When Final Fantasy 7 Remake was announced and details started to emerge, fans had questions. In order to start releasing the game instead of just working on some mammoth effort that would never be able to keep up with the speed of console generations, Square-Enix decided to release the game episodically. We've known for a while now that Final Fantasy 7 Remake really should have an "Episode 1" tacked on to the end of it because the game will end when your character leave Midgar. In the original game, it only takes about 7-8 hours to complete Midgar. Was Square-Enix expecting people to pay full price for game that you can beat in a day?

Now the first reviews for FF7R are emerging, and it turns out that no, Square-Enix is not scheming to making you pay at least $60 for a game you'll beat in a single day. Kotaku reports in their review that if you play through the entire story and complete all the side-quests, it will take you about 37 hours to complete the game, which I'd say is a pretty good deal, especially given the richness of the story. But at 37 hours, how does that even compare to the original? Kotaku explains, "It’s as if Final Fantasy VII were the outline of a school paper and Final Fantasy VII Remake is a grad school thesis."

I'm a die-hard Final Fantasy VII fan. It's one of my favorite games of all time. And yet I'm full aware and appreciative that Remake will be a different experience, and that's okay! The original Final Fantasy VII will always be there (you can even download it for PS4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch right now if you'd like). But I want to return to Midgar in a new way. I've changed in the 23 years since the game was released, so I don't mind if Final Fantasy VII has changed as well. After a long wait for Remake, I'm just excited to sit down and finally play it.

Final Fantasy VII Remake arrives on PlayStation 4 on Friday.