Final Fantasy VII was a truly historic PSX game. It brought this beloved series into a world of polygons and rendered environments, while also introducing a new generation of gamers to RPGs.
However, it’s an open secret that Final Fantasy VII’s graphics have not held up well. And the story has always been a hot mess. That’s why gamers everywhere are so hyped about the remake of this game!
Despite the hype, many aspects of the remake are shrouded in mystery. Fortunately, we put together this guide to everything we already know about Final Fantasy VII Remake.
The Release Date
It really does feel like Final Fantasy VII Remake has been hyped forever. Nonetheless, we haven’t known exactly when it would hit consoles. Now, we have an answer: March 3, 2020.
We should clarify that this release is for just the first part in a series of multiple installments. Despite that, it will be really huge: the first part will have two Blu-Ray discs of content and be a full game unto itself.
With any luck, this will satisfy gamers worried that this split into multiple games is just a cash grab to milk players for all they are worth.
It Will Be Exclusive (For a Time)
Now that we have a release date, there is an obvious question: how many platforms will you be able to play it on? Right now, the answer is only PlayStation 4.
In all of the interviews and previews given so far, we can only see Sony branding. Therefore, the smart money is that this will be an exclusive game… at least, at first.
Most of the previous Final Fantasy games eventually went multi-platform. This includes the recent HD console port of the original Final Fantasy VII that released on Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
As for this remake, PlayStation players should rejoice. And everyone else should just be patient and cross their fingers.
No More Teasing
If you weren’t a huge fan of the original game, you might be wondering why fans want a remake so damn much. Why not just be content with playing the old game? As it turns out, this remake has been teased for a really long time.
Way back in 2005, Sony showed off their PlayStation 3 for the first time at E3. As part of the unveiling, they had a “tech demo” that showed a brief less-than-two-minute glimpse of how an FF7 remake could look on the new system.
That remake never happened despite intense fan demand. So for many eager loyalists, this remake has been nearly 15 years in the making!
Midgar Focus
The original Final Fantasy VII was a world-spanning game. You went from traveling through the metropolis of Midgar to eventually flying an airship all over the world (and the occasional submarine journey under the sea).
Splitting the remake into multiple installments gives Square a chance to focus on one area at a time. That’s exactly what they are doing with the first installment, which will focus entirely on your adventures in Midgar.
While that might be disappointing for would-be world travelers, we hope it means we’ll explore this cool setting in even more depth and detail.
More Cinematic
As you know, the graphics for the remake are going to be insanely better than the original. On top of that, game developers have used another word to describe the look: “cinematic.”
What does this mean? We can make some pretty educated guesses. The original game had most of its drama play out using simplistic in-game graphics. We occasionally got a CGI cutscene that, while impressive at the time, now seems very short and simple.
The remake will likely offer more “cinematic” angles of key events, making the whole thing look more like a movie. You can see a similar cinematic remake in Metal Gear: The Twin Snakes, a remake of Metal Gear: Solid released only on the GameCube.
Updated Designs
For the remake, all of your favorite Final Fantasy VII characters have gotten a redesign from the ground up. And while they are all easy to recognize, there are a few design differences that fans have noticed.
Some of these changes are a bit surprising. For example, Barrett now sports sunglasses at all times to enhance his whole ’80s action hero aesthetic.
Other changes have sparked unexpected controversies. For example, the new Tifa design has proportionally smaller breasts relative to her original design.
Even though the original design was highly exaggerated and her new look is in line with the 2005 Advent Children movie, her redesign (which is mostly just giving her a proper bra) has sparked a lot of online discussion and debate.
End of the Name Debate
Speaking of debates, Final Fantasy VII Remake looks set to end a pretty ancient debate. A debate centered around Shakespeare’s classic question: what’s in a name?
As you may know, the flower girl that Cloud meets is named Aeris in the U.S. release of the game. In Japan, she was named Aerith.
To make matters more confusing, she kept the Aeris name in Final Fantasy Tactics, but has since gone by Aerith in everything else.
So, which name is the “right” name?
In previews of the remake, it looks like they are sticking with the Japanese “Aerith.” We hope this will end the debate once and for all.
Downright “Unreal”
We know that the remake’s graphics will be better than the original’s. But what’s under the hood of those improved graphics?
Square is using the Unreal Engine 4 to help bring this world back to life. If you don’t know, this engine has powered major hits such as Dragon Ball FighterZ, Fortnite Battle Royale, and Kingdom Hearts 3. It is a versatile engine that we hope will create an engrossing and beautiful world.
With the right engine and the right team, this is a remake set to make history.
Are you excited about Final Fantasy VII Remake? Sound off in the comments below!
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