Final Fantasy VII - "Remake"

It came yesterday so managed to get a couple of hours in on it, I really hope it gets patched.. it's a fantastic game but the frames really do let it down.
 
I started this on PS5, I've had it for months but just been to busy to play so decided to play it seeing as I did not pick up any PS5 games.

At first (and I think I posted this in the demo thread) I wasn't sure about the combat vs the usual FF turn based system as there was just too much going on. After a while though I became used to it, I'm still not perfect and still struggle to time blocking\counters.

Really enjoyed it in the end, felt like a Final Fantasy game despite the different combat style (I stopped playing after FFX so no idea if the fight system is new with the remake). I managed to get 40 odd hours out of it, just from completing the game and doing all the side quests except the two in Wall Garden that you have to replay to do and choose different dialogues.

Loved seeing the bosses come to life in improved graphics! Currently farming AP to get my materia maxed and will then attempt hard mode for the manuscripts.
 
Is there any way to control all the characters in battle at the same time so the AI doesnt take over?

It seems kind of pointless including a 'sleep' magic spell if immediately after casting it, Tifa goes and punches them in the face, waking them up.
 
Sadly not, and the AI tends to aggressively target whichever character you control which becomes a pain on hard mode as it forces certain play styles.
 
I'm playing on medium and I switch to easy sometimes, I'll get no joy with hard mode either as I find medium hard enough but not always for the right reasons, eg, camera issues.
 
Noxia said:
I'm playing on medium and I switch to easy sometimes, I'll get no joy with hard mode either as I find medium hard enough but not always for the right reasons, eg, camera issues.
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I found medium pretty tricky (especially in the beginning) but tried hard mode afterwards anyway. The first 4 chapters were super hard then you get used to the new playstyle.

I hope we hear something about a sequel soon, even if it's years off.
 
I loved the original on the PS1, I loved FF12 on PS3 and PS4 but just bought this and the battle system is throwing me completely. Old style FF battle systems I loved. The FF12 system with added gambit and play stopping when commends were required excellent even with the free world rather than instanced combat. FF7 Remake ok I'm only a few hours in but I had to move to classic mode and even then I feel I've have none of the control the PS1 ATB system offered or even FF12 system. I hope I get the hang of it Normal was just bewildering classic was just underwhelming.
 
PlacidCasual said:
I loved the original on the PS1, I loved FF12 on PS3 and PS4 but just bought this and the battle system is throwing me completely. Old style FF battle systems I loved. The FF12 system with added gambit and play stopping when commends were required excellent even with the free world rather than instanced combat. FF7 Remake ok I'm only a few hours in but I had to move to classic mode and even then I feel I've have none of the control the PS1 ATB system offered or even FF12 system. I hope I get the hang of it Normal was just bewildering classic was just underwhelming.
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Exactly my thoughts. I hate the new system. Almost quit it at one point, but persevered to the end. I’m not interested in playing any more of them though. I miss turn-based FF.
 
The combat in Remake comes down to using the enemys' strengths-weaknesses rule set. You can't just melee every enemy, you need to dynamically change with what the enemy type is and what it's doing. Assess materia is essential to doing it right and becoming familiar with how each individual party member works. Timing is involved, enemy knowledge and materia use is all required to be successful, and when you get the hang of it, it's honestly so much fun.

I'm the biggest JRPG fan, FF7 original is one of my favourite games of all time along with Xenogears. From Suikoden, Breath of Fire, Arc the Lad, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger etc. etc. the 90's era of JRPGs was the golden age for me, I was in love with them. But having said that, the reality is those combat systems aren't coming back for major AAA developed games. It's just not happening.

I did fear for the FF7 Remake combat system when it was announced, especially after FFXV which was just terrible. However I absolutely loved the hybrid system they created. It's different, yes, but it retains elements of the original and gives you control over what you're doing but in a more involved action oriented way.

I'd say to someone struggling or expecting older style combat, try and stick with it and make sure you use the Assess materia. It's like a running guide to each enemy type and will help tremendously. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be performing the actions, changing between characters and managing your health/status without thinking.
 
I really struggle with the camera. I've zoomed it out as far as possible but still struggle to tell what's going on with multiple enemies. Usually get hit by ranged when I'm melee on someone.
 
Noxia said:
I really struggle with the camera. I've zoomed it out as far as possible but still struggle to tell what's going on with multiple enemies. Usually get hit by ranged when I'm melee on someone.
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In moments like that quick switch between your characters, you shouldn't really be on one character for too long. Remember certain abilities are AOE, so clumping up enemies around Cloud for example, can be really good when his ATB is charged. Also enemies often give tells when they're about to do certain attacks which will let you anticipate their actions.

As for the camera, are you locking onto enemies? Every fight tends to take place in a "circle" area around your enemy, you run around the enemy the camera is locked onto. What really matters is the distance between you and the enemy depending on what character you're controlling.

  • Tifa should be right up close, is great at one vs one battles, not so good with multiple enemies.
  • Aerith should be at a distance, is extremely powerful when she pulls off her multi-hit spells but requires timing and can't take a lot of damage.
  • Barret is mostly distance (gets decent melee weapon at one point) and he can take a lot of damage, he's just really slow and cumbersome.
  • Cloud is the most versatile hybrid character and is fantastic against lots of enemies.

It can get chaotic at times, often there's not much you can do about it (especially certain boss mechanics) but the key thing is you know what went wrong and how to fix it. Unlike FFXV's combat which is just unwieldy and out of control.

The enemies tend to target whoever you're currently controlling (I'm not the biggest fan of this tbh) so you've gotta be quick in preparing your ATB and switching between characters and putting them in the right place, especially Aerith's double spell ability.

The combat is obviously not going to be everyone's cup of tea unfortunately, and if it's not your thing, it's not your thing. But I would be the first to say if it was crap and it's simply not, there's a lot of fun to be had with it. I normally don't use arenas and things in RPGs, I'm normally all about story and character development, but I loved the arena in FF7 Remake because I always felt in control of the fight and knew what I was doing wrong, which is something most games get wrong IMO.

The combat opens up as you progress, especially when you get Aerith. I thought I'd dislike her in the party but she became my favourite combat character because of how her abilities work. She is so powerful and it's really satisfying when you use her correctly.
 
@eggyoke thank you for that very thorough post. Ice changed back to normal for the challenge and see what happens. I'm just about to fight airbuster so I'm not that far in.

Edit. Gone back to easy, I just don't get the combat, it doesn't feel fair like in the souls games, I don't recall a souls game stopping me from damaging an enemy just so they could have a quick cutscenes to talk (looking at you Reno). I got one hit of my limit break out before the stop sign appeared on his health bar.
The only way I'm going to get any enjoyment from this game is playing on easy so that's what I'll do.
 
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Remember to equip every weapon you find. Use its linked skill over and over until its learned then return to your favourite weapon. The learned skills are vital
 
Creating a manual save hard locks my ps5 but when I go back to the game I find it did save.

I fixed it by deleting the console save then downloading from the cloud.
 
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I picked this up for 25 quid. Playing on PS5 and wow!

The pacing,dialogue and music is spot on! Loving the combat. I'm hooked!
 
Buddy said:
I picked this up for 25 quid. Playing on PS5 and wow!

The pacing,dialogue and music is spot on! Loving the combat. I'm hooked!
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Glad you like it. I put it on easy as I'm bad and don't enjoy the combat at all, it's good we have options so we can enjoy it how we want.
A few aesthetic choices I don't like, sector 5 is too bright for example, it had a lot more atmosphere in the original and with the lights it's just wrong.
I love the remake but it's also made me appreciate the original even more. I wish pre rendered backgrounds didn't die off
 
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