LTTP: Final Fantasy VII "Remake" on PS5 (SPOILERS)

[ethomaz]

Hello.

I decided to make my first (I believe it is but not sure at all) LTTP.
I'm a very very fan of the original game.

This thread will be talking whatever I progress in the game (I promise to play it almost every day).
But let first define what I liked in original game.

• Characters
• Story
• Graphics
• Combat system / Gameplay
• Music

CHARACTERS

They are the same and I don't believe it will change substantially... so unless there is a drastic change in character personalities both Original and "Remake" should be very similar in this point to like one or other more.

STORY

There is a big elephant in the room here because I don't consider FFVII "Remake" a well remake... it is a continuation of FFVII or in simple terms it follow the story after Sephiroth and Aerith merged to lifestream.
Probably I will only have a definitive opinion about it when I finished all episodies.
For now (the little I played) I'm loving the nuances of the changes made by the time travel.

GRAPHICS

Controversial here... I believe FFVII original was a looker for it time but I don't have the same feeling from "Remake".
The graphics are obvious way better and the characters way more detailed but the overall impression is that it is just average in face with others graphic lookers this gen when FFVII was at the peak of graphics in PS1.
It lacks animation too... the characters feels a lot static like a doll.

COMBAT SYSTEM / GAMEPLAY

It is my biggest let down right now because it is boring... it makes you sleep.
I can start how the characters and movements are not natural and you walk like controlling a doll and not a human... if you ask me it has the same weird characters movements in games made in Unreal Engine that gives me always that bad feeling... characters moves like a robot.
And I prefer the turn based strategy gameplay of original.

"Remake" combat system is still a big better than the serviceable FFXV combat but I really expected something better.
I can change my opinion when more options opened but right now it is the worst part of the "Remake".

MUSIC

We are all good here... the music continue to be impressive... if there is big changes over the musics in original it is very subtle but they are great like they were before.

OVERALL

The nuances in the Story itself will make me finish it and play the next games but the gameplay is really doing a no go to play at night (I cloud only beat the first boss without sleep at the middle of the battle when I played before 8pm).

I will be posting updates constantly.

BTW what do you think about this game?

 

[ethomaz]

A NEW SEPHIROTH

I'm trying to reach the Avalanche's HQ so except for sleeping a lot in the first boss battle something catch my attention.
There is a new Sephiroth in the game showed to you... his way to talk and personality seems to be different to the two others you will eventually see in the game.

That lead me to take note of his points.
- He tries to persuade Cloud to make things different like run to not have the events happening... to me he is trying full fill his desire to have Aerith alive to not merge with lifestream and fuck his plans.
- That is the first difference from the "Remake" future Seph is trying to archive.
- IMO this is the Sephiroth that come from the future lifestream where he and Aerith are stuck and so he will try everything to not allow the same resulta happens again.... plus his link is to the past is probably Cloud but I'm not sure about that... I expect to see Aerith from the future in some time.

The story is really pushing me to play the game.

BTW these are points that I guess those that never played FFVII won't understand.
To release that Nomura introduced you to a new Sephiroth needs to have played the original and understood that there is two different Sephiroths in the game... now we probably will have 3.

 

[ethomaz]

I just faced that there are things like ghosts that only Aerith and Cloud can see… maybe a side product from Seph time travel.

It becoming even more interesting.

 

[Rea]

Love this game, this is one of the best action/turn base RPG i have played recently. It's easy and quite boring in my 1st playthrough but I fall in love with this game when my 2nd playthrough with hard mode. Recent PS5 update make the graphics so nice, loading are lightning fast. Overall one of my favorite game,can't wait for part2.

 

[Vertigo]

I’m playing it currently on ps5. About 15 hours in. It’s okay. I think it’s hugely overrated. Takes of Arise is generally the better game; especially when it comes to combat.

 

[ethomaz]

I’m playing it currently on ps5. About 15 hours in. It’s okay. I think it’s hugely overrated. Takes of Arise is generally the better game; especially when it comes to combat.

The combat is bad... I can't get used to it.

Plus I'm hating the walking parts just like I hated in The Order... why they should limit you speed to slow steps and remove action commands in a lot of places that there is no use for.
They should have used a CGI instead if they don't want playing having control.

Another thing that is making me crazy is the action button outside battles... it does a big animation that can't be cancelled... and you need to wait that big animation stop for 2 seconds at the end to get control from the character again.

They story is what is holding me... and that is why I'm very fan of the original story... maybe I was playing that story for the first time I should have dropped it already

 

[nominedomine]

Best gameplay in any Final Fantasy game I ever played.

 

[Bryank75]

Best gameplay in any Final Fantasy game I ever played.

Yeah I really enjoyed it too.... particularly in some of the more open boss-battles.

 

[Vertigo]

Took me a min to learn the combat. It’s a bit easy once you get it.

Linked materia slots are the best part so far. Always use assess to determine enemy weakness and then reload the save with Buster sword with linked element materia for easy pressure to stagger.

Overall tales of arise has the better combat for a jrpg in these last few years. Better overall jrpg in regards to gameplay, dungeons, enemy variety, side quests, exploration even. The story is a bit typical anime tales stuff but serviceable. Overall, it blows FF7r out of the water.

I still think FF has been severely lacking for ages. 15 was ok and lame but I liked its combat a bit better than 7r. I’m not going to include 14 here really but it’s still the most I’ve enjoyed FF since 9 and tactics.

I’m really looking forward to 16 tho. Part of me wants to believe it’s going to finally be something I’ll actually enjoy and not just slog thru.

 

[Katajx]

The combat is bad... I can't get used to it.

Plus I'm hating the walking parts just like I hated in The Order... why they should limit you speed to slow steps and remove action commands in a lot of places that there is no use for.
They should have used a CGI instead if they don't want playing having control.

Another thing that is making me crazy is the action button outside battles... it does a big animation that can't be cancelled... and you need to wait that big animation stop for 2 seconds at the end to get control from the character again.

They story is what is holding me... and that is why I'm very fan of the original story... maybe I was playing that story for the first time I should have dropped it already

Give it some more time. I feel like it really starts to open up and I had a great time swapping characters or directing them to use their abilities. Definitely spend some time doing some of the…optional bosses and battles.

 

[nominedomine]

Took me a min to learn the combat. It’s a bit easy once you get it.

Linked materia slots are the best part so far. Always use assess to determine enemy weakness and then reload the save with Buster sword with linked element materia for easy pressure to stagger.

 

[Rea]

This game really shines in Hard mode, don't miss out playing in that mode.

 

[ethomaz]

Ohhhh the Whispers or whatever is called are really a product of future Sephiroth trying to intervene in past.

Every time a person event happens that was somehow changed by Sephiroth talking with Cloud the Whispers come to fight to make it back to the normal flow of events.

The ideia for the sequel even being chiche plus marketing it as a remake is genial… I think a lot of gamers (most these that never played the original) thinks it is a remake of FFVII when it is an actual sequel of events after Aerith and Sephiroth merged with lifestream.

Amazing.

Now I have certain… Sephiroth will try everything to make Cloud not follow the events that ends in Aerith death but the Whispers will do everything to kill Aerith at the right time no matter what.

The combat is still serviceable and generic… lacks depth and options… Magic and Summons are subused… plus the use of others party members is very very lacking.

 

[Katajx]

Ohhhh the Whispers or whatever is called are really a product of future Sephiroth trying to intervene in past.

Every time a person event happens that was somehow changed by Sephiroth talking with Cloud the Whispers come to fight to make it back to the normal flow of events.

The ideia for the sequel even being chiche plus marketing it as a remake is genial… I think a lot of gamers (most these that never played the original) thinks it is a remake of FFVII when it is an actual sequel of events after Aerith and Sephiroth merged with lifestream.

Amazing.

Now I have certain… Sephiroth will try everything to make Cloud not follow the events that ends in Aerith death but the Whispers will do everything to kill Aerith at the right time no matter what.

The combat is still serviceable and generic… lacks depth and options… Magic and Summons are subused… plus the use of others party members is very very lacking.

I wouldn’t read too much into that. When you have finished go ahead and give this a look.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth interviews – new information roundup

Various Japanese outlets have gone up with new Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth interviews revealing a ton of new information about each title.

www.gematsu.com

 

[ethomaz]

I wouldn’t read too much into that. When you have finished go ahead and give this a look.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth interviews – new information roundup

Various Japanese outlets have gone up with new Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth interviews revealing a ton of new information about each title.

www.gematsu.com

It is Crisis Core Remaster will be exactly the same as original.

Now FFVIIR was made not to follow FFVII or change what was told in FFVII because it is a sequel and not a remake… FFVII Remake is the future of the events after FFVII, Advent Children and Black&White Novel.

FFVIIR follow the FFVII franchise timeline.

- Previous titles like Crisis Core
- FFVII
- Advent Children
- Black & White Novels
- FFVII Remake/Rebirth/???

It is become pretty clear playing FFVIIR and with Nomura & co interviews.

 

[Katajx]

I don’t understand this distinction in calling this a sequel instead of a remake. The Resident Evil Remakes changed item locations and weren’t exactly the same as the originals. They were still remakes.

With everything they have said and the amount of times they have stated the overall story isn’t changing it is baffling.

Yea there are new elements. It’s made in a way for newcomers to enjoy it and for people that have played the original to see something new as well. I do agree with you it clearly isn’t intended to be 1:1 though.

 

[ethomaz]

I don’t understand this distinction in calling this a sequel instead of a remake. The Resident Evil Remakes changed item locations and weren’t exactly the same as the originals. They were still remakes.

With everything they have said and the amount of times they have stated the overall story isn’t changing it is baffling.

Yea there are new elements. It’s made in a way for newcomers to enjoy it and for people that have played the original to see something new as well. I do agree with you it clearly isn’t intended to be 1:1 though.

Because the timeline of the story.
FFVII Remake events start happens after the events of FFVII.
REmake is the same period story and original.

The story of FFVIIR start when Sephiroth imprisoned on lifestream find a way to travel to the past to try to convince Cloud to change the events of what happened.
While that the Fate of the world created Whispers to for fight against the changes of Events Sephiroth are trying to archive.

The name of the game is misleading on porpoise… because it means Sephiroth trying to Remake the story and not a game remake… that is why the second game has s called Rebirth and not Remake Part II.

Rebirth is probably about something rebirthing dam… maybe the future Sephiroth will rebirth in the past timeline… right now he is like a ghost that can only interfere in the past thought Cloud.

BTW I’m in the part of the second Avalanche mission… and right now Sephiroth intervened twice and Whispers forced the outcome in both.

1. Sephiroth change the path of Cloud to find Aerith early and tells him to run (he wants Aerith alive because he only lost because Aerith died and merged with lifestream)… Cloud will basically go with her and not encounter Avalanche but the Whispers intervened and made Aerith run alone to force Cloud to follow his path of encounter Avalanche in the HQ.

2. Sephiroth changed the need of Cloud for the second mission and so the key events of the second mission won’t happen… that was a way drastic intervention and created a massive Whispers attack to just hurt Jesse and made Barret change the team to include Cloud like it happened in original.

I’m 100% sure more future Sephiroth intervention will happen and more Whispers will fight even hard to matain the fate of world.

The biggest question is… will Sephiroth archive at least one change in a key event in the past even against the Whispers trying everything to makes the events happens like they were?

 

[Vertigo]

It’s sorta a remake, it sorta a retelling, it’s sorta a sequel. I mean once you finish it I imagine it becomes far clearer.

I do want to say that marketing it as a remake is a bit deceptive.

 

[ethomaz]

It’s sorta a remake, it sorta a retelling, it’s sorta a sequel. I mean once you finish it I imagine it becomes far clearer.

I do want to say that marketing it as a remake is a bit deceptive.

I can think right now is that is is very similar to what Back to the Future 2 did to Back to the Future 1.

 

[ethomaz]

UPDATE

Another big change by the time travel.

When Cloud fall of the reactor now he is supposed to die in “Remake”, the fate whispers come and save him, Sephiroth from the future come again and tell him to survive and that in the original he just have some little wounds.

I mean I believe Sephiroth was transformed in Cloud at first to reveal himself at end but it could be Cloud from the future at first (hardly because Cloud is not in the lifestream).