Yes, I know I just made another
similar thread about FF7R's execution of Midgar as a setting compared to the original, but after playing further into the game I just can't shake this analogy that keeps coming to mind: Final Fantasy 7 Remake feels like a "Twin Snakes" interpretation of FF7.
If you're not familiar with the Twin Snakes GameCube remake of MGS1, just know that it has long been the mercilessly mocked for its goofy, outlandish re-telling of MGS1's events. Much like FF7, MGS1 was a landmark PS1 title that blew people's minds on release and still very much holds up today. And much like Twin Snakes, FF7R feels like a cringe-inducing, over-the-top retelling of the legendary game that inspired it.
I'm not gonna stand here and act like FF7R is anything but a well-crafted modern action-RPG. It's a supremely polished labor of love that brings some interesting ideas to the table with regard to combat, and certain scenes and/or elements of the original are recreated with care here. I also fully recognize that remaking even a portion of a PS1-era JRPG with modern fidelity is an incredibly daunting proposition. But the whole time I've been playing this remake I find myself thinking, "I sure hope nobody plays this as their first and only FF7 experience." Because, honestly, I think someone playing FF7R who never experienced the original might think to themselves, "This is the game people go crazy over?"
NO. It's not. FF7R is a cheesy, rigidly linear, and tonally inconsistent take on an all-time classic. The original FF7 that people rave about is on another plane of excellence from this for more reasons than I have time to cover. The atmosphere, the music, the scope, the characters... all of it is not only different in the original, but also just flat-out better than what we get here in this remake. It's like someone took the Midgar portion of FF7 and blasted it to hell with an Advent Children gun before sprinkling in some weird story wrinkles of its own (you know the ones).
Don't even get me started on Barret in FF7R
FF7 is a game that I've revisited a few times in recent years, and it still absolutely captivates me. I'm sucked into that world every time, even viewing it through today's modern gaming lens. While playing FF7R, however, half of the time I'm actually,
literally wincing or rolling my eyes at the voice acting, the goofy NPC models, the excessively silly cutscenes, the weird story additions, the overly muted and/or excessively bombastic remade musical tracks, and the tonal disparity when compared to the original. It feels like a run-of-the-mill shonen anime plot in the remake. Maybe you could argue that the original's plot could be accused of the same, but its delivery was worlds apart.
Now I know that this game has received great critical reception and is generally considered to be among the best modern remakes of classic games, but I've gotta say I'm struggling to understand that right now. I'm not incredibly far into the game (just got to the church with Aerith), but I've seen enough to feel compelled to make this thread.
