I'm old enough to remember the PlayStation 3 technical demo of the original Final Fantasy VII opening. I'm old enough to remember the original Final Fantasy VII coming out. Crikey, I'm old enough to remember people at my primary school playing it and reporting back that actually, yes, this is very good, even if it looks like it was sponsored by Megablocks. It was, after all, 1997, and the glow-up the introduction received in 2005 simply rendered existing content into something that looked more palatable to an audience that wasn't going to put up with old-fashioned early pixel character models. I mean...
Fast-forward 26 years and I've finally completed the first part of the Final Fantasy VII remake, originally titled Final Fantasy VII Remake. It seemed a good time. With Rebirth on the way it was about time I tied off the loose ends of a narrative that perhaps didn't do anything to shock, but did plenty to thrill.
I'm pleased to report those late-1990s character models are gone. Final Fantasy VII Remake is a graphical and technical marvel that pushes the PlayStation 4 to its limits. Midgar never looked so good. Well, Midgar never looked good - the whole idea is that it's an industrial hellscape ruled and ruined by one corporate entity, like Saltaire gone wrong - but the slums under the plates of the city in the sky have been given an incredible glow-up. The environments are sensationally produced. There's a sense of finally realising a vision in the environments and designs. No longer do we see the limitations of pre-rendered backgrounds (no matter how much I remain in love with such retro concepts); instead, we get this:
That's gameplay footage, from chapter 15. The world of Midgar, the city of Shinra, feels so real and immersive it's possible to get lost in it.
Which leads neatly to what will immerse many people: the plot. The narrative. The story.
The Shinra Electric Power Company is draining the planet of its mako energy. Eco-warriors/terrorists Avalanche contract with former Shinra SOLDIER operative, the mercenary Cloud Strife, to make strikes upon the mako reactors that produce energy at the cost of the planet's life. The cast of characters is that of the 1997 original. Barret Wallace, the gruff and good-hearted leader of the band. Tifa Lockheart, Cloud's childhood friend and martial arts expert. Eventually, circumstances lead to them being joined by Aerith Gainsborough and, at the very end, Red XIII, who sadly isn't playable. That decision does make sense; introducing another playable character about 5 hours from the end of a 40-hour game, who would need new mechanics and options, would have been a technical challenge to the producers and likely to break the player from their finely-balanced battle tactics.
The game focuses on the first quarter or so of the original; there is nothing beyond Midgar in this first instalment of a likely three. The game ends with the ragtag band of heroes leaving Midgar behind them, to strike their way across the world. That isn't to say later events aren't referenced - foreshadowing plays a huge, perhaps onerous, part in the narrative - but the scope of the game is restricted.
What this does mean is a narrative focus that investigates Midgar and its denizens far more. Don Corneo, for instance, plays a more significant part in the game. As do Avalanche operatives Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, who feature as minor players in the first 4 hours or so of the original but who here get fully fleshed-out characters and backstories. There's an added complexity which augments the original storyline in many respects.
The downside of this is that sometimes the additions to the story just don't work. A 2-hour quest to Jessie's parents is just one of several examples of unnecessary sidetracks to the main quest. Yes, there's a boss battle at the end of it, but what was the point? To show Shinra up as the bad guy? It goes nowhere and adds nothing. It is filler.
That being said, most of the additions add something. Take, for example, the climb from Wall Market to the Shinra building which comprises chapter 15. For the most part, it is pure gameplay, but then there are moments of poignant reflection. The destruction of the Sector 7 plate is brought home as you first walk through the topside parts of the plate, then climb to see the scale of destruction. The arbitrary cruelty of Shinra is brought home in a far more effective way than in the original. Plus, thanks to the well-balanced action RPG gameplay, you're always moving and always busy.
Then there are the changes to the story. There is one significant change to the story, well-documented elsewhere, which may have huge repercussions. Not least to my ego, as it's just gone through this other part of the backstory of Final Fantasy VII and in some ways feels betrayed, for all the narrative possibilities this opens up. This is, when all's said and done, no longer the comfortable world of 1997; this is a new world of Final Fantasy VII that could do things we just haven't seen before.
A special word for the gameplay. To complete the game, you'll spend about 35 hours with a controller in your hands; it has to engage and grip, and, for the most part it does. Action RPGs aren't my thing, not when compared to old-fashioned turn-based games, but Final Fantasy VII Remake balances the two well. It emphasises action and forces you into quick-paced battles requiring tactical thought and positive activity. You have to attack to build the ATB gauge, allowing you to perform other actions; it takes some getting used to, and it's not a choice I would have made as if you are hard-pressed in a battle you can find it impossible to find your footing. Of course, this is offset by making the right choices in equipment and materia; making those choices well can make your life easier, without breaking the game. The risk the game runs is always going a little too far; battles, although fast-paced and riddled with decisions, have a tendency to linger for too long as basic attacks only do so much and the ATB issue leads to battles being dragged out.
There are truly epic battles to enjoy. The Airburster boss battle stands out, not least because it is fought against a background of a heavy symphonic metal remix of 'Those Who Fight Further', the original boss battle theme. Meanwhile, the Blade Runner aesthetic of the setting, complete with the holographic head of President Shinra himself, lends something to this particular highlight of the game. Players looking for those epic fights, combining tactical nous with brute strength, will not be disappointed, even if the common battles can become a little repetitive.
There's much to recommend in Final Fantasy VII Remake. Players of the original, like myself, will enjoy the sense of nostalgia and, yes, fanservice. Memorable moments are reproduced. Yes, Cloud dressing up as a young woman is still intact and as ridiculous as ever, even if thankfully many of the attitudes from the original are replaced by a more modern sensibility. Yes, the chase after escaping from the Shinra building is there and fully-playable. And yes, there is that 'ooomph' moment at the very outset. But there's also much here for the newcomer. There's a sense that this is a new beginning.
