E3 2019: What We Want For The Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy VII Remake will most likely make an appearance in this year’s E3. What do we want to see in E3 2019?

It’s almost summer time, which means E3 is right around the corner.

In the latest PlayStation’s State of Play, a new teaser trailer for the Final Fantasy VII Remake was shown off. The teaser showed off more of the game, finally unveiling new character models for Aerith and several enemies. It ended with the promise that more will be revealed in June, the same time as E3 and a Final Fantasy VII concert that will be premiering around that time.

We expect more footage of the game to be shown off at E3 (and probably the concert), so we are going to share what we want for the FF VII Remake. Final Fantasy VII is one of the most iconic games out there, so expectations are understandably high. What kind of things do we hope to see in the Final Fantasy VII Remake?

Modernize The Story, But Keep It Mostly The Same

Not all of Final Fantasy VII’s story holds up (we’ll get into more of that later), but it still iconic. Fans around the world fell in love with the world of Gaia, and the characters of VII but certain characterizations will need to be retooled. Barret will hopefully be less of a black stereotype in the remake. Cid’s verbal abuse towards his love interest really does not hold up as well; with any luck that will be toned down in the remake.

However, there’s still a lot of great stuff in the story that is worth adopting in this modern re-imagining of Final Fantasy VII. Aerith’s death is a powerful moment because it is well-executed and very powerful within the context of the narrative. It won’t have the same shock value as it had when the original game came out, yet it is still a vital piece of the overall narrative.

Furthermore, there are scenes like Sephiroth’s murder of Shinra’s President, Barret confronting his best friend Dyne, Red XIII confronting the stone statue of his father, and many more scenes that make the game’s story so special. Without any of these story beats the game wouldn’t be as beloved as it is now.

There will, of course, be some embellishments to the story. You can’t remake a twenty-year-old game without changing certain aspects of it. We just hope they make the right changes and keep the elements that made the game great in the first place.

Don’t Make Cloud So Emo

Cloud Strife is one of the biggest gaming icons who is often remembered fondly by fans for his in-depth character development and engaging story. He was a complex character in the story; he began as an arrogant mercenary who developed an identity crisis over the course of the game. He was able to bounce back and become the leader he was destined to be.

For whatever strange reason, further portrayals of him in future media will have him act very emo and angsty. While angst was a major part of his character in the original Final Fantasy VII, it wasn’t the main focus of his character.

He was an insecure man, who wasn’t sure what kind of person he was supposed to act like. His arrogance hid deep insecurity, and the first half of the story is all about bringing him to his breaking point. Losing Aerith and giving Sephiroth the black Materia were Cloud’s low points. He was able to regain his sense of self thanks to Tifa and was able to lead the heroes in the end. His redemption wouldn’t have been as powerful if he wasn’t as deep as was in the game.

Simplifying his character as nothing but the angst is a disservice of how complex the character really is in the original game. We can only hope the remake will keep the layers that made Cloud an icon originally.

Let Us Explore More Of Midgard

It appears that the Final Fantasy VII Remake will release episodic, meaning the game will be split up into different parts, and each part will be release one after the other. If that turns out to be the case, then it is probably best that the developers expand on certain areas in the game.

Midgard, one of the first cities in the game, is where you begin the game. Though Midgard in the original FF VII was expansive for its time, the city was very limited of where and when you can go to certain areas. It also always felt that you were only getting a small taste of what the city is really like, with few areas in Midgard being beyond your reach.

If the FFVII Remake will be releasing in separate episodes, then it only makes sense for the first part to be about Midgard. If Midgard will be the main focus of the first part, then we should have the power to explore the whole city properly. We want to walk on the streets of Midgard, dodging all the traffic.

We also want to explore more of the slums and get bettering understanding of what makes the city tick. We never really got to see how the upper-class lives in Midgard, and we want to see that now. Where do rich people live in Midgard? Midgard could be its own self-contain open world. It won’t be as large as most open world games. Nonetheless it could be filled with just as many things to explore.

Keep Some Of The Weird Stuff (Let Cloud Cross-dress)

Final Fantasy VII is often remembered for its tragic plot twists and high stakes drama. With that said, there’s also a lot of weird stuff in Final Fantasy VII. Cloud cross-dressing early in the game is often the most remembered weird thing in the original Final Fantasy VII, though it isn’t the only one.

There is Barret in a Sailor Suit, and Red XIII passing off as a normal SOLDIER, even though he’s an animal who walks on four legs. There’s also Don Corneo, who is just walking and talking weird. Then there’s the whole thing with the Honey Bee Inn, which is filled with strange and politically incorrect things.

Some things are expected to be toned down for the remake, which isn’t entirely a bad thing. The Honey Bee Inn especially may need to be retooled for it to be more accepting in modern time. Nevertheless, its these weird things that gave the original game such personality. In interviews, the game developers have said they plan to keep Cloud’s cross-dressing. Let’s hope that’s one of the first things they show-off in this year’s E3.

Release Window

This may be too much, especially since the Final Fantasy VII Remake director, Tetsuya Nomura, just released Kingdom Hearts III not too long ago. Nonetheless, the game was announced in 2015, and we hardly heard anything about it since. The new teaser trailer release at the Sony’s State of Play was the first tangible thing we have seen in the game in a long time.

Square Enix, the publishers of the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts titles, are notorious for announcing games way too early. Kingdom Hearts III was announced in 2013 and was only just released this year, 2019. So even with this recent teaser, fans are not holding their breaths of the game, or the first episode, being release anytime soon.

However, that doesn’t mean the game can have a release window. Even if it is vague, like coming in 2020 or 2021, at least we will have an idea of when the game may come out. It shouldn’t be too much to ask, especially since the game seems to have some level of polish already.

Is there any possibility of the game coming out this year? There’s a possibility. However, we won’t make that bet, at least not at this moment. We have seen so little of the game; it is too early to tell. It is not out of the realm of possibility, as the first episode may actually not be too long. Which means most of it may have already been done. Who knows?