Great, fantastic, amazing game. Great to play, coupled with the nostalgia from the first game just made the overall experience spectacular. However, I will try to keep my love of the final fantasy series out of this review so here goes.
I will start with the only thing that bugged me about this game and that is the damn whispers. For me, they added little value and I think the game would have been better without them.
Now for the good bits. We'll start off with the battle system, as let's face it, that is the best part, they have used a similar system to that used in Final Fantasy 15, which lets you control 1 main character with the other characters as backup, which means you have full control to battle as your style dictates. The battles are challenging and great fun with a lot of different abilities at your disposal.
Good old materia is back, which is great. They have thrown in unique abilities for each weapon you acquire also and your stats increase as your weapons level increases. Gives you a lot to think about when customizing your party for the different bosses.
The storyline does follow the original but is a lot more in depth. There is a lot more character development and you get answers to questions you would have had playing through the original.
I have read a few reviews where people compare this game to the original, which i don't think is right. This is called a remake but you don't have to have played the original to know exactly what is going on. The only advantage you will have is that you know a little of what is coming next.
Overall this game is the best final fantasy game i have played. Really fun to play, the main quest is fantastic. The side quests are challenging and are a good distraction from the main game. I would highly recommend.
Looking forward to the next installment.