Final Fantasy VII Remake Switch 2 Review: Great Characters buried in a mid game
When reviewing Final Fantasy VII Remakes there would be tons of things we could talk about. Like the great combat system that gets dragged down but too less enemy variety, or the promising main story that ends in a confusing mess, or all those moments where the game clearly got stretched just to reach a certain amount of playtime.
However, if I'm being honest with you, there is only one thing I truly want to talk about. Final Fantasy VIIs characters.
The art of slowing down
Final Fantasy VII Remake starts with Cloud, an almost emotionless mercenary who supports a rebel group. Of course just for the money so he says. In the first few hours of the game Cloud likes to act like he doesn't care about anything or anyone. A Ex-Soldier who is haunted by its past and deeply scared from it.
However even in those early Hours FF7 Remake shows with Cloud something you rarely see in Videogames. A certain kind of subtly. He says he doesn't care but thanks to the well written dialogue, good voice acting and facial expressions we know it's not true. He just doesn't want to show any emotions or admit them.
This behavior continues even after the first mission. There is a great moment with Tifa, his old Childhood friend and the girl who even got him on the mission as a mercenary. She surely has her way of talking to Cloud and even teasing him. It's charming and cute to watch. But Cloud isn't an easy nut to crack.
In between we get glimpses in the backstory of Tifa and Cloud. We see how Cloud back then promised Tifa to become a strong Soldier and how he would protect her if needed. Seeing how they both were back then and how they are now surely shows that they went through a lot, but we wont see the details of this in FF7 Remake
In the first few hours there is a scene where the whole group celebrates their first victory in the bar “Seventh Heaven”. Cloud, stubborn as he is, shows that he is not part of the group and gets kindly asked to leave the bar. It's here where Final Fantasy 7 Remake shows its strength. Walking slowly out of the bar while a great soundtrack is playing feels emotional.
You can feel that deep down Cloud would want to be a part of this, but at the same time I would never want to admit it, at least not yet. Seeing how Cloud develops from this stubborn and scared character, into a hero who carries about his team is one of the appealing qualities of FF7 Remake.
A limited world full of details
By today's standards the world of Final Fantasy VII Remake feels small. Most of the time you work through straight corridors and even the few more open parts are fairly limited. However the world is full of details to admire if you look for them.
One of the most memorable parts for me is the second time you meet Aerith. We get to know Aerith as the flower girl. She seems in touch with nature and in many ways does not fit into this world. FF7 Remake only plays in Midgar, a city that is pretty much only steel and stone without any green or nature.
This fits together with the main plot of FF7 Remake. Shinra, the company that owns Midgar, is pretty much an evil company who drains the planet's energy to use it for their own goods. A parallel that greatly fits in our modern world are big AI companies and in general our modern way of life drains the world of its resources.
But let's get back to Aerith. Her positive character stands out in this dark world. At first Cloud doesn't really know how to deal with her, he feels clearly uncomfortable in dealing with such a positive character. But similar to Tifa, Aerith does find a way to crack his hard shell slowly over time.
One of the chapters focuses on us escorting her back to her home. This is again a moment where FF7 Remake slows down in a good way. Through greatly written dialogue we slowly get to know her and the people she lives with. Because it's all happening at such a slow pace the development feels natural. One of the standout moments is where she makes Cloud pick out flowers for an orphanage in town.
Cloud is awkward and clearly shows it, however if you listen closely you can see how those moments slowly make him open up. All of this is always accompanied by a great soundtrack and really beautiful visuals. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is at times the most beautiful game I have seen on my Switch 2.
The start to something great?
As I said in the intro Final Fantasy VII Remake has many flaws and issues. But the one thing it pulls off great is creating a group of characters you want to get to know more and spend time with. By the end they all experienced loss and destruction, but at the same time also hope, hope they found in each other. Will all of this be worth it in the end?
The answer to this I might be able to give after playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. However I surely experienced moments I won't forget here. Even if I got dragged through many hours of bad game design and pointless filler content to get here.
Rating: Recommended
Rating System Order: Masterpiece | Essential | Strongly Recommended | Recommended | Mixed Feelings | Disappointing
Vaulted: Games that make it into the Kasur Gaming Vault have a special place in my heart and are games that define my gaming taste.