Final Fantasy 7 Remake HANDS ON: 8 Ups & 3 Downs

4. The Story

They have changed the story of Final Fantasy VII.

Let's get that upfront and out the way.

This is not simply a "remake" of the game, it's a reimagining of the story. Things happen at different times, in different places, and for different reasons. Avalanche attack Shinra's Mako reactors with the intention of breaking them, but the company themselves blow them up in an attempt to frame the group and diminish their support. This reframes the story, and according to the developers, that's something that happens throughout.

While I'm incredibly precious about the original narrative, it is, in hindsight, a bit of a mess. Some motivations are never made clear, some threads are dropped and never revisited, and some entire beats lost all their meaning in the original translation. Being bold enough to clean all this up, even if it means changing things, is something the studio should be commended for. Especially given that it looks like they've done it right.

Well, except for Sephiroth, but more on him later.