Final Fantasy VII. No matter what Square has done since, I still come back to this. Great story, great world building, great visuals. It’s continued on for over 20 years in multiple game formats and even a sequel in the form of a movie. Now they are set to return to the original game and REMAKE it for modern systems. I can’t think of anything I’d want more in a console game. Square Enix blew the roof off E3 back in 2016 with a demo of the new game, but things have gone mostly quiet since. That hasn’t stopped the merchandising arm of the company though, because they’ve released Play Arts Kai versions of Cloud and Barret to match their new/old look in the demo.
These guys originally dropped last year, but they’ve slowly been filling out US retailer’s inventory. Cloud is even getting a new color version to closer match the look of the orignal game’s blue uniform. I finally got a hold of my copies, and wanted to share a gallery showing them off. Read on to check some additional quick thoughts and over 90 HD images courtesy of Entertainment Earth!
Related Entertainment Earth links: All Play Arts Kai, PAK Remake Cloud, PAK Dirge of Cerberus Vincent, All Final Fantasy Items
Play Arts Kai Final Fantasy VII Remake Cloud Strife and Barret Wallace
Overall Thoughts:
YES. When Square nails it, they nail it. Their Play Arts Kai line can be great, and they are especially good when the characters are their own. And even better when it’s FFVII, IMO that is.
These guys nail every point. Solid construction. Clean paint. No fragile issues. No breakages. Hold their poses. BIG. Cloud stands 10.15 inches to tip of hair, and Barret is about 10.75 inches. Articulation is fantastic on both, Cloud a tad better. Barret has some leg range issues due to his pouches and his knee being sculpted into baggy pants. Hand swaps were easy and didn’t trigger any breaks. Sculpting is also great, Cloud’s face and hair are sharp, and Barrett captures his toughness. His glasses also flip up revealing fully painted eyes, no skimping.
Bottom line, I’m all in. I hope to complete the full crew in REMAKE style since I missed out on the originals. Advent Children, I have some pieces but chose not to dive full in. These are stellar pieces worthy of centerpiece attention.
Side note – Square has jumped to the 1:12 scale with Bring Arts. If they produce these figures downscaled but otherwise the same sculpt wise, not counting articulation changes as needed, I would be SUPER all in for that. Cheaper, easier to manage shelf space with, and better for photography. Would also make vehicles easier to obtain and display later on. So if anyone from Square is reading – FFVII Remake / Advent, Bring Arts. Now please. :)
CompaniesSquare Enix
CharactersCloud StrifeBarret Wallace
Scale10 Inch
Sub-LinePlay Arts Kai