I finished! My original review stands; eleventy billion stars/10. There were a few things I didn’t care for, but I really, really appreciate all the work that went into this world. It was a truly remarkable experience as a game, and that first day will always stick with me.
From the trip to Wally World at 7:30 am, since Amazon decided to NOT ship before release day, to playing the fight themes for the Remake soundtrack to get pumped while the game installed. And when I finally started the game I just sat there and listened to the entire Prelude track. I wept openly about halfway through, seeing some parallels in my own “Rebirth” of a sort a few months ago when I moved. It was all pretty overwhelming, but a good release. It could have been the timing, the birthday, the proximity to other anniversaries, who knows. But I know I needed it, and will be something I never ever forget.
It was also not the only time I wept in this game, though I didn’t get too emotional when the big “stabby-stabby” part happened, but seeing the other’s reaction to it brought forth a few tears. I did also cry a bit when visiting the Grasslands Chocobo farm for the first time, and it was the music cue that did it. There were a LOT of little moments like this throughout the game, and I think the love that the devs show for the material really shines through, even if the execution is a little off here and there.
This was another such moment. I mean, it’s Cosmo Freakin’ Canyon! I think this was the part I was looking forward to the most, and they did not disappoint.
The gameplay overall was a lot of fun. There is a LOT of Ubisoft-like side quests, but if the world is interesting enough to play in, then I want things to keep me there, and while not every thing is perfect, it’s more than enough to keep me engaged, and the best part is that 90% of the side content is completely optional and can be ignored. So, I’m not giving up my map of quests when it comes to gems like this:
I really wanted the Cloud one, but clicked a bit too late. Yuffie-taur will have to do.
It’s an incredible game, and of course, super highly recommended. Will post more and some great screenshots later on!
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