[bsoup]

That is because if you don't know the story of the original, you don't even realise that the loop is there. (That's not meant to insulting - the game is specifically written that way.)

Throughout Remake, the game toys with the knowledge and expectations of the player who's familiar with the original - in ways that are sometimes moving, subtle, beautiful and elegant (e.g. Chapter 8), sometimes ridiculously clumsy and terrible (e.g. Chapter 17). But it is written so that a new player wouldn't even know there is a whole layer of the story that they have missed. That is why so many players who don't know the original never even realise, even after they finish Remake, that it is not a "remake", in the sense of a modern version of the original; the word "remake" in the title is wordplay, and the game reveals itself to be a requel. I've watched quite a few streamers start with the Remake, love it enough to go back to play the original, love it, then go back to replay the Remake - and start seeing this whole layer that they didn't see before, didn't even realise was there. It would be a lot better if Square Enix were honest and clear about this, but I guess they know they would sell far fewer copies if they told everyone how much of the story depends on knowledge of the original and its spinoffs. It doesn't mean Remake can't be enjoyed on its own - it's written so that its story makes some sense on its own - it's just that you miss out on a lot if you don't know what came before. (I mean, they're now saying that Rebirth can be enjoyed on its own too, without having played Remake. What they never bother to make clear is that "can be enjoyed" and "best enjoyed" are very different things.)

[baobun]

This comment reminds me of the recent Dune movie franchise.