Kalm is far less sleepy these days than its name suggests. No longer a mere rest stop on the path from Midgar, it’s a thriving town. In a single corner off the main square, a jazz duo busks, a young couple takes holiday snaps, and a stall owner beckons us to try chocobo ice-cream (not actually made from chocobos, we hope). It’s a microcosm of the bustle all around. If there was any doubt that Square Enix could maintain its maximalist approach to rebuilding Final Fantasy VII beyond the confines of Remake, here’s our answer. Not even Kalm can stay low key.
So it goes, from this beginning to the climax of an epic journey. Scenes are now sequences, conversations character studies, and rest stops hubs of activity. Is it excessive? Sometimes, yes. Gaps once filled by our imaginations have been painted over. Some weak branches should have been pruned. But then, precisely because of the excess, is exactly what it should be – an unabashed celebration of Beneath theand and the nous to wrangle a thousand ideas.
