I spent most of my Final Fantasy VII Revelation demo fighting against it – and unfortunately, it wasn’t against one of the challenging, larger-than-life boss battles the Remake series has executed so well.
The stuff I love about the first two games in the Remake series is clearly still present in the third entry, and I’m sure they’d shine brighter under better circumstances. I just wish the splatter of random markers that cluttered the map were as motivating as its charming cast, dynamic combat, and exceptional soundtrack.
According to representatives from Square Enix, the playable segment of the game (Chapter 4) I recently played runs about 15-20 hours. I only had 50 minutes, though I could’ve easily spent three hours and barely gotten a solid feel for what Hamaguchi and his team are cooking with this one. In fact, I think the demo’s length conspired against it.
After a brief reintroduction to the crew aboard the Highwind, I got to fly it around the Planet and find my first destination. I know it’s a small detail, but maneuvering this continent-hopping airship felt great. Cutting through the air at high speeds hits with the right oomph for something you’ll probably spend ample time doing. That mile-high perspective highlighted the scale and depth that Square Enix’s Creative Business Unit 1 is working with in Revelation’s open world. It’s impressive from the clouds, but did this game no favors up close.
I respect the team’s desire to scale the original up to today’s open-world standards, but I think the Remake trilogy has always been at its best with a little more focus. This demo hammered that home with force. After parachuting Fortnite-style onto Mideel, I don’t think I went five minutes without being assaulted by a new pop-up.
Advertising a sidequest, special fight, or treasure trove, they showed up automatically, stopping everything. This happened every time I walked into a new section of the map. I couldn’t even mash through them in this demo. These annoyances deflated so much of the magic and excitement of dropping into a new area, and I hope they’re gone (or at least toned down) in the final game.
Suddenly, the mysterious path that leads around a bend or the waterfall hiding a fun secret loses its mystique and appeal. It undermines the gorgeous environmental art, which really shone in Mideel’s lush jungles and mossy mountains, but in this short demo at least, it really kneecaps the level design. Exploring – on foot or Chocobo back – feels reduced to a checklist, rather than an adventure. It’s like going on a vacation, only to dart from attraction to attraction without leaving time to mosey around.
Revelation does handle the overwhelming volume of stuff there is to do on the map somewhat well once it’s actually marked down. You get a device that lets you track nearby points of interest at the press of a button, with color-coded indicators pointing from your character toward fun nearby stuff. You can use it as much (or as little) as you want. I relied on it to fast-track what’s been my least favorite part of the Remake trilogy thus far.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/final-fantasy-7-revelation-left-me-with-high-hopes-even-if-its-doubling-down-on-rebirths-biggest-weakness/
