Final Fantasy VII Remake Demo Review: Hype It More

There isn’t much that could be said about Final Fantasy VII that hasn’t been said already. Originally released in 1997 for the PlayStation, FFVII is held by legions of fans as one of the greatest, if not the greatest JRPG of all time. Though, thanks to the limitations of the hardware it was released on, on a technical level, the game struggles against the test of time. Graphically, the polygonal character models and flat textures make the game hard to lose yourself in, in 2020. It’s this fact that made this classic a prime candidate for a remake, and now that the demo is out, the world got a taste of what’s to come, and it leaves players salivating for more. 

The demo follows the same exact path that the demo disc for the original that came with Playstation Magazine back when it originally released in ‘97. You lead the assault on Mako Reactor One in Midgar. Immediately you’ll notice just how pretty this game is. The grungy steam-punk aesthetic of Midgar is recreated and updated perfectly. The dark and industrial colors of the plant make the bright and flashy neons of spells and attacks pop right off the screen. The game is a treat for the eyes. Though, there are times when there is too much happening on screen, and it can become cluttered and hard to follow, but sparingly so. 

What begs the most attention, however, is the new combat system. The demo does have a “classic” mode to simulate the turn-based style of the original, but it feels like playing the game on autopilot. The new action-oriented combat is intuitive, and feels great to use. They pay homage to the old turn-based days of yore with the combat menus. When you access them, time slows down so you can think and plan out your moves, and then get right back into the thick of it.

 Like in the original, you control your entire party, so you have access to different play styles. Cloud is the op anime swordsman that you’ve always dreamt him to be, dishing massive damage with his Buster Sword. In this demo, you also get to play as Barret Wallace, who has a prosthetic minigun for an arm to deal ranged damage to the enemies that Cloud can’t reach. The two characters offer distinct strengths and weaknesses, and juggling them to exploit an enemy’s weak spot, and then defending your own feels amazing. It almost comes off as Kingdom Hearts on steroids, but your party members are actually useful. 

It should come as a surprise to no one that the demo is just as easy on the ears as it is on the eyes. It sounds perfect. The noise that the Buster Sword makes along with Cloud’s grunt when he swings it is visceral. It feels and sounds weighty. It goes without saying that the music is incredible, as it’s well known at this point that the Final Fantasy series has beautiful musical scores. The composer for the original game, Nobuo Uematsu even created an all-new theme song for the remake and it is haunting. 

Frankly, if you’re a fan of the original game, chances are you’ll probably love this demo too. It pays homage to the old but stands on its own as well. Though it is just a sliver of what’s to come, the bones of the game are there. And it’s got good bones for sure. Three of the most important things in any game are visual design, sound design, and combat design, and this demo definitely nails all three. April 20th can’t come soon enough.

The Good: 

The Sound Design: Though you would be hard pressed to find anything wrong with the other two key aspects mentioned earlier, what stood out the most is the lively and immersive nature of the sound design. 

The Bad: 

Screen Clutter: The one nitpick worth mentioning, the on-screen action can get a little too busy at times, but with a few strokes of the Buster Sword, it’s cleaned up no problem.

Final Thoughts: This is what FFVII die-hards have been waiting for. The full release is so close, and the demo only made the hype stronger.