Final Fantasy VII Remake's developers explained their decision to split the upcoming game into multiple episodes in a new interviews with Famitsu and Dengeki Online (via Gematsu).
Producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Tetsuya Nomura said that the game is currently in full development at Square Enix, with contributing development from CyberConnect2 and other studios.
The developers said that the remake will put players in control of three-character parties with free switching between the characters. There will be an ATB (active time battle) gauge of sorts in the game's new battle system, which was depicted in the newly released gameplay trailer.
"Regarding the battle speed and tempo, for the sake of a stress-free battle, we want to do something on the level of Dissidia Final Fantasy," said Nomura. “As far as the degree of action goes, it’s Dissidia Final Fantasy, then Kingdom Hearts, then Final Fantasy VII Remake. There won’t be any actions that require a technique. By using the new system, we want to do action battles while also being able to fight while thinking strategically.”
The developers also confirmed that the cross-dressing scenario with Cloud and Don Corneo is slated to be present in the game but has yet to be worked on.
The developers say that the reason they took so long to work on an FFVII remake was because they were waiting for the right technology to come around.
"One of the main reasons why we haven’t done a remake until now is because it’s a massive undertaking to reconstruct Final Fantasy VII from the ground up with the current technology," said Kitase.
"To a great extent, we just couldn’t take the plunge. Producing a proper HD remake of Final Fantasy VII that maintains the same feeling of density of the original results in a volume of content that couldn’t possibly fit into one installment."
Kitase went on to state that it wouldn't be possible to fit everything into a single installment, as they'd have to cut out various parts and make a condensed version of the game.
"For instance, players will be able to explore many different areas of Midgar in this game that they couldn’t access in the original─if we’re remaking this world, we want to add in areas like this and depict them with real detail.
"Of course, there may be parts that are cut from the original for various reasons, but with all the new depiction that we’re adding to the game and the level of detail we’re incorporating, the overall amount of content is only going to increase. I’m sure everyone is anxious about the schedule, and we want everyone to get to play the game as soon as possible, too. Drawing the line on that front is another reason why we’re taking this approach."
Nomura concluded the interview by saying that in addition to new content and fully fleshed out locations, players can expect to see new mechanics and hopes that those who enjoyed the original game will be surprised by all the new additions.
The game is currently in development in Unreal Engine 4 and is slated for release on the PS4 and Xbox One.
