Final Fantasy VII PC (re-release) Review

Gameplay is also untouched from the original, with its superb turn based battle format remaining as much fun as it was back when the game launched. Now turn based combat is nothing new and it certainly wasn’t new when this game came out and it has been a staple of hard core RPGs pretty much since the genre began, but for me personally, FFVII got the balance just right.

When in a party of 1-3 people, timers count down for both you and the enemies on screen, you have a choice of ACTIVE or WAIT timed battle, one to keep the action flowing and the other to allow you to think things through, fortunately this and even the battle speed can be changed out side of battle from the game’s options menu, meaning you can keep things nice and steady until you feel comfortable with the format, before cranking it all to maximum speed, always a welcome option for a game that has a high number of random battles on many of the games sections, allowing you to fly through some of the lesser battles or cut the length of some of the grander scale boss fights.

Melee attacks make up the bulk of the basic moves, with characters sporting absurd oversized swords, guns and more to pummel your foes, but the game really shines through with its magic system with an item known at “materia”, equipping material allows your characters to cast a number of spells, that range from anything simple like fire and ice to dazzling meteor strikes later in the game, they offer a lot of variety and the ability to level up each material to high versions through usage means things stay fresh for the bulk of the game.

Creature summons also play a large part, essentially your most powerful spells, allowing you to summon creatures like Ifrit, a god of fire and destruction who will lay waste to your enemies, or even the fabled Knights of the Round summon, one of the games rarer items, which casts a full 13 monsters, an amazing cast, but you could put the kettle on while it completes its cycle its so over the top and lengthy, but of course, its worth it if you know how to even find it within the game.

While the game doesn’t feature a crafting system, the game is littered with places you can buy and sell items and weapons using the games currency, known as “gil”, you can of course steal items from your foes in battle, or even more so receive items and weapons are drops after defeating them.

The game also offers one of the most unique worlds in gaming, even to this day, with a full world map to explore, full of towns, mountains and even a freaking theme park, and yes there are rides, games and fun times to be had there too.

For those wanting to explore every corner, collect and level up all the materia and characters, take part in all the mini games, defeat some of the now legendary hidden bosses and now thanks to the new release even master the new included in-game achievements, let alone actually complete the main storyline, you can be looking at near 200 hours of solid gameplay.