When I found Final Fantasy VII Remake on the Playstation store, it carried the impossible weight of nostalgia, expectation, and decades of mythologizing one of the most beloved JRPGs ever made. For many players, the original FFVII wasn’t just a game it was a formative experience, an early example of how storytelling, emotion, and world building could exist. I hold FFVII as one of the best just behind FFX so I decided to bit the bullet and dedicate the next 30-45 hours to this game.
The remake had a choice to follow the original closely and risk irrelevance, or create something new and risk backlash. Square Enix chose the latter. Honestly, It was the right decision even though I'm only on chapter 14. So far this has been a reimagining, not a retelling of the original. It’s a reconstruction or a reexamination of the original narrative with new layers, new character depth, and, yes, new lore that disrupts what we thought we knew.
Where the original game’s Midgar section was a 5 hour prologue, here it becomes a full length RPG, meticulously expanded into a sprawling, living city. Some may argue it feels padded, but in truth, it finally gives Midgar the scale and personality it always deserved. For me it's a good balance of action and strategy. Square Enix struck gold with the combat system in my opinion. It’s fast, it’s flashy, and yet it still carries the strategic weight of the ATB era. Swapping characters mid-battle feels intuitive, and each one has a clearly defined that I have been able to curate their abilities to my liking. Right now, I have Cloud as pure bruiser focusing on physical attacks. Tifa is setup as my thief and healer. Barret is my ranged attacker and Aerith is my mage with as much spell amplification as possible. With this setup the combat never feels repetitive, largely because boss fights are multi-stage, cinematic, and mechanically interesting. You’re not just mashing buttons you’re responding to patterns, exploiting weaknesses, and constantly adapting.
The other aspect of FFX games I enjoy are the characters. Cloud isn’t just an aloof mercenary he’s socially awkward, sarcastic without meaning to be, and often adorably clueless. Tifa is warm and conflicted in a way the PS1 polygons could only hint at. Aerith steals the show with her charm, mischief, and emotional intelligence. Even side characters like Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge become fleshed out personalities rather than simple plot devices. Their expanded roles give Midgar texture and heart and their fates sting that much more because of it. I've been very impressed with this game and can't wait to finish it!
