Final Fantasy 7 Remake isn’t for me and that makes me a bit sad – Reader’s Feature

As Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 a long-time fan of the original game is frustrated to find he doesn’t like it.

I really wanted to love Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Scratch that, I fully expected to love Final Fantasy 7 Remake (or Intergrade, if you want to give it its full, slightly nonsensical name). The original Final Fantasy 7 was my all-time favourite game for years. Not just my favourite Final Fantasy, but the game – the one that defined my gaming life in the late ’90s.

So, when the remake finally landed on a console I actually own (the Switch 2), I jumped straight into the demo with a level of anticipation I haven’t felt since first firing up Zelda: Breath Of The Wild.

And at first, it was everything I hoped for.

The game looks stunning. The music immediately hits that nostalgic sweet spot. The Midgar fly-over is awe-inspiring, then the train rolls in and I’m transported straight back to that unforgettable opening sequence I remember so vividly. For a brief moment, I was completely sold.

Then the problems started.

Unfair criticism alert: the characters don’t sound like I imagined they would. I know that sounds ridiculous, but if you played the original Final Fantasy 7 at the time, you probably know what I mean.

I’m not sure I even consciously realised I’d stored my own versions of these characters for nearly 30 years, voices included, but hearing them fully voiced for the first time just felt… wrong. Not badly acted, just not what I expected. In my head, Barrett was always closer to a parody: louder, broader, and more jovial than the gruffer version we get here.

Then we have another issue: the incredible graphics. Um, what? Hear me out. The original Final Fantasy 7 was never a realistic game. It was heavily stylised, abstract and often downright weird, and that was part of its charm. Seeing everything rendered in hyper-detailed, modern visuals is undeniably impressive, but somehow it feels less like Final Fantasy to me, not more.

And then there’s the combat.

What on earth is going on?

I’ll admit upfront that I haven’t stuck with it long enough to fully acclimatise, and I even tried the so-called ‘Classic’ option to ease myself in. Even then, I found it overwhelming. Numbers flying everywhere, commands I didn’t fully understand, enemies attacking in real-time, and constant movement and timing to think about – just too much for a turn-based slowpoke like me.

Instead of soaking in the atmosphere or enjoying the visuals, I spent most of my time trying to work out what I was actually meant to be doing. That undoubtedly says more about me than the game, but it also highlights an important point: this simply isn’t what I play Final Fantasy for.

Which raises the bigger question: if this remake isn’t really aimed at people like me, then who is it for?

I understand there’s a huge audience for action-focused Japanese role-playing games, and clearly this style of game is popular. But if that’s the direction Square Enix wants to go in, why retell this specific story? Why not create a new world with fresh characters and let Final Fantasy 7 exist as the classic it already is?

I know I’m in the minority. Plenty of people love Final Fantasy 7 Remake and it’s great that it’s found a new audience. But for me, it’s proof that modern Final Fantasy may no longer be the series for me – and that’s fine. If you feel similarly, I’d strongly recommend games like the Octopath Traveler series, which prove Square Enix can still absolutely knock a turn-based Japanese role-player out of the park.

All I know is this, if Square Enix ever decides to remake my other favourite game, Final Fantasy 6, I’m terrified. Please… don’t do the same thing to that game!

By reader David Tucker

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