Cognition Dissemination: Advent of a Crisis — Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Potential Changes

I’ve always been concerned about what a Final Fantasy VII Remake would entail, a topic I posted about earlier this year upon realizing Square Enix could go forth with it. While it would mark a momentous event for the sheer spectacle of it all, as its fanbase has clamored for it since the PS3 tech demo a decade ago, drastic changes wouldn’t go over well with some fans. A remake, for instance, could miss the point of Cloud’s personality, and insert Tetsuya Nomura’s much-maligned tribute to J-pop singer Gackt in the form of Crisis Core’s Genesis. I was far from the only one to echo those concerns, but that didn’t stop people from still wanting a remake.

That’s why Square Enix decided to give in to fan demands, and confirmed at E3 in June that an FFVII remake is indeed on the way, first on PlayStation 4 (and likely on other systems afterward). But there’s reason to believe that it’s another one of their early-bird announcements, as all that was shown was a CG video that left enough indication of what it was teasing. Despite that, the development team, helmed by director Tetsuya Nomura, claims the game started development last year — before the trolling announcement that Final Fantasy VII’s PC version would be ported to PS4 (look at all of those “dislike” votes!).

In fact, it’s far enough in development that some gameplay changes can be vaguely detailed, with every fact being provided by Nomura himself. Anyone hoping to see more playable characters is out of luck, as the main cast will serve the same basic roles gameplay wise. Also, FFVII’s sillier content (cross-dressing, the slap fight, etc.) will be preserved, so there’s no need to fear there. But shortly after E3, he mentioned it wouldn’t simply be the original game with a new coat of paint to Japanese magazines. The intent of this remake is to surpass the original, not mimic it, to present an experience more suitable for modern times.

At the time, he didn’t clarify much. It wasn’t until a more recent interview with Official PlayStation Magazine UK that Nomura elaborated a little more, and some of it is rubbing people the wrong way.

Speculation that a remake may not keep the original title’s Active Time Battle System has swirled for ages, and Nomura actually hinted that might be accurate. He said the remake’s battles would feature dramatic changes, but they’d still be recognizable. It’s had skeptics drawing comparisons to Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals, a DS remake of SNES RPG classic Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals by Square Enix and the late Neverland which swapped out the original title’s turn-based battles for a real time action/RPG system — to the dismay of fans. Though there’s cause for concern with what Nomura could possibly mean, it’s perhaps not the best idea to fly off the handle just yet to dread its impending ruination, as his comments remain vague.

Going forth with the Lufia example, some think Nomura may be importing Final Fantasy XV’s battle system into this. Adopting that would change FFVII dramatically, perhaps not for the better. Turn-based RPGs still have a place among today’s software offerings, despite the advancements made in graphics, and those who (wrongly) believe they’re a tired relic of a bygone era. The keyword here is “recognizable,” and an action-based system would make it unrecognizable. He could simply they’re inserting an easier and breezier version of the ATB system that maintains the same level of depth, like Final Fantasy X-2’s.

Even if it does receive significant changes, there’s a chance this could turn out well. A real time system could offer the same amount of depth and reward as the original if implemented well. It will be an arduous task, hopefully one that won’t prolong its development time, but it can be done with sufficient planning and execution. It’s still, however, an experiment that would be best saved for a brand new title.

Meanwhile, Nomura’s comments about the remake taking inspiration from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children are far more of a cause for concern. Sure, that’s also a vague comment, but there was plenty to dislike about the CG direct sequel, beyond it removing the intentional ambiguity left by its ending. While I’m not hesitant to admit it was an enjoyable ride, AC was mostly a flash-over-substance affair that came off as someone’s fanfic given a more tangible form, especially given the characters who stunningly reappear despite their prior fates. Its flair wouldn’t fit the original FFVII’s more subdued style, unless….well, now you can see why those panicking about battle system changes have a point.

More importantly, AC made peculiar character changes that contrasted with their personalities from the original — and more have been made in media created after the movie. Those who play the original FFVII these days are surprised to see that Cloud isn’t anywhere near as mopey or moody as AC portrays hm. The writing and directing teams admittedly realized this issue, and inserted a reason for his mood switch in Advent Children Complete. I’m hoping this means they’ll keep his original, likeable personality for the remake.

To a lesser extent, Yuffie was actually a clever treasure hunter and thief in the original, but has since devolved into a generic “anime” genki girl. This one, however, is less of a concern due to her transformation mostly occurring outside FFVII media.

While the purpose of some remakes is to attract a new audience, they’re mostly done for nostalgia’s sake. It’s why they should keep the concerns of their longtime fans in the back of their minds while they’re working on this, because they wouldn’t want to upset the very people who’ve been begging for this for a decade, right? Right.

Though more definitive info on the remake, including the official title, will be shared this fall (perhaps during PlayStation Experience), don’t expect gameplay footage for a while. They wouldn’t want this to overshadow the new mainline game (hopefully) coming soon, so you’ll have to be patient. Square Enix is likely targeting a 2017 release for this (FFVII’s 20th Anniversary), but that doesn’t mean they’ll make it.