- Engaging story with emotional depth
- Materia system revolutionizes gameplay mechanics
- High replayability and nostalgic appeal
- Iconic soundtrack enhances experience
- Outdated controls and UI frustrate players
- Dated graphics and technical limitations persist
Emotions
Players report widespread frustration due to technical issues like crashes, poor controller support, and forced online account requirements for a single-player game. Gameplay mechanics such as repetitive combat, tedious exploration, and unclear directions, along with bugs like save file deletions and achievement-related setbacks, further exacerbate the experience.
The game evokes strong nostalgia due to its historical significance, personal memories, and enduring charm. Players revisit it after decades, recalling childhood experiences, shared moments with friends or family, and its impact on the RPG genre, often praising its retro aesthetics and soundtrack.
Players admire the game for its revolutionary storytelling, character development, and world design, often calling it a masterpiece or cultural phenomenon. Its narrative depth, soundtrack, and innovative mechanics like the Materia system are frequently highlighted as timeless and influential.
The game generates excitement through its dynamic combat, strategic depth, and engaging gameplay loops like Chocobo racing and Materia customization. Players also express anticipation for future installments, modding opportunities, and revisiting the story with modern enhancements.
Disappointment stems from the gameās poor port quality, lack of modernization, and technical issues like crashes or DRM restrictions. Some players feel the remake deviates from the original or that the story fails to meet heightened expectations, while others criticize Square Enixās lack of effort in updates.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 79% Ā· Negative 21%. Score: 21 / 100
Positives:
- The narrative is celebrated for its mature themes, tragic backstories, and complex character arcs. Players emphasize its emotional impact, timeless relevance, and ability to evoke empathy for characters like Cloud and Aerith.
- Mods, particularly the 7th Heaven manager, are credited with improving graphics, performance, and accessibility while preserving the original gameās charm. Players highlight their role in extending replayability and fixing legacy issues.
- The Materia system is praised as one of the best RPG mechanics ever, offering unparalleled customization, diverse strategies, and deep character growth. Players highlight its innovation, experimentation, and unique interactions with equipment.
- The gameās classic status, nostalgic value, and high replayability (e.g., community challenges, multiple playthroughs) are frequently mentioned. Players note its enduring appeal and long playtime (30ā70+ hours).
- Exploration is rewarding, with a diverse world, hidden secrets, and well-designed minigames (e.g., chocobo breeding, bike minigame) that add depth and replayability without disrupting the main experience.
Negatives:
- The game's controls, particularly on non-console platforms, are described as clunky, unintuitive, and poorly mapped. The UI/UX is also criticized for being unfriendly, leading to misclicks and navigation difficulties, especially during battles.
- The gameās visuals are described as goofy, outdated, and technically inferior, with issues like low resolution, blurry textures, and locked frame rates (15-30 FPS). Character models, especially mouths, are poorly rendered in some versions.
- The game requires an internet connection and a Square Enix account to play, even for single-player offline modes. This DRM is seen as unnecessary and annoying, particularly for a game that doesnāt need online functionality.
- Players feel the remakes stray too far from the original, adding filler content, cringe dialogue, and story changes that disrupt cohesion. The remakes are often seen as inferior in gameplay and storytelling compared to the original.
- The PC port lacks native PlayStation controller support, with awkward default mappings and compatibility issues requiring manual adjustments. This makes the game frustrating to play with controllers, especially on platforms like Steam Deck.
Gameplay:
- The Materia system is central to character customization, allowing players to equip, combine, and master abilities, spells, and summons. It enables diverse builds and strategic depth but requires constant management and manual switching.
- The game features a turn-based combat system with Active Time Battle (ATB) mechanics, blending strategic planning with real-time elements. Mods can toggle or adjust this system for modern preferences.
- Mini-games like Chocobo racing, breeding, and G-Bike add variety, while side quests (e.g., Gold Chocobo) provide optional challenges. These elements are often tied to exploration and progression.
- The game is praised for its character-driven plot, unpredictable twists, and dialogue-heavy structure. Side activities complement the narrative, offering extensive playtime beyond the main story.
- The game blends linear progression with open-world freedom, encouraging exploration for secrets, mini-games, and side content. However, some areas are gated by story progression.
Performance:
- Players report that mods enable smoother performance, unlock framerates to 60 FPS, and enhance visuals (e.g., HD textures). This is a common workaround for the game's native limitations on modern hardware.
- The game is natively capped at 30 FPS during exploration and 15 FPS in battles/cutscenes, causing choppiness. This is a frequent complaint among players without mods.
- The game runs smoothly on devices like the ROG Ally X and Steam Deck, especially with key remapping, though controller issues persist.
- The port has problems like pixilated backgrounds (600p), missing sprites, and inconsistent visual quality at higher resolutions (e.g., 4K).
- Players report missing sound, audio level inconsistencies, and poor sound quality, which detract from the overall experience.
Recommendations:
- Reviews consistently describe the game as a must-play experience for everyone, including non-JRPG fans, due to its timeless story, gameplay, and cultural impact. Strong endorsements highlight its universal appeal.
- The game is widely recommended as an ideal starting point for those new to JRPGs or classic RPG fans, due to its historical significance and accessible storytelling. Many reviews emphasize its value for beginners and series enthusiasts alike.
- The PC version, particularly with mods like 7th Heaven, is frequently recommended as the best way to experience the game. However, some suggest emulating the original PlayStation version for authenticity.
- The game is considered a worthwhile purchase at full price, but many recommend waiting for a sale. It is seen as valuable for both new players and veterans of the series.
- Some players prefer the original for its cohesion and nostalgic value, while others suggest playing remakes first to appreciate the originalās uniqueness. The original is often recommended for those who havenāt played either version.
Miscellaneous:
- Many players share personal anecdotes about returning to the game after decades, reflecting on its impact on their lives. These stories emphasize the game's enduring emotional resonance and historical significance.
- The modding community is celebrated for its free, high-quality contributions, which contrast with criticisms of the official port's quality. Players appreciate the effort and creativity of modders in enhancing the game.
- The game is frequently compared favorably to other entries in the Final Fantasy series, such as FF9 and FF10. Players also contrast the original game with the FFVII Remake, framing the original as a foundational experience.
- The game is praised for its historical themes, such as its critique of industrialization and atomic energy, as well as its impact on gaming culture and personal development. Players reflect on its role in shaping the RPG genre.
- Players express frustration with the outdated requirement to create a Square Enix account to play the game, calling it an unnecessary and annoying barrier to entry.
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