After shocking the world with its reveal back at E3 earlier this year, Final Fantasy VII Remake has returned to the spotlight over the last week or so. It’s no secret that Final Fantasy VII is one of the most highly regarded of the series, and while the PS3 era saw a few games get the remaster treatment, it just seemed like it was the right time to revive the sleeping giant for an entirely new generation.
Unfortunately, recent announcements such as the whole multi-part delivery have left some worried. Even though it was made clear that each part would equate to a full game since it couldn’t fit on one disk, there were still plenty of questions left needing answers. Of course that means there are those who may now believe that it was all too good to be true. Square Enix must be trying to outshine the mess that is Konami and they’re using Final Fantasy VII Remake to do it, right? Most likely not.
It’s still very early, but there are plenty of reasons to have a bit of faith as we wait for this game we’ve all been wanting for what seems like an eternity.
Square Enix Is Listening
When the announcement concerning the multi-part release of Final Fantasy VII remake was made, there was a lot of confusion and angry fans. Square Enix had its ear to the community and was quick to clarify the nature of what this meant. This was also the case when fans were a bit shocked by the major differences apparent in the gameplay that was shown off. Square Enix was once again clear about its goal and their vision for the game, but was still accepting feedback.
A company that listens is always a good sign. Does it mean that they’re going to bend to every demand? No. But it does mean that they are putting the fanbase first, and are willing to be transparent about their inner workings. Often in video games, complaints go unheard and no official responses are given at all. To this point, Square Enix has kept fans and media up to date with what they can discuss now, are responding to reactions, and are slowly releasing other information as they are able to do so. While there are no guarantees, this is a good sign that things are going to be okay.
The Story Is Being Saved
One of the goals of the team behind Final Fantasy VII Remake is to keep all of the fond memories fans have of the original in tact. That means hitting up the Golden Saucer Casino, dressing up to infiltrate the Honey Bee, watching your love get shanked, and more. Often times when a game is “remade”, there are some aspects of it that are cut out due to lack of time or because it didn’t fit the developer’s new vision for the remake. The fact that the FF VII Remake team is intent on delivering that same experience that fans fell in love with over 15 years ago is amazing, even if it does mean ruffling a few feathers when it comes to format and release.
This should definitely restore a bit of faith if you’re lacking any because it means they aren’t trying to cut any of the moments you may be fond of. Not only that, but they’re also adding in story content (whether it’s from other Final Fantasy VII products is unknown at the time). There are literally hundreds of hours of content in Final Fantasy VII, so this is great news indeed. If every moment is going to look just like that amazing gameplay reveal from PSX, then fans are in for a treat.
Multiple Parts Isn’t Necessarily Bad
One thing that Final Fantasy VII fans must be reminded of is the fact that it wasn’t a small game. Not only were there several huge towns and cities that could be explored, but there was also a huge overworld that players needed to traverse in order to get around. Throw in some memorable optional bosses, Chocobo breeding and racing, huge cutscenes, and tons of options when it came to your RPG action and you have something that just hasn’t been done in some time. Square Enix has already stated their stance on bringing back everything that made the original game great, but delivering them all to the same fidelity as what has already been shown off is no small feat.
Flying or driving around the overworld, having a fully functioning farm, recreating all of those insane bosses to be played with the new mechanics, building every single one of those cities and towns from scratch; none of these things are simple. Even with the new technology of Blu-Ray Discs and built in hard drives in modern consoles, it would take a hell of a lot of memory space to provide this in one go. Grand Theft Auto V is only a fraction of what would be needed for Final Fantasy VII Remake and it is currently one of the largest games on the PlayStation 4 sitting at over 60 GB. Just imagine what Final Fantasy VII Remake would top off at.
Splitting this up into multiple full fledged video games, each with their own unique gameplay and experiences, sounds like a reasonable trade off if it means getting everything in that fans want. On top of that, it may mean being able to get some Final Fantasy VII Remake action much sooner. If they split it up into several games you can play the first one as they work on the second instead of waiting for everything to be completed longer down the line.
We Don’t Know Everything Just Yet
While it’s very easy to get riled up over something we’ve all been wanting for so long, we must remember that Final Fantasy VII Remake is still in the early stages. Yes a lot of progress has been made on art direction and gameplay, but there are still plenty of other pieces of information yet to be announced. Exactly how much Final Fantasy VII lore will be incorporated? Is it strictly the original game, or will Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus, Advent Children, and more come into the fold? Will we be able to control more than just Cloud? Are all of the wonderfully silly moments from the past making a return?
Then there’s the issue of price and size of each of these ‘parts.’ For all we know these can easily be 50+ hours each, and Square Enix has provided no reason to make anyone believe otherwise. There are too many crucial elements that are still unknown to completely count this game out before it has a chance to wow everyone. Tetsuya Nomura (game director) stated this wouldn’t just be a simple remake. The studio is hard at work making something for newcomers to be a part of, and for lifelong fans to fall in love with all over again.
Fans have waited a long time for this announcement, now it’s time to have a bit of faith in the team bringing that dream to life.
Are you excited for Final Fantasy VII Remake or are you a bit apprehensive after recent news? Do you have faith in Nomura and everyone else working to make this happen? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
More Final Fantasy
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- Final Fantasy VII Remake: Are You Worried? – Twinfinite Discusses
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