BUSTER KEEPIN’
Final Fantasy VII Remake has arrived on PC months after its PlayStation release, at a price of $70. The hope was for a definitive version, but at launch, I can’t say this is it. Which is incredibly disappointing, because in spite of Square Enix giving it the kind of PC port the publisher is infamous for—not as bad as Nier: Automata, but still somewhat underwhelming—the Final Fantasy VII Remake is excellent and great to play.
After the lacklustre, confused, and unfinished-feeling Final Fantasy XV, this new take on one of the most beloved games in the series feels like it truly has vision. It balances faithfully recreating the original 1997 game (1998 if you first played it on PC like I did, giving me a lasting appreciation for the MIDI soundtrack), while commenting on the source material in a way that makes it feel up-to-date. The combat system is now fully real-time, though in a way that finally manages to honor the classic RPG legacy of the series.
The biggest caveat is that, despite only retells the opening of the original game—the portion set in the grimy, industrial city of Midgar, where the wealthy live in comfort on gigantic plates of metal, while the poor live in the shadows beneath next to piles of scrap and waste. While originally the Midgar section could take about 10 hours, here it’s transformed into a 35-40 hour adventure that feels more complete in its own right. As everything reaches a dramatic climax, it makes sense to close the book there (until the inevitable sequel).
