Let’s be real, Final Fantasy VII Remake is easily one of this generation’s most anticipated games. Though officially revealed during E3 2015, the Final Fantasy VII remake fervor began in 2005 thanks to the now-infamous Final Fantasy VII PS3 tech demo shown during that year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. After numerous false starts and delays, it will finally release on April 10 for the PS4 and PC. I recently got to try a three-hour demo of the long-awaited title. I’ll say it right now: the wait was worth it. If the entire game is as good as the demo I played, Final Fantasy VII Remake will live up to everyone’s lofty expectations.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is a remake through and through. While it uses the original game’s story, setting, and characters, this is a brand-new experience. Aside from its Unreal Engine 4-powered 3D graphics, the biggest difference between the remake and the original is their respective combat mechanics. Where the original had turn-based battles, the remake is real-time. This makes combat scenarios decidedly more intense. At the same time, encounters retain the original’s sense of strategy. New graphics and gameplay aside, this is Final Fantasy VII at its core and is thereby still pretty damn amazing.
The demo’s intro was virtually identical to the original’s, only with modern graphics. There are sweeping shots of the beautifully rendered city of Midgar before the camera zooms in on the protagonists riding a train to one of the city’s Mako reactors. Those who’ve played the classic FFVII will surely get a nostalgic kick during the intro since the remake does it so well. It’s like that E3 2005 tech demo only much more impressive.
You’re thrown into combat the instant you leave the train. There are no random encounters in the traditional sense. Unless they emerge from corners or from above, you’ll always see enemies in the environment. Transitioning from free-roaming to combat is smooth and seamless. Pressing the Square button performs normal attacks. Holding it unleashes a stronger, Area-of-Effect attack that hits multiple foes. If you’ve played Final Fantasy XV or Kingdom Hearts 3 then you’ll instantly acclimate to these basic attacks. It feels good whacking enemies around.
Those who believe real-time combat will negate any semblance of strategy shouldn’t worry. If you go into battles mashing Square you won’t last long. The game has no problems throwing dozens of enemies at you at once. Therefore, it’s important to focus on specific foes with the new lock-on ability to thin the herd. Defense is also vital; meaning you’ll need to dodge or block when necessary. As weird as this will sound, you have to approach battles as you would in games like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta. Going in with that mindset will help you overcome anything in your path.
Like the original, you’ll have access to all manner of magic spells, abilities, and summons. And true to its predecessor, you cannot spam commands. You need to wait for the ATB (Active Time Battle) gauge to fill up to at least one bar. Time slows to a crawl whenever you press X to bring up the combat menu. This gives players time to consider what actions will work best for their current situation. There is also Classic Mode. When enabled, characters will automatically attack foes — leaving players free to select commands. If you want the game to feel more “modern” then the default setting is for you. If you want a more old-school feel, you have Classic Mode. The choice is yours.
Boss battles are a highlight. My favorite was the Guard Scorpion. Yes, the very same one from the original FFVII. As before, the robot’s weakness is electricity. Using Barrett, I hit the robot with lightning spells while Cloud unleashed successive broadsword attacks. Switching between the two characters was as easy as pressing up on the D-pad. The boss’ attack patterns changed frequently, and it would even jump on walls and attack from above. When it moved far away, Barrett’s gun-arm served as the best offensive weapon outside of spells. The boss also had a number of weak spots. Hitting these would put it in a vulnerable state that left it open to attacks. This battle, along with the other two bosses I faced, disproves the notion of real-time combat dumbing down the remake.
I had to contend with some minor puzzles during the second half of the demo. This involved finding and using keycards to access computers. Doing this allowed me to remove certain components from the Air Buster boss I’d eventually have to face. Taking away AI chips, sensors, and bombs helped weaken it. This isn’t to say the actual battle with the robot was easy. It most certainly wasn’t. But it was cool knowing my earlier efforts had made the battle less harrowing. Puzzles such as these will go a long way to keeping the game from becoming repetitive.
Though Cloud is the main character, you can control anyone in your party during battles. I got to try out Barrett, Tifa, and Aerith. Each of the demo’s four heroes played differently from one another. Cloud slashes at foes with devastating sword combos while Tifa pummels bad guys with furious punches and kicks. As mentioned before, Barrett is perfect for long-range encounters, but so is Aerith. If you want to hang back and hit enemies with spells — not to mention have an effective healer — Aerith is for you.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is shaping up to be one of this generation’s best JRPGs. It looks gorgeous, has exciting real-time battles, and successfully revives a modern-day classic. While it may not please the hardest of the hardcore FFVII fans, I think it will draw in a significant amount of players just because of the hype surrounding it. But removed from that, it’s shaping up to be a solid JRPG — which is ultimately what matters. April 10 cannot get here fast enough. If you can’t wait, the demo is available now on PlayStation Network.
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