LttP: Final Fantasy 7 Remake - This game is honestly pretty mediocre (may have open spoilers) [up: beat it, and "mediocre" was generous]

[Raonak]

It's a pretty damn great game, and that's coming from someone who thinks FF7 (original) is massively overhyped.

Combat is excellent, this is what I've always wanted out of an action RPG. Giving you direct control, but also not foregoing depth. (FFXV in comparison is so damn limiting interms of how much you can do at any given time)

And the characters in this are the most engaging part of the story. Cloud is actually mildly interesting for once. Tifa and Aerith are both charming. Barret is awesome. And even side characters like biggs, wedge, and jessie are memorable. It's actually made me want to see what happens to them. even though I already know...(?)

Stuff like both motorbike sequences are fucking amazing.
And the ending was completely stupid, but IMO, it did a good job at making the whole finale quite climatic.
The game actually felt like a complete game, which is something that I never thought i'd say.

Sure, the game is full anime.... but it IS a JRPG. It is always been anime.

The only real complaint I have about the game is the pacing.

 

[dancingphlower]

I liked it well enough to put it in my top ten for the year, but honestly I don't necessarily disagree with your assessments outside of the combat. I have no nostalgia for the original so the OST did absolutely nothing for me, and most of the characters don't feel like actual people, which made it really hard to connect to them.

 

[Lobster Roll]

I respect this as anyone should, but it's always a bit of a :/ when I see folks coming to my easy GOTY 2020 and not walking away half as happily.

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I mean, taking away the combat which did absolutely nothing for me, I couldn't help but be disappointed by where the plot ends, how the plot ends, and how much time was dedicated to the amount of plot from the original story. I left asking the game, "that's it?"

 

[Musubi]

I'm not even a huge FF7 stan and this game blew my expectations out of the water. Easily my 2020 GOTY and god help me I can't wait to play in proper 4K on PS5.

 

[DC5remy]

It legit made me sad I played it and question wether the old version was even that great of a game, like I remember it being.

 

[Quinton]

Okay, I'm gonna amend what I just said simply to denote that I'm not sure I can entirely respect the notion of the game being "pure torture" to play at times.

Maybe I'm a masochist...

 

[Ruisu]

I mean, you're just definitely wrong about Roche, he's incredibly fun and I had a grin on my face the entire time he was on screen, and he's also the first AMAZING boss fight of the game. Everything about the entire sequence with him is great and memorable.

 

[pleaseinsertdisctwo]

It's interesting how polarizing the combat is. To me, it's basically a modern flavor of the original FF7's ATB system, but you don't have to sit around watching nothing happen as the bars fill up only to then burn your bar on a simple "attack" command. Instead, you're virtually always attacking while your ATB builds up, and then you can burn your bar for more unique actions.

The minute-to-minute attacking (and defending) is basically window dressing; it gives you something to do/watch while ATB bars are filling up. Due to that, it feels more or less like an ATB-based turn battle system to me.

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I don't think the combat is polarizing

I would say a majority of people think the combat is great/excellent

but yeah it was always going to have people that dislike it because it's a hybrid

 

[Servbot24]

Agreed on most of this except that I thought the combat was best of both worlds instead of worst. JRPG battle systems where you can't move feel so old now. I also thought the music was pretty good, but not amazing.

Oh and yeah, Roche is just bizarrely, embarrassingly awful. What the hell were they thinking?

With all the criticisms that can be very fairly made though... I still really enjoyed the game overall.

 

[Buttonbasher]

I really loved the characters, music, and new stuff they did to the story, but boy did I dislike actually PLAYING it. It felt so sluggish to do anything and everything. Learning that it was largely the Final Fantasy XIII team made a lot of sense. It feels like a 13-4 in terms of game design.

 

[evrythngwastakn]

I don't like the combat either, but I'm stuck in the "why can't they just go back to early 2000s combat?" School that has long since been ditched in main stream games. I also find the side quests ducking abysmal. The first time I had to go find three cats or whatever in the slums I turned the game off and didn't play for a couple days.

 

[Mr. Poolman]

Whoever did the animation for the girls, thinks women move like the ones on anime.

Also, male gaze the game.

 

[echoshifting]

I was not interested in continuing after the Roche chapter.

 

[AuthenticM]

I agree with the anime-ness of the women's behavior and wish it was toned down. Also agree with Roche. The combat is subjective so ymmv. But this:

- The music
I continue to be baffled at the constant praise for the soundtrack. It was incredibly disappointing in the demo, but I was promised the full game would change my mind. It sure has shit hasn't, 9 chapters in. Not a single track in the remake so far has been an improvement over the OGs except maybe Underneath the Rotting Pizza which is about similar I guess. New tracks that I don't recognize don't impress me either. Often gone are the punchy synths, replaced with generic and overdone orchestrations. Even when the guitar version of Still More Fighting finally shows up (during the Airbuster boss fight), they still felt the need to throw in a bunch of random choirs in there, just to make everything more bombastic and overwrought, and it's silly and out of place. Even Aerith's theme is weaker. The original had an elegant simplicity to it that worked perfectly, the remake slows it down and makes it a more soaring/swelling orchestrated type and it's frankly boring.

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no

 

[pleaseinsertdisctwo]

Okay, I'm gonna amend what I just said simply to denote that I'm not sure I can entirely respect the notion of the game being "pure torture" to play at times.

Maybe I'm a masochist...

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IMO the only "torturous" aspects of it are the slow walking segments and the loading masks

And again personally I absolutely hate how there's no real moment where I can run around in an area and just grind by fighting respawning enemies

maybe that's just a personal problem but it really really realllyyyyy bugged me how I can only grind via colosseum and the arena


But as much as I ducking hate those aspects of the game it doesn't take away from the gorgeous character models, the TONS of memorable moments, the amazing character interactions, the well directed cutscenes, the innovative and fun combat system, and the largely excellent soundtrack (though I disliked some tracks and thought it re-used some melodies a little too much personally).


Side note: I found Roche to be somewhat charming but definitely way too over-the-top. They could've toned him down a little IMO


As for the "anime mannerisms" I absolutely felt like the game got better and better in this regard as the game went on. And even at its worst I found the dialogue to be largely very believable along with the way the characters interacted with one another. It bugged me but not enough for me to change my opinion on this being the best cast in a JRPG in a long long time

 

[s y]

Also playing it and finding it mostly mediocre. From the filler side quests to the awful characters/dialogue/VA.

I like the graphics and art(outside of the ps2 textures)I do find combat against bosses fun tho. So I'll just continue skipping cutscenes until I get bored of it.

Jrpgs are down bad if this is one of the best ones lol.

Design wise it really feels like a studios attempt at making a console game when all they've been making are DS era handheld titles.

I'm like 7 hours in and it feels like I've endured more slow walking than the Uncharted + tlou series combined.

 

[Truno]

I mean, taking away the combat which did absolutely nothing for me, I couldn't help but be disappointed by where the plot ends, how the plot ends, and how much time was dedicated to the amount of plot from the original story. I left asking the game, "that's it?"

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Although the final boss fight is visually and audibly fantastic, it's pretty dumb. How can that character be the final boss of the first part of a remake that covers like 10% of the original game? Made no sense to me. That's why I feel it's mostly fan service. I honestly really enjoyed my time with it at first, but after watching my brother play it (who is completely new to FF) I had a change of opinion. Still think the game is super fun, but the story and pacing are definitely not its strong suit.

 

[Zen]

I like remake Aerith a lot more than OG Aerith. She has more of her own persona and is characterized beyond just being the manic pixie love interest. She feels more like an actual resident of the slums if that makes sense. Tifa too. Just shame we only got to see things from Cloud's perspective most of the time. Would like to have seen more of the heroines without him around.

 

[Ruisu]

Whoever did the animation for the girls, thinks women move like the ones on anime.

Also, male gaze the game.

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They ARE anime women.

In fact they're all anime. Their mannerisms are meant to be like that.

 

[Lobster Roll]

I don't like the combat either, but I'm stuck in the "why can't they just go back to early 2000s combat?" School that has long since been ditched in main stream games. I also find the side quests ducking abysmal. The first time I had to go find three cats or whatever in the slums I turned the game off and didn't play for a couple days.

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Yup. I play games like Persona 5 and Dragon Quest XI and all I'm thinking the whole time is how wonderful it would be to have turn-based FF7 ~remade~ in a 2021 style.

 

[Musubi]

I mean, you're just definitely wrong about Roche, he's incredibly fun and I had a grin on my face the entire time he was on screen, and he's also the first AMAZING boss fight of the game. Everything about the entire sequence with him is great and memorable.

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For real people who don't like Roche just don't like fun apparently. He is just so over the top and stupid that he is entertaining as hell. And just adds to what is already a pretty dang cool sequence. Honestly hope they have more sort of setpiece moments like that in the next installment.

 

[Laser Ramon]

How is anyone going to rail on a game that has two men prominently featured in a seductive dance number for being a victim of "Male Gaze"

[edit] Not played for laughs by the way

 

[bombermouse]

I can only agree on how bad the female characters are. Everything else is top notch.

That combat and music are gotg material. Roche is super fun too, looking forward to more soldiers.

 

[spman2099]

Personally, I really liked the combat. Hell, I really liked FF7R. However, there were definitely multiple overwritten scenes that take the quality of the game down a few notches. In general, when they stayed closer to the original, the writing held up fairly nicely, but it was more than capable of getting excruciatingly drawn out and melodramatic (and, unfortunately, this happens during some of the most pivotal scenes in the game). It is too bad, as they took some interesting risks and occasionally those risks sorta paid off. Also, while I thought Aerith was nicely preserved as a character in FF7R (and is likable in her own right), having a more soft-spoken, insecure Tifa (who does, indeed, prance instead of run) really feels like a pretty disappointing downgrade .

I agree with some other points, too. The pacing isn't great, the side quests are pretty mediocre, and the music feels like a notable step down from the original (I will never not be salty over how they butchered the Turks theme). However, if they had nailed the writing I think that stuff would have been relatively negligible (especially with how much I like the combat).

All in all, it is a good game with a lot of problems (in my opinion).

 

[nicoga3000]

One of my favorite games ever. Loved the original back in the day, but this felt like a great new take on it.

I set it to easy at Hell House, stopped caring about stupid fetch quests, and streamlined the story. Was a wonderful experience all around and I cannot WAIT for the next part. I hate that I don't have a PS5 to experience the Yuffie stuff!

 

[Lobster Roll]

How is anyone going to rail on a game that has two men prominently featured in a seductive dance number for being a victim of "Male Gaze"

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You can put ketchup & mustard on a burger and still say that the mustard was what you disliked.

 

[En-ou]

Pacing, again - more padding shit
This game is sometimes pure torture to play. Remember all the forced slow-walk sections we complain about in Naughty Dog games? It has so many of those it'd make ND blush.

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I quit for this exact reason. Please, devs, use a cutscene if all the player is going to do is hold up. That is not engaging gameplay...

 

[NeoBob688]

The quest design and pacing issues criticisms are on point.

 

[ShinobiBk]

Combat and music are amazing I thought

The game is padded to hell though. And yeah the sidequests are really trash tier for the most part.
The whole section between the church and Wall Market is trash tier.

 

[AuthenticM]

Here are my thoughts on the level design.

Fingers crossed that the next game isn't cross-gen and runs on Unreal Engine 5.

 

[Catshade]

I also don't mind most anime tropes and conventions, but yeah their hand and head gestures really stand out (not in a good way) for me.

 

[pleaseinsertdisctwo]

Also, I feel like people complaining about the "anime-ness" might fail to realize that the game is very self-aware (for the most part), which to me really helped.

example:

"What is this ragtag group of misfits I see before me?"
"AVALANCHE!"
"Lab rat dog!"
"local florist!"

It's just a very fun game in general

You greedy bastard. Scum-sucking piece of shit festering asshole!!!

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

I respect this as anyone should, but it's always a bit of a :/ when I see folks coming to my easy GOTY 2020 and not walking away half as happily.

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Well, the story was better than Pokemon at least

Also, I feel like people complaining about the "anime-ness" might fail to realize that the game is very self-aware

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Honestly this is sometimes worse when a game wants to have its cake and eat it too. Like anime that's totally pandering but "oh but its a deconstruction!" type deal. FF7R didn't feel nearly as bad as that, but its still there.

 

[Deleted member 2317]

100% agreed for many of the exact same reasons- in particular, the atrociously abysmal side quests and the constant flanderization which you haven't even begun to witness its final form. The epitome of a rental game, I truly regret paying money for it.

As a wise poster said in another thread, the entire game is jumping the shark.

I would be more lenient if traversal was more enjoyable but everything is a cramped, isolated corridor and it sucks.

I mean, you're just definitely wrong about Roche

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Ignore this person, Roche is compilation-grade.

 

[Goldbob]

Honestly the combat in this game is boring until you get to hard mode with maxed out materia, and by then you're kind of over the whole thing and never want to play it again.

 

[Truno]

Well, the story was better than Pokemon at least



Honestly this is sometimes worse when a game wants to have its cake and eat it too. Like anime that's totally pandering but "oh but its a deconstruction!" type deal. FF7R didn't feel nearly as bad as that, but its still there.

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And yet Pokemon sold better... at least the trees look better in remake

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

And yet Pokemon sold better... at least the trees look better in remake

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If you're talking about textures some of the slum area looked about as rough as the meme tree

 

[Samawati]

I'm gonna be the melodramatic hater and say they destroyed Tifa, and I will never forgive Square until I die. But with only like...10% facetiousness.

 

[FTLMantis]

I'm with you 100%, except that I think you're being too generous. FF7R is terrible. I have no idea where they got off stretching the game out as far as they did, and who thought this combat system was a good idea. They ruin the good characters from the original and don't introduce any new ones with any personality. And dear god, the ending. What am absolute disaster.

 

[Gradly]

I liked the game a lot and I can't wait for the PS5 upgrade and next sequels, the combat and music are fantastic. I only played this and FFXV and in comparison FF7R is much much better (music are equally amazing in both). Other points you mentioned are just what I expect from this type of games

 

[Truno]

If you're talking about textures some of the slum area looked about as rough as the meme tree

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That is why I specifically mentioned the trees lol. I actually looked around a lot after seeing the legendary door, did not see any terrible trees!

...But being honest the fact that most of the backgrounds in this game are clearly JPEGs was really underwhelming. I think the souls series has ruined that style of game design for me

 

[Akainu]

uh huh uh huh rebuttal you like darks souls 2. /s

But seriously darks souls 2 is easily the worst in the series how anyone could like it but say this is a bad game is beyond me.

 

[halcali]

I think the game is quite good, on balance.
It's just not a good Final Fantasy 7 game (imho).

Better writing is needed.

 

[Transistor]

I agree with the pacing, but I loved everything else about the game. The combat is phenomenal, the music is amazing. I've played through it twice and probably will a third time when the PS5 patch comes out.

 

[Deleted member 3017]

It's one of the most bloated games I've ever played and horrendously paced in many areas. I still enjoyed it though.

 

[spman2099]

How is anyone going to rail on a game that has two men prominently featured in a seductive dance number for being a victim of "Male Gaze"

[edit] Not played for laughs by the way

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What? You are sending me to jail for tax evasion? But I also donated to the sick kids charity!

 

[Chie Satonaka]

Edit:

Adding this so that people stop responding to it! :) Someone called me out on the first part of my post here, and I understand how it was needlessly dismissive on how people feel about the game. Not gonna delete it tho. I made a mistake, not gonna hide it.

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If this were a game that wasn't called "Final Fantasy 7 Remake", it would have probably scored 6s and 7s.

For what it's worth, you're not the only person who thinks this game is mediocre. I didn't care for the combat, I didn't care for the new story elements, I didn't care for spending an entire game in Midgar. And my god, the pacing, the sidequests, the stupid fate ghosts, ugh.

I just don't think it's that good. It's serviceable, I guess, but as someone who thinks the original FF7 is overrated (but still really good!) FFVII:R just doesn't hold up well in comparison.

 

[Deleted member 64609]

The combat and some of the humor were good.

Quests, squeezing through walls and tight spaces every 3 minutes, Kingdom Hearts: Sephiroth Square Root of Seven, and non-playable Red XIII were bad.

The same game without the FF7 skin would probably be a solid 6 for most people, and seeing it free on PS+ this month made me very salty

 

[Musubi]

I'm with you 100%, except that I think you're being too generous. FF7R is terrible. I have no idea where they got off stretching the game out as far as they did, and who thought this combat system was a good idea. They ruin the good characters from the original and don't introduce any new ones with any personality. And dear god, the ending. What am absolute disaster.

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If you just stick with one character and mash the attack button yeah games going to be boring. Characters can synchronize with one another in some extremely fun ways to setup some really fun combinations of abilities. You're supposed to be constantly switching between characters and setting up team attacks. I'm not sure how that is boring unless you're just flat out bad at the combat. And in that case that's on you not the game.

 

[Chief Malik]

Barret is very cool

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Oh naw