FINAL FANTASY VII : ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC JRPGS IN ALL HISTORY

That person lost their minds to a Final Fantasy VII remake should come as no surprise. After all, the Squaresoft classic for PlayStation is one of the most iconic JRPGs in gaming history. Whether or not you are an expert in the genre, it is very likely that on more than one occasion you have heard about this jewel, about the story it tells, or its emblematic characters.

Determining what makes Final Fantasy VII so special is not an easy task and it is one of those times when things line up perfectly to deliver an epic adventure. Remember that it is an RPG that transcended to the extent that 23 years after its release we continue to talk about it thanks to the fact that in 3 albums it made us cry, smile, and celebrate.

Now, if we are going to point out the successes of Final Fantasy VII we have to start with its history. It was joined by the creativity of geniuses like Kazuhige Nojima; Tetsuya Nomura; Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yoshinori Kitase to make us feel inside in a huge conflict that takes place in a world where people are full of fear due to the lack of sustainability of a system that has created huge social gaps and is consuming the planet day by day.

There we take control of a group of rebels – whom many call eco-terrorists – who are willing to sacrifice their lives in order to leave a better world for future generations. Without going into spoilers, this conflict evolves to such a degree that the protagonists end up as the only ones who can put an end to the plans of one of the most iconic villains in all of gaming history, Sephiroth himself.

To this we must add that the story presents us with charismatic characters with whom it is easy to become fond of, as well as moments that to date hurt those who played it in 1997. Without a doubt, it has everything to be considered one of the great narratives of the genre.

Another important point of Final Fantasy VII is in its soundtrack, which is on the podium of the most significant in the entire history of the JRPG. The pieces that came from the enormous talent of Nobuo Uematsu know how to touch the right fibers of the player to provoke unimaginable sensations.

Themes like Tifa’s or Aerith’s are nostalgic journeys that perfectly evoke the characters they represent and even make us miss better times. You also have to recognize songs like a battle or One-Winged Angel, which are so intense and exciting that we are sure that many composers of pieces for television and cinema are jealous of Uematsu’s brilliant mind.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO RELIVE A CLASSIC

With everything said in the previous paragraphs it is easy to see why Final Fantasy VII is a game loved by so many, but leaving things there would mean that we are not seeing the whole picture. Where we are going is that, as special as it may be, its original version is far from being a perfect game, especially considering the high standards that exist in the most important current productions.

It’s not pretty to say so, but your graphics with pre-rendered backgrounds, as well as misshapen, low-poly character models just don’t look good anymore. For its part, its turn-based battle system can be tedious, especially when we consider that it is almost mandatory to participate in these random battles to get the experience that gives us the necessary power to defeat their powerful bosses. And yes, we know that it has had relaunches that alleviate some of these complaints, but none of them have given it the treatment that a jewel of this size deserves.

This is when it’s easy to understand why so many people dreamed of a Final Fantasy VII remake, right? The Squaresoft classic told us one of the most exciting stories in all of gaming; He took us traveling through breathtaking locations and introduced us to characters that we continue to remember fondly. Trapping his full potential within the confines of his era would have been a huge sin for the community.

The good news is that Square Enix took the task of making a remake of Final Fantasy VII seriously. Thanks to this, it is an RPG that not only pays tribute to the classic that we fell in love with on the PlayStation, but also completely renovates it so that it looks much better and has a game system with enough arguments to satisfy the needs of the game. contemporary gamer.

If you are a fan of Final Fantasy VII and decide to give this remake a try, you should know that you will not regret it. The reasons are many and one of the main ones is that it has an impressive presentation.

The new JRPG from Square Enix has some of the best graphics this genre has given us in the current generation of consoles with outstanding character models, as well as well-detailed and worked animations. To this, we must add a stage design that we loved.

We must also recognize the lighting work which will leave you speechless, especially if you play it on a TV with a high dynamic range (HDR) images. As if that were not enough, the soundtrack has been renewed, so classic songs sound better than ever and for this reason, we recommend you try it with good headphones or a home theater system.

Both the visuals and the sound are important, there is no doubt about that, but they are not the only reason why you should play Final Fantasy VII: Remake. The thing is that its entire game system was completely revamped to remove all those things that can make its original version not as fun as it should be.

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The main change is in the combat system, which feels like the culmination of years of work where Square Enix tried to revolutionize Final Fantasy to make it feel more dynamic and with a greater amount of action, but without completely abandoning its estate. If you are a fan of the genre, it probably sounds like an impossible mission, but the reality is that with Final Fantasy VII Remake it was achieved.

Their fights are designed so that you feel part of them moving the characters around the battlefield as you approach to attack enemies or move away to avoid them. For its part, it preserves a gram of the essence of turn-based strategy by only allowing you to select your special or magical abilities once certain bars are full. The perfect combination of acting and waiting.

MUCH MORE THAN JUST A REMAKE

When you think of a remake, what comes to mind? Most likely, you can imagine a classic video game that was revamped to feature visual enhancements and gameplay tweaks to make it feel modern.

As we already reviewed, it is something that Final Fantasy VII Remake already does; however, the reality is that Square Enix’s effort was so great that it delivered something bigger. This is why considering it an ordinary remake would be a mistake. In fact, in our eyes, it is more of a reconstruction of a legend.

What happens is that Final Fantasy VII Remake takes a part of the original game – from the beginning until the group leaves Midgar – and expands it to the degree of making it an independent title. This gave Square Enix the opportunity to get creative with secondary content from the original to allow it to develop appropriately and transform their world into a broader and richer one.

For example, do you remember Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie? Yes, I’m talking about the members of AVALANCHE who, although they are faithful companions of Barret, go through the original story without much pain and glory. On the other hand, in Final Fantasy VII Remake, this trio of rebels has a much greater presence in history and we even get to know more about their past and the reasons why they decided to leave everything behind in order to fight for the future of the planet.

Also keep in mind that the world of Final Fantasy VII has grown since the original was released, and Square Enix took creative liberties with this remake. This means that Final Fantasy VII does not completely follow the line of the original, so along the way, you will find surprises, as well as moments that will give you goosebumps because of all the nostalgic emotions that it will provoke.

An expanded story requires a world that is at its level, don’t you think? This is why we loved that Square Enix also made a point of making Midgar, the futuristic city where the events of Final Fantasy VII and its remake take place, now feel much bigger than in 1997. Whether you are visiting the upper part of the city or you are walking through the slums of Sector 7, Final Fantasy VII Remak will surprise you by the magnitude of Midgar. It should also be noted that it has a phenomenal world construction that will allow you to see and feel the enormous social differences that exist in the world dominated by Shinra.

The fact that Final Fantasy VII Remake is a reconstruction rather than a simple remake is not something to be seen lightly. In fact, we consider it to be one reason why it is an essential game for those who tried its original version. Yes, even for those who played it so many times that they know it by heart.

What we mean is that Final Fantasy VII Remake has enough to thrill and surprise even the most veteran of the JRPG. Best of all, you can do it without always having to resort to a nostalgic feeling that, while we appreciate and love it, can be tiring. More when we consider that we are in a world where remakes already seem like the bread and butter. It is clear to us that the plan that Square Enix had with this remake was very ambitious, but it was all worth it.