Back in 1997, Square Enix created a legendary game called Final Fantasy VII which is considered to be the best Final Fantasy game of all time. They had finally ditched the idea of a turn-based battle system and adopted a new “Active Time Battle” system or ATB system for short. This made the game take a leap forward!
Fast forward to 2020, Square Enix released a remake of the game titled Final Fantasy VII Remake as a part of a trilogy. The first part was released on the PS4 and the second part, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, was released earlier this year on the PS5.
Now the question is, was creating a remake for a game that was 23 years old a good idea? If it was, what made Final Fantasy VII such an engaging game? Let’s find out.
Appealing Characters
The first things I noticed about the game were the character design and their respective storylines, the latter of which is being discussed up ahead.
The game revolves around Cloud Strife, who looks rather skinny with spiky blonde hair but he carries a sword called a “Buster Sword” which looks like it would weigh a ton.
The other characters include Tifa Lockhart who is Cloud’s childhood friend and specializes in martial arts. Then there’s Barret, a hot-headed individual with a machine gun for an arm (he excels at long-distance attacks), and finally Aerith Gainsborough who is a mage and magic attacks are her forte!
Engaging Storyline
Final Fantasy VII’s storyline stood out to me. It’s about a fictional city called Midgar which has an energy resource called “Mako”, something like fossil fuels in the real world. The company responsible for using Mako to create energy is called Shinra Electric. However, during the process, Shinra is damaging the city and it needs to be stopped.
Cloud, who is an ex-Shinra soldier, now works as a mercenary to make ends meet. He comes across Barett and Tifa, who are part of a revolutionary group called Avalanche, which actively works to put a stop to Shinra’s activities.
However, one thing leads to another and they find themselves face-to-face with Shinra’s most legendary soldier, Sephiroth. Sephiroth is also the game’s antagonist and his menacing appearance makes the whole experience a lot better.
Amazing Weapons
As you progress through the game, you can also change weapons for all characters. For instance, Cloud starts with the Buster Sword (which I used for most of the game by upgrading it), Iron Blade, Nail Bat, Hardedge, Mythril Saber, and the Twin Stinger.
Barret’s weapons include a Light Machine Gun, Big Bertha, Steel Pincers, a Wrecking Ball, and an EKG Cannon. Tifa’s weapons are gloves such as Leather Gloves, Metal Knuckles, Sonic Strikers, Feathered Gloves, Mythril Claws, and Purple Pain. To inflict the most damage, I always used the Metal Knuckles.
Aerith uses Guard Stick, Silver Staff, Arcane Scepter, Mythril Rod, Bladed Staff, and Reinforced Staff.
Engaging Boss Battles
The boss battles in the game kept me hooked throughout. In fact, not just the major boss battles but even the minor battles as well. The reason is that Final Fantasy VII allows you to switch between characters during a fight.
For instance, if Cloud is caught up in an attack he cannot block, you can switch to Tifa to release Cloud. Similarly, you can also assign commands to your fellows in battle. For example, if you are low on HP as Cloud and don’t have enough MP to heal yourself, you can assign a command to Aerith to heal you, without having to switch characters. This makes gameplay very intriguing!
Summons
Summons are a part of every Final Fantasy game after the Final Fantasy III. They make gameplay a lot more interesting, especially during major boss fights. For instance, in Final Fantasy VII Remake, you get to use summons in boss fights such as the Airbuster and Hell House.
There are various summons that you can use to aid you in battle, including Ifrit, Shiva, Leviathan, Chocobo and Moogle, Fat Chocobo, Cactuar, Carbuncle, Chocobo Chick, and Bahamut. You can assign different summons to different characters and use them accordingly.
In my case, I kept Leviathan with Cloud, Shiva with Tifa, and Ifrit with Barret. I had Aerith keep Fat Chocobo but rarely used him in battle. However, you need to complete Battle Intel Reports to unlock summons, so make sure that you do those along the way too!
How to Get the Game?
You can get the disc for the game, but I recommend getting the digital edition to make things easier for yourself. You can purchase the game from the PlayStation Store for $29.99 and you can get the Intergrade version with an additional episode for $39.99.
However, make sure that you have a superfast internet connection to download and install the game as soon as possible. I’ve always used Xfinity for my gaming needs, so I recommend that you take a look at Xfinity Internet plans for an internet connection at a budget-friendly price!
