Just finished FFVII Remake. As a fan of the original... it has a lot to like, but for me a lot to dislike and a lot of missed opportunities.
How was the combat? For me, that will be crucial. If you played FFXV, is it like that?
I was not a fan of FFXV. Quit about 75% the way through because bored.
You got a lot farther than me. I quit maybe 20% into FFXV at best.
All right, here goes. Bear in mind I played Octopath Traveler immediately prior to VII Remake - which is old school turn based.
Yes I completed XV. It took me a while to get into it - but I played Comrades, the online multiplayer (or not, it can be played with AI companions) DLC and absolutely loved that. I got a LOT better at the main game after playing that DLC. The main game has issues - a lot of which got fixed with various patches, but all in all I enjoyed it a lot. I didn't like how some of the bosses were just totally on rails though (ie, Titan, Leviathan) - you were more watching than playing.
Combat in VII Remake, well, I didn't love it in the demo. I got better at it, though I am in no way *good*. People are raving about it but I didn't love it. Too many times you are unable to do what you want (and if you cast a spell or use an ability and get interrupted, your 'turn bar' is lost, which I found quite unfair - so you end up running away or switching character and running away).
It's trying to be half way between action and turn based but IMHO it doesn't do that. Turn (ATB) gauge doesn't fill based on time only, it fills faster if you use the standard attacks or get damaged... which is all well and good... but if you have no gauge you can't use a potion or spell and you can't just wait for it to fill. Makes no sense.
I mean - best thing to do is try the demo. I played that through twice and I was SO much better by the end of the second run but I wasn't enjoying it more. I don't think the game gets much harder than that honestly. There is a hard mode after you finish it through once. There are three modes initially, Normal (which is what I played through on), Classic and Easy. The latter two... well in theory Classic should be awesome, because it makes it just about using your ATB gauge while not worrying about standard attacks. But they made Classic based on Easy.. it doesn't gel with the game. Lots of positional awareness needed; lots of times if you fat finger or are a split second too late in dodging you get stunned or whatever and have to switch characters (or in one particular fight have to restart as there is one enemy that 'binds' you and another that casts static mines everywhere, so if you mess up you're going from ~3/4 health to dead before you can act again... and this is a bit where you are solo...).
I... and the story, they made a lot good, but the ending is just silly. They've gone OTT anime trope rather than where the original was at the same point. I don't know how they bring it back down - eg you already have Firaga (or Firaja, I can't remember - third level elemental spells anyway). They need to reset you down to like level 15 instead of the cap at 50, and I just don't know how they'll do that.
I think they've gone down the Star Trek reboot route... and I hated that. Star Trek was always a bit more cerebral, more chilled out. Not a typical Hollywood action thing.
So yeah. Lots to like, but they expanded the wrong stuff (yay more slums and more sewers; not more of upper-Midgar), and decided to add so so much whizz bang silliness. And after this you're going to walk to Kalm and.... talk about stuff like you did in the original? No because much of that's been shown already.
Sigh. With such a big title, from such huge developers, and such a huge fanbase they could've done something magical and what they did was cutting through buildings and defying fate. Lots of people are mentioning Kingdom Hearts, which I haven't played. But yeah it seems like what we're seeing is a pivot to a parallel/alternate dimension with fate and destiny and a load of nonsense.
It's a good game, especially as a stand alone... but that's where they messed up IMHO, it isn't stand alone, it's part of a story and they've forgotten that in trying to make the ending be super duper flashy. Bad choice. Oh well.
The graphics are amazing vs the original of course, and lovely to see and explore. Just.. just... ah. I mean I'm not super sad/angry like some people. Just seems like a shame, they took something that needed *remaking* with plot holes filled in and whatnot, and did a *reboot* with all sorts of really not original ideas to make it go boom! bang!