Final Fantasy VII Remake is probably one of the boldest left turns in modern games. I won’t get into exactly why, as I still believe in trying to maintain the experience of playing it and seeing it for yourself, but you just have to believe me when I say that the remake of one of the most legendary RPGs simply needs to be seen for oneself, and now you can at a pretty affordable price.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is currently on sale for the entirety of the month of August over on the PlayStation Store and it’s going for a measly $US15. That’s about the price of the original Final Fantasy 7 on the same storefront, meaning that you might be wondering whether or not you want the classic experience or the new one.
This is a trick. Again, without giving it all away, you might want to play ‘em both, or at least be aware of the events of the original game. They’ll inform your understanding of a lot of the dynamics and beats of Remake, but I’m also in the camp of thinking that you can enjoy it without assigning yourself the original game as homework! For that price, you get a game that is honestly pretty faithful while maintaining its own voice and surprising direction!
Remake is more than just a gorgeous visual retread of the events that fans of FF7 have burned into their memories. It is also a really triumphant beast of its own. A lot of the finer story elements have its critics and fans alike, but what always sticks with me as a sicko for meaty gameplay systems is its combat. A hybrid of the turn-based system of the originals and modern active combat, Remake’s gameplay is this slick-but-tactical evolution of what Square Enix has successfully built over the years with Kingdom Hearts, allowing you to slow down time and deliver precise orders to all your characters.
However, it remains true to the classic RPG, and throws in elemental weaknesses that can cripple enemies (almost like Monster Hunter) as well as stagger them and provide openings for attack. On top of that, Remake gives full control of the whole cast of Final Fantasy 7’s party, which makes every engagement an exhilarating chance to experiment with entirely different playstyles. Getting to control Tifa, who bruises enemies with her close-quarters combat, almost makes the game feel new, and that goes as well for Aerith and especially Cloud and Barret.
If that sounds great to you, there’s even more where that came from. You can get the PS5 version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake which comes with its DLC Integrade for $US15.19. A few more cents nets you a decently-sized DLC that introduces the beloved teenage ninja Yuffie who plays a much larger role in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the globe-spanning sequel to Remake that released earlier this year.
So if you were planning on playing Rebirth, and I think you should, where else to begin than with Remake? For just 15 bucks you get a sizable trek through Midgar, one of the most memorable settings in gaming history, alongside one of the most memorable casts as well. All of that is wrapped in some of the tightest action-RPG combat of the generation and a hefty expansion on the environmentalist themes of the original text. If you ask me, you can’t go wrong picking up Remake, especially at this price.
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