Earlier this month, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade made its way to PCs as an Epic Games Store exclusive. After having spent some time with it, I will be sharing my impressions of the PC port here. However, it will not be a full review as we already have one of the PS4 version. I’d recommend checking it out for more in-depth details about the game since they are the same game; at least the base game is.

The main difference is that the PC version comes with the Intergrade bundle. The latter includes the base Final Fantasy VII Remake (FF7R) game and the FF7R INTERmission expansion. This features new story content with Yuffie as she teams up with Avalanche to steal Shinra’s most powerful materia.

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While it’s a welcome addition, other features you’d expect out of a PC port are surprisingly missing. You won’t find options for motion blur, anti-aliasing, VSync and such that should be the bare minimum for AAA games like FF7R to include in a PC version. It almost feels like Square Enix half-heartedly did this port.

Hammering in this feeling are the multiple reports of performance issues on PC, even with high-end rigs. While some could have been addressed by tweaking the graphics settings, they are alas mostly absent in FF7R on PC.

That said, I played the game on a handheld PC equipped with an AMD 4800U chip and did not encounter major stuttering. For the most part, it plays smoothly (for a handheld) with the graphical options set to low. In more crowded areas like Sector 7 Slums performance dips a bit, with around 25 fps but in less busy segments, the framerate bumps to 30. But most players might not want to limit themselves to 30fps on a handheld and I totally understand the frustration of not being able to play the game fluidly (as it should) on higher-end desktops.

But while playing FF7R on a handheld, I was mostly satisfied, especially considering it was a PS4 game. Having played the original FF7, I am positively impressed by what Square Enix delivered with a remake that feels more of an interpretation than an exact replica with enhanced visuals. Midgar feels more immersive and lively; while members of Avalanche are more fleshed out. Even if FF7R covers a fraction of the original plot and is set to be episodic, I had a blast strolling across the Slums and taking on side quests and re-encounter iconic characters and scenes from a fresh angle and a new lens.

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However, for the “next-gen” price of $70/£70 despite its reported performance issues, it’s hard to recommend immersing oneself in the FF7R’s Midgar on PC straight away. Moreover, given that it is an Epic Games Store exclusive that somehow requires an online connection to play might not be a welcome choice by all those who have been patiently waiting for this PC port. And unfortunately, they might need to wait a bit more to prevent further disappointment with its current state. You might want to jump in after new patches have gone live and with more PC-worthy settings are unlocked. But if you don’t mind taking the risk, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will deliver on an engaging and original take on a remake of a classic game.

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Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) Official GBAtemp Review

 

[the_randomizer]

I'd rather use EGS than the garbage that's Battle.net

 

[MasterJ360]

Its a pretty bad port, but thats not suprising coming from Square. The less amount of graphical settings already speaks volumes for this kind of game. Once again we have to rely on 3rd party mods to make things better

 

[tabzer]

It almost feels like Square Enix half-heartedly did this port.

It would be a surprise if they didn't. Bad ports and Square-Enix are synonymous. They can't even port 4th generation sprite games without screwing them up. Almost seems intentional.

 

[ZeroT21]

This port reeks of lazyness

 

[the_randomizer]

Like, if the price wasn't 70 dollars by itself, I wouldn't feel ripped off. But the fact it's such a lazy-ass port, and the fact people on a 3090 TI have issues is pretty damning.

 

[tabzer]

If you bought it for the full price and felt ripped off... congratulations! You were born yesterday.

 

[Cris1997XX]

If you bought it for the full price and felt ripped off... congratulations! You were born yesterday.

If you knew that console game prices jumped from 50 dollars to 70-80 and don't give a shit about that...congratulations! You're a bootlicker (And you were born yesterday)

 

[tabzer]

If you knew that console game prices jumped from 50 dollars to 70-80 and don't give a shit about that...congratulations! You're a bootlicker (And you were born yesterday)

Lovely assumption, alt account. Can you guide me through your thought process? FYI, I bought the hyper super deluxe day-1 limited edition; MRSP $600. Aka a PS5 and the game. No ragrats.

 

[SugoiEndeavor]

While I faced some occasional stutters in the town, the higher 120fps makes this version a godsend for me... and also it's a free game. Tim Sweeny is a real sweetheart for buying us a $70 game in these dark times.

 

[Apex]

While I faced some occasional stutters in the town, the higher 120fps makes this version a godsend for me... and also it's a free game. Tim Sweeny is a real sweetheart for buying us a $70 game in these dark times.

Same here. I think people complaining about this port is pretty exaggerated. I ran it off an NVME M.2 drive and still got the occasional stutter in towns, but the game ran at a smooth 120FPS the whole time without any noticeable slow down. I would have liked ultra-wide support though.

Hard to complain too much when it was a free game though.

 

[Treskatae]

But if you don’t mind taking the risk, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will deliver on an engaging and original take on a remake of a classic game.

part of a classic game

 

[Xzi]

Same here. I think people complaining about this port is pretty exaggerated. I ran it off an NVME M.2 drive and still got the occasional stutter in towns, but the game ran at a smooth 120FPS the whole time without any noticeable slow down. I would have liked ultra-wide support though.

Hard to complain too much when it was a free game though.

It stutters even on an RTX 3090, there's really no excuse for that. The lack of graphics options is also inexcusable, given that Square has any number of superior PC ports under their belt already. Best thing you can say about it is that it isn't quite as bad as Arkham Knight at launch.

 

[Apex]

It stutters even on an RTX 3090, there's really no excuse for that. The lack of graphics options is also inexcusable, given that Square has any number of superior PC ports under their belt already. Best thing you can say about it is that it isn't quite as bad as Arkham Knight at launch.

Once again, massive hyperbole. I was able to finish the game without a single issue other than a tiny bit of stuttering in major cities. 120fps, settings maxed, and crowd density maxed. I know not everyone has as powerful of a PC as I do, and the port could have been handled better, but to say this is anywhere near unplayable is a joke. A bad joke, made by unfunny people with too much time on their hands.

 

[Lastly]

Once again, massive hyperbole. I was able to finish the game without a single issue other than a tiny bit of stuttering in major cities. 120fps, settings maxed, and crowd density maxed. I know not everyone has as powerful of a PC as I do, and the port could have been handled better, but to say this is anywhere near unplayable is a joke. A bad joke, made by unfunny people with too much time on their hands.

Mind sharing your specs? Completely agree with your message, just curious to know your specs.

 

[Xzi]

Once again, massive hyperbole. I was able to finish the game without a single issue other than a tiny bit of stuttering in major cities. 120fps, settings maxed, and crowd density maxed. I know not everyone has as powerful of a PC as I do, and the port could have been handled better, but to say this is anywhere near unplayable is a joke.

Good thing I didn't call it unplayable then. DSR allows it to run at 120 FPS, but it's the frame pacing that they really fucked up in this release. It's not unreasonable to expect better from a $60 port, let alone a $70 one.

 

[the_randomizer]

Good thing I didn't call it unplayable then. DSR allows it to run at 120 FPS, but it's the frame pacing that they really fucked up in this release. It's not unreasonable to expect better from a $60 port, let alone a $70 one.

I wouldn't mind the DRS if it wasn't forced on, and had the choice of disabling it. Hell, the options we got were piss poor. Wow, High and Low, and no Medium settings, how generous!

Once again, massive hyperbole. I was able to finish the game without a single issue other than a tiny bit of stuttering in major cities. 120fps, settings maxed, and crowd density maxed. I know not everyone has as powerful of a PC as I do, and the port could have been handled better, but to say this is anywhere near unplayable is a joke. A bad joke, made by unfunny people with too much time on their hands.

So just because you didn't have issues, that discounts others from having issues on powerful rigs?

https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII_Remake_Intergrade#Issues_unresolved


Also also:

https://gamerant.com/final-fantasy-7-remake-pc-performance-issues-debug-build/


Really SE? How mentally inept are they to not even say so much as an apology?

 

[Apex]

Mind sharing your specs? Completely agree with your message, just curious to know your specs.

i-7 8700k
2080ti
32GB Ram
Samsung EVO 970 M2 NVME

Good thing I didn't call it unplayable then. DSR allows it to run at 120 FPS, but it's the frame pacing that they really fucked up in this release. It's not unreasonable to expect better from a $60 port, let alone a $70 one.

You compared it to Arkham Knight, a game that crashed on launch, constantly crashed throughout play, was capped at 30fps, had far worse and constant stuttering, with constant audio issues, I suppose this is perfectly playable to you though. Occasional stuttering in dense areas isn't quite that bad though. Did you play the port, or do you just like telling people what problems you think they're experiencing?

 

[Xzi]

Did you play the port, or do you just like telling people what problems you think they're experiencing?

I downloaded it just for comparison's sake, didn't play too far in once it became obvious the port was an inferior experience to playing it on PS5. Regardless, all the trusted outlets such as Digital Foundry are saying the same thing: it's a subpar port. Maybe it'll be fixed before the Steam release, maybe not.

 

[TomRiddle]

I don't understand what the fuck is up with Epic. They basically pay the games for us, and they're oh so desperate for timed exclusivity deals to annoy every other launcher's users. But they know it won't work for long

Yea. Don't actually improve on features and customer service, just buy exclusives bro and that'll definitely make other launch users respect you. So yeah, I do agree with you on your claim.

 

[the_randomizer]

i-7 8700k
2080ti
32GB Ram
Samsung EVO 970 M2 NVME


You compared it to Arkham Knight, a game that crashed on launch, constantly crashed throughout play, was capped at 30fps, had far worse and constant stuttering, with constant audio issues, I suppose this is perfectly playable to you though. Occasional stuttering in dense areas isn't quite that bad though. Did you play the port, or do you just like telling people what problems you think they're experiencing?

Yes, empirical evidence from trustworthy game news outlets = telling people what their experiences are like\

The port is garbage and should've included more options