I never touched the original so I went in fresh. Midgar feels massive and lived in. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Barret have great chemistry. The banter between them makes every scene work. These characters feel real and the writing gives them room to breathe.
The combat looks like action button mashing at first but there’s real depth once you learn the systems. Positioning matters. Staggering enemies is essential for big damage. Each weapon has its own skill tree that changes how you approach fights. Swapping between party members mid-fight keeps things dynamic. Normal mode hits a good difficulty curve once you understand stagger mechanics. Hard mode removes items and MP regeneration which completely changes how you build your party.
Materia is where strategy lives. You can pair certain materia together for crazy synergies. Elemental damage on your weapon, abilities that build pressure automatically, speeding up your ATB gauge. Boss fights are multi-phase spectacles with clear patterns to learn. You interrupt certain attacks, target weak points, exploit elemental weaknesses. Regular enemies get repetitive toward the end but the tougher variants keep you engaged.
The story hooked me. Watching this group of eco-terrorists slowly become friends while dealing with a megacorporation draining the planet’s life energy. Cloud’s character arc is compelling. He starts closed off and slowly opens up. Tifa and Aerith are both well written with their own motivations and personalities. Barret brings heart and conviction that grounds everything.
Some chapters drag a bit but the character moments always land. The game takes its time with quiet scenes. Conversations at the bar, walking through the slums talking to people. Makes you care about this place and these people.
The game is visually stunning. Combat stays readable even when effects are everywhere. The soundtrack is phenomenal. Every boss theme goes hard. The orchestral arrangements and dynamic music during fights elevate everything. The sound design makes combat feel impactful. The voice acting carries the emotional weight.
Coming in blind made this hit harder. The story sets up big questions for the sequels and I’m already invested. Solid action RPG that nails the character work.