Final Fantasy VII Remake director Yoshinori Kitase took to a blog post on Square Enix official website to add on to the growing list of info that we know, which accompanies Tifa’s new look, the game’s new battle system, and how it will have more than one part. The remake of the 1997 turn based-RPG is slated to release on PS4 on March 3rd, 2020.
Without wasting any time, Kitase starts off the blog post by saying that Final Fantasy VII Remake is a “reimagining of the iconic original game” that goes “much deeper into the world and characters” than ever before:
“FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is a reimagining of the iconic original game that goes much deeper into the world and characters of FINAL FANTASY VII than ever before.
The director of the remake claims that this game for a new era is not a “straight 1:1 copy or a simple remaster of the original game,” and each game (or part) in the project will have a volume of content compared to a “standalone Final Fantasy” game where the disc version of the first game is set to be on a two Blu-Ray Disc set:
“Our goal with this project is to rebuild FINAL FANTASY VII for a new era. We’re not making a straight 1:1 copy or a simple remaster of the original game.
It’s a huge volume of work and data to re-imagine this world. Each game in the project will have a volume of content comparable to a standalone FINAL FANTASY. The disc version of the first game is actually a 2 Blu-Ray Disc set. This approach allows us to remake the original without having to scale back on everything players loved.”
Skipping some of the paragraphs on the blog post (since we’ve covered some of that stuff yesterday), the rest of the post highlights that key creative values of the core Final Fantasy series are innovation, pushing boundaries, and surprising players, which all of those “values” will be in the remake:
“The key creative values of the core FINAL FANTASY series are innovation, pushing boundaries and surprising players, this project shares these same values and the development team view it as the next mainline FINAL FANTASY release.
For the original core members of the development team, simply recreating the original game with improved graphics wasn’t enough to get us invested and excited about remaking VII. To return, we want to go beyond the original, telling a deeper story and providing a modern gaming experience. We really want to go above and beyond what is expected of a remake.”
We also learn that a younger international in-house team that played the game is working on the remake, which is “exhilarating” to Kitase:
“[…] we also have a dedicated in-house team of international gaming talent. Many of our new team members were young fans who played the original VII when it was first released. It’s very exciting and exhilarating to work with this talented team on such an ambitious project.”
Moreover, the first game or part of Final Fantasy VII will take place in the “eclectic” city of Midgar, where a myriad of “influences and surprises” lie and wait around every corner:
“The first game in the project takes place in the eclectic city of Midgar, we chose to focus on Midgar as it best represents the world of VII as a location more than any other. Midgar is full of imagination with myriad influences and surprises around every corner.
While many people may think that Midgar is very dark at first glance, we have a design aesthetic where the city has strong elements of colour and variety. The lighting and colouring we are using throughout Midgar accentuate what is unique about FINAL FANTASY VII’s world. We decided not to use a photo-realistic approach with the design, but instead something more stylised, honouring the artistic designs and choices of the original.”
Kitase goes on to say that a lot has changed since the original game, and because of that, the team aims to make the upcoming title immersive through storytelling as well as through “other new tech”:
“A lot has changed since the release of the original FINAL FANTASY VII. Back then we didn’t have access to things like voice acting, performance and motion capture, or close-up cameras outside of cut-scenes. For FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE there’s a greater emphasis on character storytelling through the use of these techniques as well as some other new tech. This allows us to make these characters more expressive than ever, enhancing the levels of immersion and enjoyment through performance.
In REMAKE we are giving voice to the original FINAL FANTASY VII for the first time. By bringing in a new generation of actors, we hope to provide the best experience for original fans and new players.”
While attempting to please original fans and new players alike, the team is also approaching the classic concepts of gameplay with an “accessible evolution of the ATB system,” which will supposedly give players “greater action” when it comes to tactics and control:
“For the gameplay, we are aiming to create a new take on classic concepts with an accessible evolution of the ATB system giving you greater action with tactical control.
The system we’ve created retains the strategic decisions of controlling multiple party members, allowing you to select from a wide range of abilities and spells. You can control your favourite character while issuing orders to others, or leave them to AI. And choose when to switch to a different party member to make best use of their unique abilities in battle. This allows all players to choose and enjoy your favourite way of playing.
Finally, yes we still have Materia. You can use it to tailor your play style and abilities.”
More info on Final Fantasy VII Remake is set to come out later this year. In the meantime, you can read the full blog post by hitting up square-enix-games.com.
