UPDATE: Final Fantasy VII Remake Will Be A Multi-Part Series
UPDATE:
A new press release reported by Kotaku attempts to assuage worries that the Final Fantasy VII remake will be something more along the lines of a Telltale Games title, by assuring us that each episode will have content equal to a full game.
The statement is as follows:
"It means instead of concluding in one entry, multiple entries are being considered in development. Each entry will have its own unique story. As a gaming experience, each entry will have the volume of content equal to a full-sized game."
This still leaves a lot of unanswered questions, but should be a sigh of relief for those worried the game would be vastly unlike its original.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The footage from Final Fantasy VII’s upcoming remake shown at PSX this week was breathtaking, but it shouldn’t overshadow some other interesting facts about the title that we’ve learned since. The remake may be a stunning transformation for the old blocky game we loved on the PlayStation, but it’s going to be very different in other ways, as well. For one, it won’t be a straight-up, turn-based RPG like its original. And what’s more, it won’t be a full game at launch. Instead, it will be released in episodes.
In an interview with producer Yoshinori Kitase, he reveals that Final Fantasy VII’s remake will follow more recent trends toward real-time battle and GMC.
Kitase stated:
"The hardware itself has evolved since the release of Final Fantasy VII, and the games are more real, and real-time based. The previous Final Fantasy VII was a command-based RPG that utilized active-time-battle. Real-time and GMC are the trends these days. I can’t say the new game is completely action-based, but it has more of that element and real-time than the previous game. However, what makes Final Fantasy and RPG different from other games is that the players have the ability to choose weapons, capabilities and magic to be strategic minded, so while the new game has more real-time element, it will also maintain that strategy building element, balancing these two factors perfectly to enhance the gaming experience."
You can watch the full interview here:
Furthermore, Kotaku has reported a press release this evening stating that Final Fantasy VII’s remake will be released as a multi-part series…perhaps explaining how they can manage to make the game look as good as it does. Here’s the quote from the release:
"LOS ANGELES (Dec. 6, 2015) – During this past weekend’s PlayStation Experience in San Francisco, SQUARE ENIX® debuted a new trailer for FINAL FANTASY® VII REMAKE, the full remake of the award-winning role-playing game, FINAL FANTASY VII. The new trailer features the first CG scenes as well as gameplay footage. FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE will be told across a multi-part series, with each entry providing its own unique experience."
Presumably this won’t have an affect on the gameplay and world that fans love, but it does leave unanswered questions as to how the game might be broken up, and how easy it will be to explore the game world between episodes. We’ll be looking for more details from Square Enix explaining this major change.
h/t: Siliconera