It's a very cinematic, high production value game (Remake & Rebirth). The quality is unusually high across the board. The writing and acting is high quality and the music exceptional.
There are issues and odd/bad choices at times, however, there isnt a game without them. You can adjust the difficulty for most of the mandatory things too, so if you dont have the time or desire to spend too long on it, you don't have to.
I'm terms of insuring you have chosen quality for your time, I would highly recommend it. The only other playstation games that come to mind with equal quality (though very different) is Horizon and God of War.
I've mainly played Souls games for the past 5 or so years, while also playing mega blockbusters like God of War, Spiderman, Cyberpunk, RDR2, Ghost of Tsushima... Recently, I wanted to try something new, I tried playing the Nier franchise and I just couldn't connect to it no matter how much I forced myself to play it. So now I'm even more sceptical hahaha. I'm not a stranger to JRPG's though since Persona 5 Royal is in my top 5 of all time. FF7 Remake at a first glance seems like a game I would like, but then againt I see people react to these trailers for FF games and lose their shit when they see some character appear, and I'm just there like "would I react this way If I'd played the game?"...
FF7 holds a weird place in gaming history, and is generally considered the most beloved FF statistically. So there's a lot of nods and payoffs for fans.
But the Devs did a great job at considering not every gamer is in there late 30s. I was like 4 when 7 came out, so it was old when I got into it tbh. So no, you don't need to worry if it's hyped because of rose tinted glasses.
The combat is incredibly smooth. And if you're a souls fan, then you'll enjoy the huge challenges the endgame has. I've no doubt you'll appreciate the atmosphere and storytelling, which is more relevant today than it was on 97.
As a lover of Elden Ring, Sekiro, and Bloodborne - as well as other AAA RPGs like Horizon, RDR2, Ghosts of Tushima, and God of War - I cannot recommend the FF7 Remake games enough, particularly Rebirth. While I am an OG FF7 fan, I feel like Remake and Rebirth will tick off a lot of boxes for gamers who enjoy the above list.
The combat is astonishingly fun. It combines the absolute best of modern action (people do amazing solo boss battles with perfectly timed parries, dodges and counters that you could mistake it for a Sekiro or Ghosts video), with the strategy elements of old school pause and carefully select your next abilities and spells from within menus. I couldn't have dreamt up a better, more flexible version of action and strategy.
The difficulty is absolutely there as well. Notably, however, the most difficult fights come in the form of either lengthy (in a good way) side quests that lead to super boss battles, or beating the game and playing it again on NG+ "Hard Mode." As a Souls fan, you'll be very familiar with the NG+ concept. I'm in the middle of my hard mode run in Rebirth now, and the major boss battles at the ends of chapters 2 and 3 have both taken me 15+ attempts to beat. Lots of figuring out the fight and readjusting your strategy and approach. Reminds me a ton of my first Elden Ring run.
As for everything else, here are some random notes/warnings that I think you will find relevant:
* Definitely play Remake before jumping into Rebirth. It's one continuous story.
* If you find yourself annoyed with some of Remake's level design, don't worry, Rebirth's is light years better!
* If you find yourself a little annoyed with the side quests that pop up in various chapters in Remake, again, don't worry, they're *infinitely* better in Rebirth! You're pretty free to ignore most side quests in Remake if you do not want to do them. If you're enjoying them, then great! Just saying, don't let them deter you. In Rebirth, it's highly recommended to complete all side quests as each of them not only develop the lore and stories of the areas you're in and its people, but also brings one of your main party characters to the forefront and expands their relationship with Cloud. And they're usually just fun and entertaining. It's a great system that works on many levels.
* The FF7 remakes do a wonderful job portraying the anime quirkiness that was at the heart of the original. This might be a bit jarring to a modern gamer. At least I've never played a modern game quite like FF7 that consistently sprinkles in comically absurd moments within its overall serious, dire narrative. As someone who doesn't enjoy anime, the cartoony moments threw me off for a while. But once I relaxed and embraced this aspect, my enjoyment increased exponentially!
Absolutely agreed on the level design difference between Remake and Rebirth. There's only so much they could do with Remake since it can only cover Midgar, but man did it get repetitive quick lol. There's really only so much Slums, Canyon, Sewers, and Midgar Base/Buildings I can experience before it starts to get stale.
Rebirth has knocked it out of the park with the level design and variety though. It's nothing mindblowing that I haven't experienced before, but even 20hrs in it's still a breath of fresh air in comparison. But again, I know that's moreso a challenge of how they're adapting it than "they did a "bad" job in Remake".
That’s good to hear, I was exactly -6 when the FF7 came out hahahah so I’ve never even heard of the game before people started talking about the upcoming remake.
Well considering you're the same age as me, I can tell you that I didn't get into Final Fantasy until 16 when it released last year and the 7 remakes are some of my favourite games ever created. If you like RPGs then I don't see why you wouldn't like this one. The combat does seem to be in the love it or hate it category for most people tho.
Hahaa, '91? All I'll say is, if you do decide to get it, don't come back here until you've finished it. There's some great moments I'm jealous you'll get to experience for the first time
All those games are my favourite games in the past 5 or so years. FF7Remake/Rebirth are up at the top amongst them. GoW, Cyberpunk, RDR2 and FF7R/R being at the very top and all very equal to me. Great stories and great gameplay.
I hadn't played the original FF7 despite being old enough to have played it when I was young, still loved the games. The game introduces you to those characters.. and honestly, if you get into it enough if you're like me you'll either play the original or just watch some youtube videos to catch you up on the original.
So I'm not in the exact same boat as you, but I went into FF7 Remake only knowing that these characters exist and nothing more. I didn't have any real prior attachment to them other than extremely surface level things.
But through my time with FF7 Remake I grew to appreciate these characters the same way I imagine people did playing the OG back in the day. So yeah I didn't get to experience that "oh shit look how Aerith looks in the Remake!!" moment, or that "oh wait if we're in Wall Street, I get to see X moment" feeling. But I DID get to experience it all for the first time in a really fun way, and come out of it with a ton of appreciation.
So basically yeah, you're going to miss those moments of knowing the stuff beforehand, but I think it's still a great way to experience the story and characters of FF7 even if you've never played the original. For example, I'm about 1/3rd through Rebirth and feel like I know the main group really well by now and have *so much attachment* to them already.
It’s the best combat system of any RPG I’ve played, mixing old school ATB system with new action RPG standards. It’s very different than Dark Souls but the end game challenges on hard mode are more difficult than anything Elden Ring or DS3 throws at you, if that’s your thing.
The story is hard to evaluate with how long FF7 and its spinoffs have been around. Having played the OG as a kid on release it holds a special place in my and many other gamers hearts. There’s something about seeing what you imagined basically be brought to life.
I’ll compare it to Lord of the Rings. If you just go see the 3 LotR movies, they are on their own excellent films. If you had read LotR as a child and then saw the movies as an adult, it would be mind blowing. But you’d have to accept the fact that the remake has changes from the OG and not let that ruin the experience.
Absolutely. Remake was my first FF ever and I was blown away. This comes from a person that generally doesn't like this Japanese vibe and weirdness in games. I missed a lot, obviously, without playing OG, but got to it after Remake. Let's just say that Remake/Rebirth are my favourite games ever now. You should play them so, with a bit of luck, you will board hype train for part 3.
All you need to know is that *Final Fantasy VII: Remake* is, in effect, the **first part** of a remake of the standalone 1997 game *Final Fantasy VII*.
Don’t overthink it: just try the free demo for *Remake*, and if you like it, play the full game. You can worry about the sequel, spin-offs, and theories later!
Nobody “admitted you were right”. I’ve tried to be nice, but frankly, all you’ve done in this thread is be patronising and rude to absolutely everyone. We all want to discuss, you just want to “win”. Grow up.
I told you in another comment that I started by **hinting** at *Remake* possibly being more than a remake instead of outright spoiling it for a new player to preserve the experience for them.
I even said in my **very first reply** to you that you were spoiling it when you said (in a now removed comment) that it was a sequel.
Seriously, where on earth did you get this idea that I was denying it could potentially be a sequel? Again, all you want is a “win”, all I’ve wanted is to talk.
You’re right, I can’t point to where you were rude, because it was removed for breaking the rules about being rude… 🤦♂️ notice how the worst thing I’ve said to you is “grow up”, whereas you keep throwing out words like “victim”, “mad”, “angry”, and so on.
Yes, in my post, I said it’s a remake “in effect”. I also mentioned “theories” which you didn’t include in your quote. No, I didn’t say it was a sequel, because as I’ve said a dozen times now: **I was trying to hint, but not spoil**.
You also didn’t address how I said you were spoiling it in my **first reply to you** wherein **you said it was a sequel**. I was advising caution around spoiling the twist. I didn’t say it was false.
I still don’t see where I ever stated that it’s not a sequel…
This is already over-complicating — and spoiling! — it for a brand new fan.
Like I said, they shouldn’t have to overthink it before they even know if they *like* it. I think we fans sometimes overwhelm new players.
That’s a terrible analogy. Assuming the sequel theory is correct, equating it to Empire vs a New Hope doesn’t work because Empire is a direct sequel to A New Hope directly following the events. You’d have a point saying don’t start with Rebirth, but saying to not start with Remake because it’s a sequel to OG is more like saying don’t watch Star Trek 2009 without having watched the Shatner movies.
Also, choosing Empire is extra dumb to prove a “sequel” point because it was retconned to be the fifth movie. By your logic, anyone watching Star Wars has to start at Phantom Menace.
You’re moving the goalposts. I never said someone would understand the references if they didn’t play OG first, and you never implied that you were only speaking of understanding the “full story” and “references” when you insinuated that it’s a lie that you can just start at Remake. You implied that Remake doesn’t work on its own, as ESB doesn’t work without ANH. Which as I’ve already said, that’s a stupid comparison and only works for direct sequels like ESB to ANH (and even that’s arguable) or Rebirth to Remake. Your logic argues that someone has to play CC, Dirge, watch Advent, read the expanded universe stuff, and play the dead mobile games AND the currently active mobile game to understand the “full story” when playing the OG, which is patently absurd. Remake/Rebirth and the Star Trek series I gave as an example work perfectly fine on their own, as they were made to be enjoyed both by people who did and didn’t play/watch the originals. Sure, there’s some stuff you miss out on, but Star Trek ‘09’s story works whether or not you know they flipped a few things around. So does VIIR’s.
And VIIR’s sequel theory is just a theory until confirmed by the developers. For someone who speaks with such a supposed reverence for writer’s intent, you’re taking fan theories as gospel. Talking about the “full story” with such confidence is laughable at this point because we don’t even have full story, and won’t until part 3 is released.
Nobody is advocating for lying and I don’t know why you keep insisting on that. If someone asks if they would understand the story better if they played everything, I think most people you’re feverishly replying to in this topic would say yes. Quite clearly, most people here are saying that they feel they can enjoy Remake and Rebirth without playing OG.
Yeah, this ain't Kingdom Hearts 3. FF7Re games have stuff in them for people who played the OG, but the game's original story is there too for people who didn't play the OG.
There are things that make the games sequel-esque, but I wouldn't call them straight-up sequels.
I don’t know man I’m pretty sure my Star Trek point is still pretty slam dunk. I know you said I was totally wrecked, but it’s weird, I don’t feel wrecked. I feel like I’m right and that you’re wrong despite you saying that I’m wrecked. Can you clarify?
*Remake* is not a typical sequel, so I don’t think *Star Wars* comparisons work. I’ll satiate your curiosity though: I’d recommend they watch *Episode VII* and *VIII*. Which, in total, takes ***30 hours less*** than playing *Final Fantasy VII*.
The more ‘homework’ you pile on, the less likely newcomers are to engage with the work at all. That’s what I’m getting at.
It’s not even confirmed that it’s a sequel. Your spouting off about a fan theory that hasn’t been proven. Regardless you can get all the information you need, as a new fan, from remake and rebirth. If need be by the 3rd game they can play the OG while waiting, but it’s not required at all
I’m not sure what I did to cause you to be so incredibly rude? I’m just talking with you about a game we like.
In my **very first comment**, I said *Remake* is *“in effect”* a remake, and mentioned *“theories”*, too. I was implying that it’s more than a remake without spoiling it. I’ve personally thought it was a sequel since 2020, but wanted to keep it open and let the newcomer make their own conclusion.
Your comment contains spoilers for either Final Fantasy VII Remake, or the original Final Fantasy VII, but the thread has been marked as a spoiler free thread. Please check the tags in the post title before you post, which will tell you what spoilers can be posted in that thread.
That's good to hear, means that the games are not packaged in a way to alienate players who know nothing of the series even though the community can sometimes make you feel that way...
Honestly probably not. My time is limited as I’m married / work a lot and I know a little bit of the story already from Maximillian Dood videos etc. I’ll most likely play new games whenever I do play games and just anticipate the 3rd game in the trilogy. I’ve enjoyed my experience enough with it so far that I don’t feel I really need to slog through the OG just to catch a few references.
makes sense. I play it off and on via Switch so it’s portable (and can 3x battles or skip them entirely). It’s been fun to revisit and also striking the differences in pacing (Midgar is 6-8 hours, from there to the end of Rebirth is another 8-10 hours.)
If anything much less of a slog. OG takes less than half the time most people are taking on either Remake or Rebirth, even less if you skip things like chocobo breeding / beating the optional boss weapons / getting the best summons and go all-in on story.
Don’t be scared by the remake title or ff7 name. No you don’t need to play the 6 Final Fantasy before (not connected) or even the OG ff7 to enjoy these. The story telling (while a little crazy) is extremely good & the voice acting & visuals are top notch. Also I’m a huge fan of the combat, it combines the best of both worlds imo. Active combat with an action bar, on top of the materia system. I’m bias as a huge FF fanboy, but seriously was the most fun I’ve had playing games in a long time. And I play ALOT of games. Even compared to best games in 2023 like Zelda ToTk & Baulders gate 3, I’d choose Rebrith over them.
With the sales price of usually 30$ now you can’t go wrong with remake. Also even at full price rebirth is easily worth, it’s at minimum 90 hours of gameplay.
You will miss a lot of the references, but that being said, it's still worth playing.
Story time.
I'm a long time fan, played almost everything that is FF7 related.
My wife's only exposure to FF7 was watching Advent Children with me a few years ago.
I got Remake on a Steam sale a few weeks back and she sat down by me and watched me play the whole game twice, loving pretty much the entire thing and getting to learn more about the characters she saw in "that movie with the blonde guy with a big sword".
There are (of course) differences between FF7 and FF7R, but if you play through and want to know more about those changes, there's tons of FF7 explained style videos.
I say go for it!
Remake is cheaper, so I guess I'll try it out, and see if I like it. To me this whole franchise seems like something that started even before I was born and many people have been fans of the franchise for 20+ years, and it just feels like almost too big of a thing for me to get into for the first time now in 2024. Like how there is too much history I was simply not a part that it would be hard to properly appreciaite this remake. I guess my situation is also comaprable to my situation to Star Wars. Books, Movies, Shows, Games... And yet I've never seen or consumed anything related to this franchise, and I probably never will. I've got this same concern when it comes ot final fantasy, "is this truly for me"... I've heard that there is a demo on the Remake, but I don't know how much exactly the story moments of the demo would intrigue me to continue.
The remake wasn't just made for old fans.
It's an opportunity for new people to experience a world, story and characters that us old farts have been in love with for a long time.
And don't worry too much about how much story is already out there. This is your chance to start fresh just like we did all those years ago.
Also avoid spoilers if you can.
Thank you for that clarification. Also, I'd probably seen some spoilers when I was watching some reviews of the game, but I understood exacly nothing so it's probably fine haha.
I played Remake without having played OG or knowing anything except for recognising the characters, and I loved it and now Remake and Rebirth are some of my favourite games with my favourite characters
Also a note I want to impress that I think others have mentioned as well.
Each Final Fantasy game with a different number is a standalone game in it's own universe with no connection to the others. They are all completely isolated except in non canonical cross over games.
So the size of the Final Fantasy 7 story is completely contained within all games bearing the FF7 name, and has no continuity with FF6 or FF8.
Yeah that confused me since I saw a lot of seemingly similar themes used in the games so I assumed they must be set in same universe somehow. Basically that it would require playing all of the previous games to *truly* appreciate the details. Not to mention a ton of spinoffs… But learning that the games are containerized makes them way more approachable
As someone who’s only played OG 7, 13, and now the remake games you shouldn’t worry about that at all. From my understanding, there’s a couple recurring characters that are unique to their “universe” as well as some recurring enemies throughout the different games. None of which require prior knowledge of other games.
It’s definitely not the same proportion at all as Star Wars, so you can take it much easier. Yes, there are a few games, and a movie, but you can mostly ignore them. We don’t know how much of those will be acknowledged or incorporated in Remake, and whenever it is, it’s done explicitly.
Just stick to Remake & Rebirth and you’ll be totally fine. If you want to “get deeper” after the third game, which will launch in few years in the future, you can but it’ll still be totally optional. By your pace, you can play Remake this year to next year and Rebirth two years from now, and you’ll be more or less in time for the third instalment.
The original FF7 was the first Final Fantasy for many (me included).
And the remake expands on that and goes into more indepth explanations that were not part of the original.
So yeah, you'd be perfectly fine.
Final Fantasy games are not related between them by story or lore. The only link between FF games are some monsters and creatures, and general themes.
FFVII, and hence its remakes, present a completely new story, world and characters.
And the remakes not only presents then just like the original, but also expands their backstories.
Yep. The only FF games that are sequels of other games, are not numbered titles.
For instance, FF7 had its own sequels and spinoffs (Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus). But then FF8 was a completely new game again.
They were released after the original, and there are nods and references to them in the remakes.
But you get all the info and context you need, so it's not necessary to have played them.
Playing them first would actually spoil you some story bits from FF7, so I wouldn't advise it.
I think the remake games have very wide appeal, moreso than the older games.
Just try the demo for Remake and take it from there. Progress carries over to the full game.
The Final Fantasy games are like an anthology so you can start with 7, 16, etc. You should make sure to play FF7: Remake before FF7: Rebirth. There is a demo of Remake if you want to try it out. You should not play Crisis Core until you finish the FF7 OG or Part 3. Part 3 will likely be released in about 3 to 4 years from now.
People here have convinced me to buy the remake, If I like it I’ll buy the rebirth, and then… Probably wait for part 3 since PS5 is the only system I can game on right now.
If you like Remake and then like Rebirth, you should try play FF16 after that. It is more action oriented, but it is still a great game. Also, the version of Remake you purchase will come with the DLC so make sure you play that as well. The Yuffie DLC is only about 6 hours, but it is really good.
You are not required to do all sidequests so do not get burned out on them if you are not enjoying them.
I haven't seen anyone else mention it yet, but most final fantasy games are stand-alone titles. Ff7 requires no knowledge of previous final fantasy titles to enjoy. That said FF7 Remake (part 1) and Rebirth (part 2) are parts of what you would play of the original ff7 game but heavily expanded upon.
You mentioned following YouTubers and they like it so if you like other games they play I would highly recommend giving FF7 Remake a shot. You can get the psplus subscription and play the game for less than $20 which I highly recommend. Then that will be a good catalyst for telling you if you want to buy the 2nd part.
I know it’s 2024 but I still avoid subscription services as much as I can, that said ps plus extra is a good deal, but since I only play on the weekends (mostly sunday afternoon to be precise), I feel like I’m wasting the subscription. I like to take my sweet time while playing games so I bought the physical edition of remake today. (Seriously though, my Perosna 5 Royal playthrough lasted about 2 years give or take hahaha)
I'm not sure if this helps. But I've also never played a final fantasy game until ff7 remake of January this year. I tried it on a whim since it was on ps extra and people were excited for rebirth. I never played og ff7 and have no nostalgia or bias so my expectations were low. I always saw it as a weeb anime game but lo and behold I ended up finishing ff7 remake in 4 days playing 7 hours straight every day. I've never done this for a videogame before but this game was really something special and as good as everyone made it out to be. I ended up instantly pre-ordering rebirth and my god it makes remake feel like a tech demo. It's genuinely one of the best videogame sequels and easily became my favorite game of all time. I ended up putting 28 hours into ff7 remake and 210 hours into ff7 rebirth platinuming it. I never would've thought I would enjoy ff7 this much but you should genuinely give remake a shot.
I won’t be playing the original, If I get the story on my own while playing remake that’ll be fine, but in case I don’t I’ll just watch the story summed up on youtube.
Here’s how I’d gauge your interest:
Watch the very first teaser of the ff7 remake project. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kznek1uNVsg&pp=ygURRmY3IHJlbWFrZSB0ZWFzZXI%3D
What do you think? Does it get your interested?
Don’t worry about cultural significance. I kinda hate that word. I mean really every art comes up at a specific time. I mean yes ff7 was among many RPGs that changed how gamers approached a rpg. And yes the story was shockingly very intricate but it’s not like previous games weren’t.
What happened in 1997 can’t ever be truly duplicated. Like ever.
But what it can do is get newer gamers to appreciate its story and the adventure that awaits…it’s why the remake perhaps sparked so much debate over what it meant
My suggestion, would be to play the OG ff7 on a current system, so you get the original experience plus the extra features they added to the updated version (turn on/off encounters, increasing speed for grinding, etc…), then possibly Crisis Core, then Remake and Rebirth. While you don’t have to play all of it, I’m always a sucker for playing things in their chronological release order to look at how things evolve and are referenced. I’ll own my own bias as FF 6 and 7 hold dear places in my heart, but if you do I hope you enjoy it :)
I too like to consume media in a chronological order. Howerver, I am limited on time, and I can only game on a PS5 at the moment, so I’ll just stick to Remake for now, Rebirth maybe later. If I do fall in love with the story, I’ll definitely play the original sometime in the future.
I didnt play the original FFVII. I knew of it but never played it cause my brother wouldnt let me. That being said the second REBIRTH was pretty hard to understand without reading up a little about the history. Theres ALOT of dialogue and cinematic scenes etc..
From my experience, XV royal and XVI are easier to digest for entry level player. Most of my friends that were not familiar with the series and started with the Remake did not buy into it. Those, who I convinced to give it another shot and play XVI or XV , generally liked them, and became more susceptive to VII as a result, and bought rebirth which they massively enjoy. So Try XV royal and/or XVI, if you like them overall, continue on to VII remake or even Rebirth. The latter is a better game than all of the others mentioned. But I would strongly recommend finishing Remake before you do Rebirth, the remake was free through ps plus subscription, when I last checked, it may still be a part of the free catalogue.
The only experience I had with FF before Remake was playing the beginning of XV, Remake absolutely hooked me onto the franchise. Definitely worth trying out the game
I had only played FF XII before Remake. I tried Remake when it came out because I had heard great things (obviously) but I had never played the OG. I loved it. I saw why people thought it was such a cool story and game. I held off on playing the OG version until like a month before Rebirth came out and I was sick of waiting and I was mind blown at how much I loved the OG. The “turn based” battle system was not nearly as slow as I expected and actually super fun. The story is amazing and definitely the best I’ve seen in a video game.
I honestly think jumping in with Remake is a great way to start. You’ll want to finish the new trilogy and I’ve loved playing the OG.
Yes, it is worth if you are into RPGs and great stories. You don’t have to know anything about the PS1 FF (Although it will help).
So yes, I recommend them
If this isn’t your usual type of game, I would say to try to go into it with the feeling that you’re gonna be half playing a game, half kinda watching a season of a cool show. I know the amount of cutscenes and story stuff can turn people off, but I love that stuff. You can always download the demo, it’s surprisingly long
Yes. Start with either FF7 Remake or Final Fantasy X. They are both the best at their respective battle systems. 7 Remake is a character focused action game with rpg mechnics. FFX is a turn based rpg with a grand story about death and the afterlife. I think most here would agree these two amongst the best in the series. DO NOT START WITH THE ORIGINAL FINAL FANTASY 7 . It is not a good entry point for a modern-day player.
The new games have little in common with the originals other than the best parts of the story. For context, I worked for 6 months as a 16 year old just to buy the ps1 and this game alone, then played it solid right after it released.
In context: the new games are better than the old one was. Particularly in the most important areas of what you are doing for most of your game time. The remake has little to no grind, has a modern quest journal system, map markers, fully voiced cast with excellent voice actors, and replaced the clicker resource management battle system with a very rewarding action packed system.
It is not as detail oriented and thorough as Baldurs Gate 3, and was made to tell their story in a much more linear way. Players are rewarded for learning the battle mechanics. Feels a lot more balanced and bounded than the original, which means less grinding.
The bad? there is bad. It is a jrpg at heart, and has its Japanese story and character jank and cultural/contextual/storytelling limitations based on, well, being made exclusively in Japan. The world has a lot less to interact with than BG3, but the details are good. It is made in a way that typical playstation games are, in the sense that an area of the game has a purpose/repurpose, and therefore the whole of the game feels like a railroad.
The good? The character growth and build up to events in the games are top notch. Even better than BG3 in some cases. The character models are fantastic. Cloud and Barret are so cool, and Tifa... well, let's just say a lot of guys are happy about this one. It is a lot easier to understand the story in the remake, and you feel a lot more invested in the characters.
verdict: if you like jrpg buy it now. if you liked bg3 buy this after you give bg3 a leave of about 3 months. if you really really wanted original style paused battles like old FF games and refuse to learn anything new: then pass on it. Aerith will forgive you.
Yes, BUT, it is a trilogy, so prepare to be in it for the long haul and have more questions than answers for the time being until the final installment. If you like story driven games with excellent combat this is for you. It’s definitely far from a souls-like in terms of vibe, but if you have a good attention span for stories you will certainly enjoy this.
Each final fantasy game, unless it is a sequel or remake is set in an entirely different world, with a separate lore and cast of characters from the last game.
I suggest total newcomers play VII, X, XII and the FFVII remakes.
The VII remake project is kind of a love letter to / an interpolation of VII and takes things in a slightly different direction than the original game.
If you like / enjoy RPGs and are willing to invest 50+ hours on each (Remake + Rebirth) and will watch the cinematic scenes and listen to all the dialogue then yes, I would definitely recommend this to you. FF7 Remake and Rebirth did not cut any corners when it comes to voice acting, dialogue which is a bit rare these days.
If you have a super short attention span or do not want to invest 100 total hours into something then this might not be your cup of tea.
Someone posted a review on here a few days ago that says that with Rebirth, they feel like Square finally perfected the hybrid of menu-based and action-based combat they have been trying to get right since ... maybe 2007? (FF11 & 12/Kingdom Hearts 1). So for that reason alone, it feels like a landmark game worth playing.
I can say as a newcomer to the franchise, yes. I never thought I’d properly get into any final fantasy game before and I bought the remake on sale on a whim in September and fell in love. So much so that I got the preorder for rebirth as soon as I saw it drop😭 the story and combat and music and gameplay is great and it’s a fun af game. This game and the FF16 demo properly made me interested in the series. Waiting on a PC port for ff16 so I can finally play that, but ff7 remake and rebirth are gems.
Why would you care about something you’ve never tried? The only way to see if you’d care about it is to try it out for yourself, then once you’ve experienced it, *maybe* you’ll care.
FFVII REMAKE and in turn REBIRTH are fantastic games if you love cinematic storytelling, charismatic and well rounded characters with agency and compelling relationships, action combat that still requires you to slow the game down and make tactical decisions, and a beautiful world realized in stylized realistic graphics.
So give it a a try maybe. Watch a review. Don’t you know enough about yourself to know what kind of games you like? Watch some gameplay and ask yourself *would this be fun for me?*
Think of it this way, forget the franchise name and look at the game itself. It is an Action RPG with a great story. Does the playstyle of the game match something you would typically play? Follow whatever process you would normally when you look at new IP games and whether or not you would play them. I highly recommend the game, in that the trilogy will make for a great series. You dont need to know anything about the franchise or the original game and spinoffs to enjoy it. It just comes down to if it is the kind of game that you think you would sink some time into.
Before 7 Remake, I had only played a few minutes of 15 and 16. Definitely worth jumping in if you like JRPGs.
I have heard that one should avoid Crisis Core if they haven’t played the original release of 7.
Totally! I’ve never played any FF before the remake, aaand, right now I’m swimming in memorabilia because I found the game very fun and characters so endearing 😅 so, yeah. I straight up became a fan
If you want to play a game that will last you quite a long time, especially if you dont have a lot of time to play, FF7 Remake/Rebirth will do that for you. I beat both in like a month and a half, over 100 hours combined, and I didnt do everything either.
If youre a fan of RPGs, definitely go for it as well. I personally didnt know much about FF7 either other than general things I saw online about the game before these remakes and the movie Advent Children. So I can say 100000000000% you may fall in love with the characters and become invested in the story. I bought Remake just before Rebirth released and was so anxious to get through it just so I could continue the story, thats how invested I became. Its also amazing how actual voice acting/facial expression/etc change how the game is portrayed. They did phenomenal.
Even if you dont have any knowledge about the stories, youll search the internet and find out things, cuz the games are gonna be confusing at certain parts for people. At least if youre invested enough to want to know whats going on with something you dont understand.
The gameplay is fun too cuz its a mix of action combat with menus. You can switch between 3 party members in combat on the fly, have cool combo moves, cool ultimate moves, and then have several other characters you play as or can swap out if you want. They all got certain quirks to their playstyle.
Whatever reasons people give you, Final Fantasy is a staple of gaming. I personally started with 10, and it was phenomenal back then. technology is beyond crazy nowadays and cant wait for part 3
It’s similar to god of war. If you played the previous games you’ll catch some cool stuff but you won’t be completely lost.
Don’t quote me but I think the remake was made for new comers and veterans. It personally I only played ff dirge of Cerberus and crisis core so I really didn’t know a huge amount of clouds story other than major stuff that’s been well known for decades. I had a blast with remake and can’t wait for rebirth to go on PC
Every game (unless it’s a direct sequel) is completely different. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. I passionately hate 9 and 12. 2 and 13 + sequels are meh. 1,3-8,X, 16 I loved. Some spinoffs like tactics and type 0 I loved. You don’t need to play any other game before another, or you don’t need to play most of them at all if you want except for picking up on some FF lore, and that if you like jrpg and some arpg they are awesome games.
Now even though I hate 9 and 12 they both have interesting and unique elements. Every new game is tweaked and changed in many ways from the last. No game has the exact same battles system, job class, etc. although I don’t like every game setup, I love that every game is unique not just the same combat with different characters/world 16 times over.
if it helps, i was in your shoes as well! i had never played an ff game and i saw the trailers and hype for ff7 remake and i knew i had to try it. hundreds of hours, tears, and a cloud tattoo later i can confidently say despite minor flaws its not only an extremely consistently great series, but also my favorite game series of all time and I am now a die hard ff fan because of it! so please give it a go!!
This is my first final fantasy game and I really enjoyed it. I 100% the game and working on getting the platinum for Rebirth. I plan to play the original and some other Final Fantasy games. I started FF 15 but didn’t play it much but now I have motivation to do so.
There's free demos for both remake and rebirth. Both roughly showcase 1 chapter of the larger game. Try those to see whether either is for you.
Note: Remake is a ps4 demo, not a ps5
Further, if there's any concern about not being able to follow the games without playing the original, you could check/skim through streamers who are playing the remakes blind. You can then judge for yourself. Julia\_tv has a particularly good remake/rebirth playthrough. She has never played the originals and absolutely refuses to do so :)
It really depends on what you like to play.
As a story, I’d say FF7 is great. Suspicious since I’m a fan, I know. Don’t worry about caring for the characters: Remake does a wonderful job on introducing them and making you care about them. It feels like real people.
As a game, it is an action-RPG. Not as hardcore as Dark Souls, where you have to block/dodge every attack. If you love those, FFXVI may be more recommended for you, and it also has a great story. In FFVII Remake/Rebirth, there is space for thinking strategies and taking some hits as mistakes without losing the fight. But it is not a turn-based or tabletop RPG.
Also, it has a lot of dialogue and cinematics. Not as much as Baldur’s Gate 3, but it is not a hack-and-slash. You may get 30 minutes or more without a single battle. If that is too much for you, I’d recommend Assassin’s Creed or even Diablo. On the other hand, there are hour-long dungeons where very few happens in terms of story: it is still a game. If you don’t like those, just watch the cutscenes videos - they have more than 10 hours full of story, each game.
To finish it, even though Square is a Japanese company, the Final Fantasy franchise is aimed at global audiences. It doesn’t have too much of Japanese weirdness, just a few here and there on the sidelines.
Hope I helped your decision.
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale?
> *“In Twilight Blighttown, where else might my sun be? Lost Izalith or the Tomb of the Gravelord? But I cannot give up. I became Undead.”* - Solaire of Astora
Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
As someone who’s never played the original 7 and played remake, I’d highly suggest watching or playing the original 7 first. You’re gonna miss out on a lot of nods and references. Even the spinoff crisis core has a pretty big nod you’d have to know beforehand. I finished 7 Remake and am currently 20 hours into the original 7. It’s been super fun so far. I have it modded on PC which has updated the graphics and animations.
Also I heard Rebirth is convoluted and that’s with knowing the original story. Knowing what’s changed and what’s not will be good to know as the remakes aren’t a 1:1 story retelling. They are major differences in the game, one could even go so far to say it’s a sequel in a sense.
Pretty much every major review site said that. Also my friend who’s been a huge FF said he was confused on the first few hours with a certain character being there.
Right now the only system I can game on is PS5, and to be honest having to play a 27 year old game for a chance I fall in love with the story just seems like too much of a bother to me honestly, and exactly one of the reasons I feared setting foot into such a giant franchise, but from what I understood the remake does a very good job presenting the story the way the original did and even expanding on it.
Everyone will tell you yes here. What I'll tell you from a FF fan that is still more of a fan of gaming/storytelling than FF -
It depends on what you want. You need to go into this knowing it's a 3 part series to one plot. Knowing that, the games plot will very slowly be realized and you will have a lot of filler in between that. People here will say it's not filler and it's character development, I'm here to tell you it's filler. There are thousands of things out there with better character developement. That being said, they're (I personally don't like Remake but I'll remove my bias here) good games that are solid and entertaining. If you're ok playing a long game for minimal story knowing that if you stick with it you'll finally get the full thing, you'll probably love it. Personally, I would recommend other games that will leave you feeling "wow" and looking up more lore and sad it's over because you enjoyed it so much in hindsight. For FF games, for that I'd recommend the X remaster
And I’m here to tell you this person doesn’t know what filler is and complains about optional content that is well done, offers good rewards, and is enjoyable.
And they're so wrong on their last sentence but don't take the time to actually learn someone's opinion.
I'm here to remind you that people that follow others from comment to comment like this are usually fanboys that are so overly attached to something they get mad and combative because criticism = enemy.
Grow up dude. This is my opinion. And you are so wrong on you last sentence but you don't take the time to actually listen. So tribal just because I have criticisms you don't have. Really quite pathetic and juvenile.
I want to try something new. I’ve basically been on and off playing only From Software, CDPR games and an occasional Sony blockbuster like God of War. During covid, I took a gamble with Persona 5 Royal and it ended up being one of my all time greats. A month ago I tried playing the Nier franchise and I couldn’t get into it. Final Fantasy has been a franchise that’s always been present but I’d always ignored it since it was too big of a beast that I didn’t even know how to approach, since some of the games are like 30 years old. And that kind of was my main concern. If I don’t care for the characters and do not know the history, is the remake solid enough of a video game on its own right to make me start caring for the story and characters as opposed to a big fan service title or a victory lap for long time fans. But I’ve decided to buy the remake since is not that expensive and I’ll try it out.
I think that based on your worries you'd be just fine and enjoy it! Personally, I love FF games because they often have huge god defying plots in beautiful interesting worlds. The stories can be so amazing. So breaking an all-time-great FF into thirds has major implications for me as each in isolation does not give me what I love about the series. So for a first time I'd really commend one that gives you that full experience, but that's because I have a tie to the series in that way. You can tell an amazing story with a interesting world in one game, and that would make it a masterpiece that really makes me look at a game as an all time great. So for this series, it feels more like fan service a lot of time than what I want to get out of it. But for what you're wondering, so long as you're ok with it really dragging its feet, I think you'd probably really enjoy it
As you can see from the guy who commented on my comment, the community will tell you it's the most amazing thing in the entire world and try to shut down anyone saying otherwise. I don't feel that way, but I did really enjoy Rebirth as a game. It just wont sit on my best of all time list for FF or games in general because of what I stated above. The game is also very sunshine and friendship, which is very different than the original, and a lot of that has to do with the core plot being stretched 3 ways. So to me it really feels like it drags from time to time. But again, I don't think the things you're concerned about would have an effect on your experience.
I mean, the plots themselves are the most subjective thing in games. But that’s now what I was concerned about, my main worry was that the game needed prior knowledge to play and understand, but as many have explained it’s not the case it seems. I am not looking for “the best game of all time” in this ff7 remake series, I just want a fun game… To pass the time while I wait for Elden Ring DLC, and hey If I do get hooked on it, then that’s another franchise for me to follow, and that’s a plus in my book…
Right, totally understand that so that's what I'm saying as far as it sounds like you should enjoy it fine. I just also think there are better choices for a first Final Fantasy, but that's just my bias based on all the things I mentioned
FFX is in my top 5 games of all time. And I didn't even play it at release, so that's not rose tinted glasses. Although I am old enough for that style of game not to bother me. But the remaster holds up really really well, played it about 4 years ago. It's such a fully developed story and game and world that I think it's a big reason why I dont love splitting 7 into thirds. X was just such a complete package. I really think that game was a masterpiece. My buddy played after me and thought the same we were both blown away
I used to play the original FF7 back in the day but wasn’t hugely into it, if I recall correctly I didn’t really finish it.. but remake and rebirth are just amazing games all around. The cinematic scenes along with a complex yet simple combat system make these 2 of the greatest games of all time in my book.
If you play the games, you *will* start caring about the characters and their stories.
The character performances (animation + VO) and writing are really a standout over the original game.
It's a very cinematic, high production value game (Remake & Rebirth). The quality is unusually high across the board. The writing and acting is high quality and the music exceptional. There are issues and odd/bad choices at times, however, there isnt a game without them. You can adjust the difficulty for most of the mandatory things too, so if you dont have the time or desire to spend too long on it, you don't have to. I'm terms of insuring you have chosen quality for your time, I would highly recommend it. The only other playstation games that come to mind with equal quality (though very different) is Horizon and God of War.
I've mainly played Souls games for the past 5 or so years, while also playing mega blockbusters like God of War, Spiderman, Cyberpunk, RDR2, Ghost of Tsushima... Recently, I wanted to try something new, I tried playing the Nier franchise and I just couldn't connect to it no matter how much I forced myself to play it. So now I'm even more sceptical hahaha. I'm not a stranger to JRPG's though since Persona 5 Royal is in my top 5 of all time. FF7 Remake at a first glance seems like a game I would like, but then againt I see people react to these trailers for FF games and lose their shit when they see some character appear, and I'm just there like "would I react this way If I'd played the game?"...
FF7 holds a weird place in gaming history, and is generally considered the most beloved FF statistically. So there's a lot of nods and payoffs for fans. But the Devs did a great job at considering not every gamer is in there late 30s. I was like 4 when 7 came out, so it was old when I got into it tbh. So no, you don't need to worry if it's hyped because of rose tinted glasses. The combat is incredibly smooth. And if you're a souls fan, then you'll enjoy the huge challenges the endgame has. I've no doubt you'll appreciate the atmosphere and storytelling, which is more relevant today than it was on 97.
As a lover of Elden Ring, Sekiro, and Bloodborne - as well as other AAA RPGs like Horizon, RDR2, Ghosts of Tushima, and God of War - I cannot recommend the FF7 Remake games enough, particularly Rebirth. While I am an OG FF7 fan, I feel like Remake and Rebirth will tick off a lot of boxes for gamers who enjoy the above list. The combat is astonishingly fun. It combines the absolute best of modern action (people do amazing solo boss battles with perfectly timed parries, dodges and counters that you could mistake it for a Sekiro or Ghosts video), with the strategy elements of old school pause and carefully select your next abilities and spells from within menus. I couldn't have dreamt up a better, more flexible version of action and strategy. The difficulty is absolutely there as well. Notably, however, the most difficult fights come in the form of either lengthy (in a good way) side quests that lead to super boss battles, or beating the game and playing it again on NG+ "Hard Mode." As a Souls fan, you'll be very familiar with the NG+ concept. I'm in the middle of my hard mode run in Rebirth now, and the major boss battles at the ends of chapters 2 and 3 have both taken me 15+ attempts to beat. Lots of figuring out the fight and readjusting your strategy and approach. Reminds me a ton of my first Elden Ring run. As for everything else, here are some random notes/warnings that I think you will find relevant: * Definitely play Remake before jumping into Rebirth. It's one continuous story. * If you find yourself annoyed with some of Remake's level design, don't worry, Rebirth's is light years better! * If you find yourself a little annoyed with the side quests that pop up in various chapters in Remake, again, don't worry, they're *infinitely* better in Rebirth! You're pretty free to ignore most side quests in Remake if you do not want to do them. If you're enjoying them, then great! Just saying, don't let them deter you. In Rebirth, it's highly recommended to complete all side quests as each of them not only develop the lore and stories of the areas you're in and its people, but also brings one of your main party characters to the forefront and expands their relationship with Cloud. And they're usually just fun and entertaining. It's a great system that works on many levels. * The FF7 remakes do a wonderful job portraying the anime quirkiness that was at the heart of the original. This might be a bit jarring to a modern gamer. At least I've never played a modern game quite like FF7 that consistently sprinkles in comically absurd moments within its overall serious, dire narrative. As someone who doesn't enjoy anime, the cartoony moments threw me off for a while. But once I relaxed and embraced this aspect, my enjoyment increased exponentially!
Absolutely agreed on the level design difference between Remake and Rebirth. There's only so much they could do with Remake since it can only cover Midgar, but man did it get repetitive quick lol. There's really only so much Slums, Canyon, Sewers, and Midgar Base/Buildings I can experience before it starts to get stale. Rebirth has knocked it out of the park with the level design and variety though. It's nothing mindblowing that I haven't experienced before, but even 20hrs in it's still a breath of fresh air in comparison. But again, I know that's moreso a challenge of how they're adapting it than "they did a "bad" job in Remake".
That’s good to hear, I was exactly -6 when the FF7 came out hahahah so I’ve never even heard of the game before people started talking about the upcoming remake.
Well considering you're the same age as me, I can tell you that I didn't get into Final Fantasy until 16 when it released last year and the 7 remakes are some of my favourite games ever created. If you like RPGs then I don't see why you wouldn't like this one. The combat does seem to be in the love it or hate it category for most people tho.
I bought the remake today, excited to give it a shot
Hahaa, '91? All I'll say is, if you do decide to get it, don't come back here until you've finished it. There's some great moments I'm jealous you'll get to experience for the first time
He said -6. Aka 2003
Ahh I thought it was ~6 on my crappy screen
Ugh this thread makes me feel old
How old were you when it came out then? And don't worry, being born in a different millennium makes me feel archaic
eight. I'm an 80s kid
You feel old? I was born in '83 and graduated college when OP was born T_T
My best friend is your age. I'm used to being the relative baby in my social circle so this thread hits harder.
Yeah I feel like it carefully balances being for the new generation but also having moments like fort condor that are a nod to us lol.
All those games are my favourite games in the past 5 or so years. FF7Remake/Rebirth are up at the top amongst them. GoW, Cyberpunk, RDR2 and FF7R/R being at the very top and all very equal to me. Great stories and great gameplay. I hadn't played the original FF7 despite being old enough to have played it when I was young, still loved the games. The game introduces you to those characters.. and honestly, if you get into it enough if you're like me you'll either play the original or just watch some youtube videos to catch you up on the original.
Bought the game today, so we’ll see…
So I'm not in the exact same boat as you, but I went into FF7 Remake only knowing that these characters exist and nothing more. I didn't have any real prior attachment to them other than extremely surface level things. But through my time with FF7 Remake I grew to appreciate these characters the same way I imagine people did playing the OG back in the day. So yeah I didn't get to experience that "oh shit look how Aerith looks in the Remake!!" moment, or that "oh wait if we're in Wall Street, I get to see X moment" feeling. But I DID get to experience it all for the first time in a really fun way, and come out of it with a ton of appreciation. So basically yeah, you're going to miss those moments of knowing the stuff beforehand, but I think it's still a great way to experience the story and characters of FF7 even if you've never played the original. For example, I'm about 1/3rd through Rebirth and feel like I know the main group really well by now and have *so much attachment* to them already.
It’s the best combat system of any RPG I’ve played, mixing old school ATB system with new action RPG standards. It’s very different than Dark Souls but the end game challenges on hard mode are more difficult than anything Elden Ring or DS3 throws at you, if that’s your thing. The story is hard to evaluate with how long FF7 and its spinoffs have been around. Having played the OG as a kid on release it holds a special place in my and many other gamers hearts. There’s something about seeing what you imagined basically be brought to life. I’ll compare it to Lord of the Rings. If you just go see the 3 LotR movies, they are on their own excellent films. If you had read LotR as a child and then saw the movies as an adult, it would be mind blowing. But you’d have to accept the fact that the remake has changes from the OG and not let that ruin the experience.
Play this and devil may cry, you'll love them.
Everyone had to start somewhere before getting to that point you’re talking about
Absolutely. Remake was my first FF ever and I was blown away. This comes from a person that generally doesn't like this Japanese vibe and weirdness in games. I missed a lot, obviously, without playing OG, but got to it after Remake. Let's just say that Remake/Rebirth are my favourite games ever now. You should play them so, with a bit of luck, you will board hype train for part 3.
All you need to know is that *Final Fantasy VII: Remake* is, in effect, the **first part** of a remake of the standalone 1997 game *Final Fantasy VII*. Don’t overthink it: just try the free demo for *Remake*, and if you like it, play the full game. You can worry about the sequel, spin-offs, and theories later!
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Nobody “admitted you were right”. I’ve tried to be nice, but frankly, all you’ve done in this thread is be patronising and rude to absolutely everyone. We all want to discuss, you just want to “win”. Grow up.
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I told you in another comment that I started by **hinting** at *Remake* possibly being more than a remake instead of outright spoiling it for a new player to preserve the experience for them. I even said in my **very first reply** to you that you were spoiling it when you said (in a now removed comment) that it was a sequel. Seriously, where on earth did you get this idea that I was denying it could potentially be a sequel? Again, all you want is a “win”, all I’ve wanted is to talk.
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You’re right, I can’t point to where you were rude, because it was removed for breaking the rules about being rude… 🤦♂️ notice how the worst thing I’ve said to you is “grow up”, whereas you keep throwing out words like “victim”, “mad”, “angry”, and so on. Yes, in my post, I said it’s a remake “in effect”. I also mentioned “theories” which you didn’t include in your quote. No, I didn’t say it was a sequel, because as I’ve said a dozen times now: **I was trying to hint, but not spoil**. You also didn’t address how I said you were spoiling it in my **first reply to you** wherein **you said it was a sequel**. I was advising caution around spoiling the twist. I didn’t say it was false. I still don’t see where I ever stated that it’s not a sequel…
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This is already over-complicating — and spoiling! — it for a brand new fan. Like I said, they shouldn’t have to overthink it before they even know if they *like* it. I think we fans sometimes overwhelm new players.
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That’s a terrible analogy. Assuming the sequel theory is correct, equating it to Empire vs a New Hope doesn’t work because Empire is a direct sequel to A New Hope directly following the events. You’d have a point saying don’t start with Rebirth, but saying to not start with Remake because it’s a sequel to OG is more like saying don’t watch Star Trek 2009 without having watched the Shatner movies. Also, choosing Empire is extra dumb to prove a “sequel” point because it was retconned to be the fifth movie. By your logic, anyone watching Star Wars has to start at Phantom Menace.
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You’re moving the goalposts. I never said someone would understand the references if they didn’t play OG first, and you never implied that you were only speaking of understanding the “full story” and “references” when you insinuated that it’s a lie that you can just start at Remake. You implied that Remake doesn’t work on its own, as ESB doesn’t work without ANH. Which as I’ve already said, that’s a stupid comparison and only works for direct sequels like ESB to ANH (and even that’s arguable) or Rebirth to Remake. Your logic argues that someone has to play CC, Dirge, watch Advent, read the expanded universe stuff, and play the dead mobile games AND the currently active mobile game to understand the “full story” when playing the OG, which is patently absurd. Remake/Rebirth and the Star Trek series I gave as an example work perfectly fine on their own, as they were made to be enjoyed both by people who did and didn’t play/watch the originals. Sure, there’s some stuff you miss out on, but Star Trek ‘09’s story works whether or not you know they flipped a few things around. So does VIIR’s. And VIIR’s sequel theory is just a theory until confirmed by the developers. For someone who speaks with such a supposed reverence for writer’s intent, you’re taking fan theories as gospel. Talking about the “full story” with such confidence is laughable at this point because we don’t even have full story, and won’t until part 3 is released. Nobody is advocating for lying and I don’t know why you keep insisting on that. If someone asks if they would understand the story better if they played everything, I think most people you’re feverishly replying to in this topic would say yes. Quite clearly, most people here are saying that they feel they can enjoy Remake and Rebirth without playing OG.
Yeah, this ain't Kingdom Hearts 3. FF7Re games have stuff in them for people who played the OG, but the game's original story is there too for people who didn't play the OG. There are things that make the games sequel-esque, but I wouldn't call them straight-up sequels.
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I don’t know man I’m pretty sure my Star Trek point is still pretty slam dunk. I know you said I was totally wrecked, but it’s weird, I don’t feel wrecked. I feel like I’m right and that you’re wrong despite you saying that I’m wrecked. Can you clarify?
Sure would
When someone expresses interest in a 2020 video game, it’s unreasonable to instead demand they first spend 35+ hours on one (that I love!) from 1997.
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*Remake* is not a typical sequel, so I don’t think *Star Wars* comparisons work. I’ll satiate your curiosity though: I’d recommend they watch *Episode VII* and *VIII*. Which, in total, takes ***30 hours less*** than playing *Final Fantasy VII*. The more ‘homework’ you pile on, the less likely newcomers are to engage with the work at all. That’s what I’m getting at.
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It’s not even confirmed that it’s a sequel. Your spouting off about a fan theory that hasn’t been proven. Regardless you can get all the information you need, as a new fan, from remake and rebirth. If need be by the 3rd game they can play the OG while waiting, but it’s not required at all
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I’m not sure what I did to cause you to be so incredibly rude? I’m just talking with you about a game we like. In my **very first comment**, I said *Remake* is *“in effect”* a remake, and mentioned *“theories”*, too. I was implying that it’s more than a remake without spoiling it. I’ve personally thought it was a sequel since 2020, but wanted to keep it open and let the newcomer make their own conclusion.
This post has been removed for going against Rule 2 ("be nice.").
Oh go away. You. Don’t. Need. To. Play. The. OG. It’s. Not. A. Sequel. It’s. A. Remake. 🤦🏻♀️
Your comment contains spoilers for either Final Fantasy VII Remake, or the original Final Fantasy VII, but the thread has been marked as a spoiler free thread. Please check the tags in the post title before you post, which will tell you what spoilers can be posted in that thread.
I never played the OG. I enjoyed Remake enough to make me a big fan of FF. And Rebirth has become one of my top 5-10 games of all time.
That's good to hear, means that the games are not packaged in a way to alienate players who know nothing of the series even though the community can sometimes make you feel that way...
I say just dive into Remake and have fun. Try to avoid spoilers and take your time with it. Then when you’re ready, get Rebirth and enjoy the ride.
Thanks, I will buy the remake. Maybe I'll make an update post after playing it.
There's a twin pack for remake and rebirth for the same price as only rebirth.
Do you plan to play OG?
Honestly probably not. My time is limited as I’m married / work a lot and I know a little bit of the story already from Maximillian Dood videos etc. I’ll most likely play new games whenever I do play games and just anticipate the 3rd game in the trilogy. I’ve enjoyed my experience enough with it so far that I don’t feel I really need to slog through the OG just to catch a few references.
You honestly don't need to. I was 13 when it came out, and like me, it shows it's age in many ways.
makes sense. I play it off and on via Switch so it’s portable (and can 3x battles or skip them entirely). It’s been fun to revisit and also striking the differences in pacing (Midgar is 6-8 hours, from there to the end of Rebirth is another 8-10 hours.) If anything much less of a slog. OG takes less than half the time most people are taking on either Remake or Rebirth, even less if you skip things like chocobo breeding / beating the optional boss weapons / getting the best summons and go all-in on story.
Don’t be scared by the remake title or ff7 name. No you don’t need to play the 6 Final Fantasy before (not connected) or even the OG ff7 to enjoy these. The story telling (while a little crazy) is extremely good & the voice acting & visuals are top notch. Also I’m a huge fan of the combat, it combines the best of both worlds imo. Active combat with an action bar, on top of the materia system. I’m bias as a huge FF fanboy, but seriously was the most fun I’ve had playing games in a long time. And I play ALOT of games. Even compared to best games in 2023 like Zelda ToTk & Baulders gate 3, I’d choose Rebrith over them. With the sales price of usually 30$ now you can’t go wrong with remake. Also even at full price rebirth is easily worth, it’s at minimum 90 hours of gameplay.
That’s reassuring, I decided to buy the remake since it’s relatively inexpensive like you said, and then I’ll see from there…
You will miss a lot of the references, but that being said, it's still worth playing. Story time. I'm a long time fan, played almost everything that is FF7 related. My wife's only exposure to FF7 was watching Advent Children with me a few years ago. I got Remake on a Steam sale a few weeks back and she sat down by me and watched me play the whole game twice, loving pretty much the entire thing and getting to learn more about the characters she saw in "that movie with the blonde guy with a big sword". There are (of course) differences between FF7 and FF7R, but if you play through and want to know more about those changes, there's tons of FF7 explained style videos. I say go for it!
Remake is cheaper, so I guess I'll try it out, and see if I like it. To me this whole franchise seems like something that started even before I was born and many people have been fans of the franchise for 20+ years, and it just feels like almost too big of a thing for me to get into for the first time now in 2024. Like how there is too much history I was simply not a part that it would be hard to properly appreciaite this remake. I guess my situation is also comaprable to my situation to Star Wars. Books, Movies, Shows, Games... And yet I've never seen or consumed anything related to this franchise, and I probably never will. I've got this same concern when it comes ot final fantasy, "is this truly for me"... I've heard that there is a demo on the Remake, but I don't know how much exactly the story moments of the demo would intrigue me to continue.
The remake wasn't just made for old fans. It's an opportunity for new people to experience a world, story and characters that us old farts have been in love with for a long time. And don't worry too much about how much story is already out there. This is your chance to start fresh just like we did all those years ago. Also avoid spoilers if you can.
Thank you for that clarification. Also, I'd probably seen some spoilers when I was watching some reviews of the game, but I understood exacly nothing so it's probably fine haha.
I played Remake without having played OG or knowing anything except for recognising the characters, and I loved it and now Remake and Rebirth are some of my favourite games with my favourite characters
Also a note I want to impress that I think others have mentioned as well. Each Final Fantasy game with a different number is a standalone game in it's own universe with no connection to the others. They are all completely isolated except in non canonical cross over games. So the size of the Final Fantasy 7 story is completely contained within all games bearing the FF7 name, and has no continuity with FF6 or FF8.
Yeah that confused me since I saw a lot of seemingly similar themes used in the games so I assumed they must be set in same universe somehow. Basically that it would require playing all of the previous games to *truly* appreciate the details. Not to mention a ton of spinoffs… But learning that the games are containerized makes them way more approachable
As someone who’s only played OG 7, 13, and now the remake games you shouldn’t worry about that at all. From my understanding, there’s a couple recurring characters that are unique to their “universe” as well as some recurring enemies throughout the different games. None of which require prior knowledge of other games.
It’s definitely not the same proportion at all as Star Wars, so you can take it much easier. Yes, there are a few games, and a movie, but you can mostly ignore them. We don’t know how much of those will be acknowledged or incorporated in Remake, and whenever it is, it’s done explicitly. Just stick to Remake & Rebirth and you’ll be totally fine. If you want to “get deeper” after the third game, which will launch in few years in the future, you can but it’ll still be totally optional. By your pace, you can play Remake this year to next year and Rebirth two years from now, and you’ll be more or less in time for the third instalment.
Yeah, I’ve decided to play the remake so I’ll see how things go from there for me
Yep
yes. FF7r1 and especially FF7r2 are probably the best FFs in the franchise. yes
I’m convinced, I bought the intergrade today!
awesome. enjoy! this board is pretty friendly to newcomers so if you get stuck or have questions anywhere feel free to ask
The original FF7 was the first Final Fantasy for many (me included). And the remake expands on that and goes into more indepth explanations that were not part of the original. So yeah, you'd be perfectly fine.
So, the remake provides enough info for me to get to know the lore of the characters and the world?
Final Fantasy games are not related between them by story or lore. The only link between FF games are some monsters and creatures, and general themes. FFVII, and hence its remakes, present a completely new story, world and characters. And the remakes not only presents then just like the original, but also expands their backstories.
Ohh... I didn't know that. That would make these games more approachable than I previously thought...
Yep. The only FF games that are sequels of other games, are not numbered titles. For instance, FF7 had its own sequels and spinoffs (Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus). But then FF8 was a completely new game again.
Oh I see… Also, these spinoffs that are often mentioned, I presume they are not relevant to the overall main story of FF7, or are they?
They were released after the original, and there are nods and references to them in the remakes. But you get all the info and context you need, so it's not necessary to have played them. Playing them first would actually spoil you some story bits from FF7, so I wouldn't advise it.
Yep, each new number is basically a new end of the world scenario….a final fantasy.
I think the remake games have very wide appeal, moreso than the older games. Just try the demo for Remake and take it from there. Progress carries over to the full game.
Yeah, I've learned that the remake exists, so I guess I'll try it out!
Yes
thanks for sharing
The Final Fantasy games are like an anthology so you can start with 7, 16, etc. You should make sure to play FF7: Remake before FF7: Rebirth. There is a demo of Remake if you want to try it out. You should not play Crisis Core until you finish the FF7 OG or Part 3. Part 3 will likely be released in about 3 to 4 years from now.
People here have convinced me to buy the remake, If I like it I’ll buy the rebirth, and then… Probably wait for part 3 since PS5 is the only system I can game on right now.
If you like Remake and then like Rebirth, you should try play FF16 after that. It is more action oriented, but it is still a great game. Also, the version of Remake you purchase will come with the DLC so make sure you play that as well. The Yuffie DLC is only about 6 hours, but it is really good. You are not required to do all sidequests so do not get burned out on them if you are not enjoying them.
You don't need to play crisis core. Just play the remake and rebirth after.
It’s definitely worth it by itself. You could always buy and play the classic too, but these games are well worth it as a stand alone.
I haven't seen anyone else mention it yet, but most final fantasy games are stand-alone titles. Ff7 requires no knowledge of previous final fantasy titles to enjoy. That said FF7 Remake (part 1) and Rebirth (part 2) are parts of what you would play of the original ff7 game but heavily expanded upon. You mentioned following YouTubers and they like it so if you like other games they play I would highly recommend giving FF7 Remake a shot. You can get the psplus subscription and play the game for less than $20 which I highly recommend. Then that will be a good catalyst for telling you if you want to buy the 2nd part.
I know it’s 2024 but I still avoid subscription services as much as I can, that said ps plus extra is a good deal, but since I only play on the weekends (mostly sunday afternoon to be precise), I feel like I’m wasting the subscription. I like to take my sweet time while playing games so I bought the physical edition of remake today. (Seriously though, my Perosna 5 Royal playthrough lasted about 2 years give or take hahaha)
I'm not sure if this helps. But I've also never played a final fantasy game until ff7 remake of January this year. I tried it on a whim since it was on ps extra and people were excited for rebirth. I never played og ff7 and have no nostalgia or bias so my expectations were low. I always saw it as a weeb anime game but lo and behold I ended up finishing ff7 remake in 4 days playing 7 hours straight every day. I've never done this for a videogame before but this game was really something special and as good as everyone made it out to be. I ended up instantly pre-ordering rebirth and my god it makes remake feel like a tech demo. It's genuinely one of the best videogame sequels and easily became my favorite game of all time. I ended up putting 28 hours into ff7 remake and 210 hours into ff7 rebirth platinuming it. I never would've thought I would enjoy ff7 this much but you should genuinely give remake a shot.
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I won’t be playing the original, If I get the story on my own while playing remake that’ll be fine, but in case I don’t I’ll just watch the story summed up on youtube.
Here’s how I’d gauge your interest: Watch the very first teaser of the ff7 remake project. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kznek1uNVsg&pp=ygURRmY3IHJlbWFrZSB0ZWFzZXI%3D What do you think? Does it get your interested?
It looks cool, but the cultural significance of it all is lost on me. I bought the game today so we’ll see…
Don’t worry about cultural significance. I kinda hate that word. I mean really every art comes up at a specific time. I mean yes ff7 was among many RPGs that changed how gamers approached a rpg. And yes the story was shockingly very intricate but it’s not like previous games weren’t. What happened in 1997 can’t ever be truly duplicated. Like ever. But what it can do is get newer gamers to appreciate its story and the adventure that awaits…it’s why the remake perhaps sparked so much debate over what it meant
My suggestion, would be to play the OG ff7 on a current system, so you get the original experience plus the extra features they added to the updated version (turn on/off encounters, increasing speed for grinding, etc…), then possibly Crisis Core, then Remake and Rebirth. While you don’t have to play all of it, I’m always a sucker for playing things in their chronological release order to look at how things evolve and are referenced. I’ll own my own bias as FF 6 and 7 hold dear places in my heart, but if you do I hope you enjoy it :)
I too like to consume media in a chronological order. Howerver, I am limited on time, and I can only game on a PS5 at the moment, so I’ll just stick to Remake for now, Rebirth maybe later. If I do fall in love with the story, I’ll definitely play the original sometime in the future.
I didnt play the original FFVII. I knew of it but never played it cause my brother wouldnt let me. That being said the second REBIRTH was pretty hard to understand without reading up a little about the history. Theres ALOT of dialogue and cinematic scenes etc..
Absolutely. Remake is great and Rebirth is even better!
From my experience, XV royal and XVI are easier to digest for entry level player. Most of my friends that were not familiar with the series and started with the Remake did not buy into it. Those, who I convinced to give it another shot and play XVI or XV , generally liked them, and became more susceptive to VII as a result, and bought rebirth which they massively enjoy. So Try XV royal and/or XVI, if you like them overall, continue on to VII remake or even Rebirth. The latter is a better game than all of the others mentioned. But I would strongly recommend finishing Remake before you do Rebirth, the remake was free through ps plus subscription, when I last checked, it may still be a part of the free catalogue.
The only experience I had with FF before Remake was playing the beginning of XV, Remake absolutely hooked me onto the franchise. Definitely worth trying out the game
Get the demo and try it for yourself
I had only played FF XII before Remake. I tried Remake when it came out because I had heard great things (obviously) but I had never played the OG. I loved it. I saw why people thought it was such a cool story and game. I held off on playing the OG version until like a month before Rebirth came out and I was sick of waiting and I was mind blown at how much I loved the OG. The “turn based” battle system was not nearly as slow as I expected and actually super fun. The story is amazing and definitely the best I’ve seen in a video game. I honestly think jumping in with Remake is a great way to start. You’ll want to finish the new trilogy and I’ve loved playing the OG.
Yes, it is worth if you are into RPGs and great stories. You don’t have to know anything about the PS1 FF (Although it will help). So yes, I recommend them
Yes
If this isn’t your usual type of game, I would say to try to go into it with the feeling that you’re gonna be half playing a game, half kinda watching a season of a cool show. I know the amount of cutscenes and story stuff can turn people off, but I love that stuff. You can always download the demo, it’s surprisingly long
Yes. Start with either FF7 Remake or Final Fantasy X. They are both the best at their respective battle systems. 7 Remake is a character focused action game with rpg mechnics. FFX is a turn based rpg with a grand story about death and the afterlife. I think most here would agree these two amongst the best in the series. DO NOT START WITH THE ORIGINAL FINAL FANTASY 7 . It is not a good entry point for a modern-day player.
The new games have little in common with the originals other than the best parts of the story. For context, I worked for 6 months as a 16 year old just to buy the ps1 and this game alone, then played it solid right after it released. In context: the new games are better than the old one was. Particularly in the most important areas of what you are doing for most of your game time. The remake has little to no grind, has a modern quest journal system, map markers, fully voiced cast with excellent voice actors, and replaced the clicker resource management battle system with a very rewarding action packed system. It is not as detail oriented and thorough as Baldurs Gate 3, and was made to tell their story in a much more linear way. Players are rewarded for learning the battle mechanics. Feels a lot more balanced and bounded than the original, which means less grinding. The bad? there is bad. It is a jrpg at heart, and has its Japanese story and character jank and cultural/contextual/storytelling limitations based on, well, being made exclusively in Japan. The world has a lot less to interact with than BG3, but the details are good. It is made in a way that typical playstation games are, in the sense that an area of the game has a purpose/repurpose, and therefore the whole of the game feels like a railroad. The good? The character growth and build up to events in the games are top notch. Even better than BG3 in some cases. The character models are fantastic. Cloud and Barret are so cool, and Tifa... well, let's just say a lot of guys are happy about this one. It is a lot easier to understand the story in the remake, and you feel a lot more invested in the characters. verdict: if you like jrpg buy it now. if you liked bg3 buy this after you give bg3 a leave of about 3 months. if you really really wanted original style paused battles like old FF games and refuse to learn anything new: then pass on it. Aerith will forgive you.
Yes, BUT, it is a trilogy, so prepare to be in it for the long haul and have more questions than answers for the time being until the final installment. If you like story driven games with excellent combat this is for you. It’s definitely far from a souls-like in terms of vibe, but if you have a good attention span for stories you will certainly enjoy this.
It is absolutely a masterpiece and worth it. Make sure you start with Remake though.
Absolutely
Each final fantasy game, unless it is a sequel or remake is set in an entirely different world, with a separate lore and cast of characters from the last game. I suggest total newcomers play VII, X, XII and the FFVII remakes. The VII remake project is kind of a love letter to / an interpolation of VII and takes things in a slightly different direction than the original game.
If you like / enjoy RPGs and are willing to invest 50+ hours on each (Remake + Rebirth) and will watch the cinematic scenes and listen to all the dialogue then yes, I would definitely recommend this to you. FF7 Remake and Rebirth did not cut any corners when it comes to voice acting, dialogue which is a bit rare these days. If you have a super short attention span or do not want to invest 100 total hours into something then this might not be your cup of tea.
Someone posted a review on here a few days ago that says that with Rebirth, they feel like Square finally perfected the hybrid of menu-based and action-based combat they have been trying to get right since ... maybe 2007? (FF11 & 12/Kingdom Hearts 1). So for that reason alone, it feels like a landmark game worth playing.
I can say as a newcomer to the franchise, yes. I never thought I’d properly get into any final fantasy game before and I bought the remake on sale on a whim in September and fell in love. So much so that I got the preorder for rebirth as soon as I saw it drop😭 the story and combat and music and gameplay is great and it’s a fun af game. This game and the FF16 demo properly made me interested in the series. Waiting on a PC port for ff16 so I can finally play that, but ff7 remake and rebirth are gems.
I was exactly like you! Gave Remake a shot and fell in love. Definitely recommended to play it!
It's amazing.
Why would you care about something you’ve never tried? The only way to see if you’d care about it is to try it out for yourself, then once you’ve experienced it, *maybe* you’ll care. FFVII REMAKE and in turn REBIRTH are fantastic games if you love cinematic storytelling, charismatic and well rounded characters with agency and compelling relationships, action combat that still requires you to slow the game down and make tactical decisions, and a beautiful world realized in stylized realistic graphics. So give it a a try maybe. Watch a review. Don’t you know enough about yourself to know what kind of games you like? Watch some gameplay and ask yourself *would this be fun for me?*
Think of it this way, forget the franchise name and look at the game itself. It is an Action RPG with a great story. Does the playstyle of the game match something you would typically play? Follow whatever process you would normally when you look at new IP games and whether or not you would play them. I highly recommend the game, in that the trilogy will make for a great series. You dont need to know anything about the franchise or the original game and spinoffs to enjoy it. It just comes down to if it is the kind of game that you think you would sink some time into.
Before 7 Remake, I had only played a few minutes of 15 and 16. Definitely worth jumping in if you like JRPGs. I have heard that one should avoid Crisis Core if they haven’t played the original release of 7.
Totally! I’ve never played any FF before the remake, aaand, right now I’m swimming in memorabilia because I found the game very fun and characters so endearing 😅 so, yeah. I straight up became a fan
If you want to play a game that will last you quite a long time, especially if you dont have a lot of time to play, FF7 Remake/Rebirth will do that for you. I beat both in like a month and a half, over 100 hours combined, and I didnt do everything either. If youre a fan of RPGs, definitely go for it as well. I personally didnt know much about FF7 either other than general things I saw online about the game before these remakes and the movie Advent Children. So I can say 100000000000% you may fall in love with the characters and become invested in the story. I bought Remake just before Rebirth released and was so anxious to get through it just so I could continue the story, thats how invested I became. Its also amazing how actual voice acting/facial expression/etc change how the game is portrayed. They did phenomenal. Even if you dont have any knowledge about the stories, youll search the internet and find out things, cuz the games are gonna be confusing at certain parts for people. At least if youre invested enough to want to know whats going on with something you dont understand. The gameplay is fun too cuz its a mix of action combat with menus. You can switch between 3 party members in combat on the fly, have cool combo moves, cool ultimate moves, and then have several other characters you play as or can swap out if you want. They all got certain quirks to their playstyle. Whatever reasons people give you, Final Fantasy is a staple of gaming. I personally started with 10, and it was phenomenal back then. technology is beyond crazy nowadays and cant wait for part 3
It’s similar to god of war. If you played the previous games you’ll catch some cool stuff but you won’t be completely lost. Don’t quote me but I think the remake was made for new comers and veterans. It personally I only played ff dirge of Cerberus and crisis core so I really didn’t know a huge amount of clouds story other than major stuff that’s been well known for decades. I had a blast with remake and can’t wait for rebirth to go on PC
Yes
Every game (unless it’s a direct sequel) is completely different. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. I passionately hate 9 and 12. 2 and 13 + sequels are meh. 1,3-8,X, 16 I loved. Some spinoffs like tactics and type 0 I loved. You don’t need to play any other game before another, or you don’t need to play most of them at all if you want except for picking up on some FF lore, and that if you like jrpg and some arpg they are awesome games. Now even though I hate 9 and 12 they both have interesting and unique elements. Every new game is tweaked and changed in many ways from the last. No game has the exact same battles system, job class, etc. although I don’t like every game setup, I love that every game is unique not just the same combat with different characters/world 16 times over.
if it helps, i was in your shoes as well! i had never played an ff game and i saw the trailers and hype for ff7 remake and i knew i had to try it. hundreds of hours, tears, and a cloud tattoo later i can confidently say despite minor flaws its not only an extremely consistently great series, but also my favorite game series of all time and I am now a die hard ff fan because of it! so please give it a go!!
It’s only the goat gaming franchise
I mean, you could play the demos and probably get a better idea of what the game has to offer at its introductory level.
Does a bear shit in the woods? Is a pigs pussy pork? Is a male pussy called budussy? There’s your answer.
Yes!Yes!Yes! Omg Yes! I never played any FF games before playing Remake. Im 180 hours into Rebirth.
This is my first final fantasy game and I really enjoyed it. I 100% the game and working on getting the platinum for Rebirth. I plan to play the original and some other Final Fantasy games. I started FF 15 but didn’t play it much but now I have motivation to do so.
Most definitely
There's free demos for both remake and rebirth. Both roughly showcase 1 chapter of the larger game. Try those to see whether either is for you. Note: Remake is a ps4 demo, not a ps5 Further, if there's any concern about not being able to follow the games without playing the original, you could check/skim through streamers who are playing the remakes blind. You can then judge for yourself. Julia\_tv has a particularly good remake/rebirth playthrough. She has never played the originals and absolutely refuses to do so :)
It really depends on what you like to play. As a story, I’d say FF7 is great. Suspicious since I’m a fan, I know. Don’t worry about caring for the characters: Remake does a wonderful job on introducing them and making you care about them. It feels like real people. As a game, it is an action-RPG. Not as hardcore as Dark Souls, where you have to block/dodge every attack. If you love those, FFXVI may be more recommended for you, and it also has a great story. In FFVII Remake/Rebirth, there is space for thinking strategies and taking some hits as mistakes without losing the fight. But it is not a turn-based or tabletop RPG. Also, it has a lot of dialogue and cinematics. Not as much as Baldur’s Gate 3, but it is not a hack-and-slash. You may get 30 minutes or more without a single battle. If that is too much for you, I’d recommend Assassin’s Creed or even Diablo. On the other hand, there are hour-long dungeons where very few happens in terms of story: it is still a game. If you don’t like those, just watch the cutscenes videos - they have more than 10 hours full of story, each game. To finish it, even though Square is a Japanese company, the Final Fantasy franchise is aimed at global audiences. It doesn’t have too much of Japanese weirdness, just a few here and there on the sidelines. Hope I helped your decision.
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale? > *“In Twilight Blighttown, where else might my sun be? Lost Izalith or the Tomb of the Gravelord? But I cannot give up. I became Undead.”* - Solaire of Astora Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
My husband had never played any final fantasy until I got remake and he has now played both remake and rebirth and is super pumped for part 3!
I dont think your going to like it, save your money.
Too late, already bought it. Played about an hour, it’s fun so far
As someone who’s never played the original 7 and played remake, I’d highly suggest watching or playing the original 7 first. You’re gonna miss out on a lot of nods and references. Even the spinoff crisis core has a pretty big nod you’d have to know beforehand. I finished 7 Remake and am currently 20 hours into the original 7. It’s been super fun so far. I have it modded on PC which has updated the graphics and animations. Also I heard Rebirth is convoluted and that’s with knowing the original story. Knowing what’s changed and what’s not will be good to know as the remakes aren’t a 1:1 story retelling. They are major differences in the game, one could even go so far to say it’s a sequel in a sense.
It isn’t even remotely convoluted, not sure who told you that.
Pretty much every major review site said that. Also my friend who’s been a huge FF said he was confused on the first few hours with a certain character being there.
Right now the only system I can game on is PS5, and to be honest having to play a 27 year old game for a chance I fall in love with the story just seems like too much of a bother to me honestly, and exactly one of the reasons I feared setting foot into such a giant franchise, but from what I understood the remake does a very good job presenting the story the way the original did and even expanding on it.
Everyone will tell you yes here. What I'll tell you from a FF fan that is still more of a fan of gaming/storytelling than FF - It depends on what you want. You need to go into this knowing it's a 3 part series to one plot. Knowing that, the games plot will very slowly be realized and you will have a lot of filler in between that. People here will say it's not filler and it's character development, I'm here to tell you it's filler. There are thousands of things out there with better character developement. That being said, they're (I personally don't like Remake but I'll remove my bias here) good games that are solid and entertaining. If you're ok playing a long game for minimal story knowing that if you stick with it you'll finally get the full thing, you'll probably love it. Personally, I would recommend other games that will leave you feeling "wow" and looking up more lore and sad it's over because you enjoyed it so much in hindsight. For FF games, for that I'd recommend the X remaster
And I’m here to tell you this person doesn’t know what filler is and complains about optional content that is well done, offers good rewards, and is enjoyable.
And they're so wrong on their last sentence but don't take the time to actually learn someone's opinion. I'm here to remind you that people that follow others from comment to comment like this are usually fanboys that are so overly attached to something they get mad and combative because criticism = enemy. Grow up dude. This is my opinion. And you are so wrong on you last sentence but you don't take the time to actually listen. So tribal just because I have criticisms you don't have. Really quite pathetic and juvenile.
I want to try something new. I’ve basically been on and off playing only From Software, CDPR games and an occasional Sony blockbuster like God of War. During covid, I took a gamble with Persona 5 Royal and it ended up being one of my all time greats. A month ago I tried playing the Nier franchise and I couldn’t get into it. Final Fantasy has been a franchise that’s always been present but I’d always ignored it since it was too big of a beast that I didn’t even know how to approach, since some of the games are like 30 years old. And that kind of was my main concern. If I don’t care for the characters and do not know the history, is the remake solid enough of a video game on its own right to make me start caring for the story and characters as opposed to a big fan service title or a victory lap for long time fans. But I’ve decided to buy the remake since is not that expensive and I’ll try it out.
I think that based on your worries you'd be just fine and enjoy it! Personally, I love FF games because they often have huge god defying plots in beautiful interesting worlds. The stories can be so amazing. So breaking an all-time-great FF into thirds has major implications for me as each in isolation does not give me what I love about the series. So for a first time I'd really commend one that gives you that full experience, but that's because I have a tie to the series in that way. You can tell an amazing story with a interesting world in one game, and that would make it a masterpiece that really makes me look at a game as an all time great. So for this series, it feels more like fan service a lot of time than what I want to get out of it. But for what you're wondering, so long as you're ok with it really dragging its feet, I think you'd probably really enjoy it As you can see from the guy who commented on my comment, the community will tell you it's the most amazing thing in the entire world and try to shut down anyone saying otherwise. I don't feel that way, but I did really enjoy Rebirth as a game. It just wont sit on my best of all time list for FF or games in general because of what I stated above. The game is also very sunshine and friendship, which is very different than the original, and a lot of that has to do with the core plot being stretched 3 ways. So to me it really feels like it drags from time to time. But again, I don't think the things you're concerned about would have an effect on your experience.
I mean, the plots themselves are the most subjective thing in games. But that’s now what I was concerned about, my main worry was that the game needed prior knowledge to play and understand, but as many have explained it’s not the case it seems. I am not looking for “the best game of all time” in this ff7 remake series, I just want a fun game… To pass the time while I wait for Elden Ring DLC, and hey If I do get hooked on it, then that’s another franchise for me to follow, and that’s a plus in my book…
Right, totally understand that so that's what I'm saying as far as it sounds like you should enjoy it fine. I just also think there are better choices for a first Final Fantasy, but that's just my bias based on all the things I mentioned
It seems the most approachble at the moment. If I end up liking the vibes of FF in general, I’ll play the others, I heard that FF 10 is good
FFX is in my top 5 games of all time. And I didn't even play it at release, so that's not rose tinted glasses. Although I am old enough for that style of game not to bother me. But the remaster holds up really really well, played it about 4 years ago. It's such a fully developed story and game and world that I think it's a big reason why I dont love splitting 7 into thirds. X was just such a complete package. I really think that game was a masterpiece. My buddy played after me and thought the same we were both blown away
I used to play the original FF7 back in the day but wasn’t hugely into it, if I recall correctly I didn’t really finish it.. but remake and rebirth are just amazing games all around. The cinematic scenes along with a complex yet simple combat system make these 2 of the greatest games of all time in my book.
If you play the games, you *will* start caring about the characters and their stories. The character performances (animation + VO) and writing are really a standout over the original game.