The recent release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake was the culmination of what many consider to be the most anticipated game release in quite a while. The Final Fantasy franchise has been in a weird place recently and fans are thankful that there’s something great for non-MMO players to enjoy in the franchise.
The game met and exceeded expectations in several ways, and came with its fair share of issues and things they knocked out of the park. Let’s now look at 5 things the Final Fantasy 7 Remake nailed and 5 things they need to fix in the sequel.
10 To Fix: Announce To Release
Square Enix for the longest time has had this issue where they reveal games long before they ever come out. The number of times fans have had to wait for these highly anticipated titles has become a long-running joke on the internet via forums and social media. With the remake meeting expectations and delivering high-quality experience fans are hoping the follow-up comes sooner rather than later. They don’t want a reveal in 2021, only to be waiting until 2025 or later to see its release.
9 Nailed: New Additions
We’ll be getting into the expansion of known events shortly, but there’s another element Square Enix introduced to lengthen the game and provide a full gaming experience inside of Midgar. What the did is that they introduced new scenes and new characters that weren’t in the original game. The two most prominent inclusions were Chadley, the kid who helps Cloud gain access to materia, and the motorcycle madman Roche, who seems like he’ll be popping up in future installments in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake franchise.
8 To Fix: Air Combat
The remake has a fantastic combat system…when things remain on the ground. When it comes time to fight drakes or other flying enemies the lack of polish and refinement on in-air combat shows quite heavily. Not only does the camera being to become unruly, but it just doesn’t provide the same feedback and engagement that the ground combat does.
Part of the problem could also be the lack of space for battles in a condensed city like Midgar. The in-air combat could take a big step forward when the world opens up in the sequel.
7 Nailed: Expansion
The moment Square Enix began talking about the game’s length and that it would only be taking place in Midgar, fans became worried. How could they turn a 6-8 hour experience from the first game into something that stretches to an experience around 30-40 hours? Well, it turns out they did it by expanding on the parts of the game that were one to two cutscenes in the original. These additions provided more context and also allowed the dynamics between the game’s main characters to play out a lot more naturally.
6 To Fix: Materia Loadouts
As we’ll get into later, people are loving the revamped modern gameplay in the remake. That being said, there’s one thing the game needs and should be a mandatory inclusion in the sequel. The thing in question is a materia loadout system that helps players manage their materia and allows them to equip loadouts of specified materia pairings. Not only would this save players a lot of time in the menus of the game managing their inventory, but it could also make materia grinding feel less like a chore.
5 Nailed: Translation
When talking about how the remake handled translation so well, it can be applied to two different aspects of the game. The first is the translation of the original title into an experience built for the modern gaming industry. It makes a beloved classic feel like a new IP included with all of the modern bells and whistles.
Secondly, the localization team did a fantastic job of making this game feel as heartfelt, impactful, and resonate as it does in the native language of its creators. This is an often overlooked part of game development that’s crucial to a game’s success in other territories.
4 To Fix: Convolution
The weirdest thing about the remake is that for about 90% of it the narrative is digestible enough to follow and have a grasp of the main beats of the game. As you draw towards the conclusion of it you quickly come to understand that the story becomes extremely convoluted to justify Square Enix’s plans with the game moving forward.
In trying to keep this piece as spoiler-free as possible it’s hard to get into specifics, but for a game that does a good job at ushering in players into the world of Final Fantasy 7, it loses that goodwill when it mattered most.
3 Nailed: Combat
When full-on gameplay of the remake started to be revealed fans were worried that the game’s classic active turn-based combat would be infected by the lackluster action combat of Kingdom Hearts 3. Once people got their hands on it they understood that though it aesthetically looks similar, FF7 Remake’s combat was miles ahead in terms of quality, precision, and feedback.
At this point, fans aren’t clamoring for major combat changes in the sequel, but want ways to use other characters that Cloud would call allies in battle.
2 To Fix: Pacing
Though the remake has been received rather well and critics are providing the long-awaited title with wondrous scores, it’s not without issues. Most people who finish the game will tell you that the pacing can sometimes feel inconsistent, with the biggest halt coming in Chapter 14.
This chapter slows the pace of the game down to a crawl, which feels even more apparent as it comes after a string of well-paced narrative beats that ramp up the game’s story and stakes. Hopefully, Square Enix takes the feedback to heart and makes it a point of focus in the sequel.
1 Nailed: Characters
If there’s one thing gamers are known for, it’s being pretty protective of the characters from some of their favorite classic video games. When looking at the original Final Fantasy 7, it’s a game that has a cast of beloved characters, who in retrospect weren’t written as well as fans remember.
Thankfully this is something the remake did a good job at fixing. The characters now feel more in-line with what people remember, and outside of Barret, have had most of their caricature inducing dialing fixed. The voice acting also takes them to another level entirely.
NEXT: Final Fantasy 7 Remake: 5 Things That Look The Same (& 5 That Are Different)
