FFVII Re-Release DISASTER! Steam Users FURIOUS - What Went Wrong?!

Well, this is awkward. Square Enix, in what seemed like a fan-friendly move, re-released the OG Final Fantasy 7 on Steam. The intention? "Quality of life" improvements, they said. The result? A user review rating that's plummeted faster than Sephiroth plunging from the Northern Crater.

FFVII Re-Release DISASTER! Steam Users FURIOUS - W...

Launched just yesterday, the updated version boasts features that, on paper, sound pretty good: a 3x speed mode for those late-night grinds, the blessed ability to disable random encounters (because who needs more Tonberries?), a "battle enhancement mode," and, finally, autosave. But somewhere between the drawing board and the digital shelves, something went horribly wrong.

It didn't take long for the virtual pitchforks to come out. Players are complaining about these very improvements, saying they’ve fundamentally broken the game’s feel. Square Enix scrambled to release a quick update addressing some speed issues and minor bugs. Good on them for the quick response, right? But here’s the kicker: that update didn’t touch the forced 4:3 resolution. Yes, you read that right. A supposed *upgrade* is now restricting players to a resolution that the 2013 edition *already* let them bypass. Seriously?

And to add insult to injury, this new version *replaces* the 2013 Steam edition entirely for new buyers. So, if you're just now discovering the magic of Midgar, you're stuck with this… thing. Existing owners, thankfully, can switch between the two versions. But still, ouch.

The player reviews paint a pretty clear picture. "The battle animation speeds are WAY too high, even without the 3x speed," one frustrated player lamented. "The game just plays wrong and feels wrong right now. Hopefully, they fix this." Another user was even more blunt: "It's very hard to recommend. May I suggest that companies make sure their re-releases at least function on a basic level before delisting their old versions? That'd be great." You can practically feel the eye-roll through the screen.

The stats don't lie. The game's overall Steam user rating has been dragged down to "Mostly Negative," with a measly 36% of players offering positive feedback. Ouch. I mean, I get wanting to modernize a classic, but maybe, just maybe, don't break what already works?

On a slightly brighter note, Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy Remake Part 3, recently reassured fans that going multiplatform "will not in any way lower the quality of the third instalment." He even revealed that the "core game experience is almost complete." Let’s hope they’re learning from these FF7 re-release woes and focusing on that "refining and polishing" part. Because right now, the original FF7 on Steam needs a whole lot of it.