One of the most exciting parts of any remake is seeing beloved characters get beautified. Graphical advancements always lead to new designs and fancy new digs for classic characters. This is especially true for a game as beloved as Final Fantasy VII. Here, fans of the Final Fantasy series both young and old have been waiting for years to see the Popeye-looking models get spruced up. Regardless of any story issues, making the characters look good was a high priority. And, for the most part, the game delivered.
However, the problem with remakes is that they have the potential of making characters terrible. For the most part, FFVIIR avoids this problem, but some characters are luckier than others. This list will serve to document the biggest glow-ups in the cast, along with the characters who got the short end of the stick.
10 Best: Barret
Barret is one of the few characters in the series who hardly left the original entry. While most of the cast was having fun with Disney characters or stuck in a middling third-person shooter, Barret got left behind. So, seeing him in glorious HD for the first time was truly wonderful. He's funnier than before, he effectively rallies AVALANCHE and the player, and he's a beautiful man in general. The best part is that while the sunglasses make him cooler, they also keep players from getting lost in his eyes.
9 Worst: Don Corneo
Don Corneo is a disgusting pig of a man, and the remake embraces the filth rather than running away from it. From his actions to the jiggle physics on his gut and the gelled up haircut, he is even more disgusting than before. While this certainly fits his character, he definitely purposefully got smashed by the ugly stick. It'll certainly be exciting to see what he'll do when he returns, and even more satisfying to get rid of him.
8 Best: Rude
With Rude, bald truly is beautiful. The rest of the Turks shown are all beautiful, but Rude stands out because he's incredibly kind. In the original he shares similar traits, but he doesn't get nearly as much development in the early parts of the original.
He's the kind of guy who treats his partner well, but will fight anyone he needs to. Reno is certainly lucky to be working with a guy as wonderful as Rude.
7 Worst: Palmer
Shinra has many executives that serve as antagonists (or allies) for the party. The most pathetic has always been Palmer, an elderly man with a gun that's famous for getting hit by a truck. Palmer is more disgusting than before on an even greater scale than Corneo. In the Honey Bee Inn, the player can once again spy on Palmer in a private room. He's not only a lame villain, but he's a filthy old man too. Palmer and the Don are probably pretty close, considering their shared interests.
6 Best: Biggs
When looking at glow-ups, many fans will point to Jessie as the big winner of AVALANCHE. However, that's disrespecting just how much of a kissable man Biggs turned into. He's wonderful to work with, being one of the more reliable AVALANCHE members. On top of that, he's also great at darts, which is commendable. Of the AVALANCHE trio, his tragic end was the one that evoked the most tears. It truly is a shame the wacky ghosts had to make sure he died.
5 Worst: Wedge
With FFVIIR, it's surprisingly hard to find returning characters who could be considered to have transitioned poorly into HD. Wedge probably got the worst deal of AVALANCHE, embracing his role as goofy comic relief. He certainly is a sweet boy, but he's hardly changed from the original. That's really all it amounts to; if the improvement in design was measured on a graph, Wedge wouldn't really move up. His love of Cloud is his most interesting character evolution because it is extremely relatable.
4 Best: Cloud
Cloud has seen many different interpretations since the original first hit store shelves. However, FFVIIR delivers what might be the best depiction of Cloud in any game.
He's no longer the edgy sadboy that games like Kingdom Hearts make him out to be; he's a wonderful guy. While he is socially awkward at times, that just makes him more dynamic and lovable. Some of the best lines in the game come from this new Cloud. He's the perfect Cloud in every single way.
3 Worst: Cait Sith
Cait Sith makes a surprise appearance after the destruction of Sector 7, appearing in a cutscene and not much else. And while he does look great, there are two problems. It could be said that him showing up at all is a problem because it serves no narrative purpose for people experiencing the game for the first time. It could also be said that there isn't enough of him; he's clearly a factor in the remake's story, so let him shine more! Cait Sith will certainly be incredible in the next installment, even if some fans didn't necessarily like him.
2 Best: The Hell House
While not a character, what enemy is more iconic to FF7's opening hours than the Hell House? Many fans likely waited in anticipation to see the return of the Hell House as they made their way to Wall Market. The remake delivers on making this enemy greater than just a random goon. Instead, the Hell House becomes a full-fledged boss with multiple phases. It was possibly the biggest surprise in the entire game (aside from narrative twists), and it certainly builds excitement for what other iconic enemies will get promoted to a full boss.
1 Worst: Carbuncle
Carbuncle is not actually a summon in the original Final Fantasy 7. However, Carbuncle is an iconic summon in the series as a whole, and has had a relatively consistent design throughout different iterations. This makes it even more mysterious as to why Square-Enix decided to make Carbuncle so ugly. It is a big-headed monstrosity that is possibly cute to someone, somewhere. The only thing uglier than Carbuncle is the Chocobo Chick. At the very least, the wonderful Cactuar made it out unscathed.