There was a massive amount of hype built up around the remake announcement of Final Fantasy VII. This game was such a masterpiece upon its initial release, so naturally, many veteran JRPG fans wanted a remake. It took a long time, but that remake eventually landed in development, and it’s still being worked through. That was a monster of a game to work through, and it might be a game to persuade Square Enix to avoid another remake from this long-history franchise.
Resident Evil might have had quite a bit of luck with remakes, but that trend may not follow suit with Final Fantasy. So, while Capcom continues to pour in resources to bring out remakes, Square Enix is having a more challenging time. Final Fantasy VII is evidence that remaking these older JRPGs takes a massive amount of time and resources. You can’t even get a full remake with just one installment, as Final Fantasy VII takes three games to finish.
IGN recently spoke with a couple of Square Enix staff members. Included was Final Fantasy VIII director Yoshinori Kitase. During their conversation, Yoshinori noted that if they were to remake the game, there was one area that they would fix, and that was combat. It looks like the original Junction system would get tossed out the window as it made it difficult for players. This system allowed enemies to level up in line with the player.
However, the director went on to say that he’s already worked through the process of trying to figure out how to bring this game to the modern era. During their research, it was soon found that this content volume is not something a development studio can do easily. That goes for most RPGs from years ago, as bringing them to the modern day would again become a massive undertaking.
IGN even noted that Final Fantasy VII remake director Naoki Hamaguchi said he would reject taking on another numbered Final Fantasy game remake. It might have been a small joke, but it doesn’t seem like far too many resources are being spent at Square Enix to bring out a series of remakes similar to what we’re seeing with Capcom’s Resident Evil franchise.
With that said, Final Fantasy VII is about to receive its second installment for the remake. Later this month, on February 29, 2024, we’ll see Final Fantasy VII Rebirth land in the marketplace for the PlayStation 5 platform. You can check out a trailer for this game in the video we have embedded below.
