Square Enix has recently put out a question which made the gaming world to think again – what are the things that make the first Final Fantasy VII so loved and relatable? They even went further and gave a link to the detailed explanation while also informing people that the classic game is still available as an early purchase bonus for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. However, the whole promotional tweet was not the main story – it was the huge reaction that followed.
The comments started to reveal the preference for either the OG purists or the remake defenders but the decision was almost unanimous, the comments were very hot. Very hot indeed! Player E☠️-SOLDIER, among others, was the one to pitch it nicely when he claimed “Because it was created by Devs & Writers who at the time had unrestricted creativity.” This really hit hard with a solid punch due to its correctness – back in 1997, the artists in the game industry had no committee approvals and focus groups limiting them.
In the same context, BreakfastKing has pointed out that when he played the FF7 original he “never felt like he was stalling for time.” Which, oof, that’s a direct hit at the remake’s pacing problems. The original game just went on and on connecting the clicks with no filler content at all, just the opposite action of modern gamespeople are used to.
And then, Asoe came along who wrote in Spanish but allowed me to translate: “The original story, and the battle system (without those fatigue bars), materias and their evolution, minigames, chocobos… it’s a masterpiece. It was a mistake to make a remake so bad, the only thing they had to do was to convert #FFVII into #FFX to win over.” In a nutshell, he exclaimed that, he also referred to the original battle system devoid of that “fatigue bar crap” as being superior and the remake as a letdown because they should have just turned FF7 into the style of FF10 instead of whatever they did.
The whole debate surrounding the combat system got REALLY intense as well. Tinfoil Cat even defiantly proclaimed, “The turn-based fighting is superior in every way to the garbage in the remake.” A fellow gamer enjoined “Skill issue” in response which, lol, that retort is so typical of the gamer vibe. But it does underscore the lines between players regarding the debate from the traditional turn-based shift to action RPG.
Then there was BritishBozja who was almost begging Square Enix to “Just give us a faithful remake of the original game, its what everyone wants.” And frankly? Based on these comments, they could be right. The request for a 1:1 remake with state-of-the-art graphics is still very high even several years after the initial remake.
What is really surprising is the huge number of players who are recommending the newcomers to just go for the original. XC_Stellar was extremely straightforward – “Yes people should just play the real FF7 and stop there.” They seem to be acting as if they were trying to protect people from disappointment or something. That is how strongly people are feeling about the original experience preservation.
The emotional bond indeed is very strong. BOG BRE remarked that “What made FF7 top tier was the emotional ride of killing off a good-spirited main character, nobody is now willing to take the risk of killing off a beloved character.” Of course, they are talking about the most iconic scene in the industry and how video games have become so forgiving that even the most daring narrative risks today are not taken anymore.
Ricky was also very pleased to draw attention to the translation mistakes that won the love! He even brought up the classic “Attack while it is tail’s up!” error that became iconic rather than breaking the immersion. Those little imperfections gave a lot of character to the original, something that modern polished localizations often lack.
A major point was raised by Benjamin McLean concerning preservation – “Always keeping the original release available is the right way to handle old games, remasters, and remakes.” This is a viewpoint that more companies should consider, rather than just withdrawing the older versions when remasters come out.
The atmosphere argument kept coming up too. Jason called it out perfectly – “It’s got atmosphere and soul. Nothing can touch the 90s JRPG era.” There is simply something about that pre-HD age when developers had to imply so much through limited technology, leaving it up to the player imagination to fill the gaps.
What is of great interest is that Last Chalice tagged CloudyWolf80 asking if they would concur that it is “potentially the greatest game ever made.” The community agreement, at least among the hardcore fans in these replies, seems to lean that way.
