Final Fantasy VII remains the most famous games of all time. Not only is it the most popular Final Fantasy title, it’s also the game which popularized JRPGs. Final Fantasy VII was so successful, it spawned it’s own franchise. We recieved novellas, movies and sequels.
But people really wanted a remake of Final Fantasy VII.
As far as 2000, Squaresoft considered a remake for Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX:
Square has announced that it will release the remakes of Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX for the PlayStation 2 in individual packages. Each will be in DVD-ROM format, with graphical and audio enhancements. Additionally, special features will be included in the remake discs. No release information has been disclosed on the three Final Fantasy remakes at this time.
If you ever wondered about the hype surrounding this game, Square Enix is part of the reason why. This news only had fans excited for the possibilities, and the future.
Later in 2011, Square Enix released a Final Fantasy VII tech demo. The footage shows Cloud on his way to the first bombing mission at Reactor 1. Fans were even more excited at the possibilities. Of course, this cutscene found itself at the end of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
In 2014, fans expected a big announcement about Final Fantasy VII. It was new of PS4 post of Final Fantasy VII. By now, fans were losing interest.
Not even a year later, it happened. They announced the remake at the 2015 E3. Suddenly it was real. We’d sooner than later have the game, with graphical and audio enhancements. Finally, we can retire the outdated block-models for realistic ones.
However, fans got a whiff of an odor that didn’t set right. Tetsuya entangled himself in Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3. Now, he didn’t know he was director of the Final Fantasy VII remake. Then we received news the game may be episodic or released in multi-installments.
Originally, Nomura and Square Enix planned to release “new materials” for the Final Fantasy VII remake at MAGIC:
This time we’ve prepared new materials to present at MAGIC. Since both titles have promotional plans being planned out, there’s only so much I can say about them now, but we’re enhancing the systems and progress is going smoothly, so please wait a little longer.
They were screenshots of the battle, which by then had “greatly changed”. Along with the “greatly changed” battles, Nomura made Cloud look “more natural,” and like a “dork”. How else was he to look?
While showing off these screenshots, Nomura explained:
“Here is the first boss in the game. It’s a Scorpion, and the scenery will be partly destructible. Sorry, I asked to show a video, but the company refused. The menus are not yet final, but I will talk more on another occasion.”
Later, Tetsuya Nomura steps down from the directorial position.
Also around this time, Square Enix fired Team CyberConnect2, apparently for work not up to part with their standards. The took the designs in house, and posted recruitment posters. From these posters it was clear, they were still in the planning stages.
We waited 15 years for news about the remake; it took a few more years later for them to finally start planning.
So far, it appears as if Square Enix wants to remake Final Fantasy VII. A remake, not just in terms of graphical and audio enhancements, but innovations to the battle systems. This shouldn’t be all that surprising. In many ways, we should expect this. Square Enix brings its audience quality based on how far they’re able to push the limits.
Yet, the original Final Fantasy VII is the reason why the remake is underway in production. Fans may appreciate the new battle system, but is it what they want? Most people, when they think of the Final Fantasy VII Remake, think graphical and audio enhancements. However, they want the original experience. It’s not about reinventing the wheel, but making the best possible Final Fantasy VII game possible.
This doesn’t mean they should be ambitious. They should. Whatever it brings, let us rejoice. But are they missing the point? Final Fantasy VII had amazing graphics, but its popularity was never about how it looked. Who cares about Genesis? This might signal to fans that they’re trying to make something cool without listening to what fans want. This is how we got Final Fantasy XV. For as good as I think Final Fantasy XV, consistent quality would have been better.
This, of course, is what I hope they’ll do for the Final Fantasy VII remake. We’ll be more than fine with new elements only if the previous elements satisfy demand.
