Fans have been clamouring for new info about Final Fantasy VII Remake ever since it was first announced at E3 2015. With this year’s E3 just around the corner, the rumor mill’s once again been churning. We’re excited to see this RPG classic get a modern update, and there’s a few charming gameplay quirks and off-the-wall story moments we hope to see in the reboot, whenever it finally hits stores.
Three Things FF7 Remake needs to keep:
The Materia system
As the Final Fantasy series has evolved, so too has the franchise’s character growth and customization systems. FFXV’s Ascension system allows the player to guide the party’s growth, with the potential to specialize each character into a particular combat role or opt for a more balanced approach. VII’s characters, for better or worse, are virtually interchangeable due to being almost infinitely customizable.
We do know the Materia system in FF7R will be tweaked, at the very least. Back in March, Tetsuya Nomura told Famitsu, “Regarding Materia, what I can say is that it’s something like a skill. Different from magic, you can use it when you’ve set a Materia that has an effect that can be used in battle.” Bearing this in mind, we hope the revamped system retains at least some of the freedom and customizability of the original.
READ: 'Final Fantasy 7 Remake' Nintendo Switch: E3 Reveal Incoming [RUMOR]
The goofy comedic moments
Moments like Cloud cross-dressing for Don Corneo in Wall Market and Tifa’s slap fight atop the Junon cannon can feel a bit retrograde and dated, but are a welcome (if corny) change of pace from the game’s often intensely serious story. There are plenty of lighthearted moments in XV as well, which bodes well for our hopes that FF7R won’t be a dour, grimdark affair.
Aeris/th stays dead
We know many fans out there are excited about the prospect of FF7’s iconic martyr being playable for more of the game, even as a DLC. However, we hope this doesn’t come to pass, as her untimely demise becomes a critical foundation for the story’s second half.
Three FF7 quirks we hope don’t carry over to the reboot:
The snowboarding minigame
Not only were the gameplay mechanics of this one-off mini-game just terrible, introducing it in the game so soon after Aeris’ death made for an incredibly jarring shift in tone. Sure, Cloud and the gang can’t mope around forever, but it really undercuts the drama and emotion of that critical moment in the game. Sure, an updated version of FFVII’s snowboarding would probably look and play a whole lot better on a modern console, but we’d be just fine if it didn’t make the cut.
No Cait Sith
We can dream, right? Why is this jerk allowed back in the party, no questions asked, once it’s clear he betrayed everyone? Since it’s unlikely he (it?) will be excised from the game entirely, we’d settle for a beefed-up backstory for Reeve and some more skepticism about him from the rest of the party after his return.
The confusing storyline
Don’t get us wrong; we love FFVII’s story. Cloud’s made-up identity, the creepy relationship between Jenova and Sephiroth, learning about the Cetra: it’s all great. But it could be explained a lot more clearly, especially everything having to do with the nature of the Sephiroth clones. There’s a lot of fan videos and forum posts out there that attempt to make sense of it all, but a focus on laying out the fundamentals of the story clearly, particularly during the end-game phase of the game, would be a welcome departure from the original.
There’s a lot more to be said on this topic, but those were the ones that jumped out to us. What do you want to see in Final Fantasy VII Remake? Are we too being too hard on old Cait Sith? Let us know your thoughts about the reboot in the comments.
