Final Fantasy VII Remake | PS4 Review

1997 was an incredibly memorable year for many gamers like myself. We saw the release of classics like Goldeneye, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Starfox 64, and countless others. But one game stood out from the rest in a big way. Final Fantasy VII from the developer then known as Square changed the world of RPGs forever. It shifted the genre from sprites to polygons, and became one of the most popular games of its kind. In fact, it was the second-highest selling game on the PlayStation, selling just under ten million copies.

Needless to say, Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura had a tough hill to climb in remaking this powerhouse of the industry. I’m happy to say they succeeded admirably. Final Fantasy VII Remake surpassed my expectations by a long shot; it’s everything I wanted and more. Nearly every moment of the forty-five hours I spent in the city of Midgar was even better than I had hoped.

Revisiting Midgar

Have you ever had an emotional reaction to something that you wished you could bottle up and experience whenever you wanted? That’s exactly the way I felt the first time I saw the Final Fantasy VII Remake logo over the newly-designed city of Midgar. I was brought back to the first time I saw this scene as a much younger man. For the first time in years, I felt as if I were about to embark on an epic adventure filled with magic and wonder. I’ve missed that feeling, and it was incredible to know I still have it in me.

Yes, nostalgia plays a big part when it comes to enjoying this reimagining of a classic. Words almost can’t express the joy it was to see Midgar is full 3D. Every “new” location I stumbled upon looked exactly how I imagined it would. There’s something quite magical about seeing what your younger self conjured in their mind brought to digital life.

That’s not to say there aren’t a few surprises along the way, however. Final Fantasy VII Remake offers quite a bit of extra content, and even a few tweaks in the narrative. Rest assured, the base story remains basically the same. This time around, however, we get a deeper glimpse into the members of Avalanche. Some characters, who were more or less throwaways in the original, have their own story beats we never saw in ’97. It gave me a better appreciation for every single character, whom I learned to love all over again.

The Perfect Hybrid

Much like the recent remakes of two Resident Evil games, Final Fantasy VII Remake is much more than simply a prettier version of the original. This is similar in story and characters only, with the gameplay rebuilt completely from the ground up. The familiar faces are now in full 3D, the landscapes and locales are redesigned with incredible detail, and the playable areas are only recognizable by their ambient appearance. It’s truly a brand new game.

The combat is probably the biggest change from the original, which used only turn-based mechanics. Square-Enix has managed to find a perfect balance between that style of gameplay and action. You’ll have full movement of each character in a 3D space with the ability to switch on the fly. While it might feel like a button-masher on the surface, it’s anything but. As you land attacks or take damage, your ATB meter increases. Once it’s full, you can activate “Tactical Mode,” where you’ll have access to the menu system you’re probably familiar with from the original. This slows down time to a crawl and allows you to use abilities, magic, or items provided you have enough ATB gauges filled. It’s a brilliant way to blend both worlds of an RPG, and it works better than I expected by a long shot.

For the first time in an RPG, I genuinely looked forward to battles. What used to be a necessary evil to experience the narrative of most JRPGs is now what I wanted to do more than anything. Fighting enemies feels like you’re conducting a beautiful symphony in a way I’d like to imagine that magic would actually work in real life. Finding enemy weaknesses and exploiting them is incredibly satisfying, especially when you incite a stagger to really do some damage. On top of that, each boss fight has its own unique approach that makes each battle feel like you’re learning a new way to play. In a word, it’s exquisite in its execution.

Lend Me Your Ears

Let’s not forget about the remixed soundtrack, which is a standalone delight. Every track from the original game has been modernized in a way that keeps them very recognizable while providing a breath of fresh air. On top of that, there are over 30 collectible tracks that give familiar themes a new take. One track might be a smooth jazz rendition of a familiar favorite. Another might be 90’s hip-hop. Every one makes the soundtrack well worth your purchase if you didn’t already get one with a collector’s edition.

A perfect supplement to the beautiful soundtrack is the spot-on voice work of the major characters. Although some of the talent has changed since Advent Children and even the Kingdom Hearts games, every character sounded exactly how I imagined them in my head. Much like the added narratives, the vocal performances connected me to the characters in a way I simply couldn’t with mere text. Even the guttural noises that normally annoy me in most Japanese games felt right at home here.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Final Verdict

When I first heard that Final Fantasy VII Remake was going to be in an episodic format, I was very put off. After finishing the first act, I feel like I know how Tolkien fans must have felt after seeing Fellowship of the Ring for the first time. I haven’t been this satisfied with an incomplete story in as long as I can remember. I’m genuinely thankful the developers didn’t try to cram all of this story in one go. It serves as a reminder that the heart of this story is as much these characters’ journey as it is their destination.

While I’m looking very forward to the inevitable conclusion in the coming years, I’m happy to wait, assuming the quality stays as high. The anticipation is strong, however, especially considering the bold narrative changes that took place in the finale. It’s going to be a great ride, and I’m ready for it.

I’m absolutely in awe of this game. What a masterful work of art that came at the perfect time in my life. It reminded me of why I loved Final Fantasy VII, and gives me hope for the future of remakes. Square Enix proved that it’s possible to have a vastly superior experience, even with a game as popular as this one. I can’t recommend it enough. For the fans, especially, but even for those experiencing Midgar’s story for the first time, you’re in for a treat. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on this masterpiece. If you enjoy this genre of video games, then my hope is that your experience will be similar to mine. In a word: perfection.

To hear me talk more about Final Fantasy VII Remake, be sure to listen to Episode 290 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast at the 1:06:24 time stamp.

This review is based on a purchased copy of Final Fantasy VII Remake on the PlayStation 4. As of the time of this writing, the game is available exclusively on this platform.