Now that the Final Fantasy 7 demo is out for public enjoyment and I have been able to sink a couple more runs into it after playing it at EGX I am now able to give somewhat of a first impressions on the game; albeit based on a very small piece of it.
Lets get the negative out of the way quickly and just say: I am still REALLY hesitant about the Final Fantasy 7 remake, mostly this is down to the episodic nature of the title with more releases to come when it has taken god knows how long with who knows how many delays in order to get the first ¼ (ish) of the game to our shelves. Am I going to have to wait another 2-3 years for the next piece?
Who knows at this point because Square Enix are just outright refusing to address the issue.
Another thing that has me kind of worried with the full release, based on the demo, is that I found the gameplay to be quite clunky compared to the combat in other Action JRPG’s of the same ilk, even Final Fantasy XV really. My gut feeling says that this is just down to be the first hour of a JRPG and that I haven’t got all the abilities that will make the combat seem that bit smoother so this is the tiniest little bit of trepidation in my mind.
Now that’s out of the way….
Despite all this I absolutely ADORED the Final Fantasy 7 remake demo.
The first thing that really hit home (okay the second, the first was me saying that if Cloud doesn’t do a flip off the train I will riot AND HE DID IT) was the Orchestral reimagining of the classic Nobuo Uematsu soundtrack. Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki have reimagined the Soundtrack so that it still feels absolutely beautiful and something I could listen to whilst I drop off to sleep, but also incredibly industrial tailored to the exact feel of Midgar.
No matter what your feelings on the Final Fantasy 7 Remake are, everyone can agree that this game is stunning. Every texture has been upgraded to enhance the industrial feel of Midgar whilst the character have been tweaked such a way that, even as over the top Spiky Haired JRPG protagonists, they fit in the incredibly dark and detailed world.
Character designs for the Remake have been done with such love and care that if you open up a character viewer for each character to view the finer details, you can see that THEY EVEN HAVE PORES:
Square Enix have delivered a graphical upgrade that stands head and shoulders above everything else we have seen in the past 5 years, it’s impossible to believe this is the remake of a game originally designed for the PlayStation 1.
Whilst I certainly have a few issues with the way this remake has headed, namely the episodic format (is that because I am greedy? (yes)), I can safely say that I have fallen in love with Cloud and gang all over again in just an hour of gameplay. Final Fantasy 7’s Remake has hit me in such a way that it is getting me right in the nostalgia but at the same time making me feel like I am playing a brand spanking new title that I have never looked at before.
I am so excited for the Remake and at this stage I just have to clear any obstacles in my way so that I can enjoy the release in a month.
If you’re just as hyped for the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 then make sure you don’t forget to preorder by using the Amazon link below.
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