I think that any generation since the PS One could have done a remaster instead of a remake and absolutely killed it in sales. I was only really hanging on since the PS3 was announced in 2005, so I guess I've only been dying in anticipation for 15 years. The extra 5 weeks the dev team asked for made my experience of the launch perfect. The physical release came with an install disc and a play disc with no day-one patch so that everyone's CoVid-stressed internet connections aren't necessary to get going.
10 hours in and I can see the decisions on just how to flush out the story are more about making Midgar feel like a living, breathing city. The modern hardware (PS4 in this case) can handle crowds of people holding smaller conversations and making gestures, all while your party walks through with their own conversations and agendas. Your main characters are painfully gorgeous, basically a realtime rendered version of Advent Children, and if you have a PS4 PRO and capable TV, the HDR lighting is next-level.
Despite the layers of detail, it's still hard to get lost in the cities, as your helpful map cuts it all down to simple paths. There's one section of the early game that is pretty confusing, and your characters talk about it. Good meta. Lots of other games (maybe moments in this game I haven't gotten to) are self-unaware, like how Uncharted's Nathan Drake doesn't ever reflect on the body count he racks up chasing various treasures. I still love those games, but I digress. Exploration off the beaten path is rewarded great and small, though there's a part with tunnels that will test your patience.
Speaking of testing patience is the battle system, which fluctuates from easy to hard as hell, and I'm glad for it. So far, there's not really been much opportunity to grind, and though the battle system is mostly realtime, there are a bunch of fights where you can't just whack your way through, and that brings a ton of value to the experience. Also, the boss battles are absolutely epic. Final Fantasy XV brought this feeling with great music, but so many battles were ultimately you and your pals wailing on something until it died, and there might be some kind of skill it was vulnerable to. FFVII R bosses have multiple stages, and your positioning is also crucial to making it through. It all makes for a lot to juggle as you switch characters and issue commands, slash, punch and shoot. At the end of these fights, I'm usually left in drool, goosebumps, sweat, blood, pee and tears as I reflect on how much I'm loving this experience. Then I spray the couch.
Last is my most favorite feature of the game: the music. The annoying part is that in the first 5 or so hours of the game, you are bombarded with remixes of old FFVII music, and the tracks just keep coming. For the most part, it fits, it's just way too much exposure to good music all at once. The original soundtrack is like 4 hours of music, but that was originally played over 40-100 hours of gameplay. Thankfully, the pace of tracks seems to have slowed down where I am at the 10 hour mark. That said, the music is incredible. You don't need nostalgia to power you through this game, as all the key moments are presented with a remade soundtrack that will blow your mind.
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