Proceed with caution: Spoilers for “Final Fantasy VII,” “Final Fantasy VII: Remake,” and possible spoilers for the upcoming “Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.”
“Final Fantasy VII” is without a doubt one of the most popular games in the “Final Fantasy” franchise. Following ex-SOLDIER, Cloud Strife, who is now a mercenary working with Avalanche, a supposed “ecoterrorist group” in their fight against Shinra, a large electrical company that serves as the government.
If you know anything about the games, you know that Shinra works as the antagonistic organization, trying to reignite a war with another country. Avalanche (and Cloud) get caught up in a whirlwind of story that completely enraptures the player.
The remake of “Final Fantasy VII” is a great way to play through an old classic with updated graphics and particularly amazing voice acting, with well-known actors like Cody Christian (“Teen Wolf”) as Cloud and Tyler Hoechlin (“Teen Wolf” and “Supergirl”) as Sephiroth. Something rather unique about “Final Fantasy VII” is the use of multiple protagonists, Shinra being one and Sephiroth being the other.
Right off the bat, there are a rather large number of differences to the remake. The most notable difference is actually the combat style. Instead of a turn-based combat style like most of the “Final Fantasy” games use, it utilizes a mixture of “hack and slash” and turn-based. It’s a rather unique set of combat mechanics, which is newer to the gaming industry. In “Final Fantasy VII: Remake,” you can play under “Classic” combat mode which is the old-fashioned turn-based combat style, or you can play “Normal” which is the newer combat mechanics. If you’re someone who prefers something a bit more challenging and engaging in your gameplay, I recommend using the “Normal” combat style.
Another notable difference, and one that very few people complain about is the soundtrack. There isn’t too much to say about the soundtrack, because it isn’t overwhelmingly different, but it’s still a nice detail to notice. The soundtrack is definitely more engaging and cinematic in the remake. It is more orchestral in the remake’s version, taking away the synthesized 8-bit sounds of the original game. New themes were even crafted for the game. Because of the similar qualities that the remade soundtrack shares with the old soundtrack, it brings a lot of nostalgia and warm feelings with it, which are especially brought out when you throw in the elements of new instruments and orchestral-style soundtracks. Because of these traits, it is also a great listen for when you are studying or just want some soft background music. Songs like Aerith’s Theme or Tifa’s Theme are especially great tunes to work to.
There’s some slight variances to the story, including some side quests to the game that make it more adventurous, as well as the ending of the game being much different than the original. There are theories that “Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth” is going to be an entirely different storyline with a different ending than “Final Fantasy VII.” To clarify, “Final Fantasy VII: Remake” ends about a quarter of the way through the storyline of “Final Fantasy VII.” So, there’s definitely lots left to explore.
From a personal perspective, I find I enjoy the remake a lot more than the original. Both are phenomenal games. However, the graphics and cinematography of the remake adds an overwhelming amount of emotion to the game that can’t be properly put into words.
There’s an incredibly tragic scene about Sector 7 in both the original and the remake, but the remake amplified its ability to break players’ hearts. Sector 7 is a section of the slums, below what’s called the “plate.” The city of Midgar is split into two levels: the Plate and the Slums. The plate is an upper level of the city, and in this scene, Shrina, attempting to frame Avalanche and destroy them, drops the plate above the slums of Sector 7; it kills thousands of people. It’s easily the most heartbreaking scene in the remake, and the second most heartbreaking scene in the original, save only for Aerith’s death.
ORIGINAL
REMAKE
Seeing the scenes broken out like this makes the prospect of “Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth” really exciting. The game is set to be released February 29th. There are some rather important scenes that fans are excited to see recreated.
There’s a large number of characters that have yet to be introduced that a lot of fans are incredibly excited for. Vincent Valentine’s character is especially anticipated , because Matthew Mercer, the Dungeon Master of “Critical Role,” is going to be voicing him.
Overall, it can be argued that “Final Fantasy VII: Remake” is the better of the two games. Between the visual differences from the 90s gameplay animation, the voice acting, the cutscenes that were amplified in the remake, and many more additions to the game, it’s easy to see which one is a preferred game. Ultimately, it is the gamer’s preference, and the only way to determine which is better is to play both. But, if you’re willing to take the perspective of a fellow gamer, I would definitely say that “Final Fantasy: Remake” is better.
However, you do have to take into consideration that “Final Fantasy VII: Remake” is not a complete game. It’s a two-part game, and “Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth” has not been released yet. To truly determine what the best game is, we’ll have to wait until “Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth” is released. Then, we’ll have our true answer. Hopefully, you can wait until then. I know I certainly can’t.
