I think Final Fantasy VII is a classic. It had a near perfect cast of diverse characters, pacing, and thought provoking themes. Those elements are timeless; they transcend time and don’t need to be remade. But does Square Enix think this?

I’m sure on some level Square Enix know others think it’s a classic. That’s why they “remade” it, for us. But if you think something is a classic, would you go back to change it? To change an aspect of something is to say that particular thing wasn’t good enough. And Square Enix is remaking almost every aspect of Final Fantasy VII with the remake. Square Enix is essentially saying is that the original game wasn’t that good, and they have to make it better.

Somehow.  

Ask yourself, will Final Fantasy VII: Remake be better than the original? I get it: “wait and see”. That’s really all we can do. But in the case it won’t, then this was an exercise in futility, and rightfully so nothing more than a cash grab on nostalgia. If it will be better than the original, then Final Fantasy VII wasn’t truly a classic. 

I know, some of you might actually revert to pointing out flaws with the original. In order to justify the existence of the remake, and the hype surrounding it, some people may be willing to trash the original game. That’s extreme, and illogical seeing that the greatness of the original is the reason the remake is a viable option.

But in earnest there are a few flaws with the original game. Final Fantasy VII is buggy and the character graphics leave a lot to be desired. In that sense, the game did not age well and needs a touch up.

But aside from that, what more needs to be done? Does the music really need a full orchestral overhaul? Do we really need to see everything in Midgar in an open world structure? Are they going to say more with the themes? What more can we say about Cloud, Barret, Tifa and Aerith that hasn’t been said? And what more is to say about Jesse, Biggs and Wedge that needs to be said?

Well, expanding Jessie’s story was a good call, and an example of what all of the remake should have been.

Classics are to be touched up and preserved, while at the same time we move forward with the new, so we can make new classics. Newer IPs need a chance to be classics. What if we missed out on something amazing because they keep remaking games that never really reach the absolute magic that Final Fantasy VII had?

Square Enix is communicating that the original Final Fantasy VII is inferior somehow, and the reason for that is due to graphics and music. Seriously,

The original story was a bit too much at times, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the Final Fantasy VII Remake. I don’t remember anything in it that needed the overhaul it got. The final scenes of the Final Fantasy VII Remake just seemed so disrespectful to me.

And what is Square Enix giving us to best our classic game? A full fledged AAA game that seems overdone. Everything screams over-produced, as if the remake was as over-compensating as Cloud’s Buster Sword. 

If Final Fantasy VII: Remake is better than the original, so be it, I guess Final Fantasy VII wasn’t as good as I, or we, thought it was and we were praising an inferior product all along. If the Final Fantasy VII: Remake isn’t better than the original, then we’re praising what could possibly be the biggest letdown, and worst insult, in gaming history.

I wished it was the former. I’d rather have a new classic, than a slap in the face.