[h1] One of the worst games I've ever played. [/h1]
I finished this game twice by now. My first playthrough was on PS4 when this game just came out. I didn't know the original/Dirge of Cerberus/Advent Children stories back then, only played Crisis Core. And boy i didn't like this game. It looked like a flashforward fanservice simulator made for old fans, not for new players, because the game doesn't explain ♥♥♥♥. I was thinking [i]"Well, I don't know the context, maybe old fans are having a blast with this game?".[/i] Boy, was I wrong. This game has tons and tons more problems I won't dive into in this review, but to be brief about what I won't mention in details: tons of very low poly textures, especially in Sector 5 slums, garbage sidequests, very bad story pacing with some very boring plot moments being VERY long (because they've turned 4 hour prologue of the original game into a 30 hour separate game), awful gamedesign when it comes to bosses (phase shifts always start with a cutscene that resets their stagger gauge and gives them invulnerabilty which may result in you wasting your limit breaks or MP), frustrating fact that you lose your ATB, Limit Break gauge and MP even when your attacks/casts were interrupted, very bland environments during the day with everything just turning brown and grey (this game looks good only in buildings or during the night), the lack of option of playing as someone other than Cloud outside of battle.
Aight, now back to my biggest issue with this game: the plot and the narrative.
[b] This time I came prepared. [/b]
I replayed Crisis Core, finished the PSX original, I finished Dirge of Cerberus and i watched Advent Children and these old games and film were one amazing journey. And now I can finally understand what the hell is going on with the story of this "Remake". And guess what? Now I hate it even more.
This game is literally the dumbest and trivial demonstration of scriptwriter's incompetense with logic, drama and reason. They kill characters only to resurrect them five minutes later. They throw flashforwards at you only to say "guess what? this won't happen in next game" by the end of the game. They "spoil" plot elements to your characters (but not to you) AND THEY DON'T GIVE TWO ♥♥♥♥♥ ABOUT IT. Tifa, Barret and Aerith literally hear ALL SPOILERS plot throws at your party, but Cloud doesn't hear it because he's conviniently having seisures every time. And no one around Cloud cares about his seisures OR WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THE PLOT.
And let's not forget about the embodiement of the worst plot decision of all time: Whispers. Scriptwriters introduced spirits that prevent events from shifting from the plot of the original game. But for some reason plot still constantly shifts from the original. If you wanted to change the plot, why would you introduce this lazy plot element to your game? Or if you didn't want to change the plot, why would you still do it all the time? Why kill characters only to bring them back 2 minutes later because "Wait, this didn't happen in the original game!"? Why introduce new characters only to use them for like 5 minutes and then do the "oh, see you in a sequel" move?
And the most important question I doubt we'll have answer to: [b] WHY WOULD YOU ADVERTISE AND PRESENT THIS GAME AS A REMAKE WHEN IT'S NOT A REMAKE, BUT A DIRECT SEQUEL THAT'S NOT INTENDED FOR NEW PLAYERS? [/b]
