I’ve been playing both FFVII Remake and Rebirth, and while I really love the characters, I can’t help but feel that the story pacing is just all over the place. I haven’t played the original yet, so I’m coming into this fresh. At the beginning, everything felt tight and engaging, but now I’m at a point where I’ve totally lost track of what my goals are. I mean, we just had this big parade and now we’re in a place that requires playing card games again? It feels like the story is getting lost amidst all these mini-games. I’ve also been concurrently playing FFX, and while it might not have the best graphics, its pacing feels much more linear and focused on story. FFVII, in contrast, feels colorful and vibrant, but hollow and overly fun at the expense of narrative depth. Anyone else feeling this way?
4 Answers
As a player who loves the original, I think both games have their shortcomings. They stretched a more narrative-heavy section of the game into too much time without keeping the tension. It’s a double-edged sword where we’re getting rich character moments, but it often feels disconnected from the main plot progression.
The emotional beats are definitely lost at times due to the filler. It becomes frustrating when you want to dive deep into the story.
I totally agree. I love the characters even more than in the original, but good heavens, the pacing feels bonkers. The original had issues too, but it seems like this time they didn’t really fix anything and made it worse in some parts instead.
Remake had its bloated moments, but I actually liked how it was less dragged out overall compared to Rebirth.
I felt the same way! After playing Rebirth, I look back at the Remake and realize just how much sharper it was in terms of pacing. It’s crazy!
The linearity of FFX can be misleading. While it has a straightforward path, it feels less rigid than FFVIIR which locks you into mini-games and story sections without much breathing room. Both games have their strengths, but I just feel more pulled into FFX because of that pacing.
Definitely! FFX does have linear elements, but it allows for exploration without feeling too filler-like.
FFX might be linear, but at least it manages to keep the player engaged in a way that FFVII doesn’t when it’s filled with so many interruptions!
Yeah, turning the first half of a 40-hour game into two games totaling almost 200 hours is bound to throw the pacing off. Some people love all the extra content, but for many, it just feels too slow and bloated.
Exactly, the sheer amount of mandatory mini-games really slows everything down. I think a balance between side content and main story progression would’ve benefited the pacing.
For sure! It can sometimes feel like I’m stuck in a never-ending mini-game marathon. I get that mini-games can be fun, but they can really detract from the main story immersion. It’s similar to a single-player Mario Party vibe at times.
Exactly! It’s the character interactions that make it special, but it often feels like they went for more action instead of letting those moments breathe.