Playthrough thoughts thread

[Depression Moon]

Yeah, Leviathan and Bahamut are summons that you can get through doing the Battle Intel stuff with Chadley.

What about Choco Mog? That was the first summon you got in the original or did it just get replaced with Fat Chocobo.

[WarZidane]

Yeah, Leviathan and Bahamut are summons that you can get through doing the Battle Intel stuff with Chadley.

What about Choco Mog? That was the first summon you got in the original or did it just get replaced with Fat Chocobo.

You can find the Chocobo & Moogle materia in chapter 6

[Mercen-X]

STAMPEDE!

@Dep: You have to talk to Chadley every few chapters to see if you met his criteria. Completing his battle intel reports will unlock the VR battle against Lev and then further reports will unlock VR against Bahamut. A lot of them have to do with Stagger percentage and materia usage. The one I missed until I got chapter select was Refocus, I think. Didn't know it was important.

[Oaktree]

The Refocus intel was a pain… I went to the Colosseum, chose Cloud versus Wild Animals, and left to do some other stuff… Once in a while I came back to see if Cloud needed healing and where was his limit gauge… Then, repeat!

[Mercen-X]

So I just noticed, if you let the two minute timer lapse during chapter 5 as you fight Slug Rays on the train, Cloud jumps from the train without Barret and Tifa. It's not much of a difference, Cloud has to fight one battle by himself and then he finds Tifa, but it is neat to see that something different happens. I let this happen on purpose because even playing through on Hard Mode armed with only my un-upgraded Buster Sword, this train battle was not difficult.

[Depression Moon]

It's funny to me how I played two RPGs this year with a grappling hook mechanic and a darts mini game.

[Mercen-X]

So I replayed the pillar battle. If you wait out the 28 sec counter, nothing happens. It's literally a false alarm. I stood around for 20 seconds longer to be sure. Nothing.

[Wolf Kanno]

Welp, my GF surprised me and got me a copy of the game that just arrived today. Currently downloading the install disc. Time to fill this thread with commentary from someone who has no nostalgia or love for the original to give their hot take on this Remake.

[Fynn]

Lies. Even if you didn’t care for it then, you still played it back in the day and it still made an impact, so nostalgia will play a part Still looking forward to your thoughts though!

That reminds me that I’m really curious what FFVIIR is like to a complete newcomer. Members of this community have been familiar with FF for longer, and it’s impossible to not know about VII, so it’s honestly just hard to wrap my head around what someone from outside this bottle might get out of it

[Wolf Kanno]

So I finally started and reached Chapter 3. I decided to save after dealing with some monster cleansing while Tifa drags Cloud's sorry ass through the slums.

Pros:

• Seeing everything updated is certainly treat. I feel the expansion with Sector 8 was especially good.
• Glad to see the demo did hold a few things back, got at least one extra scene not featured in it.
• Of all the characters I've met so far, I feel Barret has benefited the most from having VA work. He's a little over the top in the Mako Reactor 1 mission just like in the original, but many of his scenes afterwards have already begun to show layers to his character.
• Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie are still fairly charming.
• I am happy that Aerith has finally gotten a decent English VA. It just always seems like the previous choices were okay at best and terrible (I'm looking at you KH2) at worst.
• Scorpion Sentry pulled off an attack I don't remember him having in the demo which caught me by surprise and made the fight a bit more interesting.
• I'm happy the game has stayed true to the aesthetics of the original in terms of the NPCs and some of the architecture. I always felt the Compialtion modern up the design too much, so it was nice seeing people wearing clothing that fits into that Americana 1940s vibe the original had. There are still some modern touches of course, but the original had a very schizo tech world in both fashion and style.
• I like the new weapon mechanics in this game. The idea I can keep the Buster Sword viable for the whole game is nice, especially considering the Compilation made the BS an even bigger deal the the original. I have not gotten too far with it of course since it just got introduced, but it looks like it will add quite a bit to combat.
• Though I haven't had a chance to play with them properly, I'm liking that the game added some new materia, including a few classic FF skills like Chakra.
• While I consider the stagger mechanic a chore, I did appreciate the shield enemies which really forced you to change how you approached a fight. This is how you make action combat more dynamic, not just forcing the player to spam skill so they can fill a bar and score some free hits afterwards. Force me to adapt dammit.
• I am glad they kept some of the iconic dialogue during the train descent into the slums. I was curious if they were going to change it or embellish it.
• The music is growing on me, and I do feel that Tifa lucked out in terms of having a pretty good arrangement for her theme.
• Speaking of Tifa, though it has been very subtle so far, I am happy the game is taking some better steps to address the OG's original plothole concerning Tifa. We've already had two subtle hints that Tifa doesn't remember Cloud being at Nibelheim and showing a bit confusion, so at least they are finally addressing this oversight.

Cons:

• Holy crap Sephiroth is a drama queen in this entry. I knew he was going to pop up more in the Remake, but hot damn if he hasn't made more appearances in the first three chapters of this remake than he did in the first half of the game's first disc. At least they remembered that he talks and doesn't always just stand in fire with a smouldering stoicism though we've had that image already shown so far. I'm not digging his new VA either, his voice feels a bit too high and less menacing.
• While I was never fond of the idea of the Whispers, especially when I learned what they are, I can now say from first experiencing them that they feel a bit too invasive. They already feel less like a fun new expansion and more like "Genesis inserting himself into Nibelheim and your nostalgia" kind of deal.
• It is really weird seeing the slums in daylight. Like I get that they would technically see daylight but it still feels a bit jarring. Same thing happened when they did it in Crisis Core. Perhaps it was the perspective of the original, but I always saw the slums as more subterranean. Not helped that I'm getting serious Fallout vibe from the slums design. Of anything, it sort of just shows how absolutely weird Midgar's architecture really is. I mean why would you build a city 300 meters into the air? Also, speaking of Midgar's architecture, what is up with these weird platforms jutting out from the city center? Really through me off in the opening.
• I never got around to mention this in the demo, but some of the contrived fights in the first reactor are a bit weird. Like how the hell are the Shinra guards not noticing the rest of the Avalanche team? I get it's being played a bit for comedy, but it does lose it's humor around the fifth battle.
• I feel the first real sense of how updating the graphics and writing has made the game feel a bit more awkward than in the original is the train sequence. On the one hand, I'm glad the NPCs acknowledge how weird Cloud and Barret are since they are openly brandishing weapons. IOn the other hand, how the hell are these people not getting reported to Shinra? They stand out like a sore thumb in this game and their designs do feel at odds with the design of the NPC characters.
• Why do I feel like this game is going to have serious power creep kick in? I mean I'm looking at the materia growth and I'm already close halfway to getting the -ra class spells for a few pieces of materia. Makes me wonder if when we reach the sequels, they are going to have us go to -ja levels and higher. I also just found out Bahamut is in this entry. I'm getting a feeling SE is sort of jumping the gun here and rushing this experience.
• Also, SE, what the smurf? This like the third game I've played from you in the last year where you've hired some really experienced English VA's and have relegated them to background characters or "additional voices". I mean Crispin "The Voice of Sex personified" Freeman is doing backup? You did this to him in Type-0 and Trials of Mana had Gene Starwind's VA as a background character as well. What the hell?
• My other gripes at the moment are still in the "too early to tell camp" on things. Combat isn't wowing me, but the Weapon system may change that. I'm already feeling a bit turned off from Sector 7 being turned into a hub world where the story is going to stop and have me do a bunch of side missions until I hit the quota and get back to the compelling part of the game, but I'm also trying to see this as a chance to broaden the scope of the setting and world, so I don't want to completely nail this yet since I'm still in the slow introductory part.

Now the interesting thing for me with this remake has been talking to my GF about it. She's been playing it and what makes this interesting for me is that she's never played the original, so she is going in blind. Been interesting hearing her thoughts. I'll comb through her texts and maybe post her thoughts as well.

[JJ Strife]

• Speaking of Tifa, though it has been very subtle so far, I am happy the game is taking some better steps to address the OG's original plothole concerning Tifa. We've already had two subtle hints that Tifa doesn't remember Cloud being at Nibelheim and showing a bit confusion, so at least they are finally addressing this oversight.

What plothole was there in the original?

[Wolf Kanno]

What plothole was there in the original?

Plothole might be the wrong word, poor writing would be better. The issue is the fact Tifa always knew Cloud's story about Nibelheim was wrong and went along with it cause she was concern despite it endangering everyone. Originally, there was meant to be a scene in the game where she tells the party that Cloud's story is wrong, but it was cut for some reason. The dialogue for this scene is still in the code of the original. It's a part of her character that has always bugged me and the only explanation I can give for why she does it is so the reveal would be a bigger surprise, but instead it just makes Tifa look dumb to me. I appreciate the fact the Remake has already dropped clues that Tifa last remembers Cloud from before he left the village to join SOLDIER, whereas Cloud's dialogue is implying he saw her five years ago in Nibelheim.

I'm also hoping the Remake addresses the fact that as Sephy pulls more influence over Cloud the more of a threat he is to the party and their goal, so you know, maybe have a scene where the party actually tries to sideline Cloud.

**************************************************************************************************** ******
I have just reunited with Aerith in the Church.

Pros:

• Sector 7 Slums was interesting. I like the fact it gives a better idea of what life is like below the plate. The topside was interesting as well for what little we see of it. The best part is just noticing sections lifted from the original. I kept wondering what these two Shinra guards were there for when I suddenly realized from their familiar banter that they were guarding the entrance to the Plate tower.
• Yeah the more characterization given to Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie is really nice. Though it is annoying that Jessie is the one getting the most backstory of the three.
• It was also nice to see us ease into Tifa and Cloud's relationship. Did a better job of watching them reconnect.
• Good to see old Johnny.
• I'm glad the Sight materia is more useful in this entry.
• I like the fact the weapons have more nuance to them in this entry. Cloud's second weapon is built to be more magic friendly with lower ATK power than the Buster Sword but more materia slots and situational bonus abilities. It really becomes apparent with Tifa's gear with her first weapon being balanced, her second weapon being pure melee focused, and her third weapon having all these elemental bonus powers making it perfect for a magic build. The one thing VII fixed for me that I always found annoying about the original was the lack of individuality among the cast in terms of gameplay. It's going to make the later Episodes tough to choose who is in your party now.
• I also appreciate that I don't have to ration Skill points for weapons between all of them and they each get an equal amount when you level up, and new weapons will start with the accumulated points you've acquired up until that point to div out. That is some good QoL design.
• Another improvement over the original is that I do appreciate the game giving me more materia so early. I'm actually really customizing characters in this one, and it's been tough since I actually have real options for a change and I'm not just working with three basic elemental materia, a healing materia, and a few not so useful Command materia. Not to mention my gear doesn't have enough slots to fit them all so I really do need to plan out builds. It was always a nagging issue for me in the original.
• I'm happy to see Heideggar is just as boisterous and cartoonishly evil as I remember him.
• It's interesting to see how many ideas have been taken from Tabata's games. The overall world and NPC interaction is very reminiscent of FFXV with a lot of the new NPCs feeling like cut characters from XV. It was also interesting how the scenario around Airbuster was lifted from the Type-0 mission where you deal with Brionic and have the ability to weaken it's functions before the actual boss fight.
• Finally met Roche, and surprisingly, I really liked him.
• The motorcycle minigame actually doesn't play like ass anymore. Yay! Sadly, I didn't do well enough in it to get the Trophy from Jessie.
• Found the Darts game and got the highest score and prize. Suck it Wedge.
• I've been really impressed with Barret's characterization in this game. I think he is honestly my favorite character so far. He's more boisterous than just racist stereotype "angry black man" which has been nice. He makes Cloud feel like the angry dull character.
• Summon materia! and I actually like how it's implemented in this one. Choco/Mog is especially cute.
• I forgot to mention this last time, but the scene where Cloud is in his apartment and has a vision of Sephy and he goes to draw his sword in the doorway and it gets stuck was hilarious.
• I am digging all of the cats in this game.

Cons:

• For anyone who is silly enough to think that Episode 2 is somehow going to magically cover the rest of Disc 1, just no. In the time it has taken me to finish what was originally the second dungeon of the OG, which you'll probably finish within the first two hours of the game, has been stretched out and taken the time it would have taken to finish the entire Midgar section in the original. I couldn't believe how I looked at my game time and realized I should be in the Mythril Mines in the original, and I'm just now meeting Aerith in the church. SE is going to stretch this game out as much as possible, especially if they can get a decent release schedule figured out.
• Going with the above, the pacing of this game is not the best. There have definitely been a few sequences that have just been tediously stretched out to add clock time to this game. It was amusing how the Reactor 5 sequence, which is one of the shortest sequences in the original, was stretched out into three chapters in this game with each part being turned into a full dungeon. Between that and doing all the sidequests in Sector 7, my initial concern of this game feeling overly padded seems to be ringing true.
• While Barret and the rest of Avalanche have been a hoot, I can't say the same for Cloud and Tifa. Cloud's "I'm too cool to be here" attitude is starting to get grating and while it's nice to see that facade get slowly chipped away, it has not been enough to make him endearing. Tifa on the other hand just bugs me. She's never been one of my favorites in this game but her wishy washy attitude, the Mary-Sueish chorus of the NPCs in Sector 7 singing her praises, and her annoying habit to emote her feelings through constant posing and gestures is starting to really irk me. I'm happy I'm going to have a small break from her for awhile.
• Yeah, I'm really not digging the Whispers, their first real big sequence since the opening was really silly and stupid. I honestly feel they hurt the narrative more than help it. Like I was enjoying the plot twist (SPOILER) where Avalanche decided to kick Cloud out but the silly sequence of events the Whispers cause just so Cloud is forced to be put pack in is incredibly contrived and draws too much attention to the Whispers' purpose in this plot. I've actually been fine with many of the story changes so far, except for their inclusion.
• Holy hell flame throwers are annoying in this game. I'm also finding it annoying how this game is trying hard to be an action title but it has these annoying little elements that keep it from being any good such as a lazy lock on camera that is bit too reminiscent of KH1's camera. Not to mention the fact that dodging is pretty much useless in this game because several enemy attacks have unnatural homing elements to them. It's been annoying thinking I can dodge some attacks only to learn I was suppose to block because the attack was guarantee to hit me cause the game is still treating combat like a turn based one on some levels.
• I'm a little annoyed I finally finished two of the requirement that stupid and out of place researcher wanted me to do, but now I'm not sure if I'm going to see his sorry ass to turn them in since he was in Sector 7 and we all know how that turns out. I imagine he's going to travel but I really wish I could have finished it before leaving for the Reactor.

[JJ Strife]

What plothole was there in the original?

Plothole might be the wrong word, poor writing would be better. The issue is the fact Tifa always knew Cloud's story about Nibelheim was wrong and went along with it cause she was concern despite it endangering everyone. Originally, there was meant to be a scene in the game where she tells the party that Cloud's story is wrong, but it was cut for some reason. The dialogue for this scene is still in the code of the original. It's a part of her character that has always bugged me and the only explanation I can give for why she does it is so the reveal would be a bigger surprise, but instead it just makes Tifa look dumb to me. I appreciate the fact the Remake has already dropped clues that Tifa last remembers Cloud from before he left the village to join SOLDIER, whereas Cloud's dialogue is implying he saw her five years ago in Nibelheim.

Yeah I didn't consider that a plothole. I thought they handled that just fine. They obviously didn't want to reveal Cloud's fake identity that early in the story, and if you watch the Kalm flashback segment, there's clearly something wrong with Tifa. She repeteadly says "..............." (meaning she's not saying something at a point she'd be expected to), and she doesn't agree with anything Cloud says. She then asks him a question about what happened, which she wouldn't have to do if she was there.

I think that's a fairly good way of handling it so that first-time players might not notice anything, but second-time players can see that it's consistent with the fact that she's confused. I didn't see it as making Tifa look dumb. I thought she was just genuinely confused as to what was going on, and she stayed quiet because she wanted to wait and see what was happening with Cloud. She probably didn't know whether he was insane or just lying.

[Lord Golbez]

Except Tifa is confused because she know that most details of the story Cloud was telling were accurate except for the weird detail that the SOLDIER member who came with Sephiroth wasn't Cloud. It's still pretty odd that she wouldn't say anything, but don't act like she knew exactly what was going on. She doesn't know why Cloud knows what happened but is inserting himself into someone else's role. Yes, obviously they have her keep quiet so they can make the big reveal later, but her silence isn't entirely unreasonable. Maybe she's doubting her own memory somewhat or doesn't want to challenge Cloud on it because it doesn't seem like that big a deal to her at the time. It's only later on when Sephiroth suggests this means he's not the real Cloud at all that the inconsistency seems to take on greater importance.

[JJ Strife]

Well the only likely explanations from her point of view are that Cloud has gone insane in some way, or is just deliberately lying.

Both of those possibilities are something that she would naturally be very cautious about confronting with him, so she probably thought it was better to stay quiet until she figures out what's going on.