Official PlayStation Magazine - 04.2020

053

Fantasy VII to reach a new scale,
pushing the boundaries of what
could be done in JRPGs. In Remake,
some of the very same fights
reimagined are doing the same for
a fresh generation.

COMMAND AND CONQUER
In a later chapter we infiltrate a
second Mako reactor. This plays out
more or less how we remember the
original, but then we must escape
and are introduced to a section
where we have to make our getaway
through research rooms where parts
to build Airbuster, the boss we’ll
be fighting against at the end, are
being produced. Finding keycards
throughout the level, we can actually
sabotage Airbuster’s construction,
diverting parts we can then collect
for our own benefit later.
While simple, this section shows
how Remake will let you shape the
challenge you’re about to face. We
can even make decisions on
how to use each card,
bringing the boss’
movement abilities down
a level, or reducing the
number of missiles it can
deploy. Even using several
cards, the encounter
nonetheless pushes us to
the edge – Cloud, Tifa, and
Barret struggle to fight back as it
hovers around us on rickety catwalks
in the midst of burning flames.
Staying on top of giving
commands to allies can be a
challenge, but it’s one we quickly
become accustomed to once we get
used to tapping the triggers. Hitting
q brings up a Command mode that
slows time to a crawl, allowing us to
think about our next input. There’s
even a Classic mode toggle in the
menu that allows you to keep things
entirely turn-based to take the
pressure off, bringing the game
closer to the PS1 original. But we
love the dynamism of the combat
once we get used to it.
The efficacy of the quick menus
and the ability to use skill shortcuts
by holding o feels genuinely
rewarding once we get into the

swingofit.Inourfinalbossfight,

deepinthesewersagainstthe

hornedbeast,Abzu,wegetproperly

intotheflowofthecombat.Playing

asAerith,wehangback,pelting

Abzuwithspells,layingdown

supportskillsforCloudandTifa

aswecommandthemtouseskills

tocrackthecreature’shornsand

leaveit opentoattack,fishingout

LimitBreakskillsandmakeuseof

SummonsShivaandIfrittoback

usupasthefightescalates.

AFTERTHEBLAST

Sofarsogood.Thenewcombat

systemis SquareEnix’sbestyet,a

joyfulmixofKingdomHeartsIII

andFinalFantasyXV.AndMidgar

is hauntinglybeautiful.Butyou’d

bettergetusedtoit,asMidgaris

allyougetinthisgame.Despite

thename,thisis justthefirstpart

oftheFinalFantasyVIIRemake

project,focusingonlyonwhat

wasoncetheopeningsectionto

the massive JRPG. But don’t fret,

plenty here has been expanded on

to turn what was once a five-hour

experience (approximately) into

one we’ve been told will have

the runtime we’d expect from a

mainline release.

Any doubts we had are laid to rest

after that very first Mako reactor

bombing. The explosion was a

success, but it’s much larger than

AVALANCHE expected (you might

even say mysteriously larger).

Crawling from the wreckage, the

team agree to meet up on the train

back to base. Where in the original

game you play through a couple of

screens of comically low-poly NPCs

running back and forth at this point,

here you have to sneak through

streets that feel properly devastated

(because Shinra is naturally on high

alert). Buildings have collapsed, a

mother sobs because she has no

home to go back to, and other

citizens look at a collapsed

expresswayinshock.Thereis so

muchmoreconsequencehere.

SILVER-HAIREDFOX

Thisremakeexpandsonthe

originalincleverways.Frommuch

earlieron,ourspiky-hairedherois

gettingnastyheadachesthatturn

hisvisionfilm-grainy.Forsome

reasonhecan’tstopthinkingabout

a tall,silver-hairedhunk.AsCloud

clambersoverrubbleandrooftops,

workinghiswaythroughthe

devastationcausedbytheexplosion,

heencountersthemanfromhis

dreams.Wewon’tspoilmuch,but

Sephirothhangsovertheevents

muchearlieron,hisrelationship

withCloudexpandedupon.Even

peoplewho’veneverplayedthegame

areawareofthecharacter,thedevs

tellus,soholdingSephirothbackas

a teasenolongerfeltnecessary.

OurfirstjourneytoMidgarwas

aniconicpartofourPS1experience,

butsomuchofwhat

happenedtheredidfeel

breezedpast.Whereonce

wesawa representationof

thecityfilledinwithour

imaginations,nowwefeel

likewe’retrulya partofit.

Thatsecondchapterhas

stuckwithus,givingusreal

citystreetstoexplore

throughouta newversionofthe

story that remains gripping, and in

line with the rhythm of the original

the devs want to stay true to. We’ve

been definitively told the game

won’t be open world, but as you

reach new areas it will open up for a

moment, allowing you to undertake

extra quests and exploration.

While our hands-on was limited

to specific slices of the game, we’re

impressed with how much it’s been

expanded while retaining the feel of

the original. Delving deeper into the

streets of Midgar on Cloud’s journey

has a lot of promise, as do the extra

challenges that await. While we’re

revisiting the plated city, there’s

much here that pushes JRPGs

forwards. By remaking its classic

game, which redefined what RPGs

could be on PS1, Square Enix looks

set to redefine that genre once again.

There’s plenty of Mako left in this

bad boy yet.

OOOOOOKKKKKKSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEETTTTTT TTTTTTOOOOOO

GENRE AGAIN.”

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE