How do you judge the story of Final Fantasy VII Remake?

[Jonathan Lanza]

I'll preface this with the game is not out yet and exact details of how the story plays out are unknown to everyone but Nomura's secret ResetEra account. However this is mostly concerning the basic premise of what the VIIRemake is.

The VII Remake is not a "complete" remake and is instead only remaking one chunk of the original game. No doubt that there will be some character arcs left open ended, plot threads not tied up, etc. When judging the contents of a work do you ever factor that it may be part of an incomplete series? Are incomplete aspects of one game important to scrutinize if there are potential sequels? And of course the logical conclusion of this all is the question "Is this singular works quality dependent on the release of other works or subject to change?".

I bring up the VIIRemake because it is fresh in everyone's mind and is a rare instance of a story a lot of people have prior knowledge of how will or won't go (generally speaking) but this also probably applies to any series of games. I'm sure everyone has their own set of standards and criteria so I'm interesting in hearing.

 

[Mudo]

I think the game (Part 1) should be judged for what it is. Future parts are just that - since we know we are getting just a Midgar, I will approach it by comparing the Midgar original to this expanded version.

I may be in the minirity, but I loved the demo, and knew to expect bug changes going in so I set my frame of mind based on that.

So judge this for what it is, and hope they manage to finish the series in 2-3 more installments that don't take more than like 7-8 years to be complete.

Ive got to be in this for the long haul, and I am. It seems to me they have created a very good base from which to build on for the next game. I am very excited to decimate this game 24/7next month :)

 

[PshycoNinja]

I think the idea of one part of a story or a game having additive DLC and labeling it as "incomplete" or "unfinished" because of either is fool-hearty.

These are for the most part completed and finished games. Some may be open ended to convince you to buy the next part, but I'm not under some illusion that more story can be born from the starting or main game.

FFVII is a great example where many stories and games and movies and anime and novella's were born from FFVII. I don't think they had any idea they would eventually do this but it didn't stop them from creating more lore and stories from FFVII. Stories don't have to be static. They can evolve. Become deeper and richer.

 

[Sign My Guestbook!]

I'll be looking at it from the perspective of how it has changed from the original, but I'll also judge it on its own merits.

Out the gate? I think it'll have pacing problems. If I'm proven wrong, what a wonderful surprise.

 

[Lucreto]

I have played the original many many times and I am going into this as a re-imagining in alternative universe.

I won't judge it on the original

 

[PlanetSmasher]

It's pretty much impossible to tell a satisfying, self-contained story with just the Midgar chapter. There's nothing they can add that will justify ending the story right at the end of the prologue.

 

[eXistor]

I'll try to rate it on its own merits. It's gonna be hard not to compare it to the original, but I think I'd end up hating it if I did. It's clear by now that it's more a complete re-imagining than a remake. The amount of story and such they have to add to pad it out to full game length pretty much guarantees it's gonna be nothing like the original. But if it's good it's good and I hope it is.

 

[Dalcop]

On its own merits. Because it's its own game, despite the title. They've already said it's not 1:1. Time will tell if it's actually a "full game" or story once it's out, not assumed beforehand based on the existence of the original work.

 

[Deleted member 60096]

I mean its only logical to judge it based on not only how it changed compared to the original Midgar section on its own but also from the perspective of the whole story as well. For the latter I'm particularly concerned with how they portray the whole Cloud seeing shit like in the demo. If they do that too often, which they probably well so they can have Sephiroth in part 1, it will be not only just annoying but also mean they've fucked with how things get revealed

 

[APZonerunner]

The idea that you judge this 'one way or the other' is folly - you can't. It's impossible to entirely extract any story from context - and the context of the delivery of this story is that the original telling of it exists, and that this is a new multi-part retelling.

So, y'know, it's logical to judge it two ways: firstly, how it stands up as an individual story in its own right, divorced from the content and knowledge afforded by having played the original game. And second, how it stands up versus the original. These are opposites, obviously, but they're also intrinsically linked, and criticism following launch should look at both in detail. It is completely possible it will satisfy on one front and fail in another, too.

 

[EarthPainting]

I doubt I'll be able to view it as its own thing. I'll probably be focusing on what changed, and if those decisions work for me or not. Also interested to see how their interpretations line up with mine. See how they flesh out the direction of scenes with voice overs and choreography. That's not directly related to the story, but it'll have a huge impact in the characterisation and tone, making them hard to separate in my eyes. Finally, since they're turning a 4~ish hour section out to a "full" game, I'm going to be paying attention to if they can pad it out in a satisfying way with new content, or if they just drag it out.

I'm secretly hoping they'll take it into a few new, unexpected directions, so that we can stop thinking we know what's going to happen. FF7 is full of filler already, so they can go wild with it, as long as they hit a few crucial story beats.

 

[Nakenorm]

I'll always have the original, so I'm excited for the changes and additional content. As long as the broad strokes are the same.
As for it being split into more games? I'm fine with it after seeing how polished they've been able to make everything. Sounds like we'll get to know every character in Midgar much more as well, probably because of the "episodic" nature, which I'm really excited for

 

[Modest_Modsoul]

Chances are still enjoyable & entertaining to me.

 

[adz2ka]

The nearest comparison I will make when I come to judging will be the Mass Effect Triology.

I knew before playing each game would build up a crescendo and a platform for each subsequent game, however each game were excellent as their own entity.
I have a feeling they will keep the story end sequence of part 2 secret though (though most would probably guess at where)

 

[Kurtikeya]

Every story has a standalone single, middle, and end, including installments, remakes, and parts of a larger narrative. This first part may very well be the story of Midgar, what it means to the people there, and how it will come to define them once they depart. In that case, I'll probably consider the worldbuilding and the character building more than anything.

As a part of bigger whole, it might have me ask the more specific "How has Midgar changed the characters and where do they go from there" than just the general "What will happen next".

 

[Rats]

I expect it to have a self-contained arc with a beginning, middle and end. That's already present to a degree in the Midgar chapter of the original game, so I'm not terribly worried about it. And it definitely seems like they're making some smart changes in order for the story to better stand on its own.

 

[Yuntu]

The same as I judge every game. This Remake makes for some weird threads from my perspective.

 

[The Unsent]

Presumably you don't discover all of Cloud's memories or get a clear idea of Sephiroth's motives so I guess it's hard to judge it stand alone.

It doesn't have to do everthing the same but it should honour parts because it's after all a remake and saying we shouldn't compare it to the original is a fallacy. Not everyone has to but that's the nature of a remake is that it invites comparison.

 

[WarpSpeedMolasses]

I'm going into it as a separate reboot but absolutely expect it to cover all the main storybeats. Not all in Part 1, but definitely by the end of whatever the final part is.

 

[Segafreak]

I'll preface this with the game is not out yet and exact details of how the story plays out are unknown to everyone but Nomura's secret ResetEra account. However this is mostly concerning the basic premise of what the VIIRemake is.

The VII Remake is not a "complete" remake and is instead only remaking one chunk of the original game. No doubt that there will be some character arcs left open ended, plot threads not tied up, etc. When judging the contents of a work do you ever factor that it may be part of an incomplete series? Are incomplete aspects of one game important to scrutinize if there are potential sequels? And of course the logical conclusion of this all is the question "Is this singular works quality dependent on the release of other works or subject to change?".

I bring up the VIIRemake because it is fresh in everyone's mind and is a rare instance of a story a lot of people have prior knowledge of how will or won't go (generally speaking) but this also probably applies to any series of games. I'm sure everyone has their own set of standards and criteria so I'm interesting in hearing.

Click to shrink...

You are looking at this remake from a very wrong angle.

All you need to be concerned about is whether the game will have a beginning and an end, a satisfying one at that. FF7 has a lot of cutoff points that will make for a great end and leave us satisfied. It's like when movies or series adapt a certain part of a book.

 

[Jonathan Lanza]

You are looking at this remake from a very wrong angle.

All you need to be concerned about is whether the game will have a beginning and an end, a satisfying one at that. FF7 has a lot of cutoff points that will make for a great end and leave us satisfied. It's like when movies or series adapt a certain part of a book.

Click to shrink...

Hmm? I didn't really mention how I look at the remake. Is there something wrong with what I said?

 

[Knight in Shining Armani]

I'll consider just me finishing the game a success at this stage in my life.