LogFAQs > #979271790

Without a doubt it's got a slow start. I got used to and comfortable with the open world after getting the chocobo, but found myself a bit tired of the open world stuff once I got into the second region... ...at first. I grew to appreciate it a little bit more as I progressed and realized that it can all be done in bite-sized bits that you can always return to (barring a few sequences where you temporarily lose backtracking). They're good to knock out in short playsessions at a time. Some of the minigames are miss but a few are fine. Honestly, it's a lot like how JRPGs always used to be on Disc 3, just now it's from the very beginning.

I'd say it officially hits its stride when you get to Upper Junon. The main story starts to get quite a bit more interesting when you get there, and the game goes really, really hard on certain bits of plot. Every single party member is a bestboy/girl candidate this time around.

I was ho-hum about it all at first but without a doubt it picks up speed. I've not yet felt the need to grind which is a plus, combat gets much more satisfying the farther you get in, the more abilities you unlock, and the more materia slots you get. My hope is that if there's a part 3, the pace starts on the higher end of the bell curve now that what I assume is the formula going forward is established.

I think the best takeaway is that we don't have a "remake of FF7" so much as a new game following the story of the original game with a ton of reverence for it. I found myself grinning ear to ear on more than a few occasions after things did get going.