TGS 2019 is almost here, and that means video game news is coming out left and right.
This includes a new trailer for the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
(Since that seems to be the actual name they’re going with, maybe I should drop the “the” and start calling it Final Fantasy VII Remake, but it sounds odd to me.)
Final Fantasy VII Remake’s new trailer shows more of the Avalanche members, but it also gives us our first look at the Turks in the remake, featuring Reno, Rude, and Tseng. They all look great, although I’m personally disappointed that they didn’t cast Quinton Flynn as Reno again, breaking the tradition of Axel and Reno always having the same voice actor.
The trailer also shows Don Corneo, along with other hints that suggest the entire crossdressing section of the game is going to be intact.
One of the many concerns I’ve had about the Final Fantasy VII Remake is that they might make it too serious and lose the often-goofy tone the original had. After this trailer, I’m no longer worried about that. The squat mini-game made it in. It’s not going to take itself too seriously.
President Shinra also appears, talking to the team through a hologram rather than appearing in person.
We also see some summons, like Shiva, so it looks like they’ll be introducing that earlier so they can have it in this first game. Oh, and when Cloud gets turned into a frog, he still has a little tiny buster sword, which is adorable.
Aside from my disappointment over Reno, I liked this trailer a lot and it really helped convince me that they’re trying to capture the tone and soul of the original Final Fantasy VII, despite all the changes. I’m still not crazy about the combat system or having an entire game focused on Midgar, but I’m getting more and more excited for this game.
How do you feel about the Final Fantasy VII Remake trailer? What else are you hoping to see? Let me know in the comments.
I was prepared for the apparent Final Fantasy news teases to be disappointed, but yesterday’s State of Play broadcast really did include the Final Fantasy VII Remake!
It also appears as though “Final Fantasy VII Remake” might be its official title, since it’s in the logo now.
The State of Play itself was pretty short, so we didn’t get much more than a 1-minute trailer of new Final Fantasy VII Remake footage. However, they promised that more information is coming in June, with Nomura stating:
Most of the plans are already in place in the run up to launch, so please bear with us a little longer until we can release more information next month.”
That sounds like E3 news to me, and… maybe even a release date?
Now, let’s take a look at the newest trailer.
It focuses on early-game content, with most of the action taking place during the opening Mako Reactor mission. We also get a short conversation between Cloud and Aeris (whose name appears to be localized as Aerith this time around), in which she offers him a flower.
There are a few interesting things to take note of.
First, the brief combat scenes show something many fans wanted: you can control multiple characters in combat! (Although the original trailer also showed this, there were still some doubts.)
How this will be handled is unclear, but the scene at 0:20 clearly shows Barret as the playable character. His name in the menu is highlighted, the camera is focused on him, and he has a “Backblast” command not present for Cloud.
(Compare this to the part at 0:21, where the player is playing as Cloud.)
Second, while we still haven’t seen Tifa in the remake, we’ve seen battles where she will be present. While the combat scenes in the trailer only ever show Cloud and Barret or Cloud and Aerith on-screen, Tifa’s name is listed alongside theirs.
Third, materia is confirmed! There was some concern that they might scrap the materia system for the remake, but fans on Reddit noticed two brief moments in which materia equipped on Cloud’s sword is visible.
Finally, the trailer ends with a scene seemingly in the Mako Reactor, in which Sephiroth asks Cloud, “Can you bear to see the Planet suffer, Cloud?”
This line is not from the original game, and while the placement suggests it’s Cloud having a vision of Sephiroth rather than Sephiroth actually being there in person, I’m really not sure what we should take from this scene. Why is he talking to Cloud about the Planet’s suffering? It could be a cause for concern, but on the other hand, if it’s a hallucination, then it makes much more sense.
Overall, I’m still disappointed that Final Fantasy VII Remake won’t use a turn-based/ATB combat system, but aside from that, this trailer is good. It looks like they’re keeping a lot of things from the original (I was even happy to see the countdown timer), which is what we want.
What concerns me the most is still the release timeline – and not because it’s taking so long.
Some fans had been hoping the multi-part release idea was scrapped, but Square Enix confirmed that “production is underway as multiple parts.”
(Since this is Square Enix, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if these things are named Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy VII Remake-2, and so on.)
I don’t like Final Fantasy VII being split into multiple parts, especially since I felt the original game didn’t hit its stride until after leaving Midgar. It’s also made me wonder about modern JRPGs. If a game like Final Fantasy VII is too big to be remade as a single game, is that why modern JRPGs often feel like they lack the heart and soul of older JRPGs? Are they smaller in some ways even though they’re bigger in others?
Anyway, I’m cautiously optimistic about the Final Fantasy VII Remake and looking forward to news about it in June. What are your thoughts on the new trailer?
Tomorrow at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET, Sony is holding a State of Play broadcast.
They’ve announced an extended look at the MediEvil remake (which I’d honestly forgotten about), a new title, and other updates and announcements.
Recent tweets from Square Enix and the official Final Fantasy account have led fans to believe we might get Final Fantasy news as well.
First, Shinji Hashimoto retweeted the State of Play announcement with a comment that translates to “Oh, it has come.” Hashimoto is the Brand Manager for the Final Fantasy series.
Next, the official Final Fantasy Twitter account posted two unusual tweets. The first was a screenshot showing the Chocobo Farm from Final Fantasy VII.
They then followed it with a Chocobo-related poll, using the Chocobo cry “wark.”
So what could this mean?
The most exciting guess, which many fans have jumped to, is that tomorrow’s State of Play will include a look at the Final Fantasy VII Remake, which we’ve seen only a little of since it’s announcement. With Kingdom Hearts III finished, Final Fantasy VII should be their next big focus.
On the other hand, the Chocobos might be the key part of the tweet. Chocobo’s Dungeon was recently remastered for the Switch and PS4, and Hashimoto was also the producer of Chocobo Racing. Tomorrow’s announcements could include a new Chocobo spin-off or remaster.
It’s also possible that the Final Fantasy tweets are unrelated to the State of Play, much like Capcom’s Resident Evil tweets were mistaken for RE3 Remake teasing not too long ago.
Maybe the State of Play will include a Final Fantasy XVI announcement or Naoki Yoshida’s new game (Sony isn’t sharing next-gen plans tomorrow, but that doesn’t necessarily rule out a next-gen game being announced), or even more information about Babylon’s Fall.
I’d love to see Final Fantasy VII Remake news, but I’m excited for whatever Square Enix has to show tomorrow. What are you hoping to see in Sony’s State of Play? Do you think Square Enix is teasing an announcement?
TGS 2019 is almost here, and that means video game news is coming out left and right.