Final Fantasy VII Remake is a game i personally never thought it was going to see the light of day but im so glad that it turns out i was wrong.
For those unaware Final Fantasy vii is a 1997 game developed by square-enix who back then was called Square-Soft for the Playstation 1
console. It's a Role-playing Game (rpg) that follows the story of Cloud Strife an ex-first class soldier who joins an eco-terrorist group known as Avalanche
to take down Shinra corporation who're using the planet's life source as an energy source. However different events take place and the world is at stake
The game was a massive success and was met with possitive feedback. It took a spot in the history of games as one of the most influental and fantastic
video games of all time .It's not a coincidence that the game has received a number of rewards (throughout the years), including game of the year. It
popularised the RPG -genre world-wide. The game was praised for it's unique story telling, it's music,it's gameplay and finally it's graphics which back then were fascinating.
Having Pre rendered backgrounds with polygon models walking aroung and transitioning from 2D to 3D were unique, and this doesnt include the in game cutscenes.The cinematography
of the game is still till date something to be inspired from, if there's interest in a carrer in gaming. The fact that the game is still playable in 2020 shows it's value.
Since 1997 the game has seen multiple releases in various platforms other than the ps1 throughout the years. It can be purchased for the ps4,PC(steam),Nintendo Switch and XBox.
As a result of it's massive success, Square Enix has given the lore of Final Fantasy Vii a massive expansion in various forms. First expansion was seen, from a mobile game in 2004
called Before Crisis:Final Fantasy Vii which acted as a prequel and centers around the Turks(a unit of the Shinra Company and is responsible for guarding the company executives,
kidnappings, and assassinations).A fully-length CGI movie called Final Fantasy:Advent Children which is set 2 years after the original game. Two games in 2007 Dirge of Cerberus Final Fantasy VII
a Ps2 third person shooter and Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode: Final Fantasy VII a mobile phone game, both emphasising on Vincent Valentine a side character from the original one.
A light novel Final Fantasy vii On the way to smile Which acts as a bridge between the ffvii (ps1) and the movie .Last but not least Final Fantasy Vii: Crisis Core an Action RPG game
released in 2007 for the PSP and acts like a true prequel to the original game. It centers around the NibbleHeim incident which has a huge impact in the original game and holds some of the biggest
plot twists ever. The game is seen through the eyes of the protagonist named Zack Fair, a character who had a huge impact on Cloud. In 2005 at E3 Squeare-Enix had recreated the original
oppening of ffvii using the graphical capabilities that the Playstation 3 had to offer. This led the fans to expect the announcment of a remaster. More excitment also rose from the fact that
the post-credits in crisis core (which again came 2 years after the E3 showcase)had Aerith praying in an alley and Cloud was also seen on the train, which resembles the original intro of ffvii
then fade to black with the text the story continues in final fantasy vii.
However nothing was announced over the decade(2005-2015) and the project seemed to be just an idea. Many tried asking different members of the Squeares' stuff including art designer Tetsuya Nomura
but to no good. When everything seemed lost in 2015's E3 Square-Enix Stole the show by showcasing a teaser ,saying that At last the Promise has been made . An official trailer dropped 6 months
later showcasing actual gameplay and the developer behind being Cyber Connect 2 (Cc2) the studio behind Naruto: Ninja Storm series and Asura's Wrath. The trailer was met with mix critisim
Nothing was shown for over 3 years, but instead words were came out. Near the end off 2017 ( a year after the gameplay trailer) Square announced that Cc2 Will no longer be developing the game
and that they will be making it instead. in 2018 they barely mentioned the project saying that they will announce more when they feel like the game is ready and that they re making sure that
they re paying exta attention knowing it has a name to live for. In 2019 Final Fantasy Vii was shown to the world and stole the show from it's breathtaking graphics, and for its actual release date
Days gone by, even more trailers were shown. The initial release date however moved slighlty about a month to polish/finalised the game and to make up for it a DEMO was released early in March .
to allow the players to expirience the game.
Final Fantasy Vii Remake
Game: Final Fantasy Vii Remake
Genre: Action Role Playing Game (RPG)
Consoles: 2020:Ps4, 2021:Xbox One, PC
Published:Square Enix
Developers:Square Enix
Released: 10 April 2020
Final Fantasy Vii Remake was released worldwide on April 10th 2020. The game was Developed and Published by Square Enix and was made with the Unreal 4 Engine. It's a one year time exclusive for
the Playstation 4 console. The rest of the platforms (pc,xbox etc) will most likely receive the game in 2021. In August 2020 (4 months after its release date) the game sold over 5 mllions copies
according to Square Enix, which made the remake so far the 2nd highest Final Fantasy title residing below XV which was released for both pc and xbox in 2016. Final Fantasy Vii remake is the first
game of the remake series.Square enix did confirmed that the entire FFvii remake will be split into many episodes and that each episode will feel like an entire game of its own.
The first game covers the first 10% of the original game which is the Midgard part of the story.Many of the stuff who worked on the original game are back to work on the remake.
The Remake's director is Tetsuya Nomura who was the art director of the original and he is most famous for directing the Kingdom Hearts Series. Yoshinori Kitase
who was the original director now took the part of the producer. Music Composer Nobuo Uematsu who has been free lancing also came back to work on the remake. The story is once again
written by Kazushige Nojima who worked for many of the FFVii properties(ps1,psp,movie,anime,novels), Kingdom Hearts(1,2,3,chain of memories) and FFXV(plot) and many other properties.
The Game was released in 3 editions
Standard Edition
Includes the game alone
Deluxe Edition Package
Includes the game,Sephiroth Steelbook case,Hardback Artbook,Soundtrack CD, Summon Materia Cactuar DLC
1st Class Edition
Includes the game,Sephiroth Steelbook case,Hardback Artbook,Soundtrack CD, Summon Materia Cactuar,Carbuncle DLC,Play Arts Kai Cloud& Hardy Daytona figure
Story
NOTE:There might be potential spoilers below
Final Fantasy vii Remake covers the Midgard part of the game.Midgar is the capital city and power base of the Shinra Electric Power Company in the world of Final Fantasy Vii
This is where the players get to meet Cloud Strife a former member of Soldier (Elite warriors fused with Mako energy)who was hyred by Avalanche an eco terrorrist group
to blow a Mako reactor owned by Shirna corporation. Shinra is a company that harverst Mako ( planets life energy) and produce energy something that Avalanche does not approved.
The players get to expirience the first explotion of a reactor and the event that marked the beggining of Avalance's echo terrorism. A familiar face makes a comeback as the
first oppening boss and its the Scorpion Sentinel. This is as far as the demo went, so everything ahead is new. The team is escaping the reactor and walk around the
town to make their escape with the next train. They seemed to be very suprised by the size of the explotion they caused,however they have to rush away before they get caught
As Cloud the player can walk around the panicked town, get an unexpected cutscene and then meet with Aerith. This is where the game starts to take a different path than the
Original ,and that is with the intoduction of the Whisperers of fate, Ghosts that appear throughout the game. After certain events Cloud get's himself on the train and interacts
with the group to see how they re all doing.The next Chapter finds the group returning to their area in sector 7 slums. Sector 7 slums is the area of the Seventh Heaven
the bar used as secret base of Avalanche and owned by the one and only Tifa LockHart . Tifa and Cloud go way back as childhood friends , we get to expirience their
reunion and chemistry. Tifa acts as a tour guide for Cloud , it's also a nice way to familiarise the player with the slums and a great chance to do some side activities and minigames.
The next chapter of the game is fresh for every fan.Side characters like Jessie, Biggs and Wedge get their chance to shine. Jessie Requests Cloud's aide in order to prepare her next
explosives for the next reactor. The familiar Motor-cycle game is back, alongside the introduction of a new character Roche, a third class soldier who loves Bikes,Speed and
competition.Upon completing the bike game, the destination is reached and its Sector 7.Cloud and the team break in an enemy base to cause a distraction while Jessie sneaks to get her
material. Roche returns for a second boss fight and the team gets to escape with the help of another team of Avalanche. Next day, the team of Barret,Tifa and Cloud embark on their
next mission to catch up with Biggs. Due to some events Jessie and Wedge got benched.
The next 3 chapters follows the teams mission to blow the second reactor.After certain events the next chapter finds Cloud in the company of Aerith, the mysterious girl met
as early as chapter 2. Aerith and Cloud are brought together due to certain events and various fights.The bond between them gets even stronger while the player spents time
exploring the new area and actively doing side activities. While Aerith was about to open about her past to Cloud and a certain someone Tifa is seen in a cage.
They both instantly aggree to help Tifa and various events take place.Upon rescuing Tifa the group is informed about the fate that awaits their home base (sector 7 slums).
2 dungeons and a few boss fight then the group finally arrives to the slums to see it under attack.This is one of the deepest chapters where certain individuals meet their
destined fate (due to it beeing a remake) and where no matter how many enemies the player beats and how many bosses they succesfully defeat the fate is for the slums to be
crushed by the sealing.Dropping a city on top of another city . Hope is not lost yet and the group decides to go with their only option left. Rescue Aerith
and get Revenge for everyone who survived and had fallen from the previous chapter.
For 5 chaprters the players get to climp all the way to the top to find the shinra headquarters. Their Goal is simple, find and rescue Aerith and captured the president shinra
make him coonfess to clear Avalance's reputation and name. Near the end ,when the team tries to escape the game takes a huge risk and it takes a 180 turn. The cast of Final Fantasy
goes up againts Fate it self. A battle that will change the story and will allow the remake's continuation to take whatever path it desires. On this review the ending won't be revealed
but it safe to say that noone could have guessed what Tetsuya Nomura had planned for the fanbase.
MiniGames
Final Fantasy Vii is filled with various of side activities. Above there was a brief mention of the Motorcycle game. This is a game were Cloud is riding on his motorcycle trying to
avoid any obstacles and enemies while also fihgting them. The game finishes when Cloud's bike explodes from all the damage taken ,when the allys vechicle explodes, or wehn the player
defeats the boss of the round. This minigame is available in chapters 4 and chapter 18.There's a skip option only when the player completes it atleast once.
Another minigame is darts. As Cloud the players tries to get the number one spot in the leader board of the game. To get the top score, try to get as many bulls-eyes as you can by making
sure to throw the dart right when the circle closes in on the center.This minigame is available whenever while inside the Seventh Heaven Bar between chapter 3 and 5.
Whack a box is a game available in sector 5, Aerith's home area near the kids hangout. The minigame is simple enough. Cloud has to smash various boxes with different score
points. There's a specific score to beat so cloud has to be in perfect shape and form. The only enemy is the timer. There are four total scores to beat .
Squats and pull Ups. This mini game is availabe for Cloud and Tifa.Cloud for the squats and Tifa for the pull ups. Both of the games play quite similar. Sense of
rythm is important in order to win. The player is given a certain button combination and the player has to make sure it follow it correctly.The rythm gets faster as the player
is doing his best. The goal is to get the higher ammount done while facing the Ai.
Last but not least Combat Coliseum, Shinra Hg Combat simulator and Chadleys Battle Intel. All three of them are based around Compat. In Coliseum and Shinra Hg, the players can decide
which heroes they can choose to either play as, and who they should be having on their group.Then they go though number of battles that will help them unlock various items.
Hard mode has some extra levels that are not available in other difficulties. Last But not least Chadleys intel are mainly battles againts summon monsters that the players
get to keep when victorious.
Combat of the Game
The original Final Fantasy Vii was a turn-based combat. You moved to the area as Cloud then randomly fade to black and then fight the encounter. During the combat the player
was given a specific hero with a specific skill set and then the player could choose which skill to use to which enemy or party member they wanted to attack ,heal or even buff.
Final Fantasy Vii Remake though has teo different game modes to satishied every fan.These games are:
Classic Mode
Normal Mode
Classic Mode is aimed towards the fan-base of the original turn-base system. While playing on Classic mode the player gets to move the characters freely in the environment
however when it comes down to combat the player doesnt seemed to have as much of the controls. During combat,an Ai is responsible for almost every action of the character. That includes
dodging and blocking enemy attacks,move around the environment and also attacking with normal attacks. The player on the other hand is responsible for every other abilities. In other words
the player is responsible for casting Materia spells( Barrier,thunder,cure etc) and special attacks that characters have unlocked or gained while mastering specific weapons such as
counterslash,triple slash etc.The player also gets to cast Active time attacks. Attacks that become available while in combat such as Limit Attacks and Summons. In other words
during combat the player will only be paying attention to each characters ATB meter, Mp bar, Limit bar and Summon bar,while the Ai does all the rest.Classic mode is only available in Easy mode.
Normal Mode is aimed towards the players who enjoy real life action battles. Just like in Classic mode the player gets to move freely in the environment but everything
changes while in compat. The player is responsible for everything regarding a character's action. Moving, blocking,dodging and attacking are all made by the player.
The same goes for casting magic,special skills, summons and limit breaks. The only thing controlled by the Ai is the Party members if available, however they will mainly
dodge, block, move and melee. The players must be up for the challenge of mastering several battle systems and be capable of taking decision. A quick note that
Mp,limits and ATB should also be considered for the party members. The player can control the entire party one at a time. By using the key-pad the player will take control
of another hero while the character being controled will start to block.
Characters Game-Play
The player gets to control four different characters during combat.
Cloud Strife
Tifa Lockhart
Aerith Gainsborough
Barret Wallace
Cloud
Cloud Strife is a close combat fighter. Using the Squeare Button with different timing creates different combos. On th other hand when pressing Triangle Cloud's battle
style changes while he enters Punisher Mode.Whilst in Punisher mode Cloud sacrifices his mobility for the sake of more power and melle attack speed. If an enemy attacks Cloud
during his style switch Cloud will perform a strong counter with a high chance of Staggering the enemy.A similar counter can be perform while cloud is blocking a mellee attack. Performing
a dodge will return cloud back to the basic Operator mode. Againts flying enemies or enemies that are hard to reach in order to mellee it is recomended to have atleast one Damage Materia/Magic
such as Blizzard,fire or Thunder. Every hero has unique skills they can use by sacrificing ATB ( a bar that fills while damaging). Some of these skills come with the hero and others by mastering
different weapons that you find in boxes or by purchasing. These techniques are available only for the specific weapons,until they get mastered while using that weapon. Mastered skills can then
be used with a different weapon as well. Highly recomend yo master a weapon for every hero when obtained. Cloud's skills are:
Braver
A particularly powerful short-range attack.
Focused Thrust
Dive forward and pierce the enemy from medium distance.
Triple Slash
Shashes three enemies/ or one(depending on available enemies) quickly, each slash is more powerful
Disorder
Delivers a massive attack and switches Cloud's modes on the go(punisher/operator)
Blade Burst
Releases a triple slash wave infront of you
Infinity's End
Lunge towards an enemy with a massive strike that will hit anyone who is close by
Counterstance
Receive an incomming attack and release a more powerful counterattack
Tifa Lockhart
Tifa just like Cloud is used for close combat. Unlike Cloud who uses massive swords, Tifa is more of a brawler, this means she uses her hands and feet. Unlike Cloud
she doesnt have two different styles and doesnt do as much damage, however she does stagger the enemies more succesfully. Just like every hero, she can attack long rage enemies
by the usage of materia.Her unique skills are:
Whirling Uppercut
A particularly powerful short-range attack.
Omnistrike
A Powerful charge attack.Can be used in close combat and from medium distance
Rise and Fall
A very powerful combo attack
Unbridled Strength
A skill that buffs Tifa's Strength
Star Shower
Unleashes plenty of attacks on an enemy
Overpower
can be used while using a basic square combo to end in a more powerful kick
Focused Strike
Evades an attack and charges a more powerful attack
Divekick
A powerful drop down kick
Chi trap
Creates a ball of energy that deals plenty of small damage upon contact
True Strike
Deals a Massive Blow at an enemy
Aerith Gainsborough
Aerith unlike the other 2 is mainly a long distance fighter. She is mainly a Magic user. Her normal attacks have her sit back and longe small energy attacks
Pressing triangle allows Aerith to use Tempest.It's power depends on the time the button was hold down. Tempest deals continous damage and explodes when fully charged.
Her unique skills are:
Soul Drain
Unleashes an attack,that absorbs the MP on an enemy
ATB Ward
Cast a magical Seal.Characters who use ATB Skill within the seal,regain a part of it
Arcane Ward
Creates a different seal, any Magic spells casts within the seal will be cast twice without additional Mp consution
Sorcerous Storm
Unleashes a powerful spell that damages nearby enemies
Fleeting Familiars
Summons a fairy that attacks enemies, She also attacks those that Aerith is focussing on
Ray of Judgement
Quite similar to Storm, its a powerful bean that damages every enemy within range.
Lostrous Shield
Creates a Magical Shield that guards any upcomming projectile and prevent enemies from getting close
Barret Wallace
Barret is just like Aerith when it comes to long range attacks. Unlike Aerith he is using his right arm that has a minigun attached to it. His normal combo has him
shooting enemies from any distance, holding square shoots the bullets faster.Using triangle allows Barret to use Overcharge.A heavy three shots attack that charges ATB faster.
If overcharged is used ,pressing triangle speeds up the charging bar. barrets Abilities are:
Steelskin
Increases Barrets defence, This reduces damage taken and enemy interuptions
Life Saver
Takes the Damage that was aimed to a different party member
Focused Shot
Shots a powerful Attack
Smachdown
Punches the ground, sending all the enemies away
Charging Uppercut
Rushes to an enemy and uppercuts him
Maximun Fury
Fires a long stream of bullets to an enemy.
Point Blank
Charges to deliver a close range attack
Magic and Materia
As mentioned earlier every character can use different spells based on Materia. There five different colours that specify the type of materia.
Green:Magic Spells
Blue:Support Materia
Yellow:Command Materia
Purple:Indepedent Materia
Red:Summoning Materia
Green Materia are mainly spells such as fire, Blizzard,thunder, Cure etc. All of the green Materia are mainly used to damage enemies or heal,protect party members.
Every Materia ,the more they re used or equiped to a certain character they power up. For example the spell fire, can turn into fira and then friaga or cure,cura,regen
curaga. The player can use whichever he prefers as long as he has the necessary MP. Every powerful version of a spell will require even more MP to be used. the player
can select the spell, when hovered aboved it,the player can use the keybad(left arrow) to changed to the bigger spell.
Red Matera are known as Summoning Materia. These one allow the player to summon powerful creatures to help aide the battle. In Final Fantasy Vii Remake there are
corrently 9 different summons. These ones charge while in battle, when they re ready, a summon line will pop up on the right bottom corner. When that line is maxed out
a specific hero will have a summon command on their battle menu. This will allow that hero to use that summon.Weaker summons charge faster than stronger ones. The summoned
creatures will attack on their own, however the player will also have the option to command the summon itself to use a specific attack. Using those skills will drain the summons
timer and when it reaches 0 the summon will use its final attack and dissappear.
Blue Materia are known best known for supporting other skills. Some of them are paired with other materials or attack and help increase their damage.
for example using specific spells will help get HP ,AP ATB or MP while cast. Others help to doublicate the damage and others.
Purple Materia are best described as character buffs. These material help a character status.Some of them are used to increase their status such as their
HP, MP, Magic attack, EXP, currency and others. There are also some that help during battle such as deadly dodge and parry , that contributes to specific attacks used
when dodging. Others are capable of self healing, amount of ATB when battling and provoking.
Yellow Materia changes various commands, such as Attack or Magic, into other actions. These are spells like prayer that heals the entire party not just one,
Chakra that cures enemy status such as poison and burn. You can also use steal, that allows a character to steal enemy teckniques and use them againts them.
A video review of the Game
This is a video showcasing and reviewing Final Fantasy Vii Remake
Final Fantasy VII Remake is a game i personally never thought it was going to see the light of day but im so glad that it turns out i was wrong.
Final Fantasy vii Remake covers the Midgard part of the game.Midgar is the capital city and power base of the Shinra Electric Power Company in the world of Final Fantasy Vii
The next 3 chapters follows the teams mission to blow the second reactor.After certain events the next chapter finds Cloud in the company of Aerith, the mysterious girl met
Final Fantasy Vii is filled with various of side activities. Above there was a brief mention of the Motorcycle game. This is a game were Cloud is riding on his motorcycle trying to
Tifa just like Cloud is used for close combat. Unlike Cloud who uses massive swords, Tifa is more of a brawler, this means she uses her hands and feet. Unlike Cloud 
Aerith unlike the other 2 is mainly a long distance fighter. She is mainly a Magic user. Her normal attacks have her sit back and longe small energy attacks 
Barret is just like Aerith when it comes to long range attacks. Unlike Aerith he is using his right arm that has a minigun attached to it. His normal combo has him