Red XIII

7 Wishes for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2

Posted on by Alisha

Final Fantasy VII (1997) is one of those pieces of media that I became obsessed with all out of order. My first experience with it was when I watched Advent Children (2005) for the first time and I grew attached to the characters without really understanding the context. I then picked up Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) just after Christmas and all the nostalgia came flooding back, but not in the same way as many other existing fans.

I’ve now played the original and I’m genuinely impressed with how much fun I had with a 24 year old game – a timeless classic indeed. Despite this, it’s been a struggle to write a review post about Remake because there’s too much that I want to say but no words sufficient enough. Part of this is because Remake is an incomplete experience as of writing this post, which is why instead I want to focus on what I’d like to see in Part 2 and beyond.

Spoiler alert for those who would prefer to experience the wild ride of FF7 themselves without knowing story points before going in!

1. Non-linear Exploration

Midgar is huge in FF7R. There is a much bigger sense of scale and the opening cinematic is our first glimpse of this massive metropolis, bustling with life and machinery. What may surprise people is that the entirety of Midgar is not open to be explored and instead they are guided through specific areas to keep the story moving. The majority of the game is spent in the slums that are far below the upper plates of the city, with only a handful of instances where the player finds themselves topside.

The end of Remake finds the party beginning their journey beyond Midgar on their quest to stop the impending calamity. Although the continuity of the remake as a whole could now go in any direction, it’s safe to assume that Part 2 will introduce the open world aspect of the game to reflect the course of the original. Because of this, it would feel far too restrictive on players if the a similar style of guided routes and level designs are used in the overworld. I can see this being implemented within the other settlement areas like Kalm or Nibelheim, but the world itself needs to feel much more expansive and feature less of the tedious crawl spaces or tight areas for the characters to squeeze through.

Considering how high some of the party members can jump when fighting airborne monsters, it feels a little silly to not allow them to jump or climb over obstacles. Part 2 is itching for a good open world element and I’m picturing what Square Enix envisioned for Final Fantasy XV (2016), only with more substance.

2. Switching the Controllable Character

It’s possible to change the party leader in Remake but this is limited to who you first take control of during combat. Players instead control Cloud for the majority of the game when exploring Midgar and the slums, but there are a few instances where the other party members take the wheel (unfortunately not Red XIII).

While Cloud is a great protagonist, it was a nice change of pace to control the others and I would love to see this implemented further in future instalments. In the original, the character sprites were rudimentary but charming and full of personality, which is reflected wonderfully in Remake. Barret, Tifa and Aerith’s animations are mirroring what their original counterparts did while also improving on it. I especially enjoyed seeing their different approaches to sitting on benches and how they opened chests or broke boxes. All of this serves to build on their characters and create a bond between them and the player, which is why it was a shame to have so few moments to play as them outside of combat.

Many of the party members are fan favourites, I am personally looking forward to seeing Cid, and I imagine that players would appreciate the opportunity to spend more time with them. This can be done by either allowing players to switch their controllable character, returning to Cloud as a default for story purposes, or featuring more sections that provide an opportunity to play as the others.

3. Vincent’s Limit Breaks

Hopefully our favourite goth icon will make an appearance in Part 2 but this amendment applies to whenever Vincent dramatically emerges from his coffin.

Vincent’s Limit Breaks are undeniably unique but they are also one of the most frustrating aspects of his character. Instead of performing an ultimate attack like the rest of the party, Vincent will transform into various types of beasts depending on which Limit Break the player has set for him (in the original game). During this, the player loses control of Vincent and he will not change back until the battle encounter is over, essentially turning him into an NPC while he is transformed.

A way to have the player actively involved with Vincent’s beast forms is to treat him like an alternate to a summon. Players could spend ATB charges (either his own or other party members) to issue him commands, which provides a tactical spin on his otherwise unruly form. Similar to summons there could also be a timer to indicate how long Vincent will remain transformed, but definitely shorter than how long summons are ordinarily on the field. This serves to retain the original concept behind his Limit Breaks while also keeping the player engaged with his combat.

4. Petting animals

I was very disappointed to see FF7R on the list of games where you cannot pet the dog. Or any animal.

It’s probably the smallest request that I have on this list but there were so many cats and dogs in the slums, it was hard to not want this to be implemented somehow. I imagine that Cloud isn’t too fond of animals, so I can understand his aversion to them, but it would be nice to have some kind of interactions with animals beyond scaring Betty’s cats away.

The ability to show our best boy some love would also be great, but only if he allows it! It would be fun to see Red XIII either reject or allow the party members to pet him, depending on how he feels towards them or just his general mood. Something tells me it would take a while for him to warm up to Barret, but it’ll be so rewarding when he does.

5. Better mini games

Before anyone comes for my head, I think most of the mini games in Remake thus far have been great and they’re a massive step up from what we saw in 1997. Playing darts in Seventh Heaven was entertaining, the hilarious squats/pull up mini game was a fun callback and I enjoyed getting Cloud’s dresses in Wall Market immensely. That being said, there were some mini games that didn’t feel as successful.

Driving in games can be very hit or miss for me, which is why I didn’t enjoy the motorbike sections as much as I would’ve liked. I had a similar issue with this mini game in the original, causing me to avoid it at the Gold Saucer, and as it functions very similarly in the remake it does make me wonder how Square Enix will approach snowboarding. This part is often viewed negatively by players and this is mainly down to poor controls, which I would hope are updated and refined for the remake or the mini game is omitted entirely because it does feel out of place. In some cases we have already seen how Square Enix have adapted some of the mini games to modernise the experience, like Mayor Domino’s password in the Shinra building and Fort Condor becoming a board game in INTERmission.

Additionally, I thought that the beginning of Chapter 9 in Remake was brilliant for developing Cloud and Aerith’s friendship, but the mechanical hands in the Underground Expressway really overstayed their welcome. This swiftly brings me to my next point…

6. Less Padding

FF7 was a massive game and the remake is already going above and beyond with content. The Midgar section in the original game took me around 5 hours to get through, as opposed to the 50 hours that I spent getting through Part 1 of Remake. There are a lot of positives to expanding the world to such an extent; it allows for players to get completely immersed in the world and the extra details provide interesting context. However, there were some sections that were glaringly obvious examples of padding out the game.

Despite my experience with Hell House on hard mode, I think it’s a clever way to reintroduce one of the weirder aspects of the original game and finding an appropriate place to surprise the players with it, but the need to fight it multiple times to get achievements becomes exhausting. I’d argue the promotion of the Swordipede to a boss fight in Hojo’s Drum was also a good call, but the segments leading up to that point become monotonous because of the similar environments and formulaic progression.

Chapter 11 is the one that made me realise how Square Enix were being faithful to almost a fault. There was no reason for this chapter to feature two boss battles and it made Eligor feel like it was tacked onto the end of the Train Graveyard section because they wanted both it and the Ghoul to appear. I loved that there was a weapon that could be stolen from Eligor, as it was in the original, but the length of this chapter disrupted the pacing and took away from the urgency of getting back to the Sector 7 slums. Streamlining sections like this would improve the flow of the narrative and retain tension where necessary.

Point 7 contains major plot spoilers; beware all ye who enter here

7. Fewer Sephiroth appearances

There is something about Sephiroth that transcends FF7. Players who have not experienced the original game know who he is; his reputation quite literally precedes him, but his screen time in 1997 is surprisingly low. Much of Sephiroth’s character was created through suspense and vague details until the story progresses and the player learns more about him.

Introducing Sephiroth earlier in Remake is a bold choice but it plants him solidly at the centre of the story. Shinra serves as an immediate antagonist but knowing that Sephiroth is around provides this sense of dread for the player because, even if they haven’t played the original, they understand that something larger is at stake. Cloud’s unexplained seizures and Aerith withholding information serve as the building blocks for the enigma that is Sephiroth. His role is yet undefined in the remake and while he mostly appears as visions or hallucinations, there is something tangible about him that wasn’t present until much later in FF7.

I don’t think many of us expected to fight Sephiroth as soon as we did and because of how slowly he was originally introduced, it seems rushed in Remake. The visuals, music and variations of this encounter make this one of the best fights in the game and I cannot deny the spectacle of it, but what worries me is if this will diminish the level of threat that Sephiroth represents. He is terrifying and imposing, but if the player has taken him down once before then maybe they will view Sephiroth as far less dangerous than he seems. Having his appearances reduced or limited to hallucinations and even flashback sequences will keep Sephiroth just out of reach because the way in which he is introduced in the original was a stroke of genius.

Did I miss anything out? What are some of the things that you want to see in the future of FF7R?

An Average Player Navigates ‘Hard Mode’ in Final Fantasy VII Remake

Posted on by Alisha

Hoo boy, this was a journey.

I beat Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) on normal back in January and have since played the original Final Fantasy VII (1997) to fill the void as I lamented having to wait for whenever the next part is announced. I’m not a “completionist” by any means when it comes to games but I kept feeling a pull to go back to Remake. Eventually, my party reached the level cap at 50 and I decided it was time to attempt hard mode.

Some disclaimers before I regale you with my tale, cautionary and otherwise:
1. I’m neither great nor terrible at games; I’m the epitome of an average player and it’s unlikely that any of my strategies, or lack thereof, were optimal
2. Boss fight spoilers ahead – the story points are kept vague for the majority of this post apart from the endgame bosses, so proceed with caution

NB: All screenshots are taken on a PS4 Pro because I have yet to get my hands on a PS5. One day I’ll get to play INTERmission and spend all my time in photo mode!

Firstly, what does hard mode entail? Players cannot use items, MP doesn’t replenish at rest spots and the enemies are, of course, much more difficult.

My greatest strength throughout the playthrough was my MP conservation because I was being very stingy with it, and even after using a low level spell I would go hunting for Shinra box refills. Given past experience with the earlier fights I had some idea of where I would struggle, only I underestimated enemies like the Huntsman mini boss. I had a similar problem with the fights leading up to Roche, specifically the two Sweepers, as I was focusing more on the end of chapter bosses rather than the regular enemies who weren’t small fry anymore.

This is around when I started paying more attention to the enemy intel list and used it to adapt my play style and finally decided to make use of all the HP Up and MP Up materia that I was hoarding. Max level Prayer materia on each party member and a Magnify + Heal on either Cloud or Aerith became crucial to keeping my party alive, and it remained that way right up until the end.

Things were going smoothly; the Airbuster, Reno, Rude and the mini bosses thus far had gone surprisingly well. But then, a Chocobo cart leaving the Sector 7 slums heralded an ill omen as it shuffled along towards Wall Market, home of the boss that I was dreading.

As if Hell House wasn’t obnoxious enough, I had fought this thing multiple times on normal to get the Dressed to the Nines trophy. On top of that, I needed to do it twice again on hard to access all of the available weapon upgrade manuscripts for that chapter. I don’t know if it’s poorly written tactical data or if I was simply misunderstanding the mechanics of that fight, but Hell House is awful. God Mode, spawning Tonberries and then the Cutter and Sweeper combo at the end made this one of the most frustrating fights of the entire game. It took me a few attempts, I did get all of the manuscripts, and I don’t want to see that house again for a long time.

Moving forward a little to chapter 11, which is a section that I think does a great job with character development but unfortunately interrupts the pacing and sense of urgency. That being said, the battle music for Ghoul is my favourite theme of the entire soundtrack but I wasn’t given the opportunity to listen this time around because I limped through this fight. This is undoubtedly where I experienced the sudden difficulty spike and it made me nervous for the later chapters because I knew it was only going to get harder.

Throughout my playthrough, I had been talking to my friend who had finished his own slog through hard mode and it’s interesting to see how opposite our journeys were. He had warned me that the Eligor fight and the second Reno and Rude encounter were tough, whereas I had a relatively painless experience with them. The reverse was true with the Failed Experiment, who my friend described as “not even a fight”, but the absolute battering that I took said otherwise. This was a trend that would continue right to the end and my rage was palpable at one point, but we’ll get there.

What I’d noticed from chapter 14 was that while the difficulty had ramped up, I was reacting to fights more efficiently than I had been in the past. This was confirmation that I was actively getting better at the game and that’s always reassuring. The second Abzu encounter and Specimen H0512 served as good barriers to keep me humble, but overall it wasn’t too unreasonable.

On the other hand, chapter 17 was make or break. As I was going for all the manuscripts it meant that I had to complete the relevant battle simulations before proceeding. The manuscript process itself was thankfully straight forward and I could have continued with the story, only some kind of madness overcame me and I said to myself “But what about the trophies?”

Essentially, this is when my playthrough turned into a quest for the platinum trophy. I did only have one enemy skill left to learn and thankfully the Malboro had plenty of Bad Breath to spare, but the real hurdle was getting to the Pride and Joy Prototype.

This gauntlet, known as ‘Top Secrets’ in the combat sim, pits you against the hard mode versions of each summon fight and I was overwhelmed in every round. Shiva seemed untouchable, Fat Chocobo spawned lethal allies and Leviathan decided that its second attack would be Tidal Wave. So, you can see that there’s a lot to deal with here, but the real challenge was Bahamut. Despite having fought and won against Bahamut in normal, it still ripped me to shreds. To top it off, it also summons Ifrit around halfway into the battle to spice things up a bit.

The huge obstacle that Bahamut presented actually made the Pride and Joy Prototype seem much easier in comparison. The most devastating attack (Catch) involves grabbing one of your party members and slamming them into another dimension, likely taking them out, or dropping them if it sustains enough damage. Otherwise, I either kept my disance or launched attacks from behind to keep clear of it. Yes, I did indeed feel godlike once I completed this absurd challenge.

This is when my friend started telling me how much of a rough time he had with the Rufus and Darkstar fight while I was worrying about Jenova Dreamweaver. The latter wasn’t too bad, she just hits very hard, and then what can only be described as a miracle happened. I cannot explain how astonishingly lucky I was during my second round with Rufus and Darkstar as I beat them in under 4 minutes, and I just know that I will absolutely not be able to replicate that again.

What I should’ve been uneasy about was The Arsenal. Much like with Hell House, I didn’t understand this boss and getting hit by its horrific Pulse Cannon meant spending MP to repeatedly revive Barret and Aerith. This drawn out fight of attrition was draining, but I couldn’t save and pick it up again the following day because it immediately followed the Rufus and Darkstar fight with no break in between. That, combined with being TPK’d by its Cry Havoc blast right at the end on some attempts, made this fight unbearably demoralising. It was 1:30AM by the time I killed this thing, and the only silver lining that saved me from this entirely unenjoyable experience was the ability to skip the motorbike section.

And thus we arrive at the final stretch. The end of the Midgar Expressway…

I was terrified of this chapter, mainly because I’d only done it once before on normal. My memory of the fights themself were a blur because I was focused on the wild story implications that will unfold in the future. It was daunting to think of having to do yet another series of fights where I would be unable to save in between, especially after my rage inducing experience, and the fact that everyone hits hard in these battles.

I skimmed through a couple guides before resigning myself to being killed and, for some reason, all I focused on was the tip about taking out Whisper Croceo first. I didn’t know why this tactic was important (turns out it’s because Croceo has long ranged attacks) but I stuck to it and I honestly can’t say if it made a difference. Whisper Bahamut was tough but not in the same way as the regular Bahamut summon; I put this down to the Whisper variant not having as many attacks but its frequent use of Megaflare was still stressful. By the time I felled the Whisper Harbinger, I still wasn’t met with a game over screen but I was waiting for my luck to run out.

In the most Advent Children (2005) spectacle, the greatest SOLDIER to have ever lived arrives.

Now I can’t lie, a lot of this fight involved me desperately trying to create some distance but Sephiroth is relentless and getting caught in his torrent of attacks is devastating. I was accompanied by Tifa and Aerith this time around (Barret and Aerith in my normal playthrough) and I think this combination was key. By this point of the game, I had never used Aerith in an exclusively support role as I enjoy utilising her semi-offensively, but her back must’ve been hurting because she was carrying this team.

There were a number of moments where things could’ve gone south very quickly, in particular I struggled a lot with Sephiroth’s ice Elemental Infusion because I could never seem to time my dodges when he hurled Blizzaga at me. Given that I was on the defensive for the majority of the fight, frantically evading and healing, I was aiming to make useful decisions with my ATB charges and Limit Breaks. So when that countdown to Divine Proclamation started, I was in full tilt hysteria. I absolutely refused to do this fight again and the end was so close that I could practically taste it. I threw everything I had at him and somehow, amongst the chaos and tension, I beat him.

I’ll be the first to admit that I had tears burning in my eyes when it ended because I was in awe. I beat Sephiroth, I fully upgraded every weapon and I actually finished hard mode. As I said at the beginning, I don’t consider myself skilled at video games but this felt special because I’m starting to believe that maybe I’m not quite as terrible as I think I am. I earned that platinum trophy and I love this game so wholeheartedly. Hard mode may not be for everyone, and the game itself is fantastic just for its story and combat, but I can’t deny this sense of gratification and achievement.

This definitely won’t be my last post about FF7, but for now I await with bated breath to find out what’s in store for us next out there in the boundless, terrifying freedom.