Video games in review: Final Fantasy 7 remake

Final Fantasy 7 (Well, the PC port)-the seventh entry in a series of (mostly) self-contained action-RPGS-is what mainly got me interested in Anime. Although not anime “per se” the big-eyed style and Japanese origins of the franchise did eventually lead me to check out some anime in the late 90’s, starting with Bubblegum Crisis (Which, like FF7, shares a great deal of Cyberpunk influence copied somewhat from the Terminator and Blade Runner franchises but with it’s own flourishes added in) and eventually working my way to more mainstream stuff (Ghibli, Gundam, Evangelion etc.) by the time anime had a large American presence in the early 00’s (It’s popularity in the states has had it’s ups and downs since then).

But anyway, FF7 was a huge hit back then for the PlayStation system. Although Final Fantasy games had been released before in America, several of them never did get a North American release. This caused two of the SNES titles, Final Fantasy IV and VI, to be renamed II and III. However, FF7 was released with it’s proper title, perhaps confusing some at the time (Eventually, FF4 and FF6 were re-released with their proper titles and also, the ‘lost’ FFs also eventually were released to American audiences).

Although FF6 had a Cyberpunk feel already. FF7 added pre-rendered backgrounds and 3D characters, although still in the “Super deformed” style of the other games, although the battle scenes and many of the cutscenes would feature more realistically proportioned characters.

 

The story itself is extremely complicated- a mix of “ancient aliens”, lost civilizations, foggy memories and stolen identity, cyberpunk, and a sort of enviormental message. Basically mercenary Cloud, an ex-member of the Shinra company’s Soldier division-Shinra being pretty much the company pretty much in charge of the city of Midgar (A techno-metropolis divided between upper-class “plates” over lower-level “slums”, using the planet’s energy-“Mako” to charge their reactors-is hired by an old friend to assist her group in sabotaging the reactors and ending Shinra’s hold over the city. Cloud is also haunted by his past. But things get much more complicated, especially when a mysterious flower girl-Aerith-arrives on the scene-and one of Cloud’s old Soldier comrades, Sephiroth, literally begins to haunt him.

However, as with all things, FF7, despite being fondly remembered, got dated, and demand came for a remake. A sequel animation, Advent Children, was eventually released but people wanted the real thing. And hence we have Final Fantasy 7 remake.

Although the original FF7 has gone through a few ports and remasters, FF7 remake is really from the ground-up, but does it’s best to retain the designs and spirit of the original game, although the anime stylings are largely abandoned in favor of more realistic-looking mo-capped characters like most modern games. Although Cloud’s hair is still exactly the same. Also, the ballooned text dialogue of the original game now has a full voice cast. Although Cloud still is often a man of few words, especially compared to the rest of his crew.

The combat system in particular is no longer turn based but very similar to Final Fantasy 15, with the option to switch between different characters in combat (although sometimes not all characters are available). Action is slowed down but not halted entirely for characters to select certain attacks, items etc.

The somewhat goofy sense of humor in the original is also kept in, most notably in the Wall market section of the game (Although *some* of it has been toned down a bit, although raised in some other areas). There’s even some goofy minigames like dancing and pushups (although the original did have some of that too).

However, the game also subverts expectations of the original FF7, with an almost literal “game changer”  with the mysterious Whispers, who seem to want things to remain on some pre-established course (the original game’s continuity/canon?) but hint that some things are about to change.

The game takes pretty much entirely in Midgar, only really adapting that part of the game, but it also expands it beyond that with more guests, side characters, secrets, and collectibles, expanding what takes probably only a few hours in the original game to a nearly forty hour experience in 2020 and well worth the money. Midgar is also seen to be far more crowded than it appeared in the original game as well, with multiple characters chattering in the background than just a few 3D models in the original.