Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a re-release of the 1997 Japanese role-playing game Final Fantasy VII . Fans of the cult JRPG and newcomers unfamiliar with the series can look forward to an exciting adventure lasting close to a hundred hours. It tells the story of Cloud Strife and Avalanche, an eco-terrorist group seeking to stop the activities of the mega-corporation Shinra.

In an effort to capture the spirit and themes of the original, Square Enix took an unusual approach: it split the reimagining into several standalone, large-scale games released several years apart. Remake was the first, followed by Rebirth. Each release differed in concept and genre, introducing new elements and ideas, but the gameplay only improved after VII Remake, which introduced a completely new combat system.

Given the original’s scale and status in the industry, Square Enix brought considerable resources to bear on the remake. It was made entirely “from scratch,” while drawing on the original when creating locations and characters. It retained the original’s style and memorable moments, whether pivotal or silly. Behind the remake’s beautiful presentation, fans can easily recognize the source material.

In keeping with the times, Remake is less a JRPG than a single-player story-driven blockbuster. Gameplay takes the form of a real-time third-person action game, with tactical pauses and character switching, equipment and character upgrades, and role-playing as the heroes. The journey has also been reimagined: a level that used to take a minute to run through now offers the choice of fighting your way through or solving a puzzle.

The remake’s main difference from the original is its use of modern 3D graphics technology and its painstakingly crafted, expansive game world. The game transitions smoothly from cutscenes to gameplay and back, creating a sense of cohesion, largely thanks to the artistic staging of CGI elements and high-quality graphics.

Final Fantasy VII builds an expansive universe that players explore gradually as they progress through the game. This is a dystopia rich in meaning, about totalitarian rule and the tyranny of science, with a touch of magical fantasy.

The game takes place in an alternate reality, on the planet Gaia. Its biomes and landscapes resemble those of Earth, but it has its own flora and fauna. The dominant species is a humanoid civilization, with some life forms unlike anything found on Earth.

This is explained by the existence of the Lifestream, a mythical flow of life energy running deep beneath the planet’s surface. This living, intelligent substance influences everything that happens on the planet. All creatures originate from it and return to it after death.

Human civilization on Gaia developed much like our own, but eventually learned to draw a special energy called Mako from the Lifestream and turn it into cheap, limitless electricity. The Shinra Company was the first to do so and eventually came to rule the world. Governments either fell under its technological might or were pushed back into the age of coal and steam.

Shinra has taken on the roles of government, courts, and police, and is also the leading employer and a technological giant. It conducts unethical experiments, censors the media, and suppresses dissent, all while continuing to develop human civilization in ways that closely resemble our own world.

Final Fantasy VII had three continents, and players will visit them all in the remake. However, the first episode takes place entirely within the metropolis of Midgar. This is Shinra’s headquarters, built right into the city: the poor and middle class live on the ground, while the wealthy and corporate employees live above them in colossal skyscrapers.

Midgar consists of dozens of locations of all shapes and sizes, but there is no open world. Even the larger levels feel like winding corridors, though some are quite open and expansive. In keeping with the classic, the remake is completely linear. Before moving on, it’s worth searching every corner and completing the side quests. As a result, the simulation of everyday life is simple: NPCs remain stationary and create atmosphere by saying a few lines.

The city is divided into districts, each with its own unique style: the center has a cyberpunk aesthetic, with neon lighting that makes the buildings look as though they’re floating; the middle class lives in familiar low-rise and high-rise housing, while the poor districts, as everywhere, are marked by total devastation. This keeps things from feeling repetitive, and the linearity is barely noticeable.

The remake preserves one of the greatest stories in gaming history. The creators carefully brought the story of the 1997 original to life, and its storytelling meets all modern standards. Get ready to immerse yourself in an epic tale featuring three key characters alongside the protagonist, several antagonists, numerous supporting characters, and a host of NPCs with short quests.

Cloud, a former SOLDIER 1st Class member of Shinra, becomes a mercenary by chance and ends up joining a group of eco-terrorists. At first, he’s only interested in getting paid for dirty work. But over time, he changes and finds his calling in saving the planet from Shinra. His transformation is also influenced by his meeting with the charismatic assault trooper Barret, his sexy childhood friend Tifa, and the charming flower girl Aerith.

This story has it all—love and betrayal, people helping one another and deception, reflections on questionable ways to oppose a corrupt state machine, and plenty of unexpected twists. But it avoids the cynicism, brutality, and general drabness characteristic of modern games. On the contrary, Final Fantasy VII’s story is a warm, memorable tale of friendship and unity, with characters you believe in and care about.

The writers changed many small details: they fixed storytelling errors and logical inconsistencies, replaced unsuitable lines and dialogue with new ones, greatly increased the number of quips, lines, and conversations, carefully developed the supporting characters, and offered new explanations for aspects of the lore that had always raised questions.

As in the original, the remake has three companions whose relationships develop throughout the game, but you can take only two into battle. Each character is unique in their own way. Cloud is pretty handy with a sword, but he can also throw around a few magic tricks, while Aerith is a typical support mage who avoids direct combat but weakens enemies and empowers allies. The leveling system is very flexible, though—you can make Aerith a battle mage and Cloud a healer.

You can switch between characters in battle to take on different roles, like landing accurate shots or charging into tough close-quarters combat—your AI-controlled teammates don’t handle these very well. Attacking, shooting, and blocking fill the ATB gauge, which you can spend on special moves, magic spells, and using potions to heal or strengthen a character. A tactical pause also lets you simply issue commands to your party members.

The action and leveling systems are designed to modern standards: they’re simple and easy to understand, and everyone can find their own playstyle. But the combat is deep. Enemies react to the player’s actions and can counter an ability. You can also stagger them or deal critical damage by exploiting their vulnerability to a particular type of attack.

Boss fights are challenging and split into several phases. The further you get, the angrier and more dangerous the enemy becomes, forcing you to change your tactics. You can’t just mindlessly mash attacks—you need to know their weak points and use special abilities and magic.