The time is almost here! It’s almost time to play Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PlayStation 5! Critics are touting the game as one of the best video games in recent memory and arguably the best remake ever done. Fans have been loving the demo that Square Enix dropped as their “appetizer” before the game’s release, and they’re desperate to see the world of Gaia in a new light. In a special interview on the Square Enix website, various team members came together to discuss the “new light” they put on the title and how they have improved upon the original PS1 masterpiece.
For example, they did the remake saga as they did, meaning multiple entries, because they wanted to recreate everything in a modern light and then expand upon it in meaningful ways. They couldn’t do that if it was all in one title. But, as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Producer Yoshinori Kitase revealed, there was another element to doing it this way:
“Another advantage we’ve come to realize after doing the first game and getting into the rest of the trilogy, is that we can actually take feedback from the previous game on board. We can see what players feel, what they liked, what they wanted, what we maybe could have done better, and essentially keep making the game alongside the fans.”
That difference did come into play between the first two remake titles, as players noted certain small issues with the battle system, who was in the party in the first game, and more.
Enter game director Naoki Hamaguchi, who noted that while the PS1 classic is great, fans did have feedback on what they wanted to do differently from it in the remake:
“I think a lot of people asked for a bit more player choice – the ability to make decisions about what to do next, rather than just getting drawn along by the story.”
Arguably, the biggest challenge with the second remake title was going into the wider world of Gaia. They had to show the world on a scale that felt believable and could be presented in a good way via the PS5. They knew they couldn’t make a true “whole world” for players to explore, so they did a “lot of trial and error” to find the right balance for true exploration while also limiting what they needed to show.
They did have to modify or cut things from the original game, but they felt it was for the best, and it wasn’t too much in their own words.
