Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a re-release of the Japanese role-playing game Final Fantasy VII from 1997. Fans of the cult JRPG and newcomers unfamiliar with the series can expect an exciting adventure lasting nearly a hundred hours, telling the story of Cloud Strife and the eco-terrorist group Avalanche, who seek to stop the activities of the Shinra mega-corporation.

In an effort to convey the spirit and themes of the original, Square Enix took an unusual step — dividing the reincarnation into several separate, large-scale games released over several years. Remake was the first, followed by Rebirth. Each release differed in conceptual and genre aspects, introducing new elements and ideas, but the gameplay only improved after VII Remake, which featured a completely new combat system.

Given the scale and status of the original in the industry, Square Enix brought significant resources to work on the remake. It was made entirely "from scratch," but with a nod to the original in creating locations and characters, preserving the style and memorable moments, whether they were key or silly. Behind the beautiful appearance of the remake, fans will easily recognize the source material.

In the spirit of the times, Remake is less of a JRPG and more of a single-player narrative blockbuster. In terms of gameplay, it is a real-time third-person action game, with tactical pause and character switching, equipment and character upgrades, and role-playing elements. The journey has also been reimagined: a level that could be run through in a minute now offers a fight or a puzzle to solve.

The main difference between the remake and the original is the use of modern 3D graphics technology and the painstakingly created vast game world. The game smoothly transitions from cutscenes to gameplay and back, creating a sense of a unified whole, largely due to the artistic presentation of CGI elements and high-quality graphics.

Final Fantasy VII forms a vast universe that the player gradually explores as they progress. It is a deeply meaningful dystopia about the totalitarianism of power, the despotism of science, with elements of magical fantasy.

The game takes place in an alternate reality on the planet Gaia, which resembles Earth in its biomes and landscapes, but has its own flora and fauna. The dominant species is a humanoid civilization with elements of life forms not typical for Earthlings.

This is explained by the existence of the Lifestream — a mythical flow of life energy that runs deep within the planet. This living and intelligent substance influences all events occurring on the planet; all beings originate from it and return to it after death.

Human civilization on Gaia developed similarly to ours, but over time learned to extract a special energy called Mako from the Lifestream, processing it into cheap and endless electricity. The Shinra Company, the first to do this, ultimately came to rule the world, while nations fell under its technological power or regressed to the age of coal and steam.

Shinra absorbed the roles of government, judiciary, and police, and is also the main employer and technological giant. It conducts unethical experiments, censors the media, and suppresses dissent, which does not prevent the development of a civilization of people that resembles our reality in many ways.

In Final Fantasy VII, there were three continents, and in the remake, the player will visit them all, but the action of the first episode takes place in the metropolis of Midgar and does not go beyond its borders. This is the headquarters of Shinra, literally grown out of the city: the poor and middle class live on the ground, while the rich and corporate employees are above them, in colossal skyscrapers.

Midgar is represented by dozens of locations of various shapes and sizes, but without an open world; even large levels resemble tubular corridors to quite open, large areas. In the spirit of the classics, the remake is completely linear, and before moving on, it is worth thoroughly searching everything and completing side quests. Thus, the life simulation is simple, NPCs are static and create an atmosphere by uttering a couple of phrases.

The city is divided into districts, each with a unique style: the center has a cyberpunk vibe, with neon-lit buildings that seem to float, the middle class lives in familiar low and high-rise buildings, while the poor areas, as everywhere, are strikingly devastated. This prevents monotony, and linearity is hardly felt.

The remake preserved one of the best stories among games of all time; the authors carefully transferred the story from the original 1997 version, and the quality of the narrative meets all modern standards. Prepare for immersion in a grand story, which, besides the protagonist, includes 3 leading heroes and several antagonists, a multitude of secondary characters, not to mention a bunch of NPCs with short quests.

Former Shinra SOLDIER Class I Cloud, by fate's will, becomes a mercenary and finds himself among eco-terrorists, initially only interested in the money for dirty work. But over time, the hero changes and finds his calling in saving the planet from Shinra. This is influenced by his acquaintance with the charismatic stormtrooper Barret, his sexy childhood friend Tifa, and the charming flower girl Aerith.

This story will have everything — love and betrayal, mutual assistance and deception, reflections on dubious ways to counter the corrupt state machine, and an abundance of unexpected twists. But without the cynicism, brutality, and overall dullness characteristic of modern games. On the contrary, the story of Final Fantasy VII is a kind, memorable tale of friendship and unity, in which you believe and empathize with the characters.

The screenwriters changed many details: Removed narrative errors, logical inconsistencies, replaced inappropriate lines and dialogues with new ones, significantly increased the number of phrases, remarks, and dialogues, carefully developed secondary characters, and reinterpreted aspects of the lore that have always raised questions.

Like in the original, the remake features three companions whose relationships develop throughout the game, but only two can be taken into battle. Each character is unique in their own way; for example, Cloud wields a sword well but also uses magic tricks, while Aerith is a typical support mage who avoids direct combat but weakens enemies and strengthens allies. However, the leveling system is very flexible—Aerith can be made into a battle mage, and Cloud can become a healer.

You can switch between characters in battle and tackle various tasks, such as shooting accurately or engaging in difficult close combat—AI companions struggle with this. Strikes, shooting, and blocking attacks fill the ATB gauge, which can be spent on special moves, magic spells, and using potions that heal or strengthen the character. The tactical pause allows you to command your companions as well.

The action and leveling system are designed to modern standards, simple and clear, so everyone can find their own play style, but the combat aspect is deep. Enemies react to the player's actions and can counter the use of abilities. The player can stun them or deal critical damage by knowing their vulnerability to a type of attack.

Boss battles are challenging, divided into several phases, and as the game progresses, the enemies become fiercer and more dangerous, requiring the player to change their tactics. Mindlessly attacking won't work—you need to know the weak points, use special abilities, and magic.