Game Review: Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a beautiful, well written, and fun game to play. It is a great game with amazingly detailed and well-developed characters with an interesting to each of them and compelling backstories as well as great character development. Is it a true remake to the original Final Fantasy VII? Well, I wouldn't know because I didn't play the original. All I know is that it's a beautiful game both in the story and in graphics. The characters all have unique personalities and character traits that make each character stand out. 

Should fans of the original games or newer fans play this game? I think it's a good game, but it's because I am a newer fan of the series. It also got me interested in playing the original game just to see if the stories are similar. I love the interactions between the characters and the growth in their individual relationships amongst the group as a whole. I find the relationship dynamic between Cloud and Barret from start to finish as well done. They weren't close at first and grew to trust and somewhat respect the other. 

Cloud as a character (based on my experiences on just this game) is a loner type and suffers from many main character tropes such as not willing to work with others or not wanting to get close to others due to tragic backstory. Cloud's character growth is based on how he grows to care about those around him. He grew in his emotional attachment for all of the other main characters in this game entry. This leads me to the next character; Barret.

Barret is a cold character at first looks and doesn't trust many outside a small group. He has a daughter that he cares about most of all. He doesn't trust Cloud and wants nothing to do with him at first, but slowly trusts and respects him throughout the game. He has a great character arc and his character growth is well done. 

Biggs and Wedge are two characters that I wished had more of a character arc, however, out of both of them...I think Wedge had somewhat a slightly bigger impact on the gamer's story experience. He was a character that people outside of the game world could relate to. He was one of a few positive and down to earth characters besides Aerith and Tifa. I felt like I didn't get attached to Biggs, however, it's because of the open-world aspect and lack of scenes with him that made me grow less attached to him. This leads me to next two main characters; Aerith and Tifa. 

We first meet Aerith near the start of the game, however, she is labeled as Flower Peddler when we first meet her and we don't get her name until later on in the game. I feel like she and Tifa have somewhat similar personalities in that they both are kind and gentle; however, they are both strong and can take care of themselves when the moment calls for it. I find myself thinking Aerith wasn't going to be a good fighter at first, however she proved me wrong as I played as her during the combat. Tifa, I think, is not the normal childhood stereotype like in most JRPGs in that she isn't dependent on the main character to rescue her all the time. 

I feel like all the main characters, as well as side and minor characters, are well done in terms of story arcs and in our interactions with each individual character. We get a glimpse into a larger world of people and not just background filler. The NPCs in each setting have personalities as well which is a great detail to add to this game. You could hear groups of NPCs just talking about daily life and sometimes give insight into how the rest of the world is reacting to events in the game. I won't go into any details on storyline or plot, because it would take to long in this review. However, if you have time to kill and want an engaging story with amazing characters than I would highly recommend this game for those two aspects alone for both newer fans of the game and those who played the original game back in 1997.