Do We Need Another Final Fantasy VII?
WARNING – This article features potential spoilers and discusses plot points from FF7 liberally.
Recently we have seen a slew of games and films celebrating Final Fantasy 7’s ten year anniversary – Before Crisis, Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core, Advent Children and Last Order – and with them the internet rumour mill has began to turn again: will Square-Enix remake Final Fantasy 7? And more to the point, do we want them to?
There is in fact little evidence to support the possibility. There was the PS3 tech demo that was a remake of the opening of the original FF7 (near identical, except Aerith’s face is more obscured in the demo), which quite a few people are touting as evidence. Unfortunately, these people are either ignoring or are unaware that this is not the first instance where Square-Enix have recreated Final Fantasy moments in next-gen graphics. Back when the PS2 was new, and when Square-Enix were still only Squaresoft (ah, those were the days!), they recreated the ballroom scene from Final Fantasy VIII using PS2 graphics as a tech demo. So no evidence there.
Exhibit B is from the most recent addition to the FF7 family, Crisis Core. A bonus ending after the credits also shows the beginning of Final Fantasy 7, looking almost identical to the PS3 tech demo until the camera moves to the train. In a moment fans have been wetting themselves over, the action departs from the FF7 opening and follows Cloud as he crouches on the train, saying to himself “I’m Cloud. SOLDIER, first class”. The camera then pans back as Cloud stands and looks up at the towering Mako reactor that acts as the opening act of FF7. The screen fades to black, and the words “To be continued in Final Fantasy 7” appear. Fangirls scream, fanboys cry, the Final Fantasy worshippers beg for more, which is precisely how Square-Enix probably wants them to feel. I am terribly sorry for arguing this point, but this new CGI cutscene cannot act as the basis for why there will be a new FF7. If anything, all it does is reinforce the idea of Cloud’s self-delusion as to who he really is, the theme and story to which is featured throughout Crisis Core (and, technically, Last Order).
Don’t get me wrong, if there are any games of historical significance worth remaking, Final Fantasy 7 has to be in the top three. We have also seen that remakes will draw in the cash – Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes a few years back, and Tomb Raider Anniversary more recently both treated old gamers and new alike. Potentially, FF7 is the biggest cash-cow Square-Enix has and they’ve been sitting on it for years, letting the anticipation grow to a peak. I suspect that its one they will want to cash in on at some point, and when they do I can guarantee they’ll earn twice as much money as Squaresoft lost through Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (cue audible groan as Square bosses wonder what exactly they were thinking or drinking at the time).
But do we really want Square-Enix to throw money at a historical gaming icon, just to please the punters and rake in the cash? Many people who played FF7 ten years ago may feel it is one of those games where, like the hippies from Woodstock say, “you had to be there”. This is rather hypocritical coming from me, I played the game about two years after it was released when it went platinum, bought on a whim. I think it was possibly the best £20 I have ever spent; I’ve played it through three times and completed it twice (once without resorting to using the, ahem, w-item glitch), and I’m still as in love with it today as I was when I played it that magical summer back in ‘99 (might’ve actually been ‘98, time is a fickle mistress on the mind).
Despite the lack of evidence to suggest otherwise, and the fact that Square-Enix have announced that they have no current plans to remake it, I think that FF7 will be remade – it is a pretty safe bet, like when Nintendo revealed that Sonic the Hedgehog would be in Smash Bros Brawl; everyone saw it coming, but that didn’t stop the rush of excitement from hearing it being made official. So it is only a matter of time before it happens. Since there is no avoiding the inevitable, let me list the issues I have worrying me in the back of my mind, and compile a list of things Square-Enix should and should not do when they remake it – like they care what I have to say, but damn it I’m going to say it anyway!
Firstly, there is the issue of the next-gen graphics. We have already established that the cast look sexier than your favourite models naked in the sun slathered in tanning oil with the realistic makeover, but we have to consider the effect that this will have on gameplay mechanics. The original game looks horribly dated now, and yet still contains charm due to being in “chibi” (Japanese for “cute”) style, meaning the cast were really anatomically incorrect and very cartoon-esque. However, a lot of the humour and emotion the characters conveyed just through simple body movements and/or cartoon conventions could not be recreated in next-gen. Admittedly, a realistic Cloud wearing a dress is funny in any graphic style, but can you really see yourself doing squat-thrusts in next gen? Or playing Mog House? Or even the Bone Village digging minigame?
The flip-side of this is of course the potential for some of the other mini-games. Snowboarding, driving and piloting a submarine could all look awesome in next-gen. I get tingles thinking about upgraded versions of places, too – think what Nibelheim, Rocket Town, Junon and the Gold Saucer would look like when given a glossy makeover! Just so long as Square-Enix don’t cheap out on us like in Dirge of Cerberus (because the Shin-ra building/lobby were twice as big in FF7 as they were in DoC). This is where my first source of turmoil lies – what bits would they have to cut out just because of the graphics? And we haven’t even considered characters – would Don Corneo fit into a serious next-gen FF7?
So first rule – if Square-Enix do remake FF7, they have to remake all of it. Otherwise, there are going to be scrupulous fans out there feeling cheated because their favourite moment has been cut out.
While we are on the subject of graphics affecting gameplay mechanics, let us consider combat briefly. Now I am probably one of the few who would like to see a recreation of the ATB system, but I suspect that a remake would feature the new “party fight” mode that basically seems to be a one-player version of online MMORPG parties, as featured in FFXII. I would be willing to concede this update, since I really like the idea of the FF7 crew all working together at once. If the ATB did make a return, I would want the party member swap-in/swap-out mid-battle feature from FFX, because being stuck with three characters per battle was one of the more annoying aspects of the past FF games (hear that? That is the sound of me spitting in the face of FF tradition, for once).
While we are on upgrading, let us briefly consider music. I would expect no less than a complete orchestral overhaul of every track from FF7, and I am talking the full works with no new songs being substituted for the old. Hearing the orchestral beginnings of the opening to FF7 as Cloud gets off the train in the tech demo was a real highlight for me, and we all know how cool Sephiroth’s One-Winged Angel theme sounds when given the full beans with the choir and orchestra.
I would now like to move on from the aesthetics, and on to something deeper – the plot. Specifically, I would not want the story to change at all. If there are any additions to the plot, I would want them to enhance the established story – none of that “retcon” bollocks (i.e. when writers go back and change established facts/events). For example, more detailed flashbacks for Vincent would work towards the plot rather than hamper it.
Character-wise, I would be expecting voices, provided by the cast from Advent Children. My only concern is that this would take away from the player’s connection with Cloud – the first time around, you became him during the game, and I cannot help but feel that giving him his voice and personality from Advent Children would only distance the player from him. They would be alongside Cloud, rather than “be” him. However, I suspect that much of the dialogue would remain text-based as per the trend, and that my worries are needless. So rule no. 2: no Advent Children emo-cock Cloud. He should only get to be emo when we let him, so to say.
Rule 3 would of course be to keep in all of the side quests, including the ones to obtain Vincent and Yuffie. The side quests were partly what made the game feel so huge, especially the all-important Chocobo breeding!
Basically, what Square-Enix have is the chance to produce one of the most brilliant games of all time…again. They could make the locations more detailed and larger, super-size some of the monsters (I am thinking Shadow of the Colossus here – it would certainly be appropriate for some of the boss characters), fix those glitches that bugged us the first time around. Hell, they could do us a favour and even clear up a few of those confusing plot points that we still do not understand (go into most forums based on FF7 discussion, there is usually a topic for plot speculation). They can make us laugh, sweat, and cry, all over again. They could show the amazing story to a whole bunch of gamers who have never seen it before – and they should be given the same choices and experience we had the first time around, if not a better one.
In short, what I am basically trying to say is…please Square-Enix, if you do decide to remake FF7, don’t f*ck it up.
Postscript (07/02/2015)
It’s been almost ten years since I wrote this and we still don’t have a new, updated version of FFVII. However, there are PC mods that exist to makes the game even more awesome. Meanwhile, Square-Enix are just releasing the same old shit again and again.
Postscript (21/06/2015)
Huh, so they’ve announced a Final Fantasy VII remake at E3 this year. Go figure!
Post by Sean Patrick Payne+ | December 1, 2007 at 9:49 pm | Articles, Video Games | No comment
Tags: Advent Children, Emo Cloud can sod right off, FFVII, Final Fantasy, RPG, sequels, Square-Enix