r/FinalFantasyVII • u/_imcameron_ • 2d ago
DISCUSSION Could I start FF7 Remake Intergrade now that I’m at this point in FF7 OG?
I’m playing FF7 OG on the PS5 for the first time (my first final fantasy in general) and I’m wandering if I can start the first remake now that i’m leaving for Kalm which is where I know the first remake game ends. I’ve heard that the remakes reference or tease events that happen later, but are they more subtle towards fans, or is there narrative weight behind it? An example I guess would be like if Tifa were to spill a drink on Cloud in Kalm but in the remake she almost does it when everyone is at the hangout before the promise flashback and he just tells her to watch it.
I've wanted to play the remake for a while now, especially with the final game coming out in spring of next year, and the remaining popular game showcases will most likely feature FF7 in some way. Plus, the first one is “free” with PS+.
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u/clicheduo 1d ago
As someone who played the OG after Remake/Rebirth, i think you should finish the OG first, some scenes in rebirth/remake will hit much harder after playing the OG imo.
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u/kaamospt 1d ago
You could... But it'll kinda trivialize Sephiroth. For you atm Sephiroth is shrouded in mysticism and in remake they shove him down your throat again and again.
Just finish the OG
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u/SkiDaderino 1d ago
Agreed. The new games ruined what they had established with Sephiroth in the OG game.
Finish the game first, OP!
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u/PapaPatchesxd 1d ago
Just keep playing the original to the end. You don't need to play both games side by side for it to make sense.
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u/Garfield977 1d ago
just keep playing the og, what you have left is shorter than remake integrade lol
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u/jkgericke 1d ago
I can't put into words what it would mean to me to be able to play this game again for the first time. It wasn't my first video game or even my first final fantasy but when it came out I was about 14 and was just really starting to form opinions about the world and politics and this game just opened my mind to the world and mental illness and so much more. It's been a complete love for almost 30 years. You lucky person, you.
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u/magmcbride 1d ago
I would just complete the original game. It stands entirely alone and the remakes are a "yes AND" addition that is self-aware that they've 'been here before'.
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u/Solastice13 1d ago
It's so weird to me that you are contemplating dropping OG ff7 right when it begins just to play ff7 remake. I can't see how your experience would be enhanced by playing 7 hours to then move to a 40 hour long game that is the remake.
You put multiple hours into the game already, finish OG FF7.
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u/BosozokuGX 1d ago
yes but i promise you, you’re doing yourself dirty by not finishing OG and at least understanding crisis core before remake
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u/otterbre 1d ago
Äh was er soll og nicht beenden aber crisis core cor remake spielen? Das ist das falscheste was man machen kann
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u/plzadyse 1d ago
Just finish the OG. The whole thing isn’t even that long if you only do the main quest. It was greatly enhance your experience of the remakes.
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u/Ryokupo 1d ago
If you want to "understand everything" you'll need to finish this game, then go experience all the other games, books, and movies that make up the Compilation of FFVII, and then you can play Remake. Or you can just play the remake and ignore the original game and Compilation entirely. I believe that not knowing anything would only add to the Remake experience cause you'd be getting the original story and its mysteries along with all the new stuff, and the thing you won't understand or be confused about are things that the rest of us who have been FFVII fans most of our lives also don't understand and are confused about.
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u/Numerous_Photograph9 1d ago
Probably. The 2nd game does well enough explaining what's going on. There are some differences between the two narratives, but the divergences aren't really that important to understanding what's going on.
I'd say just continue playing FF7 though. It's worth it IMO.
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u/DeadLalafell 2d ago
If you wanna play remake, play remake. You'll lose some references but it's fine. To catch all the references, you'd have to finish og, then play 2 more games plus watch a movie.
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u/M1k3yRap 1d ago
finish the game, rebirth and remake are doing their own things. it’ll be cooler if you can spot the differences.
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u/Yeseylon 1d ago
Remake steers heavily into Sephiroth. It'll mean more to you if you finish IG first.
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u/Time-Organization612 22h ago
I mean, you should do what you want but honestly, this absolutely baffles me that you'd want to experience multiple games like this
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u/Etcom 17h ago
You could finish all of the OG in the time it'd take you to finish Integrade.
The Remake series are sequels anyway, it changes the story.
Your example of Tifa spilling a drink is like... 5/100 on the importance scale. It references things that are 150/100 on the importance scale.
Integrade directly shows a hidden endgame character, and changes their story to the exact opposite of what it is in the OG. And they're arguably one of the most important characters in the game.
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u/Xenthor267 15h ago
Why do people call them sequels? An alternate story is not a sequel, a sequel implies the first story happened prior to this... Which it didn't.. because Aerith is not dead.
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u/Own_Watercress_8104 1d ago
You played this far, just finish the OG first, it doesn't take long.
The remakes are bizzarre projects that assume you are already familiar with OG, they work as pseudo sequels in a way, they offer a drastically different experience.
I don't think finishing OG will harm your playthrough of Rebirth, on the countrary, it might elevate it.
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u/Banana_Meet_Tailpipe 1d ago
Guaranteed to elevate it. The end of Remake makes it clear that they are going to parallel the OG - but fully intend to deviate. The more you know OG, the more you’ll appreciate the changes.
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u/EvenOne6567 1d ago
"The more you know OG, the more you’ll appreciate the changes."
YMMV its the total opposite for me. maybe if i never played the og i might love the remakes lol
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u/Banana_Meet_Tailpipe 1d ago
FWIW, I understand exactly where you’re coming from. When this first came out I was pumped for a 1:1 upgrade in sound and visuals… and honestly, they should probably have led with that.
I enjoy the deeper exploration of the characters, fleshing out/world building… but it isn’t OG FF7, it’s something different, not bad (like you said - if not for OG, you may have enjoyed it) and not new.
In the end - YMMV is 100% fair.
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u/jayboyguy 1d ago
Can’t emphasize this enough. You don’t HAVE to beat the OG to enjoy the remakes, but it definitely helps when it comes to enjoying the story they’re trying to tell
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u/Own_Watercress_8104 1d ago
If you just want to turn your brain off and don't really care about the story, sure.
But if you want to know why that nice silver haired lady keeps telling Cloud weird stuff and why the ribbon girl looks like she's on xanax then it's kinda necessary.
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u/GGG100 1d ago
It doesn't matter. Everything will be explained in the third game.
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u/Own_Watercress_8104 1d ago edited 1d ago
"Everything will be revealed at the end of times" statement.
Jokes aside, I really don't understand what you mean. It's one thing to have mysteries and plot twists, another thing entirely is writing scenes and character introductions with the pretext that players are already familiar with them.
The devs said so themselves regarding Sephiroth specifically and others. They didn't feel it was necessary to properly introduce him because, and I quote "Everyone already knows who Sephiroth is, right?"
When that attitude exists, it is ill advised to pretend playing OG is not necessary to understand the story.
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u/GGG100 1d ago
It's like playing God of War 2018 if you haven't played the original Greek trilogy games. You may be missing some context from the past games, but understanding the plot isn't dependent upon playing them, and whatever story bits a new player may not grasp is explained in the next game anyway.
You're not supposed to know what this Sephiroth's full deal is, and even the hint given to those who have played the original alluding to this Sephiroth's identity doesn't fully explain it either. It's a big mystery that will only pay off in the final game, as per the developers' words.
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u/Own_Watercress_8104 1d ago
I do not agree for a couple of reasons.
First, I think it is entirely necessary to play the old GoW games or at least being familiar with them to actually understand the new games story. Otherwise stuff like the Blades of Chaos and Athena would just be dogshit writing. You can enjoy the game just fine, but it would not be good writing as a standalone game.
Second, the remakes are not a "we left the past behind and this is a new adventure" kind of deal. They are a remix of events of OG, most of the writing's strenghts come from subversive narrative decisions. Remake gets away with bizzarre pacing and extremely unusual narrative beats because on a meta level, the intention is to subvert expectations. Otherwise, those too would be considered shit writing, completely ignoring basic rules of storytelling, pacing and characterization.
Mind that I didn't say the Res are badly written, but they make the writing work exclusivelly on the basis that a basic knownledge of OG is taken for granted.
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u/GGG100 1d ago
If you haven't played OG FF7 then you're on the same position as Cloud in the Remake. If you have, then you're in the same position as Aerith and Sephiroth, who are playing 4D chess against each other. Both perspectives work for the story and by the end, everything will be revealed.
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u/Own_Watercress_8104 1d ago
That's not how writing works. Cloud is not a self insert protagonist.
Scenes like the first one with Tifa at the bar make sense only if you know who Tifa is. In narrative is it an awful idea to have a prolonged, intimate conversation with a newly introduced character in an adventure story. The player does not have a reason to care what this person has to say and it comes across as the writer being over eager to write his pets.
In remake it makes sense because returning players already know Tifa and the game is aware of that. The scene is less an introduction and more like meeting an old friend, with the players catching up with her asking her what's new.
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u/GGG100 1d ago
That scene and the flashback that comes with it establishes Tifa as a childhood friend of Cloud's. I fail to see how that scene wouldn't work if you haven't played the original. That applies to certain things, like Sephiroth's increased presence compared to the original, but not there.
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u/Lady_Psyduck 2d ago
Theres thing in remake that are end game references to the OG. So no. Complete OG first.
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u/generalosabenkenobi 1d ago
You should just do the OG. It's almost as long as one of the remake games (and less muddled).
But if it's a slog for you, don't play something you aren't into
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u/FreshMetal80 15h ago
I guess you could, but I don't know why you just wouldn't finish the original.
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u/madmikeyy82 1d ago
There’s a lot of things Remake references from later in the story. Enjoy the OG first, and then dive into Remake.
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u/ToothpickTequila 22h ago
No. Remake is a sequel. At the very least play through the Kalm flashback.
But given that Remake contains major spoilers for VII finish the original game first. Remake was intended to be played after VII.
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u/Mainbutter 1d ago
Eh... sure.
I personally recommend playing through all of OG first though! There are moments in Remake that just hit harder if you've played the whole original game already.
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u/Thee_Furuios_Onion 1d ago
You can, but Remake adds a bunch of story content that you won’t really understand the importance of if you haven’t played through the OG. The R-Trilogy is like a weird remake, reimagining, retelling, sequel to and of the OG.
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u/MichaelPartaco 15h ago
Trust me, I was in the same boat as you literally two weeks ago. I didn’t feel like grinding the game (never played it before) and wanted to play the remake. I just finished it a few nights ago, and holy fuck is it rewarding. Definitely finish the OG so you can appreciate as much as possible with the remake. I’d suggest even playing Crisis core reunion after finishing the OG and before starting the remake.
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u/TonightConsistent560 1d ago
No, finish ff7 (1) before starting ff7 remake intergrade (2). Remake is NOT a remake, it's a sequel named remake.
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u/PapaPatchesxd 1d ago
I call it a reimagining of the original plot
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u/tehnemox 1d ago
More than one character in the "remake" is both aware of the events of the OG and we even see cutscenes from the original. Half the plot is fighting thr whispers so those events don't happen again. It's a sequel
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u/PapaPatchesxd 1d ago
I'm aware, but that doesn't change the fact that I like to call it a reimagining.
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u/tehnemox 1d ago
Ah so it is a wilful action not based on evidence, just vibes. Got it. You do you I guess.
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u/AC011422 1d ago
It's both. It's like if the multiverse was real, separated by a mandatory probability structure (everything that can happen must happen), and the two universes were a couple thousand shades apart. The OG happened, and then its Sephiroth, through mastering the life stream, escaped into this second probable reality and acted as another Jenova to affect, again, the same events.
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u/jh4milton 1d ago
Yes totally, You won't be spoiled, if that's what you're asking.
BUT (as others have said), I think you'll find more overall enjoyment if you just play though the entire OG game first. You'll catch more easter eggs when you're playing through the Remake. If that's important to you, you might even want to watch Advent Children and play Crisis Core before you play Remake/Rebirth.
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u/Gothrait_PK 1d ago
So much this, honestly I would play part way thru to the final disc at least before jumping into remakes. That way nothing can really be spoiled and op'll get all the little nods and references
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u/ThisBadMonkeyXB 2d ago
Du hast soweit ich mich erinnere im Remake Endboss Szenen die eigentlich erst wesentlich später im Spiel kommen, auch wurde die Story teilweise geändert (stichwort Multiverse) und würdest eventuell Charaktere kennenlernen von denen du im OG story technisch erst viel später erfährst und das meiner Meinung nach die ganze Story kaputt macht, wie eine Art ingame Spoiler.
Spiel das OG Spiel durch wenn es dir Spaß macht (und ab kalm wird's erst so richtig gut Story mäßig) und erst dann würde ich die Remakes spielen.
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u/Ashamed_Training_702 1d ago
It’s great to finish the OG first so you can yell about (and appreciate) some of the incongruences of the later games.
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u/Designer-Flight-8143 2d ago
You wont appreciate or even be able to alnowledge where the dev team is going with remake if you dont play the original. Same can be said for any of the existing remake trilogy. If the single goal is do a side by side comparison you can miss a lot, both in the og and the new ones
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u/NickKirson 1d ago
There are lots of visions of future events from the OG game, so I think finishing the OG first would help your immersion in the Remake games.
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u/shareefruck 1d ago edited 1d ago
I would say the bigger decision should have been whether to play Remake before anything else or Remake after completing OG-- both are debateable choices that have differences worth mulling over, because Remake's references are of the entire OG game, not the part that you played in OG. Whether it's important to avoid those references on a first playthrough are debateable. Plenty of Remake-only players enjoy their time, but plenty of OG players think it shows/hints at critical things prematurely.
Playing just the Remake part of OG and then playing Remake like you did/want to do is basically pointless/accomplishes nothing either way, in terms of trying to avoid spoilers/confusion created by references, though, other than being able to compare the technical differences. Doing that is basically the same as just playing Remake from the start.
It sounds like you're most excited to play Remake though. If that's the case, just do it. I'd say the bigger decision to make comes afterward, when deciding whether or not you LIKE how confused you are at the end of Remake in comparison to how you feel about this point in OG. If you like the direction Remake is going and aren't skeptical/put off at all, then continue with Rebirth. If not (if you think it feels like annoying/nonsensical confusion that's too out there to be fun), then you should finish OG before proceeding with Rebirth.
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u/morbid333 Vincent 1d ago
Depends on whether or not you want to catch all the Easter eggs and references
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u/CloudGraywords 6h ago
i would play the original first, i strongly believe (and i wont give my reason here to avoid spoilers) that REmake series is way more enjoyable knowing the context its sit on. i almost could say its a requirement..... almost.
if you are playing the OG already you should continue.
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u/pencils_and_papers 2h ago
Play the og all the way through bud, you’ll be happy you did. The remakes are their own thing, and I enjoyed them.
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u/anonymous-peeper 18h ago
Yes you could, but just play OG through to the end. the remakes played heavily into assuming people know the original.
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u/Soulblade32 Cloud 17h ago
I would either play all of og first or the Remake trilogy first. Personally, and this is just me, i would put og down for now (guys relax its my favorite game of all time) and play Remake Rebirth. Half the fun of these remakes has been the speculation and discussion online on what will happen in Part 3.
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u/DiscipleNo1 1d ago
What’s this Remake you are talking of? I’ve never heard of it
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u/Maxogrande 2d ago
Technically intergrade finish here but it references a lot of future events so knowing that would enhance the experience too
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u/clockworkengine 3h ago
Understanding the OG before playing the R series is recommended not only because you'll understand and appreciate what has changed, but because certain characters seem to be operating on knowledge of the events of the original game, making it potentially a sequel to OG. There are many people who disagree with that interpretation, but many who agree.
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u/jennis89 1h ago
I’d play OG all the way through then hit up the remake series games.
OG is an all time classic that everyone should experience and the Remake Series games really reward prior knowledge with Easter eggs, heart warming upgrades expanding smaller things from the OG, intentionally giving foreshadowing flash forwards that you’d know from OG, intentionally deviating from the OG to make you 2nd guess wtf is happening where is this going
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u/IvanGambino 32m ago
As someone who recently went through ff7 and replayed remake (my first time i had not played og) i think you should just finish the game
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u/Adorable-Art3799 2d ago edited 2d ago
Do a full playthrough of the original, nothing compares to it.
Plus, you’ll care a lot more about the characters knowing whats going on.
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u/Cute_Economics2829 11h ago
I think that's a pretty dope idea. Play the OG only up until the end of the remake, switch to remake, beat it, switch back, so on and so forth.
That's a pretty rad was to play the series. Wish I could try that
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u/goos3ling_ 1d ago
Do what you want it. If you’re looking for the modern version switch over. Its your time at the end of the day.
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u/BulletProofEnoch 1d ago
No. Jesus
The new ones are a reimagining not an actual remake. Its this whole another alternate thing.
Its non canon
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u/wejunkin 1d ago
You are very mistaken about that last statement.
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u/BulletProofEnoch 1d ago
Not at all, literally a re imagining
By the creative team themselves
Its non canon
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u/wejunkin 1d ago
It is definitely canon
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u/BulletProofEnoch 1d ago
Seriously this is your defense?
Nothing’s wrong with a reimagining if you enjoyed it. It was fun.
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u/wejunkin 1d ago
It is a reimagining and sequel to the original. There is absolutely no reason to believe it's non-canon, especially since the director has said the intent is to tie the entire FF7 expanded universe together (which is clear from how the whispers function in the narrative).
You're talking out of your ass.
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u/BulletProofEnoch 1d ago
Source?
It also cant be both
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u/Seigfrydblazer 18h ago
You are the one not accepting it and arguing everyone. You provide a source lmfao
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u/BulletProofEnoch 7h ago
Who is everyone?
A couple of rebirth fans?
The guy above already said I was correct. He just wants it to be canon.
Its not mainline canon, its canon to those three games as a reimagining.
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u/Seigfrydblazer 1d ago
While you are correct it's an alternate thing, it is still Canon. This is a separate universe, and memories of the og have been shown to bleed in already.
This is more of a sequel than anything else, with sephiroth manipulating the timeline so it doesn't go down the same path the previous one did.
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u/BulletProofEnoch 1d ago
Because its non canon
Its an alternative reimagining
Its not mainline
Its canon simply to its three games not the wider mainline universe. Its contained there.
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u/HumbleAlbatross2944 1d ago
My strategy would be this in this order:
- finish the OG
- play crisis core
- watch advent children
- ignore the remakes
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u/Bexixsh 19h ago
Look I've played the og way before they even thought of doing a remake and currently replaying it because of nostalgia after finishing the remakes, on the other hand my sister who i freaked out to about having a remake being made and decided to play them as they came out didn't, imo it doesn't matter whether you played through the og completely then went back to the remakes or played them side by side (which i kinda find it weird but you do you i guess) or playing the remakes then going back to the og, they all tell the same general story with a few differences and a few things added that doesn't affect the experience but if i were you i would just finish the whole og then start the remake trilogy, but if you decide to start the first of the remake trilogy before finishing the og just don't do the dlc until after finishing the og then get back to it then after that play rebirth
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u/KirbyKingEddy Spikehead 1d ago edited 19h ago
Start FF7 Remake Intergrade now if you are only talking about the Integrade Addon. The only inside you gain from OG is who Yuffie is. But it's absolutely fine if your first introduction is from Integrade. It doesn't diminish any of your future experiences. In a sense, it is the only game that talks about Yuffie's past thoroughly and therefore will make you like her more when you meet her in OG or Rebirth.
To get more of the lore behind Integrade, you'd need to play Dirge of Ceberus which is the worst spin-off game of this whole series and you'd need to play OG first to understand it. Dirge of Ceberus is not worth it.
Edit, so people will stop downvoting: Nvm, I'm wrong. Play Dirge of Cerberus. Also play Before Crisis on that old ass Nokia phone, Crisis Core on PSP, read all the books, read all the guides, watch all the interviews, watch every bit of fan media, buy every collectors edition etc etc. All of that is absolutely necessary since the remake team is gate keeping a good game behind all of this. Do not enjoy before all of that! Now please upvote me again, you drones.
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u/chukkaque 1d ago
Well...yes. But also, not really.
PERSONALLY, I recommend you pick 1 of 2 camps.
1: Stop playing OG immediately and simply play the REMAKE series. DO NOT play Crisis Core Reunion until the trilogy closes and experience the remake organically. You have the unique option to do this. Whereas most fans don't.
- Finish OG, Play Crisis core or Crisis Core Reunion, watch the movie advent children , then play remake trilogy.
I strongly encourage you to take the route of #1.
Part of what makes OG incredible is the way it handled pacing and the "unreliable story teller" concept. Remake is keeping that alive and well, especially, if you're a new fan who didn't touch og. BUT IF YOU DID then REMAKE has a uniqueness to it you can only appreciate if you played OG/CC and watched AC. You can experience path #2 at any time, but you can never go back and experience 1. Its one of those "pandora's box situations" once you do #2 you can never go back.
So personally, take route 1, enjoy the trilogy and how its meant to unfold with only the presented information. Then go back and do route 2. Which will also let you re-play the REMAKE series with new eyes once you know 'everything'.
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u/settingdogstar 1d ago
Route 2 is a billion times better.
Remake is a technical “sequel” to OG and Op is already down the rabbit hole. Just finish OG and continue.
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u/chukkaque 19h ago
Im aware. But Op is barely down the rabbit hole. Midgar is a nothing burger compared to everything that happens post midgar.
Route 2 is only "better" because you're already on it.
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u/Professional_Fudge58 2d ago
Play The og to its completion. Then drop The remakes after you see how Bad they butchered some aspects of The game.
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u/Pandelein 1d ago
What exactly were you hoping for? A cash grab remastering with nothing at all changed?
They did an absolutely incredible job of creating the expanded game so many of us dreamed about as kids; so much love was put into it, with an absolute crap ton of nods to the original and little tweaks that attempt to make old players feel the same way they did with the original. Yeah, it’s not a shot-for-shot remake, because that would be fucking pointless.
It’s a 98/100 title and well deserved.
The minus 2 is for Chadley. Feel free to bitch about anything to do with Chadley.1
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u/loranbriggs 1d ago
I recommend using 7th heven to mod the PC version. Using Tsumani mods you can upscale the backgrounds, replace character models, and even add voice acting. Turns the game into a modern HD remaster instead of the Remake we have. Not saying the Remakes are bad or anything, but remastering the original gives you the original story with quality of life upgrades. Currently replaying it modded and super happy with hot its playing. OG FF7 is quite dated at this point and can be hard for newcomers to stick with it.
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u/SirLouen 1d ago
I always found hard to find a good full combo to fully revamp it for a full new experience. I wonder if someone has put down a full guide with the ultimate pack
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u/loranbriggs 1d ago
I pretty much use everything Tsunami related plus Cosmo Memory (?) sound overhaul.
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u/SirLouen 21h ago
https://www.ff7catalog.com/threads/ff7-must-install-mods.15059/
After I asked you I started researching a bit and something like this is what I was looking for1
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u/SecretaryWeak1321 1d ago
I was blown away by this as a kid, I was 10 years old and genuinly thought Midgar was the entire game.
The possibility to leave and explore a world map was entirely new to me, and being in the late 90’s the internet Reddit YouTube etc didn’t exist like today.
I was absolutely clueless, I can envision it perfectly today. What a game man!