Current Events > I really don't understand why FF7:Remake is so well received. I find it boring

(+) Yeah! (+)

Yes, it's beautiful. Yes, the music is amazing. Yes, the combat _can be fun_.

But most of the game is spent either watching cutscenes or walking forward (to get to the next cutscene). The vast majority of the combat is boring because mashing square to win is faster than actually fighting "correctly". A few battles were actually engaging and asked me to think a bit, but most of them are a button mashing snooze-fest.

I'm in Ch16 right now, which a lot of people said was their favorite part, and it's probably the most boring section of the game. The building is mostly empty and all I do is enter a giant, empty room and run to the exit. Going up the 59 flights of stairs was beyond painful and the entire sequence that forced me to walk through the museum was worse. The only "gameplay" in this entire chapter so far involved me playing as Tifa doing some really janky platforming (it was not fun).

Maybe I just don't like JRPGs anymore?

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Stop playing on easy if you think mashing sqaure is better than playing the game correctly.

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Its the most disappointing game this generation imo

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FabIemaster posted...

Stop playing on easy if you think mashing sqaure is better than playing the game correctly.

I'm playing on Normal. I would have played on Hard but the game wouldn't let me.

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TC plays the game on Easy Mode and then criticizes the combat system

My sides

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FabIemaster posted...

Stop playing on easy if you think mashing sqaure is better than playing the game correctly.

I remember back in the SNES days I mostly just held on a button.

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RchHomieQuanChi posted...

TC plays the game on Easy Mode and then criticizes the combat system

My sides

Giant_Aspirin posted...

I'm playing on Normal. I would have played on Hard but the game wouldn't let me.

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You know you could have used a elevator .

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It's not a perfect game but I think it's fun. I love the ridiculous "this is a JRPG" moments like the squat contests and the crossdressing. There are a lot of cutscenes and dialogue, but that's what I want from FF.

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cjsdowg posted...

You know you could have used a elevator .

it seemed like the wrong choice because of the reasons Cloud stated. but yeah, i should have gone that way. maybe i would have had to actually do something besides run in circles for five minutes. and seriously fuck the game designer right in his face for making you walk SO SLOW during the last five flights.

between auto-cure and being able to cure outside of battle, i rarely do anything in random battles besides mash square and use braver/triple slash whenever possible. and there are so few battles in the first place like wtf.

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Cheese_Crackers posted...

It's not a perfect game but I think it's fun. I love the ridiculous "this is a JRPG" moments like the squat contests and the crossdressing. There are a lot of cutscenes and dialogue, but that's what I want from FF.

i like dialog and scenes too. they drive the story and a good story is like half of why i liked JRPGs. but dialog and cutscenes should be woven into the gameplay and used to drive it forward, not be a substitute for it. there have been so many times in this game where i watched a scene, then did nothing but walk forward to trigger the next scene. its like the designers were talking and said

"hey guys, this scene has been going on for like 5 minutes. we should break it up with gameplay so the player doesnt feel disconnected"
"good idea .... what should we do?"
"hmmm .... i dont know. theres nothing that really makes sense"
".... i know. have the player _walk forward_ for like 10 seconds!"
"BRILLIANT"

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

i like dialog and scenes too. they drive the story and a good story is like half of why i liked JRPGs. but dialog and cutscenes should be woven into the gameplay and used to drive it forward, not be a substitute for it.

I can agree to that. There is definitely a more elegant way of delivering the story, especially when every tiny aspect of the original story has been expanded upon so much.

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Can't really call the gameplay boring when you're not playing on the best difficulty. You would get bodied if you mindlessly mashed square to win on Hard mode.

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

between auto-cure and being able to cure outside of battle, i rarely do anything in random battles besides mash square and use braver/triple slash whenever possible. and there are so few battles in the first place like wtf.

How have you gotten this far and not explored the combat? You should switch between your characters often. Just put on easy mode since you don't even utilize the combat system.

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The_Scarecrow posted...

Can't really call the gameplay boring when you're not playing on the best difficulty. You would get bodied if you mindlessly mashed square to win on Hard mode.

The game didn't let me play on Hard or I would have. I think if the combat required more attention I'd have a lot of fun with it.

FF_Redux posted...

How have you gotten this far and not explored the combat? You should switch between your characters often. Just put on easy mode since you don't even utilize the combat system.

I guess I haven't really needed to aside from boss fights. For regular mobs I just use Cloud. For most enemies when I focus on building stagger the enemy is almost dead by the time I actually stagger, so I find its more efficient to focus on pure damage vs stagger. I was fighting against some enemy in Ch15 and the assessment told me to use wind to stagger it. So I cast Aero on the thing and it filled the stagger bar by like 30%. I cast it two more times and finally staggered it, then it died in like 2-3 regular attacks. The next enemy (of the same type), I instead focused on mashing square. It died faster and without using MP.

During boss fights I do actively rotate between characters and use spells, etc.

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The_Scarecrow posted...

Can't really call the gameplay boring when you're not playing on the best difficulty. You would get bodied if you mindlessly mashed square to win on Hard mode.

Doesn't the game not let you do a true hard mode playthrough, though. When I finished normal mode it seemed my only option to play hard mode was to revisit specific chapters retaining my level and items. That concept doesn't really appeal to me, I would rather have a clean slate

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

Yes, it's beautiful. Yes, the music is amazing. Yes, the combat _can be fun_.

But most of the game is spent either watching cutscenes or walking forward (to get to the next cutscene). The vast majority of the combat is boring because mashing square to win is faster than actually fighting "correctly". A few battles were actually engaging and asked me to think a bit, but most of them are a button mashing snooze-fest.

I'm in Ch16 right now, which a lot of people said was their favorite part, and it's probably the most boring section of the game. The building is mostly empty and all I do is enter a giant, empty room and run to the exit. Going up the 59 flights of stairs was beyond painful and the entire sequence that forced me to walk through the museum was worse. The only "gameplay" in this entire chapter so far involved me playing as Tifa doing some really janky platforming (it was not fun).

Maybe I just don't like JRPGs anymore?

Bad idea to say that you dont like FF7 on gamefaqs. Everytime either Link or Cloud wins those stupid character/game battles. You're gonna get pitchforked by all the fanboys.

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for the most part the responses to my points have been valid. CE did good today

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

I'm playing on Normal. I would have played on Hard but the game wouldn't let me.

sorry, i occasionally use Braver or Triple Slash when my ATB is full. so i dont "just mash attack", my bad.

You are not going to be able to complete a single chapter on hard.

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people like it because it's new and flashy

but it's not even a fraction of how amazing the og ff7 is

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Tyranthraxus posted...

You are not going to be able to complete a single chapter on hard.

i mean if mashing attack while spamming two moves wins on Hard too that would be terrible.

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Guerrilla Soldier posted...

people like it because it's new and flashy

that's the way i feel about it. SE created this really epic interactive cinematic experience. but it's not a very fun game to play.

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I don't have this game but am I understanding correctly that you literally can't play on hard for your first playthrough, but people are still unironically giving TC shit for not playing on hard?

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Hard doesn't get unlocked until you beat Normal

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

i mean if mashing attack while spamming two moves wins on Hard too that would be terrible.

Honestly it sounds like you simply don't like the genre. Most jrpg combat isn't any more complex. Hell, the original FF7 is even simpler most of the time.

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

Maybe I just don't like JRPGs anymore?

Based on your posts, yeah. Id say this is accurate. Nothing wrong with that
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FabIemaster posted...

Stop playing on easy if you think mashing sqaure is better than playing the game correctly.

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Balrog0 posted...

I don't have this game but am I understanding correctly that you literally can't play on hard for your first playthrough, but people are still unironically giving TC shit for not playing on hard?

That's not what he's being given shit about. You can't "mash Square" to get through the game. That might work on the rats in sector 5 but doesn't work on virtually any bosses or many normal enemies midway through the game.

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I fully agree that FF7R is not some world-breaking great game like so much of the game's board would have it. It's not a bad game, but it's far from great, much less some legendary instant classic on the scale of Halo 1 or Dark Souls or whatever. What it is, is the most underwhelming experience of modern gaming. Which, again, doesn't make it bad. It just makes it very meh.

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Because people liked it.

I found the game to be decent honestly. I liked the extended roles given to the Avalanche trio and most of the additions were fine. Yet it seems like Square was forcing the game to be longer then it was but slowing movement to a crawl at times.

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Tyranthraxus posted...

That's not what he's being given shit about. You can't "mash Square" to get through the game. That might work on the rats in sector 5 but doesn't work on virtually any bosses or many normal enemies midway through the game.

Yeah I kinda call BS on that too

But if that's working for them I guess they are just that good

FabIemaster posted...

Stop playing on easy if you think mashing sqaure is better than playing the game correctly.

I played on normal

The game is easy and boring

To quote Journey:

https://youtu.be/-G7b1zOhO_A?t=13

It's so utterly padded to hit that 30-50 hour mark despite only having about 17 hours of game in it.
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The combat was fine IMO

My complaint was the game is entirely too long given how little actually happens in it

Tyranthraxus posted...

That's not what he's being given shit about. You can't "mash Square" to get through the game. That might work on the rats in sector 5 but doesn't work on virtually any bosses or many normal enemies midway through the game.

I tried getting out of a normal battle quickly by just spamming the attack button. I ended up dead.

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My only problem with the combat is how the boss battles last way too long. They are fun but multiple stages for each boss is a pain, especially if you lose and have to start over.

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creativerealms posted...

My only problem with the combat is how the boss battles last way too long. They are fun but multiple states for each boss is a pain, especially if you lose and have to start over.

Agreed

And there's long transformation videos for the stages that interupt your attacks

It's really bad design.
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creativerealms posted...

My only problem with the combat is how the boss battles last way too long. They are fun but multiple states for each boss is a pain, especially if you lose and have to start over.

Use the Tifa break gauge trick to dramatically reduce the amount of time bosses take. For the parts of the game without Tifa, Aerith has an ATB skill that works decently enough.

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Tyranthraxus posted...

That might work on the rats in sector 5 but doesn't work on virtually any bosses or many normal enemies midway through the game.

i said bosses are practically the only fights i find fun. the _vast majority_ of regular mobs don't require any tactics or anything, just fill the ATB bar ASAP, spam Triple Slash or Braver. yes, some regular mobs like the Strigas or w/e that Toad you in the sewers were semi-challening. but _for the most part_ i find regular battles not very engaging.

creativerealms posted...

My only problem with the combat is how the boss battles last way too long.

agreed. lots of them feel spongey.

I am now crawling through the vents and i just want to die this is so boring

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creativerealms posted...

I tried getting out of a normal battle quickly by just spamming the attack button. I ended up dead.

do you use auto-cure or provoke?

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

Going up the 59 flights of stairs was beyond painful

Well then that's your fault for taking the stairs, lol.

I enjoyed it because of the funny dialogue, not the gameplay. Take the elevator for the faster route.
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BakonBitz posted...

Well then that's your fault for taking the stairs, lol.

I enjoyed it because of the funny dialogue, not the gameplay. Take the elevator for the faster route.

Lmao they even make a joke about dying from boredom while you're going up the stairs.

I wonder if there's a way to beat Tifa to the top.

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also, a lot of folks are addressing my complaints about the combat being easy, but nobody is talking about the overabundance of scenes and how much of the "gameplay" is just walking forward, or from the entrance right to the exit because most rooms are totally devoid of anything interesting except background scenery.

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

also, a lot of folks are addressing my complaints about the combat being easy, but nobody is talking about the overabundance of scenes and how much of the "gameplay" is just walking forward, or from the entrance right to the exit because most rooms are totally devoid of anything interesting except background scenery.

To be fair this has been true of every Final Fantasy since X

This is what fans like
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UnfairRepresent posted...

It's so utterly padded to hit that 30-50 hour mark despite only having about 17 hours of game in it.

yes

UnfairRepresent posted...

To be fair this has been true of every Final Fantasy since X

This is what fans like

i didn't feel that way about XII at all. XII has some issues with the pacing of the story (ie spread too thin especially between sidequests), but i never felt like i was just walking from scene to scene. i was usually exploring or fighting between them

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

also, a lot of folks are addressing my complaints about the combat being easy, but nobody is talking about the overabundance of scenes and how much of the "gameplay" is just walking forward, or from the entrance right to the exit because most rooms are totally devoid of anything interesting except background scenery.

That's basically just standard expectations in a JRPG though. If you look at the original game it's far more barren and even less interesting. At least in this game there's enough diversions to keep you occupied between chapters. The Wall Market section has tons of cool shit to search around and find.

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KeeperOfShadows posted...

Honestly it sounds like you simply don't like the genre. Most jrpg combat isn't any more complex. Hell, the original FF7 is even simpler most of the time.

ive been trying to take this into perspective. i always had fun with random battles in ATB-based FF games for some reason. i found it interesting to micro-manage which characters attacked which enemies to win in the fewest number of turns. i could be applying that same mentality to this game and strive for the most effecient combat possible but, IDK, i'm just not motivated to.

Tyranthraxus posted...

That's basically just standard expectations in a JRPG though. If you look at the original game it's far more barren and even less interesting.

see, its been like 20 years since i played the original. the last SNES-era JRPG i played was Chrono Trigger like five years ago and I still had a blast with it (admittedly that could be nostalgia). i never felt like i was just walking through a movie, like i do with this game a lot of the time.

Copy_X_Mk_ll posted...

I have no idea what youre on about, Ive had more fun with the combat system than any other game this year besides DOOM Eternal. Especially when I went back and played it on hard. Its so much fun setting stuff up and swapping between the characters as you balance their ATB bars.

when the combat is engaging and tense it is quite fun. the bosses and the summon battles have been the highlight of the gameplay for sure. again, i think if i was able to play on hard from the start i would have gotten a lot more out of it.

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like, this entire chapter (Ch16) has had almost zero gameplay aside from walking towards the dot on the map. i think the only combat so far has been the one required battle in the simulator. the rest of this chapter has been walking forward and watching people talk.

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

like, this entire chapter (Ch16) has had almost zero gameplay aside from walking towards the dot on the map. i think the only combat so far has been the one required battle in the simulator. the rest of this chapter has been walking forward and watching people talk.

16 is just a bunch of talking. 17 is almost nonstop action including a boss fight with Rufus who basically counters all square attacks.

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