23 years ago, one of the most iconic Final Fantasy games was released. Final Fantasy 7 enraptured the public with a game-changing story and incredible graphics. Of course, today, the story might hold up, but the gameplay and graphics certainly don’t.

Enter Final Fantasy 7 Remake, a project meant to pull this classic into the modern era. With an updated combat system and incredible graphics, Square Enix hopes to draw in new fans and deliver a dose of nostalgia for those who played it all the way back in the 90s.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake doesn’t actually remake the entire game. This entry only covers the story as it occurs in Midgar. Everything after will be covered in subsequent games.

So, this means there is a lot of content that is added to the game. In some ways, this gives people more of what they love about the original Final Fantasy 7. In other ways, it can make the game feel bloated, unnecessarily tedious, and long. It seems that people have all sorts of opinions on Final Fantasy 7 Remake, so I’ll let you read the reviews so you can see for yourself!

  • Gamespot – 10

  • Video Games Chronicle – 5/5

  • GamesRadar+ – 4.5/5

  • Destructoid – 9/10

  • Press Start – 9/10

  • Game Informer – 8.75/10

  • IGN – 8/10

  • RPG Site – 8/10

  • Stevivor – 8/10

  • VG247 – 4/5

  • USgamer – 3.5/5

  • Telegraph – 3/5

  • Screen Rant – “it’s possible that it’s also laid the foundation for what could be the greatest series of Final Fantasy games ever put together – providing the quality holds up once the story begins to really expand in the next installment, of course.”

  • Launcher – “it’s all worth it, just for the sentimentality and earnestness of its small, beautiful character moments. Final Fantasy VII Remake gives permission to soak in how we remember old, familiar moments of our lives, even if they’re not quite the way we remember them.”

  • Polygon – “This isn’t a replacement for the original game. It’s another take on the same ideas, blown up to fill multiple releases in a way that feels artistically justified in some ways and mercenary in its approach to becoming a commercial juggernaut in others.”

  • Eurogamer – “But I feel safe in saying that, for the most part, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake gave me everything I was looking for. What I think it got right another fan may disagree with, and that doesn’t mean either of us are wrong.”

  • Kotaku – “It’s a grand, ambitious, beautiful experiment, a bold new take on a game that millions of people remember fondly. It sometimes feels shackled by the weight of two decades worth of expectations, but it handles those restraints with aplomb.”

And those are all the reviews! Although critics seem split on if the game is incredible or not, there seems to be a consensus that it’s a good time. For RPG fans, and especially for Final Fantasy fans, this might be a game to pick up. At the moment, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is only available on PS4. It will come to consoles at a later point in time, but it is an exclusive for now.

We here at The Nerd Stash recently discussed what made the original Final Fantasy 7 great. Give it a read if you feel likely diving into the past.

In other news, a Final Fantasy IX update has deleted the entire game.