Final Fantasy VII Remake goes well beyond simple fan service

Square’s lavish five-minute opening cinematic captures exactly what the publisher is aiming to achieve with Final Fantasy VII Remake. Fans will remember the original game’s intro beat for beat, combining Nobuo Uematsu’s unforgettable theme song with 3D graphics that were, at the time, cutting edge.

Almost a quarter of a century later, this iconic preamble has been lovingly reimagined for both players old and new. We’re treated to a much closer look at the steampunk city of Midgar and it’s many districts, coiling around the ever-imposing Shinra Headquarters. Then, perfectly on cue, we see Aerith dreamily gazing into the Lifestream, having put on more than a few polygons since 1997. Finally we zoom out to see the hive-like Midgar in all its glory before the camera finally locks onto a speeding train carrying some familiar stowaways.

This lovingly crafted opening perfectly showcases Square’s intent here: to boldly reinvent an all-time classic while keeping a legion of fans on-side.

The turn-based RPG isn’t exactly dead (hello, Pokémon) but we’re at a point in the Final Fantasy series now that it would be impossible to go all the way back to its roots. If it wasn’t abundantly clear from the gameplay footage and previews already out there, Square is opting for a more action-heavy combat system, though one that still borrows from Final Fantasy VII’s Active Time Battle.

The overriding theme here is to give players more direct control over the game’s heroes, Final Fantasy VII Remake feeling somewhat akin to one of our all-time favourite RPGs, Dragon Age: Inquisition.

You can seamlessly switch between your three party members, their basic attacks chipping away at the enemy’s health. More importantly, each hit will fill up a character’s ATB gauge, letting you spend each filled chunk to perform more advanced actions such as abilities, spells, and using items.

It’s a clever modernisation on the ATB system and one that will have you thinking tactically about which actions to use and when. For instance, holding onto at least one full ATB bar could help if you suddenly need to cast Cure or whip out a Hi Potion.

It can pay to be aggressive too. Focusing your actions on specific targets (and exploiting their weaknesses) will apply pressure and eventually cause them to stagger. This gives you a small window to deal extra damage, helping to change the flow of combat encounters into something a little more dynamic and engaging. This particular mechanic is crucial during boss fights, many of them forcing you into a rhythm of chipping away at their health bar, avoiding deadly attacks, then countering.

Being able to bring up the action menu and drop the pace to a crawl is another welcome feature. On the easy difficulty setting you can get away with button bashing and using the command shortcuts though more challenging scenarios encourage players to mix things up with an array of tactical options.

Naturally, each character has their own playstyle. Where Cloud and Tifa like to get up close, Barret and Aerith will attack from afar, making them better suited in a support role. On top of weapon attacks and assigned spells, each party member also has their own unique pool of abilities helping each of them stand out during battle.

For each new idea Final Fantasy VII brings to the table, it reaches back into the past as well, reshaping features such as Limit Breaks and summons to gel with this newer, more active combat system.

As much as we enjoyed those battles in the old game, this is how many of us actually saw them playing out in our minds. Instead of having two rows of blocky characters waltzing up to strike one another, we now have an explosive ballet of sword swinging and spell slinging.

Although Final Fantasy VII was mostly linear, seeing how the Remake is structured chapter by chapter, having you explore the many districts of Midgar, takes some adjustment. You won’t come across any random encounters here as enemies were purposefully sprinkled throughout those early stages we played, giving you a short breather between each one.

These pauses give you an opportunity to soak in Midgar’s oddly alluring industrial vistas while also scouting for item crates and chatting away with party members. Without giving too much away about the story, those who have played through Final Fantasy VII will know that Midgar makes up only a small albeit significant part in the saga.

As such, the writers have focused on fleshing out the full cast of characters and highlighting their relationships in the Remake. Shinra and his hierarchy of goons have become far more compelling and get the screen time they need to develop instead of cropping up with the occasional maniacal laugh and one-liners.

Side by side, those opening hours of both Final Fantasy VII and Remake create the same overall setup though the latter meanders into new territory. Again, we’re not going to drop any spoilers here, but the initial meeting between Cloud and Aerith takes some different turns compared to how it played out originally. That’s what’s perhaps most exciting about Remake – seeing how Square uses cutting edge visuals and a solid voice cast to build upon every story beat, from every climactic moment to the smattering of subplots.

Given how long Square Enix’s resisted the fan requests to make it, Final Fantasy VII Remake was never going to be a rush job. Although the wait has felt like eons and we’re only getting a small chunk of the complete saga, it’s astounding to see what a fine job Square has done.