Final Fantasy VII remains one of the most beloved JRPGS of all time, a definitive masterpiece that captivated millions when it launched back in 1997. Its mythical atmosphere, imaginative characters and innovative gameplay mechanics helped the genre cement itself outside of Japan all those years ago.
The concept of a remaster has been floating around as early as 2005 when a short tech demo was shown for PS3. After almost a decade of cryptic teasing and fan anticipation, it is finally becoming a reality.
TrustedReviews has compiled all the news, information and trailers you need for Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Developed by Square Enix, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a complete reconstruction of the original game that maintains the iconic narrative, characters and locations fans will know and love.
You play as Cloud Strife, a mercenary who finds himself working for AVALANCHE, a terrorist group with plans to save the planet from Shinra, an evil corporation ruling over millions in the dystopian city of Midgar.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake release date – When is it coming out?
Final Fantasy 7 Remake will be told across three separate games, which will, presumably, have their own individual release dates.
“It will essentially be a full scale game for each part of the multi-part series. In 13, each instalment told the story from a different angle. It was kind of like approaching an unknown territory in a sense,” Kitase told Game Informer.
Square Enix is yet to confirm whether each part will be a full-priced affair, or will follow a digital episode structure similar to something like Telltale.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Story – What’s it about?
The narrative, characters and locations from Final Fantasy 7 are instantly iconic, propelled into the zeitgeist of any gamer growing up in the 1990s. With that being said, Square Enix are under a lot of pressure to deliver an experience that feels both faithful and unique to the source material.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is intended as a direct retelling of the 1997 original, albeit with a few caveats to accommodate modern generation standards. It is still unclear whether or not all the locations and characters from the original game will make an appearance. Specific plot elements are also expected to be altered in some way to be more relatable for modern gamers.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Gameplay – How does it play?
Completely reworking something as instantly recognisable as Final Fantasy 7 is a risky proposition, but one Square Enix is more than willing to tackle. FF7 Remake is making some major changes to the established battle system, introducing a formula more akin to Kingdom Hearts or Devil May Cry than anything else.
The turn-based battles that enthralled us in back in our childhood bedrooms are no more, replaced by a more actively dynamic experience. Combat and exploration now take place in real-time, much like Final Fantasy 15, so it’s safe assume that battle transitions have been removed entirely. Cloud and friends will now explore a world populated by enemies as opposed to traversing a separate world map.
Considering the experience is to be split across multiple games, it may or may not be open world. Exploration will no doubt play a part, but we may be restricted to locations contextually important to the story as opposed to the open-ended nature of the original. Hopefully this isn’t the case, but as it stands, it's far too early to tell.
