Final Fantasy VII Remake Director Compares Series Evolution to Horizon Forbidden West

I hope the sequel just pretends the last couple of hours of the first game didn’t happen. The original gets so much better after Midgar anyway.

The final chapter of Remake is a masterpiece in my eyes. Make it weirder, Papa Nomura. Have them meet Sora, Donald, and Goofy at the Gold Saucer for all I care.

Screw it. Have the final chapter of the final game in this series turn into some full-on End of Evangelion insanity. Embrace the madness.

Ha. Horizon is better than Final Fantasy in every way. Especially better than the joke that is an episodic FFVII Remake.

@nessisonett The last two hours were some of the best though in the remake so Imma disagree.

I'm chomping at the bit honestly. I was only vaguely interested in FFVIIR and it ended up being game of the year for me. I can't wait to see where they take it.

@nessisonett Agree with you. Part one was amazing. Reliving my favorite game of all time in a reimagined way was such a great experience. That end though is not the same game. I just hope the next game gets back on the rails. I don't want a new game, I want the remake of the best game ever.

Horizon and FFVIIR were two of my favourite games on PS4. Looking forward to both sequels on PS5, I also loved the ending of remake as I only played the original a year before it came out. Really excited to see where Square and Guerrilla take these games next!

@AdamNovice @nessisonett
I also think the end was out of left field, unearned and in consequence destroyed some of the best character building and suspense of the original. The remake imo could not establish anything meaningful about the character of Sephiroth, so the end does not make much sense, except if you are completely aware of not only the originals story, but also crisis core, advent children and other supplementary material.
I hope they can explain these things in the sequel, but not in the Nomura way.
Also, I hardly believe the game will be open world, like Horizon. If so, we won’t see it for another 4 years.

@RBMango the only way to make it truly mad it's to depart fully from the original by making a story that's actually coherent, makes sense, and anybody has a clue what the heck is even going on without dripping acid.

The ending was great, I hope this remake continues to be familiar but different. The purists still have the original game to play.

Hope the jump is indeed as big as the one HZD is taking to HFW. Thought the remake had way too much filler and not enough story, and what story it did have was needlessly convoluted. It must be nostalgia that makes people think this game was so good. I found the gameplay to be average and the story to just be ridiculous.

I'm hoping that the chapters will be less drawn out. I was buzzing when I first saw the robot arm in the Collapsed Expressway but by the third one I was just ready to move on.

"Final Fantasy VII Remake was unquestionably excellent". Maybe for people with nostalgic feelings to the franchise. As a new comer I could not get through this game. The gameplay was just ok and the story felt so dragged out and pointless, I struggled to get through 3/4 of the game but then just gave up because to me it was just rubbish.

@JorbNorb "Ha. Horizon is better than Final Fantasy in every way. Especially better than the joke that is an episodic FFVII Remake"

You forgot to add those all important words "in my oppinion"

@ILikeStake then it would be a remaster not a remake.

The hint is in the title.. its a different game. With leanings on the original story.

@Bliquid
I’m very well aware of this fan theory, which may be indeed the intended (meta)narrative. Still the implementation is very poor in my opinion. The game alone does not give any explanation or hints on this, just cryptic, nonsensical dialog from Aerith and Sephiroth. The theory makes only sense if you have prior knowledge of the previous games and media in the franchise.
The developers have every right to change the original in any way they see fit, that’s not my issue. I find it a neat idea. Still the implementation and consequent changes in narrative are imo poorly executed.

@ILikeStake They said in the original trailer to "embrace whatever comes" they kinda hinted it would be a little different. it's been decades since FF7, you have new creators and directors who want to interpret the story differently. To me, it's the best of both world, we're mostly getting a game that plays out like an official remake, but Sephiroth being aware of the past outcomes and working to change his fate is a nice twist.

@ILikeStake @MemSec @nessisonett I think that's kind of the point of this game. It's like how the Star Trek movie reboots were both a restart and a sequel.

I think calling this Final Fantasy VII: Remake would have given that aspect away since a little. Or going very Japanese and calling it Final Fantasy VII: Re-Make.

It isn't just remaking the first game, it's remaking the outcome of the original game.

Mind. Blown!

Face it, we all know this is all about saving Aerith, anyways.

can we please just have auto-item pickup?
horizon zero dawn is amazing - but the amount of times I have to mash the triangle button is nauseating

@GamingFan4Lyf

If they blow that moment by changing sorry they would of failed spectacularly for. For me it was way more about not having to make a blow by blow remake, where and how they introduce characters. Telling interesting stories that weren't originally there (I loved in the remake going off with my Avalanche buddies to Jesse's parents house) the way it expanded and enriched the original material.

But yeah reality is the major story points have to stay there and if they don't I think they'll find many many people will drop off come Part 3 (because I'll eat hat if part 2 doesn't end at stabby stabby time).

@Ralancian Agree with this, couldn't have said it better myself.

@GamingFan4Lyf They had to remake the assets from the ground up, so it couldn't have been a remaster. You can't polish a turd. I don't think the die hard fans that were clamoring for an updated FFVII were thinking, oh yeah completely blow the story up, that would be great. I feel like the team has conditioned everyone to expect it now, so a lot have bought in. All I'm saying is that I was a bit disappointed in the ending and if the craziness continues and you can save Aerith or whatever else, I will probably be massively disappointed. Not saying I can't play it or won't enjoy it, but it will not be what myself and many others asked for for years and years.

Cannot wait for this second part, one of my top games last gen

@ILikeStake See I am completely opposite, I liked the shake-up in the story. I mean, I have the original for the original story. Maybe the rest of the game will be mostly identical, only with certain events altered, but will still follow all the major plot points - basically the same as how the first game did things.

Who knows, perhaps that little tidbit in the ending was a simple red herring for fans of the original who hope to save Aerith, without actually being able to do so when all is said and done.

It'll be interesting to see how the next chapter plays out.

It is going to seem weird to start from Level 7 and with no Materia/ weapons/items in the next game unless the story has a reason for it.

@GamingFan4Lyf Yeah I get the whole "I have the original" argument. But again, die hard fans of the original wanted for so long the game to be redone because the graphics haven't held up well at all. Not one person asking for this game was saying, hey remake this game but totally change everything that made me love it so much. That just wouldn't make sense. A perfect example is what Bluepoint did with Demons Souls and then also Shadow of Colossus. That's what most of us had in mind.

I'm not completely against the new format and battle system. I have huge concerns about how they handle the transition to open world, and if we even get an open world at the end of it.

I completely understand yours and others side of it though. I just wanted a Demons Souls style remake of the original. I know we are not going to get that but hopefully they stay true to the story and the reasons it made me so emotional.

@Bliquid I don't know if I totally agree. No one ever said it had to be this hyper realistic graphical powerhouse with a super zoomed in scope. They've remade a number of large games from the SNES era, but with updated graphics but still maintained the same scope and presentation. They made the decision to present this in a very realistic, intimate way. It didn't have to be. They could have done what they did with Shadow of the Colossus and made the same game, same scope, same presentation with updated features and graphics. Add in some new materia, summons, combinations, weapons, new character or something and it would sell like crazy. The development would probably have been just a few years too instead of this money sucking episodic monster they have bit off.

I'm not saying I completely dislike what they're doing. It was my game of the year last year. It's just not exactly what I wanted. I wanted FFVII, not FFVII-2 with ghosts and alternate dimensions.

@MJF I think that's quite a pointless complaint to have.

I like that they decided to take the game in a slightly different direction. A pure remake would be boring.

@AdamNovice Me too. Played the original so many times. I was made up early on when I realised this was doing something different. The end with Z blew me away. Super hyped for part 2.

@ILikeStake...... So what is it that have you and the others been asking for years for from Square Enix?

@ILikeStake....... Your problem is not FF7RP1 but your problem is comparing apples and oranges. Bluepoint have not created an original game in their existence, and have not taken any financial or creative risk, everything they have done has been safely taken off risk wise by Sony. Also Bluepoint have done Remaster of mostly silent games hence they work has been largely graphical overhalll hence they have done 1 to 1 Remaster and once off Remaster.

Final Fantasy is the very definition of Square Enix as a developer and publisher, i.e. It's their baby, which means they cannot just release a graphical overhaul since unlike Demons And Colossus, Final Fantasy is actually a story intensive and has a lot of dialogue unlike Demons and Colossus which are more game play based games and it would have actually been weird if Bluepoint deveviated from the Originals.

There is a reason the game is being Remaster not as 1 game but parts, not because Square is greedy but if you think of the original FF7 on ps1, it would not do justice to the original to try and cram the remake into one release because of the level of gaming we are in at the moment.....

E.g, Hitman reboot is a minimalist game in the sense that it is a sandbox of not very big areas, yet IO had to release the game in 3 parts in order to release the game in its full scope using modern technology, so if Hitman which does not have a lot of dialogue and about 22 to 26 locations /levels takes 3 released to fully realize, then we have to give Square Enix the benefit of the doubt as surely they love FF7 as all its fans and dire hard fans......

I think square have been on a roll and I think they deserve a chance for us to give them so they can give us their modernised version of FF7

@GREGORIAN The things you are stating are right out of the developers mouth. They have had years to condition gamers on what their plan is and what their thoughts were. So what you are writing is nothing new to me. It doesn't mean that I have to completely agree with their direction. I do have to live with it though.. What a lot of fans, me included, requested was the same game remade with upgraded audio and visuals. I don't think many people said "I want an FFVII remake with a Kingdom Hearts like battle system. I want you to add ghosts into the story. I want there to be extra dimensions." They totally could have remade the game with the same 'zoomed out' perspective as the original, added some va, added some enhancements like I mentioned and it would have killed in sales, and they probably could have developed it much quicker. Instead they zoomed in and focused on everything. They took a look at the donut and shoved the whole damn thing in their mouth. Hopefully it's not more than they can chew. It is a very risky decision, and I give them props for that.

Look, the first remake game was awesome. The end of it has me worried for the next one though. We'll see what happens, and I can't wait. In the back of my mind I will always be thinking "I just want the old game redone...why couldn't they have done both if they wanted to go this route?" (Hey, its not my money haha)

@Nepp67 you gotta pick up so much stuff.
they could make searching the mechs be a button press, but like - all of the stuff in the world - come on - how many twigs and hearts do I have to pick up?

@ILikeStake ........ I hear ya.... But we have to be fair in that it's unfair to think Square did not consider other ways to remake the Remake and settled on the format as it was the most feasible.

The thing about FF 7 ps1 is that we all knew and know that it was made that way because of the ps1 hardware limitations Ala Resident Evil survival immersion by having the game being clucky hence its iconic reputation, same mechanic or design would not work on the Resident Evil 2 REMAKE hence why the game turned out the way it did.

A ff7 remake that was not high octane close up view graphics would not have worked with the fans, if it did the remember that ff7 was remade and this is not the first remake and those remakes did not sell and actually everyone has forgotten they released, so no ff7 ps1 with better texture would have dismally failed and tarnished the name and rep of ff7 ps1.

So no a facelifted only remake would have flopped badly.

If you really do respect the story of the original ff7 ps1 then you would appreciate that it requires more that 1 installment to retell in its glory..