Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review - Limit Break
Final Fantasy VII Remake is rich in details that were previously unexplored, realizes new storytelling ambitions with confidence, and presents fresh perspectives that feel both meaningful and essential. It achieves these goals so successfully that it's hard to think that this story existed in any other way
For as strong as Final Fantasy VII Remake's gameplay is, it's the narrative and characters that truly stand out as its crowning achievement. For the vast majority of the game, Final Fantasy VII Remake isn't the story of a ragtag group of eco-terrorists fighting for the fate of the planet that the original was. Instead, it's a more focused, deeply personal story. Even though Avalanche's ultimate goal is to free the planet from the vampiric jaws of Shinra, the events that transpire narrow that battle to a struggle for the here and now, instead of the future. Unlike the original, there's also a much greater emphasis on the moral grey areas of the battle. Avalanche essentially pokes the sleeping dragon, and when Shinra retaliates, it's the already-downtrodden people of the slums that suffer.
They live a meager existence, albeit one they're comfortable with. As citizens of the undercity, living in the squalor of homes built from rusted metal sheets, propped up and forced together, is all they've known, and all they've known has been provided by Shinra. Just like the ramshackle buildings they live and work in, all they can do is use what they have to hold each other up. Because of that, many don't see Avalanche's fight against Shinra as a clear-cut battle between good and evil, right and wrong, in the same way that Barret and other members of Avalanche do. Walking through the various sectors of Midgar, you'll often hear people condemning Avalanche. The validity of the group's actions are frequently called into question, sometimes by members of the group itself. Tifa, for example, is less caught-up in the cause, even though she takes part in it. When the blowback hits her community, she shows signs of self-doubt, questioning the cause and seeking reassurance from others.
