What is it about Final Fantasy VII that just makes the game so timeless? Really, it’s a combination of factors. The accessible and powerful Materia system, the iconic story, one of the most legendary video game villains of all time, some of the most memorable set-pieces in franchise history… not forgetting, of course, the party members.
With Final Fantasy VII Remake, the team were able to dive much deeper into the personalities of the main cast, changing some aspects of them while ensuring that fundamental elements of who they are remained. Let’s take a look at the hot-headed yet lovable Barret Wallace to see how he changed for the remake (and how he didn’t).
10 Different: His Own Unique Fighting Style
Of course, turn-based action doesn’t define a game’s quality alone. When it came to this particular remake, though, the battle system proved controversial when it was revealed that combat would take a more Final Fantasy XIII-esque approach.
Turn-based elements do feature, but they take a backseat to action RPG combat. When a character is directly controlled, they have unique new skills appropriate to their classic styles. Tifa Lockhart has a close ranged, combo-centric style, while Barret’s unique ability Overcharge: a powerful series of blasts which then goes onto cooldown (this can be mitigated with the Charge skill).
9 The Same: He’s A Ranged Fighter
Speaking of which, Barret has one defining trait that’s immediately noticeable: a gigantic gun drafted onto his arm. Yes, a prosthetic hand may have been a more practical choice, but the heart wants what it wants. With this formidable weapon in mind, anyway, you’d probably draw the immediate conclusion that Barret would be a ranged fighter. Gold star for you!
In the remake as in the original game, Barret does have a weapon or two that delivers a melee punch instead, but he’s strictly a sharpshooter for the most part. As we’ll see later, this suits his general gameplan in both versions of the title.
8 Different: He’s A Little Less Serious
With all these entries, it’s vital to keep in mind that the first instalment of the remake covers only a fraction of the original game’s plot (the action in Midgar). As such, certain things are very tough to compare. In addition, it’s also very hard to convey emotions through text, as opposed to fully voiced lines.
With this in mind, though, Barret definitely seems to embrace his sillier side in the remake. His gleeful humming of the Final Fantasy victory theme after some battles (Prompto did this in Final Fantasy XV) and a lot of his joking remarks may seem a little jarring, to those who remember the frequently po-faced and angry Barret of the original.
7 The Same: He’s ‘Supposed’ To Be A Tank
Final Fantasy VII has always offered players a lot of freedom to build their characters as they like. With the Materia system, you can go right ahead and make Cloud a summoner, Aeris a physical attacker or anything else you feel like doing. Having said that, though, characters do have natural strengths in certain areas.
Barret’s natural growth in HP and Vitality, along with the fact that he deals full damage from the back row with a ranged weapon, makes him an excellent tank. In the remake, you probably won’t find him dealing out huge amounts of damage, but he can absorb that punishment as well as ever. Perhaps even better, as we’ll see later.
6 Different: He’s Even More Emotional (Perhaps)
Over the course of 1997’s Final Fantasy VII, Barret experiences a lot of tragedy, as well as dredging up a lot of past trauma. This tends to be teased out of him slowly, though, much later in the game.
By contrast, Barret is seen to express a lot of this in a far more relatable way in the remake. Fully-voiced cutscenes add so much to the game’s heartstring-tugging moments (the battle on the pillar for instance), for all the characters, but none seem to display quite such a heightened level of emotion as Barret.
5 The Same: His Attitude Towards Climbing Stairs
As the remake’s release drew closer, fans waited with great anticipation to be able to relieve their particular favorite moments in HD glory. Would Square Enix cut this out? Would they change that? One thing we were very glad to see translated faithfully was the group’s mammoth staircase climb in their assault on the Shinra Building.
We’re happy to report that Barret hates climbing stairs just as much as he ever did. He continues to grouse incessantly all the way up, Cloud squabbles with him, Tifa is exasperated by them both. It’s one of PS1 Barret’s few standout silly moments, and we were delighted to see it.
4 Different: He Has Access To New Skills And Weapons That Make Him Even Tankier
As we’ve already mentioned, Barret fits the role of designated tank like a snug sailor outfit. His naturally high HP, defense and ability to deal damage from a distance allows him to stay in the battle almost indefinitely. All of this is just as true today as it was in 1997, but the remake gave Barret a number of powerful new tools to enhance his tanky talents.
Every new weapon in the remake comes with a unique ability, which the character will have always available to them once mastered. Lifesaver is acquired from the Light Machine Gun, allowing Barret to take the damage other party members would. This is very strong, especially when you consider he also has access to HP Up Materia, Cleansing Materia (to erase allies’ debuffs) and the passive defensive abilities from using SP on his Weapon Cores, another new feature of the remake.
3 The Same: His Dedication To Marlene, His Avalanche Allies And His Mission
Now, it’s tough to say where Barret’s eco warrior principles end and his vengeful crusade begins. Yes, he wants to save the planet, but he always wants to fire angry, righteous gatling bullets into as many Shinra members as he possibly can in the process. A man who has a armament that a large aircraft would be proud of as a hand is always going to have at least some violent tendencies, after all.
The morality of his ‘heroics’ makes for an interesting debate, but there’s one thing that can never be questioned: his enduring love for his daughter Marlene and his commitment to Avalanche, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie and the work he feels he must do. His attempts to explain to Aerith’s mother why he must leave Marlene in her care so he can continue the fight are as touching as they ever were.
2 Different: His Limit Break Selection
In a way, Limit Breaks are one of the major factors that differentiate party members in Final Fantasy VII. They’re the only moves that are truly unique to each character and have been suitably flashy since the original game.
The remake, naturally, had to step things up in this area, and that’s exactly what it did. While the characters have a smaller choice of Limit Breaks (they don’t get four distinct levels of them as they did before), they’re truly devastating attacks that are stunning to behold. Barret has two options: the default Fire in the Hole (an all-new move that fires an great explosive orb) and his classic ultimate Limit Break Catastrophe, a volley of devastating blasts that increases the enemy’s Stagger a huge amount.
1 The Same: His Gradually Blossoming Friendship With Cloud
“Ex-SOLDIER, huh? Don’t trust ya!” Barret’s immortal words to Cloud right at the beginning of Final Fantasy VII neatly defined the relationship between the pair. Very different men with opposing views, they slowly but surely learned to trust and rely on each other as allies. Even care for each other.
It was oddly heart-warming to watch, though it was definitely a long process. The remake had a only the Midgar portion of the game to work with, but the begrudging comradeship between the two warriors slow-burned its way through very well regardless. Hopefully another Gold Saucer encounter is in the offing later!
NEXT: Final Fantasy 7: 10 Crossdressing Cloud Cosplays That Are Amazing
