Final Fantasy VII Remake Reviews

Battles are so addicting, all of my play sessions lasted multiple hours longer than I intended until I'd beaten the game in 40 years that just flew by. Ramza and Delita's story is already extremely compelling on its own, but Ivalice's sheer political scope around them makes the world and narrative feel all the more alive – juggling deep conspiracies and class consciousness with a commitment to emotional character writing that'll break your heart, lift your spirits, and keep you reflecting o...

At the end of it all, even under immense scrutiny and in spite of some disappointing shortcomings, there's no getting around the fact that I had a giant grin on my face for just about the entirety of Final Fantasy VII Remake. It's an enjoyable enough game if you're a casual fan of Final Fantasy or action RPGs, but if you're in it for the fandom you may just have your mind blown. It's not a perfect game, but it absolutely exceeded my expectations of what a remake of Final Fantasy VII could be. All that's left now is to (not so) patiently wait for the next part…

“...although the complete Final Fantasy VII storyline is a fascinating, emotional globetrotting adventure, this first 40-hour romp is anything but.”

Republished on Wednesday, 13th July, 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of July's PS Plus Extra, Premium lineup. The original text follows.

Square Enix tells a smaller, more personal Final Fantasy 7 tale and marries it with a smart mashup of action and RPG gameplay to deliver a must-play experience. Its PS5 version realizes the world of Midgar with stunning new detail.

RPGamer is currently looking into providing audio-visual versions of our regular written reviews. To help gauge the potential of doing this, we have produced a video version of our Final Fantasy VII Remake review and would like to hear if future videos are of interest.

Confession time, I’ve never fully played the original Final Fantasy VII. Yet Final Fantasy VII Remake kept me engaged through inventive combat, great world-building, and an approach to narrative that made me care about these characters that most players probably grew fond of over 20 years ago. Midgar is a delight to visit in all of its fully realized glory, with tons of areas to explore and even more things to do in it. In finding the balance between tradition and innovation, the game walks a delicate line. While it sometimes stumbles, it otherwise pulls it off elegantly.

When a title gets a grand number, it’s a video-game worth spending your whole life in.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is beautiful, a ton of fun, and manages to bring one of the jRPG classics up to modern standards with few issues.

The soundtrack of Remake is nothing short of beautiful. Some of the most iconic tracks have various different remixes, with the various versions of “Those Who Fight” and the main theme of Final Fantasy VII sticking out as absolute masterpieces. I was enthusiastic about collecting music records throughout the game just because I wanted to hear more covers of classic themes, and not once did they ever disappoint. The voice acting is another highlight of the game, and though I still miss the classic actors we’ve had since Kingdom Hearts, the new cast gives Cloud, Tifa, and the rest of the crew new life in Remake.

FFVII was originally released in 1997 on the PlayStation and became an immediate hit. Over time, it has gone to establish itself as not only one of the best RPGs ever, but also one of the best video games of all time. Fans have been clamoring for a remake for decades so they could relive the journey of Cloud and the gang in better graphics than what the PlayStation had to offer at the time. Square Enix took a huge risk by attempting to recreate such a beloved title, but they threw caution to ...

Years and years after its original first teasing, many questioned whether Final Fantasy VII Remake was still going to be a thing. Was it cancelled? Were those trailers we saw back in 2015 even real or did fans simply imagine it? Sure enough, five years later, near the end of the PlayStation 4’s life cycle, the game is here. There’s caveats such as the game being broken into parts sure, but Final Fantasy VII Remake is here. Believe it.

It's been a long time in development but Final Fantasy VII Remake is finally upon us and it's quite the jaw-dropping spectacle.

I kind of agonized over rating Final Fantasy VII Remake. It’s going to garner a lot of discussion from people who are both blown away by the new treatment and disappointed by it, and those feelings are not mutually exclusive. In the end — after thinking on it for some time and removing nostalgia from the equation entirely — I came to the conclusion that this world is full of powerful characters and a setting that’s worth remembering: remake or not.

It’s hard to remake a beloved game. Balancing nostalgia with new ideas is a tricky conundrum to overcome, especially when it comes to a game like Final Fantasy VII. So many have fond memories of that game and it’s impossible to replace those. Instead, Square Enix has crafted a new game that successfully utilizes the best parts of the original story, adds in new elements and delivers a whole new battle system. Final Fantasy VII Remake provides the characters, settings and plotlines players expected, expanding them with a greater focus on character development. The new combat mechanics perfectly blend the original ATB system with a modern real-time action system to create something wholly unique and engaging. Unfortunately, not everything new works. Some of the new story elements feel out of place with the overarching story and tone, and quite a few of the many hours feel like padding. When the story, combat and characters come together, however, Final Fantasy VII Remake captures the magic that makes Final Fantasy special. Final Fantasy VII Remake is just the beginning of this new journey and it's already off to a great start.

Let’s get one thing straight right now: Objectivity will be nearly impossible here. I have a history with Final Fantasy VII that spans multiple decades. The original game changed how I looked at games, in general, for my whole life going forward. These characters, this story, and this world are permanently embedded in the marrow of my bones. The opening cut-scene had me reaching for tissues in seconds. I was a crumpled ball of feelings, I was hooked, I was enthralled. The best I can do is to measure this game beside other Final Fantasy titles. Even other RPGs feel like they’re from different planets. In spite of all this, let’s talk about Final Fantasy VII: Remake.

Sometimes the camera moves too fast or worse far too slow during combat making me feel disoriented. However, I don’t want to put this game down. It is breathtakingly beautiful, from the set pieces to the character design, and features new and improved combat that is both modern and a love-letter to the original turn-based mechanics.

Some of you may have already received your copies of Final Fantasy VII Remake, thanks to the decision to deliver copies earlier to help those in areas more badly affected by disruptions from the coronavirus. Due to these circumstances and the fact of this review coming out ahead of its official release date, be aware that there are possible spoilers within this review. A copy of the game was provided for us to provide this review.

The original Final Fantasy VII is one of the most influential and adored games of all time, representing the best storytelling, gameplay, and technology its era had to offer. Its monumental impact on the role-playing genre is hard to overstate – but even harder to replicate in today’s landscape. That struggle between history and innovation is the engine that drives Final Fantasy VII Remake; the legend of the original looms large over it like the metal plates above the slums of Midgar, but this new version refuses to simply exist under a shadow. With smart (and surprising) additions to a classic world and its inhabitants, Final Fantasy VII Remake artfully appeals to nostalgia without being bound by it.

Overall, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a stunning game and absolutely worth your time, so long as you go into it with an open mind and don’t expect it to stubbornly adhere to a nearly 25-year-old tale. I, for one, am rabidly excited to see where future entries will take this story.

Final Fantasy VII Remake has converted this detractor into a believer. Even with its handful of issues, the richly detailed world and story are something to behold

For the PS5 version upgrades in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and the the Episode INTERmission DLC, read our separate review here.

This is still one of the most excellently presented games I’ve ever experienced, and with a few tweaks for the next installment, that excellence might extend to gameplay and story too. Whatever misgivings I may have going into future releases, it’s undeniable that this was an enjoyable 42 hours marred by a single bad one. Even so, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is arguably the best non-MMO Final Fantasy game released in a very long time. Despite my qualms, it’s been a welcome Reunion.

To say Final Fantasy VII REMAKE has been hotly anticipated is putting it mildly. Check out our review of the long-awaited remake of one of Square Enix's most beloved JRPGs of all time.

If you're willing to keep an open mind, you'll be able to enjoy Final Fantasy VII Remake for what it is at its core: a gorgeous, well-made, and fun RPG that successfully retells one of the best video game stories ever told with a few twists.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a masterpiece, a love letter to FF7 fans, an homage to one of the greatest games of all time. At its best it does everything the original did in 1997, revolutionizing the way video game stories can be told and reimaged. Square Enix has created a wonderful game full of characters, set pieces and stories for a whole new generation of players to follow the journey of Cloud Strife and his friends on a mission to save the world. Even though I personally didn’t care for the last hour or so of the game, I can’t deny the amazing effort Square Enix has put into Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It’s a fantastical, wonderful, magnificent experience for new and old gamers alike.

An utter joy to play from start to finish, packed with memorable scenes, moustache-twirling baddies, and epic battles. The first part of Final Fantasy VII Remake isn't just polished, it's opulent.

Each generation has its defining games, but some titles break past generational greatness to be perenially lauded. Final Fantasy VII sits among the pantheon of true video gaming legends like Super Mario Bros., Halo, and Zelda: Ocarina of Time. FF7 is a game that people have an almost holy attachment to, and when Square Enix announced a remake in 2015, video game fans everywhere went wild.

The original game, first released in 1997, was responsible for awakening audiences to the emotional power of video game storytelling and effectively putting Japanese role-playing games on the global map.

Final Fantasy VII remake has a lofty bar to meet, as the original is considered to be one of the best JRPGs ever released and one of the best entries in the long-running series by Square Enix. Its impact on video games as a whole was immense, and JRPGs have never been the same since its release in 1997.

Taking one of the most genre defining and well loved games of all time and rebuilding it from the ground up was a tall order, but Square Enix pulled it off with modernized gameplay and a fleshing out of the world and many characters compared to the original. While only featuring a portion of the story fans know and love, Final Fantasy VII Remake still manages to feels like a complete game, yet still part of a larger narrative to come, and will have fans waiting anxiously for the next entry as soon as they finish.

Much like its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is far from perfect. Its linear design and difficulty spikes may be off-putting for some, but stick through the rough bits and there's another incredible story and wonderful world waiting.

At its best, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a loving, painstakingly meticulous re-imagining of the original. While not every new facet is equally inspired, it remains an exuberant reminder of why it originally captivated so many.