The opinion you are about to read is based on my own experience with the game and will be overall. And by that, I mean, I bought the game for €30, since the PS5 version was not available, I bought the PS4 version and did the digital upgrade. I don't remember if it was free or if I paid any money. I think I didn't pay. Just to give you some background, I loved Final Fantasy X and spent many hours playing the original version on PS2 and the HD remastered version on PS3. I have also completed Final Fantasy XV, which I liked, but it didn't come close to the experience of FFX. Plus, in order to understand the story, I had to watch the movie and the animated series about the character Ardyn, apart from the game.

But let's talk about FFVII. Although I was a gamer and lived during the time of FFVII, I never had the chance to play the original game. So my experience is solely with the remake. I was greatly impressed that the game starts immediately with battles and adrenaline. The wonderful music playing at the same time really helps to set the mood. The technical aspect is excellent, and I liked the game because it is not an open-world game and guides you from point A to point B until you reach the end, which takes about 30 hours. The side quests were boring for me, so I avoided them. As a non-open-world game, there isn't much interaction with the world. It is similar to FFXV for those who have played it. The story is quite good and nicely wraps up the game without a cliffhanger. The combat system is fantastic. Those who enjoy hack and slash games will find joy here, as it offers variety and depth to engage with. In conclusion, I can say that it is definitely worth the €30, and you will have a great time with it.

If you want, you can watch the unboxing video at the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEi6ZciVS-M&t=16s

With great bitterness, the 3 stars. FF7 was the first game I played for 11 hours in the 3rd grade. This game was the reason I got a PS4. Despite my excitement, appetite, and the time I had to spend (it was released during the first major quarantine), I was disappointed for the following reasons:
1) It's not the whole story. Essentially, it's only until the end of the first CD.
2) It reminds me a bit of The Hobbit, in the sense that they stretched it out to make it a "complete" game with a story that simply isn't enough, and they added a bunch of pointless side quests.
3) Lastly, and this is purely subjective - don't take it into consideration - I didn't like that the characters spoke. It's purely subjective, I was just used to it being different.
Seeing the other things that are slowly coming out, like "Soldier" intergraded, etc., I understand that Square wants to exploit our nostalgia and release a game in 3-4 installments for 70 euros or with 20 euro DLCs, and it bothers me somewhat.
I'll probably reconsider when they release whatever they have to release.
Maybe yes, maybe not, but I might succumb to fandom and buy whatever they release...

I will start by confessing my sins first.
I didn't play it during its time and I haven't played many games in the series, even though I had a PS1, all three of them, and all of them on PS4. I say all this because many people who played it felt a nostalgia and emotions connected to their childhood. This has happened to me with other games.
It is a game with beautiful graphics, amazing music, and a nice story. It takes you where it wants in the way it wants, giving you the impression that it is somewhat open-world.

* The original battle system is a challenge, to tell the truth.
* I would like to point out that timing often plays a big role in games. Sometimes there are games that give you a sense of commitment and that you have to invest a lot of time in them to upgrade your weapons and unlock the appropriate perks, level up, etc.
Many times you will want something completely different, a nice, easy, and relaxing gameplay. I'm speaking for myself, as I started it three times and left it twice before finishing it.

Those who have not purchased it and have not received it for free from ps plus, should wait for the ps5 because there is content (dlc) that unfortunately is only for the ps5 and those who have a ps4 will not receive it.

I am 24 years old and I never had contact with Final Fantasy when I was young, except for one that had a protagonist with pink hair that I rented for the ps3 but got bored because back then I didn't like waiting to hit. After years, I got my hands on Final Fantasy XV and I loved it in terms of characters, story, etc. And now recently, with ps plus, Sony gave a free game for 1 year. What can I say, guys? Graphics? Sound? Battles? Character bonding? The fact that I have fallen in love with Tifa? What a girl, I want to marry her immediately. I haven't finished it yet, I will update the review in a few days because I want to see all the side quests that usually happen in games where I feel part of the world and not just grinding. Unfortunately, I haven't played the original, the only thing I know and it saddens me a little is that the game is essentially half of the original and the rest will be released in the future. But guys, the graphics it has on the ps4 slim are literally unbelievable. We're talking about graphics cards that only those who have a computer, including me, have, but if the developer creates something exclusively for a console, it runs and looks decent. It's like they've done magic. What can I say, just bravo to the Japanese for the game, I'm on the 4th part and I'm hooked. I'm not looking anywhere to avoid spoilers. But Tifa is unreal, I can't hold back.

Edit 20-5: Finished it at the 45 hours that the counter showed. Wonderful experience and I was very wrong to complain when I found out that it would be a part of the story and not the whole game like the first one. This is because the work that has been put into the graphics and sound took about 8-10 years. Just respect to Square for this masterpiece. Please buy it immediately, it will offer you wonderful experiences, character bonding, and a beautifully structured story.

It's been about 22 years since I played the old one... I didn't remember much of the story. I really didn't expect the remake to be this good in the new generation. It's a masterpiece, to put it simply. The graphics are among the best I've seen on the console, along with Red Dead, etc. The music is something else, on a symphonic orchestra level. The story and the scenes keep you engaged like in a cinema. I never got bored of the Battle system. There's a great variety of enemies and bosses. This company has shown great experience in utilizing the console's capabilities, which impressed me. Before this, I played FF15 and it was equally good in all aspects. I believe it's the best remake along with Resident Evil 1, but here we're talking about a different level. In conclusion, besides being a masterpiece, I would say the whole game is a blockbuster! Not to mention it's the best I've played, due to its uniqueness in each aspect... It simply hit the mark in this generation. Finishing the game, I can say that a piece of me will forever remain in the Honey Bee Inn...

The Remake of an epic!

The original FF7 was a miracle! It had a huge world, an unprecedented storyline, and groundbreaking graphics for its time (which have aged quite a bit now).

The game takes place in the city of Midgar, where the all-powerful Shinra corporation reigns, a company that has more or less conquered the world. The city is divided into sections where the citizens live, and underneath the surface of each section, the poor live in slums. The protagonist is Cloud Strife, a former Soldier (genetically enhanced warriors who worked for Shinra) who has now become a mercenary and, as a favor to his childhood friend, works for Avalanche, a group of ecoterrorists who believe that the planet's life force is the source of energy.

The remake only covers the Midgar section from the original game. This doesn't mean it's small, as they have expanded it from 7 hours to 40-50 hours. They have turned every room into a whole level, every major enemy is now a boss, every minor NPC has their own side quests and side stories, every gap in the schedule becomes side quest time, and wherever they found room, they added additional storylines and twists.

In addition to this, you will see many changes and differences compared to the old game, where many characters who were supposed to die survive, there is a strong side plot revolving around fate, and in the end, something unique happens that indicates they don't intend to strictly follow the original story.

The battle system has been perfectly translated into action combat, while still retaining the turn-based elements, as each character has an Action Bar, and if you don't use skills with all the characters, you won't get far.

The graphics, music, and overall production value are out of this world! Now you have a much better view of the city's layout no matter where you are, and everything looks huge, epic, and more realistic.

It is a fantastic Remake if you overlook the filler, the narrative changes, and the fact that it is only Part 1 of the overall story.

I always wanted to play Final Fantasy VII, but due to my age, I didn't get the chance back then. Later on, I learned that it received a port on PS4, but I preferred to wait for the Remake. What I saw from the trailers, I was absolutely in love with it and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I finished the game relatively recently, in 41 hours, after completing the main story, delving into the side-content to unlock all the summons and limit breaks, and decided to do a quick second playthrough just for fun.

I really enjoyed the story and found the ending to be very unique. The only problem with the story is that it doesn't wrap up 100%, so there are some unanswered questions that will likely be covered in the next game of the series. I loved the characters... almost all the characters in the game appealed to me. The battle system has become my personal favorite, it's a mix of real-time Hack 'n' Slash and Turn-Based, it has a lot of depth and is very enjoyable! The RPG elements satisfied me greatly compared to other JRPGs I have played. The graphics are stunning! There is a small issue with the textures in certain areas, but the lighting, details, character models, and world are jaw-dropping, there is no difference between the graphics in cutscenes and the graphics when playing. The set pieces and overall visual representation are a decade ahead of any other videogame I have played. There were 2-3 points in the middle of the game, and as many points towards the end of the game, that brought me to a point where I couldn't believe I was watching cutscenes from a videogame, and the good thing is that there are many great cutscenes throughout the game in general. The music is fantastic and fits perfectly with the visual aspect! The main battle theme (Those Who Fight) and the final boss theme couldn't have been better. My favorite piece in the soundtrack is Those Who Fight Further (Airbuster), it's one of the best pieces I have heard in a videogame soundtrack. One thing that impressed me a lot and I didn't expect was the attention to detail in the dialogue. My only complaints are 2. As I mentioned before, the textures in certain areas look bad. Another minor complaint is that some chapters are a bit longer than they should be.

To sum it up: Wonderful story, amazing characters, flawless gameplay, stunning graphics, incredible cutscenes, and fantastic music, but some chapters drag a bit and there are minor issues with the textures.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is one of my favorite videogames I have ever played. The game gave me the experience I wanted in its first half, while in the second half it simply exceeded my expectations and in the end, I was left speechless. Whether you are fans of the series or have never been involved with the series... just play it, it's worth it.