the original for full price and stretched with boring quests... only good things are the new battle system and the graphics… Expand
  79. tec
    Apr 15, 2020
    4
    A clearly style>substance / visuals>gameplay case.
    I looks gorgeous but behind the facade you see a very simple, straightforward and not subtle at all exposition of the first 4-6 hours of the original FF7 stretched into 30-50 hours boring running down hallways, looking at menus and watching another cutscene.
    Granted, the fights are entertaining for the most time but not very challenging    A clearly style>substance / visuals>gameplay case.
    I looks gorgeous but behind the facade you see a very simple, straightforward and not subtle at all exposition of the first 4-6 hours of the original FF7 stretched into 30-50 hours boring running down hallways, looking at menus and watching another cutscene.
    Granted, the fights are entertaining for the most time but not very challenging at all or simple try and error if you don´t analyze your enemies. Also being interrupted every Bossfight because he needs to show you either his next stage or a new move, is very offputting.
    Minigames are very spare and mostly very basic like push buttons in correct order, or push buttons quickly in correct order, or push the goddamn triangle, rarely hold triangle.
    Dungeons are just hallways with more monsters on your way, each time with a big one waiting for you at the end. Materia boils down to a simple system where you equip the one you like, and with each won battle, AP will be added to level up your materia after a dozen fights. Multiplying Materia trough mastering is gone. When the game picks up in action, it´s almost over again.

    Very dissapointing, if you waited over a decade in hope to see a decent game out of this remake, and you get a kingdom hearts on rails copy in the ff7 universe but only the beginning which is the atrocious part of the original game. Too bad because if they expanded it to the whole world, it could be epic but it´s just another JRPG which is to scared of jumping over his shadow.

    TL;DR: Simple style over substance with nothing breathtaking or groundshacking.    … Expand
  80. Takfloyd
    May 1, 2020
    9
    A great re-imagining of a classic, which captures the feel of the original - especially its memorable characters - while revolutionizing the combat gameplay and expanding on the story. It's a success in nearly every way, with the only flaws being occasional content padding and a couple of questionable story decisions where it feels like the writers are afraid to go all in on certain tragicA great re-imagining of a classic, which captures the feel of the original - especially its memorable characters - while revolutionizing the combat gameplay and expanding on the story. It's a success in nearly every way, with the only flaws being occasional content padding and a couple of questionable story decisions where it feels like the writers are afraid to go all in on certain tragic or intense moments. Let's hope Part 2 is just as good, maybe even better!… Expand
  81. azules88
    Apr 19, 2020
    10
    I found the video game amazing. Graphics, sound and soundtrack of 10. The story with lots of emotion and the best Final Fantasy combat system.
  82. Lifthrasil
    Apr 30, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This will contain some spoilers. I have platinumed the game, and I had a blast doing so. It is so lovingly recreated. The linear original story fit this very well and the combat was great.

    I loved that they included things like the dress for Cloud and even made it possible to have different dresses depending on previous choices. They also had a homage to something so silly as the house as an enemy.

    There are however two things that keep it from being a 10/10 for me (it's still Game of the Year so far):

    - Chapter 17: Too long, too many bosses and a big part is kind of boring
    - Bosscutscenes that break your limit break. You should get your limit break back or mostly back

    These are the only two things that I can criticize on the game. Other than that I love the game and I can't wait to more of the story, although I probably have to wait a few more years for it    … Expand
  83. RIELTURO
    Apr 14, 2020
    7
    To begin I'm huge fan of the original Final Fantasy 7 release in 1997. The remake starts amazing well but soon after the first reactor mission you will soon see new additions added to the story that might pick your interest for better or worse.

    The graphics are amazing on the main mission is amazing however for the side stories you may experience some texture popping or even notice    To begin I'm huge fan of the original Final Fantasy 7 release in 1997. The remake starts amazing well but soon after the first reactor mission you will soon see new additions added to the story that might pick your interest for better or worse.

    The graphics are amazing on the main mission is amazing however for the side stories you may experience some texture popping or even notice some MPC lack details compare to the main characters. Some areas don't have any texture to them and feel like a PS3 game.

    The new orchestrated soundtrack is amazing and brings the old songs back to life and feels so much better. Listening to them again is such a joy.

    The new gameplay is a lot of fun and does improve the action RPG implemented in FF15 for the better however I did experience by the end of the game camera issue, where I had to dodge a boss attacks trying to adjust the camera in a good angle.

    For newcomers, I can recommend the game I had a lot of fun with it until the end. Unfortunately, some part feels really repetitive and ashore which killed the momentum of the story moment. For returning players, some story changes might be for the worse. I didn't like the change of direction they took by the end of the game and left me with mixed feelings about the sequel.    … Expand
  84. Galar
    Apr 11, 2020
    9
    Sin duda uno de los mejores juegos del catálogo de PS4, técnicamente poco se le puede reprochar , es casi todo perfecto , iluminación modelado de personajes principales y secundarios (algo peor los NPC) si que es cierto que las texturas son muy mejorables, pero algo para mi secundario .
    La banda sonora es de 10 , reorquestada del original . La narrativa cambia respecto a otros juegos más    Sin duda uno de los mejores juegos del catálogo de PS4, técnicamente poco se le puede reprochar , es casi todo perfecto , iluminación modelado de personajes principales y secundarios (algo peor los NPC) si que es cierto que las texturas son muy mejorables, pero algo para mi secundario .
    La banda sonora es de 10 , reorquestada del original . La narrativa cambia respecto a otros juegos más actuales de la saga, y se acerca más a los estilos de FFX y XIIIestilo FFX . Combate muy dinámico pero que a su vez pausamos para seleccionar la acción requerida en cada momento, a día de hoy y bajo mi punto de vista es el mejor sistema de combate para este género, y que deberían acoplar otros títulos, incluídos occidentales, ojalá un The Witcher 4 así .
    El uso de misiones secundarias para el leveleo de los personajes , la evolución de personajes y la personalización de armas también me ha gustado .

    Como digo, uno de los mejores juegos de la generación y sin duda del catálogo de PS4.

    Mi nota : 9,5/10    … Expand
  85. Arshen
    Apr 11, 2020
    7
    Historia diferente, parecida pero diferente.

    Juego pasillero y texturas de una generación anterior. Gana mucho por su componente nostálgico y para los que siempre hemos soñado con volver a jugar con Cloud y compañía con gráficos actualizados, pero a las horas te das cuenta que es una mezcla entre Crisis core, Advent children, y elementos nostálgicos del original. Incluso en algunos    Historia diferente, parecida pero diferente.

    Juego pasillero y texturas de una generación anterior.

    Gana mucho por su componente nostálgico y para los que siempre hemos soñado con volver a jugar con Cloud y compañía con gráficos actualizados, pero a las horas te das cuenta que es una mezcla entre Crisis core, Advent children, y elementos nostálgicos del original. Incluso en algunos momentos recuerda demasiado a FFXIII y sus niveles pasilleros y música electrónica oriental que nada tenían que ver con el original.

    Aún así el sistema de combate no está mal y el juego en conjunto es entretenido.    … Expand
  86. darkdreamerx2
    Apr 13, 2020
    10
    This is the first console RPG that I have played through in its entirety in the past 7 years. Let that sink in.

    As a Final Fantasy game, this game is definitely an amazing experience in terms of gameplay and story. I played the original FF7 as a child. It was and remains one of the greatest games of all time. HOWEVER, people who criticize the new game are out of their depth. This game    This is the first console RPG that I have played through in its entirety in the past 7 years. Let that sink in.

    As a Final Fantasy game, this game is definitely an amazing experience in terms of gameplay and story. I played the original FF7 as a child. It was and remains one of the greatest games of all time. HOWEVER, people who criticize the new game are out of their depth. This game brings a new enjoyable experience to market for the franchise. Not only that, as a writer and editor (yes I'm plugging that), the character and plot development are SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL.

    Characters are far more relatable, the relationships are meaningful, and the story arc actually makes sense. I actually CARE when characters die, and I actually UNDERSTAND why everyone is doing what they are doing as part of the plot. Original FF7 had a lot of "fill in the blanks" with imagination. Us original players of the game had to converse over the phone with our friends or chat on message boards to figure out the plot and make up our own reasoning for a lot of the machinations and conflicts occurring in the game. Sure, there is something special about that type of story, however, not for a wider audience of people who have no investment in the franchise.

    Music and graphics are impeccable. The remixes of fave songs from the original are all BOPS for people of any music taste. The graphics are so good that its like watching a movie during gameplay... even better than FFXV.

    The combat system and upgrade system are the best since FFX. They finally perfected the blend between JRPG turn-based and action combat systems. I enjoy the sphere-grid-esque weapon upgrade system. It makes your style of play very customizable.

    I'm so pleased with the game. Is it missing some elements? Yes. But knowing that there is more to come makes it all the sweeter.    … Expand
  87. Koolchubbz
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    A true masterpiece it's got all the original elements but brings more. A fantastic game and look forward to further installments.
  88. Kodes
    Apr 15, 2020
    6
    This is coming from a huge FF and JRPG fan for reference.

    This game is weak. I'm not going to go to far into detail, but I'll give a short list of problems, **no spoilers**  -The maps are super linear and hand holding, there is borderline no exploration in this game.. -They packed this game with fluff and filler. They littered the game with forced slow walking  sections and endless    This is coming from a huge FF and JRPG fan for reference.

    This game is weak. I'm not going to go to far into detail, but I'll give a short list of problems, **no spoilers** 


    -The maps are super linear and hand holding, there is borderline no exploration in this game..


    -They packed this game with fluff and filler. They littered the game with forced slow walking  sections and endless ladders and squeeze spots in a blatant attempt at extending game time. It's painfully noticeable the further you get into the game and look back.


    -Graphics are sporadic, but unbelievably bad from Chapter 10-14. The world looks like a PS2 era game. Shady textures, grainy coloring, even using still backgrounds techniques from Ps1 Era. Characters still look good, but environment and scenery is terrible. 


    -75% of battles don't respawn, it's one and done. With the terribly linear maps, zero exploration and terrible side quest(very few to begin with and only available certain chapters) this makes for a pretty boring experience. Which is a shame considering the combat is one of it's best points. 


    -Midgar was dragged out with absolutely nothing of value added to the FF7 story. They could have went further with the story if they cut out the 50-60% that is filler. It's an obvious attempt at dragging this out across many parts. 


    -What little story with substance they actually provided is already starting to look like its convoluted cousin Kingdom Hearts, this is not a Remake, but a Reboot.


    The combat is good, the Materia system is solid and the VA is well done. They packed the game with Voice Acting and live Animation to try and mask a very poorly made experience. It's obviously a lazy attempt at cashing in on the once great Square, not to be confused with Square Enix, most popular titles and its fanbase.    … Expand
  89. mastermenelag
    May 2, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Personalmente ritengo FF7 Remake il miglior lavoro di Squarenix dai tempi di FF10. Finalmente il sistema di combattimento non è più totalmente automatizzato come negli ultimi capitoli, le battaglie sono impegnative e appaganti, specialmente a difficile. Anche se action, mantiene l’essenza originale sul lato tattico grazie all’integrazione dell’ATB e alla gestione delle materie. Graficamente siamo su alti livelli con qualche sbavatura su alcune textur ma che nel complesso fanno il loro lavoro egregiamente anche grazie ad un design delle ambientazioni artisticamente molto elevato. Splendida colonna sonora originale ammodernata. Longevo e rigiocabile. Nonostante alcune scelte discutibili a un certo punto dell’avventura, si può dire che la trama originale rimane, in questo episodio, in gran parte integra e mantiene tutto il suo fascino. Speriamo non facciano passi falsi sul seguito, per ora hanno fatto un ottimo lavoro.… Expand
  90. jameson95
    Apr 25, 2020
    8
    Despite all of its warts, this is a great game.

    I will admit it though, these tedious side quests are trash. They were very painful, especially the bike **** show. This game shouldn't cost 80 bucks and they shouldn't have put that garbage filler content in. However - I really appreciate that Square re-imagined this game. It's completely ridiculous to think that they wouldn't expand    Despite all of its warts, this is a great game.

    I will admit it though, these tedious side quests are trash. They were very painful, especially the bike **** show. This game shouldn't cost 80 bucks and they shouldn't have put that garbage filler content in.

    However - I really appreciate that Square re-imagined this game. It's completely ridiculous to think that they wouldn't expand upon the plot of the game and just re-make it frame for frame. You need to grow up if that's what you wanted.

    Square has made waaaay too much additional lore that needs to get put in. They have been milking FF7 for years. As someone that only played the original FF7 and never watched or played the spin-off titles, I like that they want to tie it all in.

    Am I going to still be interested in playing the third part in 4 or 5 years if they continue with the sewer rat missions...probably not.

    Will I want to play third part if it has more sci-fi and existential noir? Definitely yes!    … Expand
  91. Dmac1988
    May 4, 2020
    10
    This game is fantastic. Highly recommend. It does the OG game justice by expanding the depth of every character.
  92. Kudurcultist
    Apr 12, 2020
    8
    Game does not offer much of a free roam, something that was extremely important for the original title. Yep, it's almost totally linear. But we have to take into consideration that this episode covers Midgar only, which also in the original did not offer any free roam or little at all.

    My only doubt is if the next episode will be playable as standalone, merge with this one (thus    Game does not offer much of a free roam, something that was extremely important for the original title. Yep, it's almost totally linear. But we have to take into consideration that this episode covers Midgar only, which also in the original did not offer any free roam or little at all.

    My only doubt is if the next episode will be playable as standalone, merge with this one (thus allowing us to travel back to Midgar anytime) or you will be able to carry on by loading a save from the Episode 1.

    But if episodes don't merge, you are limited to the areas of the current episodes, while in the original you could travel anywhere in the world (including Midgar).

    PS4 is also very limited in terms of tech-power and a PC version at 60FPS will be much better next year, or even the PS5 upgrade (will we have to also pay for that one?)

    Let's see how they do it. But the game is worth it. I got the highest digital edition. No regrets.

    Enjoy this wonderful game.    … Expand
  93. PeteyJayJay
    Apr 20, 2020
    10
    I'm a huge fan of the original game and I absolutely loved this, including the 'controversial ending'. I will say that some general knowledge of the original game is required to completely understand the ending but I'm extremely excited to see where the next game takes us.
  94. Amyliano
    Apr 16, 2020
    6
    It is a good game but I don't think it lives up to my expectations. The story and music are what shine the most, but the gameplay is somewhat lacking; that is, there is no wide room for levelling up. In fact, you could forget about levelling up and just smash your way through chapters.
  95. xTh-3-nDx
    Apr 16, 2020
    9
    I'm new to the series so when it comes to the ending i have no clue how it was in the original so i have no problem with it like the old fans of the game.

    I gave it 9/10 becouse the issues with some of the textures don't get me wrong the game graphics are amazing but some building and NPC texture are so low res. I finished it in 35 hours and going through my secound play through the game    I'm new to the series so when it comes to the ending i have no clue how it was in the original so i have no problem with it like the old fans of the game.

    I gave it 9/10 becouse the issues with some of the textures don't get me wrong the game graphics are amazing but some building and NPC texture are so low res.

    I finished it in 35 hours and going through my secound play through the game worth every dollar you pay for it.    … Expand
  96. LifeLongGamer8
    Apr 20, 2020
    10
    A Truly deep combat and progression system (including hidden elements aka trying perfecting blocking in punisher mode hint hint) coupled with a amazing story and even more amazing graphics make this game a easy 10/10. They included a hard mode that functions like new game plus, adding more challenges and giving you an endgame you can grind towards with more collectibles. The only fault isA Truly deep combat and progression system (including hidden elements aka trying perfecting blocking in punisher mode hint hint) coupled with a amazing story and even more amazing graphics make this game a easy 10/10. They included a hard mode that functions like new game plus, adding more challenges and giving you an endgame you can grind towards with more collectibles. The only fault is some of their mini games were a bit cheesy, honestly I loved them all and wish a certain dancing mini game was a much more complex mini game. All in all I strongly recommend this, especially to people who love the FF7 universe, I cant wait to see how they expand on the story… Expand
  97. Fabiohpm
    May 3, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Os personagens são bem desenvolvidos e carismáticos, a jogabilidade é excelente, os combates são dinâmicos e complexos mas nada impossível de aprender, a história se passa toda em Midgar, os árbitros do destino dão a entender que se passa em universo paralelo ao original, o gráfico do jogo é bom, mas faltou polimento e as vezes incômoda, o problema principal aqui é esperar o próximo capítulo da saga, e se continuarem a esticar assim, teremos muitos capítulos de Final Fantasy VII… Expand
  98. Alien678
    Apr 23, 2020
    7
    Don't know what to think about this "REMAKE".
    I played Final Fantasy 7 original on ps back in my childhood day and I wasn't so impressed with it, Final Fantasy 8 I liked much more. But FF7 had her moments where I asked myself "da heck is going" or " WHAT, NO WAY" and Sephiroth ... well, he is awesome. And this remake blows it all away into space, but remake brings some others good    Don't know what to think about this "REMAKE".
    I played Final Fantasy 7 original on ps back in my childhood day and I wasn't so impressed with it, Final Fantasy 8 I liked much more. But FF7 had her moments where I asked myself "da heck is going" or " WHAT, NO WAY" and Sephiroth ... well, he is awesome. And this remake blows it all away into space, but remake brings some others good moments. so 7/10    … Expand
  99. Viesa
    Apr 24, 2020
    10
    FF7 is my favorite game of all time and this remake made me tear up with joy. I just completed my hard mode run and the second run was just as enjoyable as the first. They nailed the gameplay, music, atmosphere and most importantly the characters! I can't wait for the next part!
  100. nariology
    Apr 25, 2020
    9
    very good.

    Good
    ・beautiful movies
    ・characters are unique and very real
    ・battle systems
    and etc...

    Bad
    ・the volume is slightly poor
    ・some bad renovation on the story
    ・low variance(impossible to walk freely around the maps)
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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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