If we say that Final Fantasy 7 23 years ago overturned the perception of “fantasy” among players around the world, then Final Fantasy 7 Remake (hereinafter referred to as “FF7RE”) 23 years later has once again ignited players’ passion for “fantasy”. Even though the current “FF7RE” only contains a quarter of the content of the original version, I believe that all friends who have played and completed “FF7RE” will exclaim like me, “This is the reincarnation of a masterpiece!”

Twenty years of meeting the old and the new, the dream comes true in Midgar

Dreaming of Midgar

 As early as many years ago when the demo CG was exposed at E3, SE had already shown its ambition for “FF7 Remake”. Although there were constant doubts about the demo function at that time, now that the long-cherished wish has been realized, the real performance of the game has indeed achieved the original visual effect. Not only do the protagonists such as Claude, Tifa, and Aerith have exquisite modeling comparable to the movie “Return of the Son”, but the supporting characters who did not have many roles in the original work also have surprising new images.

A breathtakingly beautiful performance, CG giants are so strong

The iconic real-time rendering cutscenes, coupled with the usual “Nomura-style” cool moves, enrich all 18 chapters of the game, with the courage and shock of a CG movie. Especially the several wonderful performances near the end, which are almost of the top quality in the industry, exuding the extraordinary charm of SE’s “CG giant”.

The main and supporting characters are similar to the “God of the Son”, and the action performances are also

Midgar, the main story stage of FF7RE, has also been completely renovated. From the upper level of the disc to the lower slums, from the shopping street in the sixth district to the Shinra Building, the completely independent scene design of objects, environments, and scenery gives the game process a constant sense of freshness. With the newly composed background music, exploring it has an immersive feeling that is not inferior to the 3A open world.

The lifelike lines of passers-by will change with the protagonist’s behavior, which is obviously a reflection of the richness of the content.

In addition, although it is not as vast and universal as ordinary open world games, and there are not as many question mark-style exploration objects, “FF7RE” still provides a lot of achievable side quests and passers-by dialogues. These explorable elements and side quest designs effectively reduce the “unfreedom” of the linear levels of this game, while increasing the game time, and also highlighting the character’s personality and the game world view from the side and details.

Some of the side stories are quite interesting

However, as the saying goes, there are always small flaws in a perfect jade. Behind the exquisite graphics of FF7RE, there are still many broken details. Since this game was developed without using SE’s Crystal Engine, but using Unreal Engine 4, the game is awful in some environmental details. Low-definition textures are scattered all over the game, and there are occasional errors in light and shadow. Even mosaics appear in the main storyline, which really lowers the overall look of the game.

High-definition people with mosaic flowers, in order to take into account the feelings of old players, SE you are really thoughtful

The engine has been changed, the experience is not up to par, and the details are a little rough, which is understandable, but it is really not right to be so bad.

Although criticizing details may seem nitpicking, it also proves that even a game as sincere as “FF7 Remake” still has room for improvement. I hope that the subsequent chapters of the game will have visual performance that truly lives up to expectations.

ATB turn-based evolution

In addition to the superficial work, FF7RE also made drastic changes to the original ATB turn-based combat system. Combining the ATB action slot with the ACT action combat design, it combines the static of a turn-based system with the dynamic of an action game.

Players can manually control a teammate and attack with a combination of normal attack, power attack, dodge, and defense buttons. By switching the controlled teammates, you can also experience different combat styles. In addition, the character’s behavior in battle can also accumulate ATB gauges, which can be used to activate additional skills and magic through combination buttons or slow motion menu selections.

The core of the battle mainly revolves around attribute restraint and Burst collapse

The battle emphasizes both the smooth and swift movements of action games and the use of resources in the ATB turn-based system. Attribute restraint, Burst collapse, and a variety of system combinations make the battle play out a sense of turn-based strategy. On top of this, this game also has a mature and complete development system, with weapons, magic crystals, accessories, and each element is closely linked. Different weapons have different emphases in the skill tree, either focusing on physical attack, or focusing on magic attack, or maintaining a balanced combination of the two with the magic crystal slot. In addition to providing corresponding magic and passive, the same magic crystal can also activate advanced effects through reasonable equipment links, and so on.

Switching teammates not only changes the play style, but also the characteristics of the enemies they target are different.

There are also many considerations for the matching and linking of magic crystals and the selection of weapon skill trees.

Therefore, every time the weapons and magic crystals in the hands of players are updated, more playing styles will appear. The use of fixed skills of different weapons and the combination of magic crystals have become the focus of this game. According to the various attributes and moves of the enemy, the fighting is not only varied, but also leaves a lot of strategic space. If you want a more exciting challenge, the hard difficulty unlocked after clearing the level will test the player’s control over the magic and skill resources of this game.

Hard can’t take medicine to recover, how to defeat the enemy with limited MP is a real test of the player’s imagination

It’s a pity that due to the size limitation of the game itself, the evolution of “FF7RE” in terms of combat is still in its infancy, and its breadth is far from meeting the standards of other similar games.

Unique details

Looking at the above alone, it is only the superficial evolution of this work. What really pushes “FF7 Remake” to the altar again is a series of expansions and changes in the core of the story.

This work starts with the supporting characters who were not portrayed much in the original work, and greatly increases their roles in the process. In particular, the Avalanche Bento trio, who were not given much attention in the original work, have many performances that have become the main characters. Not only have the character motivations and logic been interpreted more, but their personalities have also been portrayed and interpreted more. And the “complaint” Claude who matches with it has completely overturned the old players’ inherent impression of him as a dull person. In the funny interactions, the main and supporting characters are all portrayed with more layers, and the performance’s watchability has been greatly improved, which is very interesting to think about carefully.

In the early stage of the story, Jesse is a highlight

Even a supporting role can be brilliant

Of course, not only the supporting roles have been strengthened, but also the parts of the two goddesses Tifa and Alice in the original work have been further refined. Whether it is the process of Tifa accompanying her to the slums in Chapter 3, or the shopping street adventure with Alice in Chapters 8 and 9, behind the feelings, there is always the fragrance of “youth”.

It smells really good!

The reinterpreted classic scenes are hilarious and will make everyone smile. The sweet and sour innocent dialogues, coupled with the vivid performances and the voice actors’ hard-working dubbing, make the love that once touched you and me even more touching.

Chapters 8 and 9 alone deserve a perfect score!

It is obvious that the biological father, Tetsuya Nomura, has a good grasp of the new content of “FF7 Remake”. It not only gives old players a new outlet for their emotions, but also attracts a new group of players with content that conforms to the aesthetics of the current era. This is also the most praised part of “FF7 Remake”, which alone deserves a full score.

Who can not be moved by such a wonderful performance?

As for the twists and climax of the story, as well as the core theme of the plot, they have been further enriched on the basis of the original version.

It can be said that the classics are superimposed with new ideas, and the tributes are wrapped in trends. It is also because of the many new ideas added to the story that the originally short Migad chapter can be expanded to a full 30 hours.

The alternative reconstruction behind “remake”

Since the high-definition remake of old games started, more and more crude “HD remakes” have made players avoid the sentimental business. It was not until Capcom, the king of remakes, made a thorough modernization of “Resident Evil 2 Remake” for the first time, giving the classic work a different way of expression, that people realized that “remake” can be played in this way.

Therefore, the logic of “reinvention” has become a new way to give classic works a “second spring”. There is no doubt that “FF7RE” is also a product of this logic. However, Tetsuya Nomura’s idea for “FF7RE” is obviously not limited to the “piling up” upgrades mentioned above, but through obvious or subtle changes, he boldly remade the original story in an alternative way.

The same main storyline, the same plot, but with completely different story directions

In general, the main story of FF7RE from 1 to 17 is based on the original story, and the process is perfectly consistent with the memories of 23 years ago. Only in Chapter 18, there is an unexpected reversal based on the original version, which overturns the existing understanding of the original game by old players.

The details of the changes are hidden in the newly added links

However, this is just a rough illusion. If the players are careful, they can actually find that the details of the changes have been hidden in the process from beginning to end, and they are rendered and described wherever possible. And these clues are gathered at the end of the prologue story. Only by savoring it carefully can you understand the deep meaning. At the end of the story, amidst many seemingly clear and unclear mysteries, the protagonists embark on a completely different new adventure.

Obviously, this “heresy” of recreating a classic is bound to trigger a new round of debate among old players. In fact, reinterpreting classic stories with visual expressions that are in line with the times is certainly interesting and safe. But on top of that, appropriate secondary creation can undoubtedly further explore the story that has already reached perfection, and can also sublimate the long-buried “pearl in the ocean” into a new highlight.

How “Chapter 2” will develop is really exciting.

In this regard, FF7RE is perfect. On the one hand, the new parts give the original story a whole new possibility; on the other hand, the changes in the storyline have greatly satisfied the long-cherished wish of the original fans for decades, and the response has been enthusiastic. How the remake will continue to be performed in the future has become a hot topic in major game forums, which is really interesting.

Conclusion: Return to the starting point and reach new heights

Unlike the “remake” in your and my fixed thinking, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is more than just a high-definition visual upgrade. Tetsuya Nomura also enriched every aspect of the original with solid and sincere new content, interpreting the old story with a fresh taste in just the right way. The evolution of the gameplay from ATB turn-based to ARPG provides fun points for new and old players to invest in. The bold subversion of the “classic re-creation” is like the finishing touch, leaving a blank space in the Eastern philosophy for the development of subsequent works, allowing players to rekindle their passion for “Final Fantasy” while recalling the past.

There is no doubt that whether it is old players who come for nostalgic dreams or new players who admire the name of the classic, “Final Fantasy 7 Remake” provides a ticket full of sincerity and fun, enough to lead everyone to the next stop of “fantasy”.