Released: 26 January 2006
Developer: Square Enix

The Background:
I think it’s fair to say that most gamers are aware of Final Fantasy VII (Square, 1997). The game won numerous awards and sold over ten million copies on the PlayStation, after all. Square Enix expanded upon Final Fantasy VII’s lore in 2003 with Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a multimedia venture that included Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Nomura, 2005), a fantastic computer-generated movie, and multiple spin-off titles. Dirge of Cerberus, a PlayStation 2-exclusive follow-up to Advent Children, was one of these titles. Dirge of Cerberus represented a rare departure from the role-playing mechanics of the franchise, with producer Yoshinori Kitase conceiving an action/shooter revolving around fan favourite optional character, Vincent Valentine. Tetsuya Nomura returned to the franchise to help develop the game’s new villains and characters, with Japanese singer and actor Gackt lending his voice and likeness to the cast. When the game was localised outside of Japan, the developers took the time to address numerous issues with the original release; they focused on the single-player action, removed online functionality, and even omitted the “Easy” mode from the options. Unfortunately, despite selling well, Dirge of Cerberus was met with mixed reviews; critics were unimpressed by the gameplay, narrative, and level design and the game was knocked for being a poor imitation of similar hack-and-slash action/shooter hybrids like Devil May Cry (Capcom Production Studio 4, 2001).

The Plot:
After the events of Advent Children, the mysterious Vincent Valentine is drawn into a plot by terrorist organisation Deepground and their leaders, the Tsviets, to summon the most powerful WEAPON of all, Omega, and annihilate all life on the Planet.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII is a third-person, action/adventure game with a heavy emphasis on third-person shooting and which includes some very light role-playing mechanics. The game places you in the role of everyone’s favourite melancholy, wannabe vampire, Vincent Valentine. The story is divided into thirteen chapters that can be played on either “Normal” or “Hard” difficulty, with a third, even harder option unlocked after finishing the game on any difficulty. Unlike Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus is much more akin to Devil May Cry than a traditional role-playing game and focuses solely on Vincent save for a brief section where you control Cait Sith. Consequently, Vincent’s abilities are very different from those he had in Final Fantasy VII and have been expanded upon almost as much as his backstory, which was largely marginalised since he was an optional character in his debut. You’ll use X to talk to non-playable characters (NPCs) and interact with the environment for some very light puzzle solving (literally just pressing switches to activate lifts or open doors) and also to jump, pressing it twice for a double jump. Unfortunately, Vincent’s movement is often restricted by the environment; rubble and impassable debris will block your path and platforming is basically non-existent, limiting the jump’s usefulness. Circle is for your melee attacks; Vincent attacks with swipes of his gauntlet and some fancy kicks, but is often left attacking the air since you can’t lock-on to enemies with this attack. Circle also lowers your currently equipped weapon, allowing you to move faster depending on your loadout. Square sees Vincent crouch, which is occasionally useful when taking cover and in the handful of instances where you creep through small gaps or vents, and also performs a near useless dash. Triangle opens the main menu, giving you access to a semi-useful map (a mini map would’ve been better), the item menu (where you manually refill Vincent’s health and magic meters), and customisation options for your guns. If you have one of the three elemental Materia equipped to your weapon, you can fire it with L1, though this depletes Magic Points (MP). You use L2 to toggle between your three weapon loadouts, R1 to shoot, and R2 to reload. Finally, you can press the directional pad up to bring up the map, left or right to use your assigned item, and use the left stick in conjunction with Square to roll out of harm’s way.

While the melee attacks are good for close quarters combat and to conserve ammo, your primary attack is Vincent’s various firearms. As you explore, opening chests and picking up attaché cases, you’ll find different barrels and accessories that you can use to create up to three loadouts. Vincent can fire a standard pistol, a sniper rifle, and a machine gun, with different barrels available to strengthen their stats. One stat to keep in mind is the weight of your gun; I built a sniper rifle for Vincent to pick enemies off from afar, but it was heavy and slowed his movement considerably. You can lighten weapons with other attachments, or increase their power and reload speed, but these slots are far more likely to be taken up by one of the three Materia. Fire impacts with an explosive effect to damage multiple enemies, Thunder fires straight ahead, and Blizzard has a homing element. These Materia can be levelled- and powered-up with other accessories and can be very handy against groups of enemies, enemies using Barrier to resist your shots, or bosses, but it’s weird that there’s no Cure Materia to equip. Instead, you’ll rely on the odd Mako Point to refill some MP and restorative items like Potions, Ethers, and Elixirs to fill some or all your MP and Health Points (HP). One item returning Final Fantasy players will recognise is the Phoenix Down, which resurrects Vincent upon defeat (but only if you manually activate it from the menu first). Vincent also has a powered-up form (or “Limit Break”) like in Final Fantasy VII, but this must also be manually activated. When active, Vincent transforms into a monstrous beast for a short time, firing homing fireballs with R1 and battering enemies with claw swipes with X. This is very handy against bigger, armoured enemies and bosses but leaves Vincent a large, cumbersome target (though activating the Limit Break does fully replenish HP). The Limit Break can be manually deactivated with L1 and R1, but it’s not like you get the Limit Breaker item back for doing this so I can’t see the benefit of ending it early. Finally, Vincent can man various turrets with X or while riding in an attack chopper. These sections don’t happen often, which is a shame as it’s fun mowing down waves of enemies and blasting attack planes out of the sky with a powerful mini gun that never overheats or needs to reload.

Defeated enemies drop various items or Gil, the currency of the Final Fantasy franchise. Gil is spent at jukeboxes or at the conclusion of each chapter, allowing you to purchase a limited quantity of items, Materia, ammo, and other resources. Completing each chapter (or being defeated mid-chapter) brings up the ranking screen, where you’re awarded points for your accuracy, kill chains, times defeated, and completing various optional missions. These equate to a letter ranking and award points that can be exchanged for Gil or experience Points (EXP). I chose EXP every time as this is the only way to make Vincent stronger and level him up. Each chapter has a primary goal (essentially to get to end and defeat a boss) but also throws secondary, optional objectives at you. Sometimes these carry a time limit or task you with completing them as quickly as possible; other times you’re searching for items with no idea of how many there are to find. Sometimes you’ll be assisting or escorting Vincent’s World Regenesis Organization (WRO) allies, other times you’ll be destroying certain enemies or deactivating mines. The more you do or complete, the better your ranking and the more Gil/EXP you’ll receive. Alongside one section where you’re blasting Guard Hounds from Reeve Tuesti’s attack chopper, you’ll also pick off pursuers on a high-speed train track and use explosive barrels to thin out enemy hordes. As mentioned, there’s one all-too-brief section where you sneak Cait Sith past enemies since his attack and defence are shit. Sadly, though Vincent’s other AVALANCHE allies show up in cutscenes, you won’t be controlling or fighting alongside any of Final Fantasy VII’s recognisable cast beyond this moment. Although things start out simple enough in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, the game quickly becomes quite challenging. Environments are painfully linear for the most part, rendering the map almost useless for most of the game, but there are times when you’ll be running around in circles trying to figure out where to go.

The Shinra Manor, desolate trainyard, and Shinra headquarters are great examples of this. Since the map only shows where you’ve come from and not your objective, it can be difficult heading in the right direction sometimes. This is compounded by how claustrophobic and restrictive levels are, so you’re not used to exploring all that much. Not that exploration really leads to much; locked doors and dead ends are plentiful and you rarely get rewarded for looking around. Mostly, you’ll be smashing crates, defeating enemies, and searching for key cards to lower energy barriers, which are often guarded by waves of enemies. Sometimes, WRO agents provide support or offer resources; other times, you’ll be rescuing civilians or exploring Mako Reactors to track down Deepground. Although you can temporarily save the game from the pause menu, your game won’t save until you reach specific points in each chapter. These checkpoints are serviceable but you’re sometimes stuck repeating long stretches because you died before a save point so it’s worth using your potions liberally since you should have enough Gil to buy more. While Vincent controls well for the most part, he seems very “heavy” and clunky. He doesn’t have much versatility in the air, has few defence options, and his melee attacks are more like the wild swings of a drunk boxer than the swift attacks of a super soldier. Vincent is also surprisingly weak; snipers and enemy groups quickly sap HP and it’s very frustrating being juggled by rocket-firing brutes since Vincent’s recovery options aren’t very good. This could’ve easily been solved with a proper lock-on feature (something that’d been around since 1997), restorative and defensive Materia like Cure and Barrier, and expanding Vincent’s melee abilities. It’s also far too easy to run out of ammo at times; some of the later bosses require many hits so you can easily end up running out of bullets, with no way to get more, and there’s no way to improve your shot power beyond levelling-up and attaching different barrels.

Presentation:
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII is a bit of a mixed bag in this regard. On the one hand, the pre-rendered, CG sequences look amazing and are largely on par with the visual effects of Advent Children. All returning characters sport the same looks and basically all the cast reprise their roles, with Steve Blum bringing his trademark melancholy gruffness to the perpetually sullen Vincent. While the in-game models and graphics obviously aren’t on par with the CG sequences, they are really good. Vincent, especially, looks amazing; his tattered cloak flows nicely and his gothic visage always stands out against the environments. Enemies are, largely, painfully bland, comprised mostly of Deepground soldiers and a handful of beasts and the WRO, though useful when they appear, are poor substitutes for the more recognisable members of AVALANCHE. Environments, while familiar, are painfully bland, muddy, and indistinct at times. Dirge of Cerberus doesn’t offer any brightness or contrast options, so I was left struggling to see in a lot of dull, murky, and repetitive environments. While some are recognisable, including Mako Reactors, the ruins of Midgar, Edge, and wandering around Cid Highwind’s latest Airship, others are just generic locations that don’t inspire the imagination. This means you’ll be wading through sewers, running around the grey corridors of the Shinra headquarters, and stumbling about in the steampunk blandness of Deepground’s lair. One standout location, however, was the Shinra Manor, which includes Vincent’s coffin room and an extensive cave network. It’s just a shame there are few rewards for exploring all these rooms and little to interact with beyond the usual pick-ups.

Although the in-game music is largely forgettable, comprised mostly of generic rock stylings and few remixes of traditional Final Fantasy jingles, Dirge of Cerberus saves its best for the end by bolstering the finale and the end credits with rockin’ efforts from Japanese rock star Gackt. The game does perform very well; I had no instances of glitching or slowdown during my playthrough, and you can even skip cutscenes by pressing Start and X during them. The action is frequently interrupted with numerous cutscenes as Dirge of Cerberus explores Vincent’s troubled past with the Turks, his relationship with Lucrecia Crescent, and the experiments performed on him by Professor Hojo. These are juxtaposed by the present day events, which see the ridiculously overdesigned members of Deepground slaughtering countless lives to summon Omega, the most powerful of the ancient WEAPON, to destroy the Planet. Vincent makes new allies in this quest, such as the disabled but determined Shalua Rui and her brainwashed, socially maladjusted little sister, Shelke, and all his old friends pop up to aid him in the many cutscenes. Honestly, the story sort of lost me mid-way through. I had trouble recognising this as the same world as Final Fantasy VII and the alterations made to the lore seemed forced. Vincent’s Limit Breaks, for example, are now due to the “Protomateria” within him and his final form, Chaos, is an uncontrollable state that acts as a natural counterbalance to Omega WEAPON. Or…something. There are sacrifices and revelations along the way, mostly involving Shelke and Vincent’s past, and it’s interesting to see that these characters continued fighting to save the Planet past Sephiroth’s threat, but it’s a very convoluted and, dare I say it, “Japanese” plot, with lots of existentialism and long winded exposition. As the first high-definition reimagining of Final Fantasy VII (in videogame form, anyway), Dirge of Cerberus does a decent job when it’s using recognisable environments and landmarks but the new elements are largely disconnected from the established world.

Enemies and Bosses:
Considering Final Fantasy VII was stuffed with bizarre and visually distinct enemies, from various monsters to bog-standard soldiers and ancient beasts, Dirge of Cerberus is painfully generic with its enemy selection. Mostly, you mow down Deepground’s soldiers, who fire machine guns from afar and smack you with their weapons up close. The Commander and Sergeant variants are tougher and a bit smarter, taking cover to avoid your shots, and snipers will occasionally appear on rooftops or in windows. Soldiers are often accompanied by Beast Soldiers, bipedal mutants who attack like dogs; these are similar to the Red XIII-like Guard Hounds that charge at you, jaws snapping. Deepground’s forces are bolstered by larger, brutish enemies wielding rocket launchers, Buster Sword-like blades, or manning rapid-fire turrets. You’ll also encounter various mechanical enemies, such as spider-like bots that stun you with electrical blasts and lumbering Sweepers, and a handful of monsters, such as the skittering Bizarre Bugs and the trident-wielding lizard men known as Sahagin. Some of these enemies act as mini bosses, especially the larger ones, while variants act as actual bosses. Deepgrounds troops swarm around you on hoverbikes at one point, for example, bashing into you and forcing you to pick them off one at a time. The Guard Hounds are bolstered by the larger Crimson Hound, jetpack-using Shrikes dart around in the skies and are as difficult to target as the teleporting, winged Gargoyles, and you’ll also battle SOLDIER troopers and elite operatives of Deepground who shield themselves with Barrier. Your tactic against most of these is simply to fire at them until they die, switching to your sniper rifle to pick them off from afar or mowing them down with the machine gun, but the elemental Materia can be very handy at wiping out large groups at once and I often had better luck with the melee attacks (when I had the targets in view, of course).

Vincent contends with Deepground’s heavily armoured vehicles at the end of each chapter, with the Dragonfly attack plane and Black Widow mech walker cropping up multiple times throughout the game. When you first face the Dragonfly, it fires with a machine gun and unloads with homing missiles, despotising soldiers into the arena and being felled by Fire without much difficulty. It then reappears as the damaged Dragonfly GL, which also charges at you from the sky, though I made short work of it with the Limit Breaker. It reappears a third and final time in Chapter 11 for the most tedious fight of all. Now joined by Gargoyles and little robots, which must be defeated to farm for resources, the Dragonfly PT constantly stays far out of reach and fires homing shots at you, sweeping around the central building to make for a frustrating target. Unfortunately, I had a lot of trouble dealing decent damage in this fight. Mako Points pop up as the fight goes on and you absolutely need them to pepper it with Fire and do better damage, but this was a slog of a fight made all the more annoying by the Gargoyles diving at me and the robots zapping me. The Black Widow first appears at the end of Chapter 5, bursting into the Shinra Manor and scuttling across the walls and ceilings. It charges at you, spits bombs, and fires a big laser that’s tough to avoid and is heavily armoured so it can take a while to put it down. Its second variant cannot climb walls as the encounter takes place outside the ransacked WRO headquarters, but it’s supported by Deepground’s forces and now fires missiles from a distance. Two Black Widow TWs are fought in the Shinra building, with one on the floor and one and the ceiling, though they lack their dash attack and are noticeably weaker this time around. Deepground’s elite squad, the Tsviets, are also fought numerous times during the game. The first you’ll battle is Shelke the Transparent, a young girl who attacks with lightsaber-like laser batons. She’s a fast, nimble fighter fought in a claustrophobic location, meaning it can be tricky landing hits and the Limit Breaker is of minimal use since Vincent loses a lot of speed in this form.

The hulking Azul the Cerulean is fought three times, with the first encounter coming right after your fight with Shelke and being comparatively easy. Though he wields a gigantic cannon, kicks you up close, and causes shockwaves, Azul is painfully slow, a huge target, and the arena is littered with explosive barrels that can whittle his health bar down. When fought in Chapter 9, “Neo Azul” isn’t much different except you’re fighting on an elevator and can use the central pillar for cover. Fire worked well against him here, though you should avoid taking direct hits from his cannon. Defeating him sees him transform into the far more formidable, Behemoth-like “Arch Azul”, a massive beast that charges you, whips with its tail, attacks with its claws, and fires out crystals. Arch Azul is invulnerable to your bullets, meaning you must trick it into smashing pedestals to reveal Mako Points or carry a healthy supply of MP restoring items to stand a chance. Rosso the Crimson is an overall more challenging boss since she’s far faster, the arena you fight her in is much larger, and she can land devastating combos with her lance-like blade. Luckily, a jukebox is on hand for you to replenish your resources and you’ll need them when she gets powered up into “Bloodburst Rosso” and adds a projectile attack to her arsenal, to say nothing of her annoying melee attacks. Though he cuts an intimidating figure, Nero the Sable was actually a bit easier in his first encounter. He flies about using his mechanical wings and fires dual pistols, chopping at your HP with a twirling blade attack and spawning duplicates. Another jukebox turns the tide in your favour and there’s plenty of cover to use to your advantage, and both Fire and the Limit Breaker made this a long but not too difficult fight. The same can’t be said of his horrific transformation into “Arachnero”; in this spider-like form, he’s shielded and fires devastating lasers from four crystals. These must be destroyed to make his shield vulnerable, but you must watch for flaming meteors and a fireball flurry than can basically one-shot you. There’s also no jukebox or resources here so you must stock up on ammo beforehand as you burn through a lot of it just making him vulnerable.

As if that isn’t bad enough, the battles continues right after, with Nero becoming “Gorgonero” and teleporting about the floating rocks of the surreal landscape. You’re stuck in one position, have a small window of opportunity to fire at Nero when he appears, and can only land one hit at a time. Be quick as then you can avoid being shot or being sliced with his spinning blade attack, making for a fight that isn’t as hard as Arachnero but can be troublesome if you’re low on ammo (which you probably will be). Upon reaching the finale, you’ll finally battle Deepground’s head honcho, Weiss the Immaculate (who’s actually Professor Hojo in a super-soldier body…or something…) At first, Weiss is totally invulnerable and the fight must be lost, so don’t bother wasting your resources. In the second, Weiss is fast and sports some powerful sword combos, and he is invulnerable when moving. Luckily, there’s a jukebox nearby and it’s not too hard to avoid him and whittle his health down, just tedious and long-winded. Despite Vincent’s best efforts, Omega WEAPON appears and the Planet is placed in mortal peril, forcing Vincent to combine with Chaos and attack the creature (which fuses with Weiss and Nero) head-on. These final sections see Chaos Vincent floating about a devastated landscape, blasting crystalline drones with his Death Penalty before flying through Omega’s innards, avoiding lasers and taking out more crystals. Eventually, you end up in a serene, surreal, water-like landscape where you must dodge transparent barriers and gun down crystalline drones, attacking the Omega Cocoon, which is simple enough. Finally, you’ll face Omega Weiss, a large, floating mess of stone limbs and appendages. Luckily, this fight is ridiculously easy. Simply fire at Omega Weiss, staying far back and avoiding its fists and gunning down its projectiles. Omega Weiss protects itself with a crystalline barrier that it fires at you, but you can simply dash behind it to continue your assault. Weiss even attacks in a ghostly form, but just ignore him and pour it on. Even Omega’s devastating Omega Meteor can be survived without too much trouble, making this a surprisingly anti-climactic final boss topped only by the abrupt ending.

Additional Features:
There are three “G” reports scattered throughout Dirge of Cerberus’ missions. They’re pretty well hidden, too, as I didn’t find a single one and couldn’t be bothered to follow a guide, mainly because all you get is a slightly extended ending where Genesis Rhapsodos appears for an unresolved cliffhanger. Aside from that, there are additional accessories and barrels for your weapons to be found that can change the way you play, and you’ll also unlock both “Extra Hard” mode after clearing the game and a mission select screen from the main menu. Playing through the game also unlocks the cinematics in the theatre mode, a character viewer, sound test, and art gallery. There’s also a tutorial mode to play through (recommended for first-time players) and additional timed missions to unlock (presumably by getting decent grades in the game’s main missions). These recycle the game’s environments and enemies and stick you with a pre-set loadout, which can make even simple missions tough when you’re used to playing with a more capable Vincent. You also get a final overall grade and the Japanese version includes an online multiplayer component, though I’ve no idea how this worked. Sadly, that’s about it. There aren’t any collectibles to find and there’s little incentive to replay missions unless you want to S-rank everything and earn a grand total of nothing for your efforts.

The Summary:
I’ve played Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII before, back when I had a backwards compatible PlayStation 3, and I remember it taking me a long time to get through it and finding it visually engaging but a bit confusing and frustrating at times. These criticisms still ring true today, and it’s a shame as I am a big fan of Vincent Valentine and this genre of videogame. Unfortunately, the third-person elements aren’t implemented very well; the gunplay is weak and unsatisfying and Vincent’s melee attacks are wild and reckless. The game lacks the polish of a Devil May Cry, which was enjoyable to play largely because the combat was so slick and entertaining to engage with. Vincent is surprisingly ungainly, struggling to navigate his environments and handicapped by barriers and obstacles. The gunplay is subpar, for the most part, and made frustrating by the lack of ammo and reliance upon earning Gil to restock. The RPG elements are poorly implemented, too, with Vincent never really feeling that much stronger and the focus on weighing down weapons reducing your options considerably in stressful situations. While it’s great to see the Final Fantasy VII crew back in action, the story is absolutely bonkers. It seems simple enough but then you look at the Tsviets and hear them talk and every cutscene just gets further and further away from what made Final Fantasy VII so memorable. I enjoyed seeing flashbacks to Vincent’s past, though, and wonder if the game might’ve been better if you’d alternated between controlled Turk-Vincent and present day Vincent, scaling back the Tsviets and Deepground guys to focus on battling more familiar Shinra enemies. The game looks great when you can actually see what’s happening (an old school television may help with this) and Gackt’s offerings are great, but I think it was a mistake not to include more sections where you play as Vincent’s friends. Like, why not control Barret Wallace for the gunship section? I really wanted to enjoy Dirge of Cerberus more than I did but it was a bit of a chore to play. The moment-to-moment gameplay gets repetitive, enemies quickly become frustrating, and the manual nature of the mechanics gets tiresome, resulting in an experience that’s confusing, at best, and forgettable at worst.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII? Is Vincent Valentine one of your favourite Final Fantasy VII characters? How do you think the game compares to the likes of Devil May Cry? Were you able to follow the story and what did you think to the Deepground newcomers? Did you beat the game on Extra Hard mode and unlock all the Extra Missions? Would you have liked to see the other Final Fantasy VII characters be playable here? Which game in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII was your favourite? Whatever you thought to Dirge of Cerberus and Final Fantasy VII in general, comment below and then check out my other Final Fantasy content.

Released: 11 January 2018
Originally Released: 26 November 2015
Developer: Team Ninja
Also Available For: Arcade, PC, and PlayStation 5

A Brief Background:
With over seventeen mainline games, the Final Fantasy franchise has been a staple of the role-playing genre since its 1987 debut, popularising and largely defining role-playing games (RPGs) for generations of players. Not only has the franchise dabbled in more action/adventure mechanics, the Final Fantasy series has also produced a wide array of spin-off titles, including real-time strategies, mini games, and their characters featured in obscure polygonal fighter Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring (DreamFactory, 1998). In 2008, to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the franchise, Square Enix officially brought Final Fantasy into the fighting genre with Dissidia Final Fantasy, an RPG-inspired action fighter that gathered the franchise’s most recognisable heroes and villains and became a critical and commercial success for Sony’s oft-forgotten handheld, the PlayStation Portable (PSP). This release was expanded upon three years later with the release of Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, a combination prequel, sequel, and enhanced version of the original game. Reviews largely praised the expanded mechanics and additional fan service, and it was later followed by a three-on-three arcade spin-off. Developed by Team Ninja and including characters from the franchise’s latest releases. Dissidia NT’s arcade success led to an enhanced home console port, one that included all previous fighters and was equally praised, despite its chaotic combat.

My Progression:
I had a great time playing the two Dissidia games back when I had a PSP so I jumped at the chance to experience this high-definition version of the game. While far removed from the traditional turn-based gameplay of the series (and even its more modern, action-orientated slant), the Dissidia series has always been a great tribute to the franchise, bringing together some of its more iconic characters and locations in a suitably convoluted battle between the forces of good and evil. Dissidia NT is similar in this respect, featuring champions of light and dark battling for cosmic entities Materia and Spiritus and retaining some of the same gameplay mechanics, but with a very different presentation. The most noticeable difference is that the game is a three-on-three fighter, which immediately brings it down a notch in my eyes. I’ve never liked this sub-genre of fighting games and it really annoys me how many titles have succumbed to this formula. In Dissidia NT, it seems to have been implemented towards online play; you’re supposed to battle online with and against friends, earning clout and points and such and communicating using text/chat features. However, single player components are present, though there’s no way to have a simple one-on-one experience as in the previous games. This impacts the game’s mechanics and difficulty, especially as arenas are large and occasionally troublesome to navigate. You must beat each member of the opposing team (or destroy their “core” in what’s essentially a capture the flag mode) to achieve victory. You do this by targeting either an opponent or their team’s core with L2 or R2, dashing towards them by holding R1 (which lasts as long as your stamina bar), and attacking with either Circle, Square, or Triangle in conjunction with movements of the left stick. Circle unleashes one of three “Bravery” attacks that deplete your foe’s Bravery points and will eventually “break” them, which is your time to strike with Square. Square attacks deplete your opponent’s Health Point (HP) and you can hold Circle or Square to charge these and make your attacks more powerful, but you can only have one HP attack equipped at a time. Triangle gives you access to your two “EX Skills”, which provides buffs to you and your teammates or lays traps for your foes.

You also have a few defensive options. L1 lets you guard, side step, and parry attacks, you can jump (and double jump) with X, and run up trees and walls. You can use Circle to revive a teammate if you’re fast enough, refill HP and boost Bravery with certain EX Skills, perform “cancels” and air and ground recoveries, and attack “Summon” stones to build a meter. Once full, you’ll unleash a Summon, a powerful creature from Final Fantasy lore that impacts the entire battlefield, unleashing powerful attacks, obscuring the screen, draining Bravery, and applying other buffs. Your enemies can do the same, but it’s often not too difficult to stay out of the Summon’s attack range. What is difficult, though, is chasing down and attacking your foes. The camera swings around wildly, you must often hop up obstacles, and your opponent’s either dash away at high speed, seem to fly or hover above you indefinitely, and you’ll get blasted from behind and all angles without warning. Every battle is contested within a time limit, which adds to the pressure, and carries a difficulty rating ranging from Bronze to Gold and above. Winning harder battles awards more Gil to spend in the shop, more experience points to level-up and become stronger, and other treasures (usually player icons and chat messages but also character skins). Each character has a “type”, such as “Assassin” or “Marksman”, and favours certain attacks. Rinoa Heartilly, for example, attacks with her canine companion, Kefka Palazzo favours ranged magic attacks, and Shantotto is small and agile. Many characters utilise swords or blades, but even then their attacks and styles are vastly different: Cloud Strife, for example, attacks slower than Zidane Tribal, while Squall Leonhart utilises explosive sword swings and the Warrior of Light attacks with a more traditional sword and shield. As you level-up, your characters learn new attacks, adding ranged or close quarters abilities to their repertoire, as well as making them tougher and faster. Unfortunately, battles quickly become a noisy mess of visuals, notifications, and distractions. I found a decent rhythm targeting one enemy, dealing damage, and then switching to another and cycling between them, attacking cores as needed, and even then I’d be battered about like a ragdoll from offscreen attacks and unexpected Summons.

Dissidia NT comes with a comprehensive tutorial in which a helpful Moogle walks you through every aspect of the game and you can also review attacks and stats from the pause menu and before each battle. Summons are gifted seemingly at random and can be picked before a battle; you can customise your player card and profile; and you can purchase music, icons, and various bits and pieces from the shop. The game does boast a story mode but it’s sadly a massive step back compared to the last two games, which were very story driven and mixed up different characters in fun ways in seemingly never-ending battles against “puppet” copies of the cast. In Dissidia NT, story mode is handicapped by the “memoria” system. You can only earn memoria by levelling-up, so you must participate in numerous online or offline battles to gain levels and progress in the story mode. Looking at the story map in this mode, there are at least thirty “nodes” to unlock, so you’ll need to level-up at least that much to experience it, and many of these nodes simply unlock nonsensical cutscenes where the characters wander about and ruminate on their cycle of conflict. When you finally unlock a “Battle Trial”, you’ll have to pick from three pre-set characters to fight and will unlock this for the “Gauntlet” mode. This is where you’ll waste spend most of your time winning successive battles to gain levels and treasures, basically meaning you need to grind away for hours just to unlock a cutscene and see the Onion Knight (why he’s not called Luneth is beyond me) striking out with the likes of Y’shtola Rhul. This is extremely tiresome and killed my excitement for the game; I just wanted to blast through the story mode, expecting it to be a chapter-based affair told from the perspective of the heroes and villains. Instead, I was forced to grind away in tiresome battles to level-up, only to limp my way towards two story-based battles where I couldn’t even play as my go-to characters, Cloud and Leon.

Continue?
I was so disappointed to find that Dissidia NT is geared more towards online play and monotonous grinding than providing a compelling fighting experience. It’s doubly disappointing after completing the first two games and expecting more of the same, only to be met by a chaotic three-on-three brawler that restricts you with its arcade sensibilities. The game is a mess of tutorials, messages, mechanics, and instructions, with your allies and Moogle helper constantly banging on. Battlefields become difficult to navigate thanks to obstacles, destructible elements, and being far too big at times. It makes sense given the expanded roster but it makes it very difficult to chase after your target when your stamina drains so quickly and they just stay up in the air for ages. It’s a shame as the game does look great, characters are all represented faithfully, sporting unique EX Skill animations (Zidane and Kuja enter “Trance”, Cloud and Sephiroth have “Limit Breaks”, etc) and skins (Jecht goes shirtless, Cloud sports his Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Nomua, 2005) attire, and Cloud of Darkness takes a more monstrous form), and fun characterisations (Shantotto is always rhyming, Kefka is bat-shit crazy, Squall relies on his internal monologue, and Noctis Lucis Caelum is perpetually confused). The game’s arenas and music are pulled from each of the mainline titles but, this time, even Final Fantasy Tactics (Square, 1997) and Final Fantasy Type-O (Square Enix 1st Production Department, 2011) are represented. You’ll battle in the plains of Cornelia, the purple throne room of Pandaemonium, within the crystalline Interdimensional Rift, on the streets of Midgar, and outside the Royal City of Rabanastre, amongst others. Some stages have destructible or interactable elements; others have little Easter Eggs in the background. Each battle is preceded with some banter between the two teams and ends with either a victory pose (and the traditional fanfare) or your crushing defeat. Rewards are bestowed even in defeat and you’ll unlock new characters and Summons as your progress (or part with your hard-earned cash).

Looking ahead, it seems there are fifty-seven panels to unlock in Story Mode, with most of them being cutscenes. Despite Spiritus being prominent to the story, clashing with Materia and desiring the same level of the destruction as the demonic Chaos, he’s not fought in this mode. Instead, your final battle is against the ancient dragon god Shinryu, a gigantic creature that sports two intimidating forms. You’ll also take part in battles against the game’s Summons, meaning your team will go head-to-head with the likes of Bahamut, Ifrit, and Shiva, which all looks thrilling, but I can’t see myself bothering to grind up the nearly sixty levels to unlock all these battles. While some characters are unlockable, Materia and Spiritus aren’t among them and you must part with your real-world money to add to the roster (though, again, there’s little incentive as the game’s so shallow and repetitive). I’m sure the online and multiplayer functions are fun, but I wasn’t impressed enough by the single player modes to test them out. There are also fifty-six Trophies to unlock here, granting you rewards for spending memoria, claiming treasure, completing Story Trials, and winning ranked matches. Unfortunately, as good as the game looks and as smooth as most of the gameplay is, Dissidia NT just doesn’t live up to the standards of its predecessors. There was a real opportunity here to present the gameplay of the portable games in a high-def, arcade-style, all-action brawler. Throw in three-on-three battles as a side mechanic, if you must, but focus on one-on-one gameplay as a priority. Similarly, I get wanting to be an online experience but…is it really too much to ask for a simple ten to twelve-fight tournament mode? Fighting games have been doing that since at least 1991 and I don’t think it’s too much to ask to have that thrown in here. Hell, the developers could’ve made things easier for themselves by just using basic cutscenes for intros and endings rather than the middling, muddled up cinematics you work so hard to unlock here.

But maybe I’m missing the point. Maybe Dissidia NT is a thrilling online experience. Perhaps the battles get easier and more enjoyable once you’re gotten past Level 20. Maybe the Summon battles are worth all that effort. Perhaps you enjoyed the three-on-three experience? If that’s the case, let me know in the comments and go check out my other Final Fantasy content.

Released: 10 April 2010
Developer: Square Enix Business Division 1
Also Available For: PC and PlayStation 5 (Intergrade Version)

The Background:
Before the PlayStation, Square’s Final Fantasy titles were primarily known as a Nintendo-based franchise. That all changed with Final Fantasy VII (Square, 1997), an award-winning role-playing game (RPG) that sold over ten million copies for the upstart console. Final Fantasy VII was so successful that Square Enix were inspired to expand its lore and characters through numerous spin-off media, including a computer-generated movie, an RPG/action shooter follow-up, and a mission-based prequel initially exclusive to the PlayStation Portable. Development of a remake can be traced back to the early 2000s, though hardware limitations saw the project delayed until late-2015. Rather than simply remaster the original, the team decided to completely rebuild Final Fantasy VII from the ground up, replacing the turn-based mechanics for a more action-orientated gameplay style and creating all-new, photorealistic character models. Soon into development, the team also decided to split the game into three parts, expanding on supporting characters and even adding additional story elements to bolster this first entry. The announcement and first trailer alone did big numbers for Square Enix and the game sold over 3.5 million units worldwide within its first three days and was met with critical acclaim. Reviews praised the expanded characters and lore, the revised combat mechanics, and the deep dive into Midgar society. While some criticised the slower parts of the story and some tedious mechanics, Final Fantasy VII Remake echoed its source material by becoming an award-winning title. In 2021, an enhanced port dubbed Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade was released for the PlayStation 5, where the second part of the project released, also to widespread praise.

The Plot:
The Shinra Electric Power Company drains the planet’s “Lifestream” by harvesting its “Mako” energy, making life miserable for the lower classes. Ex-SOLDIER Cloud Strife reluctantly teams with eco-terrorist group Avalanche to oppose Shinra, only to end up defending fate itself when Sephiroth, a celebrated SOLDIER, enacts a mad plot to alter the timeline and become a God.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Final Fantasy VII Remake is, as the title suggests, an action-orientated remake of the classic RPG Final Fantasy VII. As in the original game, players assume the role of stoic mercenary Cloud Strike, a troubled young man who wields various swords as tall as he is, and team up with some colourful characters in a bid to first stick it to a corporate conglomerate, then to defend both the world and fate itself. If you’ve never played the original game, this is a great way to experience the story for the first time. However, Remake does dabble in multiple timelines and rely on references near the later stages so some familiarity with the original is required. Those who are well-versed in the original and the series will find new gameplay options available here that mix things up. Obviously, the turn-based mechanics are gone, replaced with the franchise’s more modern third-person, active battle system. You can set up battles to somewhat resemble the original system with “Classic” mode, where attacks are automated and you simply focus on making decisions, though I chose to play on “Easy” mode and have full control over Cloud and his allies. Battles are semi-random; enemies appear and occasionally respawn in specific areas for you to battle for experience points (EXP) and Gil, but you won’t be assaulted every other step like in the original game. When in combat, Square unleashes your standard attack and holding it performs either a multi-hit swing or an automated combo, depending on who you’re controlling. Triangle activates each character’s signature move: Cloud switches between the faster, weaker “Operator” stance and the slower, more powerful “Punisher” stance, while Barret Wallace unleashes a powerful blast from his gun arm that must be recharged, Tifa Lockhart executes a whirlwind uppercut, and Aerith Gainsborough deals magical damage with Tempest. X opens the command menu, slowing the battle to a snail’s pace as you select magic attacks, items, or character abilities. Circle allows you to evade, you can guard by holding R1 to reduce incoming damage, L1 opens your shortcut menu (allowing you to quickly perform preset actions), and you can lock-on to targets by pressing in the right stick. While in the “Commands” menu, L2 or R2 issue commands to your two teammates and you can switch to them with the directional pad, though they’ll battle independently without your input.

Although battles are much more chaotic and action-packed, many of Final Fantasy VII’s mechanics return here. Your health points (HP) are depleted as you take damage, with characters being knocked unconscious after enough hits, and utilising spells such as Fire, Cure, or Barrier drains magic points (MP). Attacking enemies builds up the Active-Time Battle (ATB) gauge and allows you to perform certain actions. You need at least one bar to consume a restorative item, cast a spell, or perform a character’s special abilities, with stronger magic and attacks consuming two bars. These special abilities are dictated by the weapons you hold; each weapon unlocks a new ability once you use it enough, allowing you to use it whenever you like with different weapons, and these abilities essentially replace the multiple “Limit Breaks” of the original game. Limit Breaks are still present, however, and again activated when a small gar fills up during battles. Selecting a special ability or Limit Break can turn the tide of trickier battles as you’ll deal greater damage or inflict wider status effects so they’re worth experimenting with. Victory not only earns you EXP to boost your level and stats (attack, defence, speed, etc) but also nets you Skill Points (SP). These are spent in a surreal menu not unlike Final Fantasy X’s (Square, 2001) Sphere Grid and boost your stats further or grant you additional Materia slots. As you explore and interact with non-playable characters (NPCs), you’ll find Materia that can be equipped to weapons, armour, and accessories. Materia allows you to cast spells in battle, from elemental attacks like Fire, Thunder, and Blizzard, to defensive spells like Barrier and Haste, to boosting your stats and assessing enemy weaknesses. Materia also levels-up through battle and the acquisition of Ability Points (AP), and levelling-up certain Materia lets you cast more powerful spells, though these consume more MP and have a noticeable charge time. Certain weapons add elemental effects to your attacks and most enemies have some kind of elemental weakness, so having a diverse set of Materia is key to mastering the combat system. It also helps to take advantage of buffs and status draining magic, capitalise on “critical hits”, and pummel your target when they’re “staggered”.

When facing more powerful enemies, this staggered state is crucial to victory as landing successive hits builds the “Summon” meter. If you have a Summon Materia equipped, you can call forth a powerful beast to fight alongside you. Unlike in the original game, you issue orders to the Summon from the Commands menu and it’ll fight with you until the bar depletes. There are only four Summons available, with three locked behind virtual reality missions where you must defeat them to earn them, but they’re well worth bringing out during tougher boss battles. Victory, chests, and completing side quests also nets you Gil, which you spend on items to restore your HP, MP, or remove status effects like sleep and toad, purchase weapons and accessories, and buy more Materia. You can also use it to rest in inns, but I found little use for this as the game’s littered with helpful benches that restore your party to full health and Cloud even has a free room he can rest in during the first part of the game. This meant I never bought any items and rarely used them in battle and was much more frugal with my MP expenditure than usual, especially as I took the time to complete side quests to gain greater levels and gear. At various points throughout the chapter-based story, you’re encouraged to complete side quests for the destitute inhabitants of the Slums or the boisterous locals at Wall Market. These see you finding and feeding Chocobos to unlock a fast travel system, collecting medicines, defeating enemies that’ve infested the scrapyard and other areas, finding mischievous local kids, and playing songs to cheer people up. You’re usually rewarded with Gil but you’ll also unlock new Materia or be gifted SP or certain gear. Though these side quests did feel like padding at times, it was a great way to flesh out the game’s supporting characters and develop a deeper connection to the Midgar residents, meaning it has more emotional impact when Shinra decimates the area and kills most of them as recompense for your disruptive actions.

While Final Fantasy VII Remake is heavy on combat, you can run from most battles and much of your time between fighting is spent interacting with party members, other members of Avalanche, and the NPCs in the Slums and other Sectors. These interactions also see you participating in various mini games, such as a squat and pull up contest where you rhythmically press buttons in the correct order, culminating in a full-blown rhythm game where a cross-dressing Cloud shows off his dance skills! There are two sections where you race along the Midgar highways on a motorcycle; both see you swinging your sword at Shinra’s soldiers or blasting them with a beam attack, though the second jaunt sees you dodging anaerial bombardment and taking on a massive tank! While most areas are sprawling and daunting in their size, your helpful mini map, onscreen compass, and the larger in-game map steer you in the right direction. Puzzles generally involve squeezing through gaps, pushing things aside, or activating consoles and levers but you’ll also be moving crates (and giving Aerith a ride) using gigantic robotic hands, switching between parties to open doors, asking Red XIII to hop along walls to pull levers, and rescuing terrified children following Shinra’s horrendous counterattack. When bringing down the Mako Reactors, you’re given a time limit to battle to safety; when infiltrating Shinra headquarters, you find and upgrade identification cards and crawl through vents; and you’ll be firing grapnel guns with Triangle to escape the Slums, blasting walls with Barret’s gun arm to find goodies, and draining water to progress in the bug-infested sewers. Shinra-branded crates are scattered everywhere, and you can smash these for items, to restore a little MP with Mako Shards, and to collect Moogle Medals to trade in the slums. You’ll be competing in the colosseum to progress the story and gain levels, searching for cats and allies, following a disconcerting trail of glowing slime, clambering on overheard poles, and shifting disused trains around in your quest. None of it’s too demanding but the game does slow down noticeably during the more padded and tedious moments.

Presentation:
Final Fantasy VII Remake is absolutely gorgeous. The graphical standard is so high that it’s basically like playing through Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Nomura, 2005) and a far cry from the chibi-like polygons of the original! However, I did notice some texture warping in the environment now and then and a delay loading the correct, high-quality textures here and there. Still, character models are now expressive and incredibly realistic, with your party’s weapons and gear reflecting what you’ve equipped in every cutscene (so, for example, Cloud doesn’t default to the Buster Sword when you’ve equipped the Nail Bat) and them being more expressive than ever. Cloud, especially, benefits from this as the story revolves around him and him slowly coming out of his shell as he interacts with his unlikely friends and other NPCs. He’s socially awkward at times and hesitant to form deep connections, meaning he’s left quite uncomfortable by Jessie Raspberry’s advances and Aerith’s teasing. He constantly clashes with Barret, who constantly gives Cloud a hard time and it takes a while for him to see Cloud in a different light when he willingly opposes Shinra and defends Midgar. Barret is a standout character for his passionate love for the planet and his little girl, Marlene, but I was surprised to see how big a role supporting characters like Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge have this time around. They desperately try to pierce Cloud’s armour and he begrudgingly comes to care for them, making their injuries and deaths all the more impactful, but it’s obviously his care for Tifa and Aerith that have the most impact on his character. Beset by migraines and assaulted by visions of his past, a distorted version of events, and Sephiroth, Cloud is a deeply troubled young man initially just looking to get a payday who naturally assumes a leadership role and goes out of his way to protect his newfound friends, even accepting Red XII without hesitation.

These narrative moments are pivotal to Remake’s story and directly tie into your extended time in Midgar and its various Sectors. While you can argue it unnecessarily drags things out, I did form a deeper bond with the welfare of the NPCs and this area since I interacted with everyone and got a sense of their society. Remake is quite linear and restrictive at times, however; it’s rare that you’ll get lost as your destination is either clearly signposted or you’re barred from going in different directions. You can explore a bit, though, and will find nooks and crannies hiding chests, Materia, health-restoring benches, or other minor goodies. Sometimes you have to go out of your way to find these, like directing moving platforms to an area behind some giant fans that you temporarily disable to snag some Materia. The game often highlights when you might’ve missed something with characters giving you the option to go back, but you can ignore these prompts if you just want to progress. You’ll be exploring Midgar’s Slums often, venturing into the squalor and interacting with the locals at the scrapyard, orphanage, or various shops. Aerith’s church is also here, of course, as is her beautiful house. You’ll also venture deeper into the oppressive and dark, steampunk-styled streets of Midgar to visit Jessie’s family, clamber up a pillar to escape, and toil in the dank sewers beneath Don Corneo’s opulent mansion. Quite often, you’re treated to a sprawling view of Midgar, which looms over the Slums like a dark shadow or stretches to the horizon, either twinkling with lights or left in ruins. The environments all recall the pre-rendered backgrounds of the original game but in a much greater scale. This is best felt when exploring the Mako Reactors, which feel large and lived in and fully operational, and when escaping the wreckage of the Slums and venturing into Shinra headquarters.

Shinra headquarters is a high-tech skyscraper housing offices, an luxurious library (where the mayor is hidden away like a bad secret), toilets, and a museum dedicated to Shinra’s Mako research. It’s also home to Professor Hojo’s sprawling laboratory, where his Mako experiments created abominations and super-soldiers alike. Although Cloud is beset by fragmented memories, they become much more volatile here as Professor Hojo drops hints regarding his true past and his visions of Sephiroth manifest in physical form. We get brief glimpses of Cloud and Tifa’s childhood and a fiery incident involving Sephiroth, but nothing concrete, of course. Sephiroth’s presence is much more prominent here than during the original game, with his presence altered to potentially be time displaced and often accompanied by ominous, robed spectres known as “Whispers”. These pop up at key moments to keep the timeline intact but rage out of control in the finale, engulfing Shinra headquarters and warping Cloud and his friends to a desolate, whirlwind of a wasteland for the game’s final battle. Final Fantasy VII had one of the best soundtracks in all of videogaming, to say nothing of the franchise, and it’s well represented here. All the memorable themes make a return and can be freely listened to from jukeboxes once you’ve acquired CDs from vendors and side quests, and they even dynamically shift depending on what you’re doing. While your party won’t strike poses after every battle, they do in the combat simulator and Barret likes to hum the “Victory Fanfare” after a win, which is fun. A new remix of “One-Wing Angel” plays during the final battle, which always ups the ante of these situations, and Cloud’s confrontation with Sephiroth echoes their final encounter in Advent Children and recreates the automated showdown from the end of the original game. Finally, Remake ends with a tantalising teaser for what’s to come as we witness an alternative timeline where Zack Fair survived his dramatic last stand and leaves the ultimate fate of these characters up in the air since Sephiroth’s messing with the timeline.

Enemies and Bosses:
It’s been a while since I played Final Fantasy VII so I admit that I didn’t recognise many of the enemies I cut down throughout the remake. Some Final Fantasy staples are recognisable, of course, like the flaming Bombs, frog-like Hedgehog Pies, and the deceptively dangerous Tonberries. Many battles pit you against Shinra’s forces; these militant goons wield machine guns, toss grenades, hide behind riot shields, and even fly using helicopter blades. Shock troopers, faster, more annoying “elite” variants, and even 3^rd class SOLDIERS also crop up, alongside turrets, small drones, and cannons. Some of these are placed amidst the environment and can be pre-emptively destroyed by Barret; others come to life from the background or pop up from holes in the ground. Shinra also employs large mechs known as “Sweepers” that boast buzzsaw appendages, flamethrowers, and missile launchers. Their clandestine operatives, Rude and Reno of the Turks, occasionally attack from a chopper and their troops are often accompanied by monstrous guard dogs seemingly bred from Red XIII. Various bizarre monsters, presumably discarded experiments or the result of Shinra’s hazardous actions, are also fought in the Slums and other Sectors. Ravenous rats, crane-like birds, disgusting insects, and weird amphibious creatures are as commonplace as living junk and bandits looking to pick a fight. Ghosts and the ominous Whispers are also encountered numerous times, alongside lizardmen, wolf-like beasts, and the truly peculiar “Unknown Entities” birthed from Professor Hojo’s lab! Many attack in groups and utilise similar magic to you, but you’ll find they invariable have elemental weaknesses, items to be stolen, or are all bark and no bite, especially if your levels and weapons are particularly strong. I’d recommended using Assess to keep a record of their weaknesses, hitting the touch panel on the controller to review each enemy afterwards, and equipping Enemy Skill to learn some of their more troubling abilities for yourself. The game also logs battle intel on each creature for you to review and this ties into the VR side quest to snag new Materia as well.

Shinra’s military arm is second to none in the world of Final Fantasy VII and, consequently, you’ll be battling some massive, heavily armed mechs. The Scorpion Sentinel is a significant first boss since you’re also battling a twenty- or thirty-minute timer during the escape portion. The Scorpion Sentinel sets a precedent for the game’s bosses in that they all consist of multiple phases, with the environment changing or the boss altering its appearance and attacks as you deal damage. Able to lock on and bombard you with missiles, leap to the walls, and fire a devastating laser beam from its tail, the Scorpion Sentinel isn’t to be underestimated but, as with every other boss, can be staggered by targeting its appendages and elemental attacks (in this case Thunder) turn the tide. The Crab Warden is somewhat similar, though favouring flame bursts and electrifying the floor and with a central generator and pilot for you to target once you bust through its defences. The Airbuster continues the trend, though the difficulty of the timed fight is set by you since you can sabotage the machine while exploring the Mako Reactor. The Airbuster boasts a large beam cannon, launches its fists, and flies out of reach to pepper you with missiles. In the second phase, it sits at the end of a narrow walkway and will decimate you with its beam unless you take cover, while filling the space with laser beams in the third phase. The Valkyrie flying machine chases you down as you escape the Slums, favouring rapid-fire chainguns and explosive artillery, the tank-like Arsenal must have its wheels cut from under it on the highways, and you must swap between parties to battle the snake-like Swordipede in the depths of Shinra headquarters. This electrified mech flies about, tossing a buzzsaw and blasting you with an electrical field that can make it tough to hit. Alongside these mechs, you’ll battle Shinra’s human forces: Reno and Rude, in particular, are a troublesome duo, attacking with both speed and power. You’ll also match wits with SOLDIER 3^rd Class Roche, earning his begrudging respect in a duel, and must target Rufus Shinra’s canine companions to keep him from counterattacking with a shotgun to your face!

You’ll also face some large, generally grotesque monsters. If you want to summon Shiva, Chocobo and Moogle, and the Fat Chocobo, you must first defeat them in VR simulations, which isn’t too difficult given their obvious weaknesses. While competing in the Wall Market colosseum, you’re forced to fight the Hell House, a strange sentient house that’s initially immune to physical attacks, protects itself with Barrier, sends fireworks into the arena, and uses its jet boosters to stay out of reach. While in the sewers, you battle the troll-like Abzu, targeting its horns with Fire magic and avoiding its devastating pounce and poisonous water. A damaged Abzu reappears when you revisit the sewers, now accompanied by its pig-like offspring, retreating to tunnels to flood the room but otherwise retaining the same attacks. Abzu is good practice for the Type-0 Behemoth, a ravenous beast best crippled by attacking its torso and hind legs so you can target its horns, which make it otherwise invulnerable. Similar to the Whispers, who spawn the “Enigmatic Spectre” mini boss, the ghosts that haunt the trainyard are governed by the Ghoul, a poltergeist-like entity that teleports, becomes intangible, and inflicts Silence. This is merely the prelude to the Grim Reaper-like Eligor, who races around in a chariot, sweeps the floor with its eye laser, and can only be attacked from behind (preferably by ice-based magic). Finally, there’s Specimen H0512, a Cthulhu-like chimera with no elemental weaknesses, poisons and who “Slows” you with Noxious Expulsion and Mako Expulsion, slams one of your team around like a ragdoll, and spawns disgusting little minions to distract you.

Final Fantasy VII Remake includes an all-new form of Jenova, Jenova Dreamweaver, a malformed, Lovecraftian, tree-like entity fought in Shinra headquarters. This writhing, tentacled thing is rendered vulnerable by attacking its appendages, which spawn throughout the arena, pushes you back with Cast Aside, targets a single character with the hard-hitting Vengeance laser orb, and envelops itself in an impenetrable barrier with Rejection. It’s a fun, three-stage fight that keeps you on your toes, but the tension really ramps up once you enter the “Singularity” and are confronted by the titanic Whisper Harbinger. This towering monstrosity is too big and too far away to hit, but it does create three Whisper-like avatars: Whisper Rubrum, Whisper Viridi, and Whisper Croceo. Though colour-coded, they have no elemental weaknesses and instead absorb elemental attacks; they also constantly teleport and respawn, so it’s better to focus on one at a time. Deal enough damage and they’ll cast Correction, separating your party and forcing you to flee as the Whisper Harbinger wrecks the floating environment and showers the floor with lightning blasts. When Barret and Red XIII leave to attack Whisper Harbinger directly, you’ll face Whisper Bahamut, which throws explosive purple flame balls and the devastating, unavoidable Megaflare. Defeating it, and the other avatars, sees the Whisper Harbinger lose health and eventually crumble but this is a gruelling multi-stage fight that I’m not sure has checkpoints between each phase. Victory sees you confront Sephiroth, first as Cloud alone and then alongside his friends. Sephiroth is fast, casting elemental attacks, attacking with a sword beam, launching a three-swipe attack, and being the most aggressive and damaging enemy you’ll face. His Aeolian Onslaught can be tricky to dodge, his Hell’s Gate creates an explosion of light that hits anyone nearby, his Flamewall restricts your movements, and his Octoslash is effectively a one-hit KO attack. Once you deal enough damage, Sephiroth casts Meteor; you then have until the count of ten to finish him off before your whole party is decimated! This is a tough fight but also incredibly enjoyable. It echoes the Advent Children finale while also bolstering Cloud’s relationships since his friends arrive to help him for each phase of the fight.

Additional Features:
Final Fantasy VII Remake has fifty-four Trophies up for grabs, with one awarded each time you clear a story chapter and when you finish the game. You’ll get additional Trophies for completing side quests, like decorating the orphanage, helping out Johnny, and defeating Summons in VR. Collecting CDs, calling upon a Summon, levelling-up Materia and your characters, and mastering weapons all award Trophies as well. While it’s easy enough to win a battle and stagger an enemy, mastering the darts mini game, receiving praise from Jessie for your motorcycle skills, completing all the squat and pull up challenges, and beating the game on “Hard” mode are a bit more taxing. “Hard” mode is unlocked once you finish the game and disables items and restricts you to healing at benches, making for a far greater challenge. Beating the game also unlocks a chapter select option so you can retry any remaining side quests all while retaining your current level and gear. Your EXP and AP is also doubled at this point, which is helpful, a play log is unlocked, and additional battles are added to the combat simulator. Completing Chadley’s Battle Intel requests lets you battle and add Bahumut and Leviathan to your team, and you’ll need to defeat all these Summons to take on the optional superboss the Pride and Joy Prototype. In addition to a bevy of options, from combat controls to camera positions, you can also upload your save file to the PlayStation 5 to continue your game there. The PlayStation 5 version is the only way to play an interlude mission involving Yuffie Kisaragi, so it’s probably better you upgrade to that version to get the full experience.

The Summary:
Unsurprisingly, I’m a big fan of Final Fantasy VII. I enjoyed playing through it and have been waiting for a remake for a long time, though I never expected Square to go this far with it! I would’ve settled for a graphical overhaul of the original, with additional CGI FMVs tossed in to bolster the experience but, much like Capcom, Square went above and beyond in remaking arguably their most successful RPG and the results are clear to see. Final Fantasy has never looked better; Remake is like playing through a high-budget CGI movie, with an incredible sense of detail and depth to every environment. Making you interact with NPCs and spend more time helping them out fleshed out every character, not just the supporting roles, making them richer and more nuanced than ever. I loved the classic turn-based battle system and was worried I’d struggle here as a result, but combat is fast, fluid, action-packed, and intuitive. It’s fun issuing orders or switching to characters on the fly, taking cover, healing, or dishing out damage across the battlefield, to the point where it would’ve been great if this was a co-op experience! While the playable roster and the available gear is limited and you’re restricted to what amounts to the first disc of the original game, there’s a lot to see and do here and I liked the twist that this is more of a retelling of these events than a complete retread. The bosses were large and engaging and the sense of empowerment and progression was great; I played on “Easy” and didn’t get a single game over but enjoyed the sliding difficulty scale as the stakes increased. My only regrets are that this isn’t available on the Xbox One as of yet and that I don’t have the means to play Intergrade or the next chapter as I’d love to see how the story unfolds following this game. Regardless, Final Fantasy VII Remake is an outstanding visual and gameplay experience, easily accessible to newcomers and packed with fan service for long-time fans, revitalising and expanding upon the original game in bold, new (and, crucially, fun) ways to present a truly amazing feat of videogaming.

My Rating:

Fantastic

Have you played Final Fantasy VII Remake? If so, what did you think to it and how do you think it holds up against the original? Were you disappointed that the project was split into three parts across two console generations? What did you think to the Whispers and the changes made to the story? Did you enjoy getting to know Midgar more intimately here? Which of the side quests was your favourite? Did you struggle against Whisper Harbinger and Sephiroth? Would you say it’s worth upgrading to the PlayStation 5 to continue the story? Which Final Fantasy game is your favourite? Let me know your thoughts on Final Fantasy VII in the comments and be sure to check out my other Final Fantasy content on the site.