Preamble

Hello, Giant Bomb community! With the release of the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo and documentary, I thought it was high time for me to talk about the game and get my mind off of this global pandemic. After giving the demo a whirl, I have to say I left with a more favorable impression than I anticipated. It's a flashy package, and I genuinely enjoyed the new combat system. Narratively, it seems Square-Enix is striking a decent balance between the spirit of the original and modern video game storytelling. Still, I continue to maintain that I don't think Square-Enix should be making this game. First and foremost, the company is in a creative dessert and is staying afloat financially, mainly thanks to Final Fantasy XIV and a handful of mobile games. Dedicating as much development time to this project, as they have, is not a viable long-term strategy.

Additionally, I do not trust the current head honchos at Square to make all of the "correct" creative decisions in translating the original game. Yes, I am aware Final Fantasy VII is available on every conceivable platform imaginable, and it wouldn't surprise me if my refrigerator eventually could play the game. Notwithstanding, something doesn't "feel right." The Square-Enix of today has virtually NONE of the staff who made Final Fantasy VII a work of art. Admittedly, I'm not going to suggest Final Fantasy VII is an impeccable diamond free of imperfections. The game is a messy, convoluted, and occasionally bewildering experience; but, I think that's part of the game's charm. And I do not believe the Square-Enix of today knows how to best address Final Fantasy VII's original suite of shortcomings without losing a part of the original's appeal.

That said, don't let my nihilistic point of view bum you out if you are looking forward to the game! As I have always said, you do you. I am but an amateur blogger who, for the most part, wouldn't know their head from their ass when it comes to making video games. Likewise, I cannot envision this game being an objectively terrible experience. Square has attached some of its brightest and most talented minds to the project, and its creative leads appear passionate enough about bringing this game to the forefront. Furthermore, I honestly hope the game proves me wrong because I think it could serve as a critical jumping point for Square-Enix as a developer. An additional "best-case scenario" is a new generation of gamers ends up checking out the rest of the Final Fantasy franchise following this game's release.

However, let's jump into the "meat and potatoes" of this blog! Regardless of how I feel about the thing, there are a handful of unanswered questions that will, at some point, come up during episode one. These "burning questions" are significant issues that Square will not be able to dance around, and whose answers will determine the complexion of the entire experience and all episodes following it. Furthermore, there are no "right" or "wrong" answers here, and whatever course Square takes will undoubtedly prove to be possible points of differentiation between the remake and original. And I want to make it clear that I do not think differentiating this game from the original is a bad thing. In fact, I hope that's the case. However, before we jump into that, I'll list the additional unanswered questions I have that do not warrant deep introspection. Also, I want to warn anyone reading this blog that there will be SPOILERS about Final Fantasy VII and its supporting media!

• How is the relationship mechanic going to work, and is it more visible to the player than in the original game?
• Will the characters from Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII ever make an appearance?
• What about that Japan-only mobile game? Characters from that game make an appearance?
• Will there be a "teaser" for episode two at the end?
• Do I have to worry about carrying over my save data to episode two?
• Will there be any references to Kingdom Hearts?
• Is Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII still the bookend of the Final Fantasy VII timeline?

Burning Question #1: How Much "Original" Content Is There?

During one of Square-Enix's promotional videos for Final Fantasy VII Remake, they showed off something that caught a lot of people's attention. During a teaser trailer, the game showcases optional side quests that did not exist in the original game. Of the many changes they have shown, this is one I happily applaud. As someone who recently replayed the original game, I found Midgar, as a level, to be shockingly linear. There are few, if any, side quests to complete during the game's first romp through the industrial cityscape, but to its defense, that is by design. The environment as a whole is less about providing you the usual JRPG trappings and more about setting the mood and tone of the overall narrative. Nonetheless, the lack of side quests is a shocking gap in the game's overall flawless worldbuilding.

At any rate, what this additional content culminates towards is anyone's guess! Will completing these fetch quests expose you to storyline characters earlier than usual? Will some of the game's "deeper cuts" be hidden behind these side quests? Will there be "secret" cutscenes only viewable if you complete a series of menial tasks? If Square wants to put extra fanservice into the game, then these sorts of missions are the best way to do it. People who wish to mainline the game can do so, whereas others who like playing around with the Materia System have the option of doing that as well. Speaking of the Materia System, the real question here is if the game is going to provide more combat-oriented missions. If that's the case, then the original game's pace of delivering Materia and abilities needs to be thrown out the window. In case you've forgotten, the game doesn't provide a ton of magic-based options until AFTER your party leaves Midgar. Then you have the game's summons, which also does not come to the forefront until AFTER the overworld becomes accessible.

Which leads me to another concern, and that's the game's overall pace and sense of progression. One of the benefits of Midgar in the original game is that it does not provide a lot of situations where you feel like you need to stop everything and grind levels. As such, the game progresses at a decent pace, and you never feel motivated to stray too far away from the story's critical path. If Square puts in a bunch of fetch quests or optional tasks, I worry they are going to ruin the game's breezy pace for the sake of making the game more akin to a traditional JRPG. What's more, they're going to have to play around with the game's random encounters if they want players to feel motivated to complete these missions.

Burning Question #2: How Much Of Advent Children Is Actually Canon?

It seems odd to question the canonicity of an official Square-Enix product, if not ostentatious. Nonetheless, a lot has happened regarding the state of Final Fantasy VII since Advent Children's release way back in 2005. Now, as you can see below, Square-Enix has addressed this issue repeatedly during interviews and press-releases. So, that's "case closed," and we can all move on with our lives, right? Well, not so fast, my dear readers. In terms of surface-level changes, Square-Enix has mercifully shit-canned the character designs from Advent Children and instead elected to reinterpret them using entirely new technology. This choice might seem like a no-brainer, but it also raises plenty of questions on how much of the film holds water in the remake. Furthermore, if Square-Enix is going to lean into the remake honoring the spirit of Final Fantasy VII, then a lot more of Advent Children needs to be shown the door.

First, Advent Children's tone is going to be a massive issue. The film's grimdark, almost post-apocalyptic tone was an enormous deviation from the game it is based on, and a departure I can only imagine Square will avoid with the remake. I know a lot of you will likely respond Advent Children takes place AFTER the events of Final Fantasy VII, and therefore, doesn't represent that significant of a tonal shift. And you know what, that's a fair point I fully appreciate. Nonetheless, the "temperament" of the remake is still a significant question mark, and that's doubly so when it comes to its characters. As I will discuss shortly, we have seen over a dozen different extrapolations of Cloud Strife, and none of them are even remotely complimentary. But the tone of Advent Children isn't the only issue at hand here. The film also makes some decidedly "controversial" decisions about Final Fantasy VII's canon that Square has been rather flippant about in recent years.

You might have forgotten this, but Advent Children takes a handful of narrative stances, which profoundly impact Final Fantasy VII's canon. Some of these, such as bringing Tseng back to life, can be dismissed as originating from a translation error. On the other hand, you also have characters like Rufus surviving a goddamn nuclear explosion. However, the most important of these "stances" would, by a country mile, be the film retconning Aerith as Cloud's primary love-interest and relegating Tifa to the role of the proverbial "girl-next-door." This point of contention is relatively minor for the remake's initial outing, but as the story progresses, things will only get more complicated. Especially when you consider the original game's revelatory moment in the Lifestream has an entirely different meaning if you pursue a relationship with Tifa. Will the remake honor the player's agency in pursuing the romances they see fit, or will it try to find a compromise that satisfies no one? Only time will tell. Finally, you have Jenova, who has always been a "messy" character in Final Fantasy VII. However, as we will discuss later, Advent Children somehow makes this already convoluted character even more confusing.

Burning Question #3: Which Versions Of These Characters Are We Getting?

Speaking of Advent Children making things a convoluted mess, we need to return to the issue of "tone." If my previous chapter made it seem like I'm not a fan of Advent Children, that's because I hate the damn thing. However, if there's something I must give the film credit for, it's that it fully commits to its grim/emo tone. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about OG Final Fantasy VII. The game, in its original form, has bewildering tonal shifts, sometimes within minutes of each other. At the time, this was by design as Squaresoft was trying to "cast a wide net," much like a Summer Blockbuster. The consequence, however, is that the remake will have to do a better job of managing these pivots. Based on what I played of the demo, all signs point to Square, knowing where that middle ground is, but things will only get more arduous as the story progresses.

This point inevitably leads us to the issue of "characterization." For some characters like Barret, the options on the table do Square's job for them. In his case, we have either see him as a racist caricature or a kind-hearted freedom fighter. However, other characters have evolved MASSIVELY since their first outing way back in 1997. As mentioned earlier, Aerith has gone from being a free-loving storytelling lynchpin to Cloud's canonical love-interest. In Final Fantasy VII, she often jokes and teases Cloud and acts like a normal-ass young adult. However, she avoids outright swooning on Cloud as we have seen her do in some of Final Fantasy VII's supporting media, Kingdom Hearts included. Tifa, on the other hand, isn't the hot-headed badass we think of her as in OG Final Fantasy VII. Instead, she has a TON of moments where she attempts to level with Cloud and expose her emotional vulnerabilities.

But the million-dollar question I want to know is which version of Cloud Strife are we getting in the remake! What sometimes gets lost when people ruminate about their Final Fantasy VII memories, is the game's emotional diversity. Even a character like Cloud had moments of levity where they cracked jokes to lighten the story's mood. Since 1997, Square has forgotten this Cloud even exists. Thus, which version of the blonde-haired golden boy are we getting? Are we getting the emo grimdark Cloud from Advent Children? Are we getting the soulless Sephiroth-killing meatbag from Kingdom Hearts? And before any of you chime in that, they should just interpret the character as depicted in the original game; I want you to think about what you're saying. In OG Final Fantasy VII, Cloud oscillates between being comedic-relief, a standoffish asshole, an action badass, and a level-headed "straight man." Sometimes he even rotates between these stock characters within the same scene. So, to Square-Enix's defense, it's not like there's a coherent character to adapt in the first place!

Burning Question #4: Will This Game Finally Settle The Sephiroth vs. Jenova Debate?

A Final Fantasy game is not complete without a good old-fashioned fan debate. Final Fantasy VIII fans have been weighing the merits of the "Squall is Dead" fan theory for over twenty years, and crazy people have written entire dissertations about Necron's role in Final Fantasy IX. In Final Fantasy VII's case, the point of contention among fans comes down to whether Sephiroth or Jenova is the game's "true" antagonist. Now, before we jump into this rabbit hole, I want to warn you, some fans have researched their positions as if they are Nobel laureates trying to solve the Riemann hypothesis. To keep things simple, "Camp Jenova" argues Sephiroth is dead before the events of the game, and Jenova steers the course of the story using an army of doppelgangers. "Camp Sephiroth" maintains that a "real" Sephiroth exists in the Lifestream and employs an army of doppelgangers to manipulate and control Jenova.

To an outsider looking in, this kerfuffle might seem like an exhausting argument over semantics. Nonetheless, similar to a few of my earlier points, the issue here reiterates the daunting task facing Square. For one thing, Square has jumped back and forth between both camps in the last thirty-plus years. In Advent Children, they retconned Jenova to be the franchise's primary antagonist and framed them to be more like Lavos from Chrono Trigger. Unfortunately, in virtually every OTHER source of Final Fantasy VII supporting media, Sephiroth is a real person with clearly articulated motivations. Simply put, Square can't have things both ways, but the standard response of "just leave things ambiguous like in the original" probably will not pan out either. I do not think for a fucking minute the company is going to forego twenty years of supporting media, they have made from the ground up, mind you, with the release of this game.

Luckily for them, this is a question they can punt until the next episode. Still, we all know about THAT SCENE with Jenova at the Shinra Headquarters. You know, the scene that gave you nightmares as a kid when you first played Final Fantasy VII. In the remake, will this juxtaposition be a quick moment, or will it be a segue for something more substantial? Additionally, there are plenty of flashbacks and internal monologues (which, DO NOT WORRY MY SWEET CHILD, we will talk about shortly) that play around with the idea of Sephiroth and Jenova's existence and role in the greater world. More importantly, each interpretation plays an essential role in setting the "temperature" for Cloud's moment of self-actualization in the Lifestream. Is his human existence being challenged by an alien from another planet or a silver-haired asshole? Your guess is as good as mine!

Burning Question #5: Is Any Part Of Crisis Core Going To Be Addressed in The Game?

Speaking of characters Square-Enix cannot make up their minds about, let's talk about Zack Fair! Part of why I outright reject fan requests for the remake to adapt the source material literally is because things are not as simple as they seem. Some characters, such as the Turks, Barret, and Zack, have benefited MASSIVELY from Square's "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII." Take, for example, the namesake for this chapter, Zack. In OG Final Fantasy VII, Zack is a character who barely exists if you only follow the game's mainline story. To learn more about the man and his relationship to Cloud, you have to explore several backdrops and environments at different portions of the story. It would be incredibly STUPID if Square-Enix maintains this structure for Final Fantasy VII Remake.

When it comes to the original, we only get a few passing remarks and flashbacks to Zack. However, his ghost LOOMS LARGE over the shoulders of Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith even during the game's opening chapters. Lest we not forget, part of the reason why the Turks avoid outright kidnapping Aerith is because they fear Zack is still alive and protecting her. As with before, the issue here isn't how much light episode one will shed on Zack, but which interpretation of the character it decides to use. The Zack of Final Fantasy VII is a "nothing burger," who is less a genuine character and more a vessel for Cloud's moment of self-actualization. The Zack of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, on the other hand, is one of the most profoundly tragic figures in all of video games and one of the best characters conceived by post-Sakaguchi Square-Enix. I'm not fucking around here; the ending of Crisis Core is FUCKING AMAZING!

Seriously, if you have not yet seen the ending of Crisis Core, do yourself a favor and fix that! With that in mind, I think it would be a missed opportunity if the remake completely ignored every storytelling contribution of Crisis Core. Virtually every character, including the Turks, benefits from elements of Crisis Core being present in some form in this game. Furthermore, it would be incredibly stupid if Square-Enix didn't at least use the Crisis Core version of Zack, as doing so would add so much more authenticity to the emotional core of the game. Yes, this issue doesn't need to be addressed right off the bat, but at some point, Square needs to decide on how to structure Zack's moments within an episodic format. Are we learning more about the history of the Buster Sword via a series of side quests? Personally, I think that sounds astonishingly moronic! All joking aside, I believe it is imperative Square makes his story arc a part of the game's critical path.

Burning Question #6: How Are They Going To Handle The Flashbacks and Internal Monologues?

As I have hinted, Final Fantasy VII is an awkward but magical by-product of the era it was made. Nothing pleads this case better than a quick examination of the storytelling structure of Cloud's story arc. There, his character evolution progresses through a series of pre-rendered cutscenes, in-engine set pieces, flashy boss battles, and quiet interstitial moments. The only tricky part for Square will be figuring out how to handle his flashbacks and internal monologues. In case you've forgotten the first monologue pop-offs during the second reactor attack. Likewise, after you escape the first reactor, the game spends a decent amount of time in the past as Tifa and Cloud reminisce about their childhoods.

The flashbacks will be the easier part of this puzzle. All they require is the same attention to detail Square has put into the rest of what we have seen of Midgar, and things will be peachy. Though I must admit, I'm curious to see how Square-Enix handles the voice acting for a young Cloud. The internal monologues, however, will prove to be trickier. Part of what makes those monologues impactful is that you do not know where they are coming from right off the bat. Discovering they are a manifestation of Cloud's consciousness and suppressed childhood, isn't just a shock; it reframes entire parts of the story under a new light. What I worry about is how Square-Enix will handle those monologues in a world where voice acting exists. As we all know, Final Fantasy's track record of having child voice actors is poor.

This concern isn't simply about me not wanting to eat my own eyeballs while listening to people talk in Final Fantasy VII Remake. The reveal that Cloud has been talking to his past is a powerful moment that defines the heart of Final Fantasy VII. If Square-Enix has these monologues spoken to you by a child, it will immediately spoil one of the best moments in the entire game. I am, of course, talking about Tifa and Cloud's revelation in the Lifestream. Cloud's whole character arc culminates towards this moment, and it plays a HUGE ROLE in adding emotional weight to the game's final two acts. Yes, Aerith's death is more iconic, but the moment in the Lifestream is no slouch, either. And unlike Aerith's death, I think Square has an opportunity to preserve the surprise of this scene for newcomers. Even if that isn't possible, I'm not 100% privy to having an omnipotent child spell out what should be a surprise ten or twelve hours too early.

Burning Question #7: How LONG Will We Have To Wait For Episode Two?

This question is the proverbial "big one." When Final Fantasy VII Remake releases on April 10, 2020, it will cap-off a nigh five-year-long wait for Final Fantasy fans. However, its release will be even more celebrated at Square-Enix as the game's development has been nothing but a nightmare. Indeed, a significant reason for this wait wasn't entirely the game's fault. Square encountered problems with the original studio tapped to make it, and these issues culminated in Square switching to in-house development in 2017. However, if Square honestly thinks fans will be as forgiving of delays and production issues for episodes two or three, then they will be up for a rude awakening. It's okay they are going a more deliberate route this time around, but if they want this game to be their lottery ticket back into the public consciousness, then the next two episodes better come out on a faster clip.

What I think is the even more significant "elephant in the room" is whether or not Square has even BEGUN MAKING episodes two or three. A recurring fear I have expressed regarding the remake is that Square hasn't adequately planned or mapped out their next steps or what the logical stopping points for the future episodes will be. Sure, there have been quick teasers here and there of characters and moments from later portions of Final Fantasy VII, but nothing significant enough to assuage my overall concerns. What I think fans forget is how WEIRD the middle act of Final Fantasy VII gets, and I worry modern-day Square has forgotten this as well. Which reminds me, the next two episodes are going to be FAR HARDER to adapt than a scenic tour through Midgar!

Adapting Midgar for current-generation technology IS THE EASY PART of making Final Fantasy VII Remake! After Midgar, you have a TON of interstitial levels and set pieces that cause the pace of the story to slow to a crawl. For the sake of the game's worldbuilding, they serve their role admirably. But the Square-Enix of today doesn't have a great handle on the mechanics and structure of 90's era Squaresoft game design. Will the game have a traditional overworld? How will the optional summons dole out? Will I have to chase down Yuffie like in the original game? Speaking of Yuffie, when will I be able to visit Wutai? And what about the excessive amount of minigames that LITTER whole swaths of the mid to late game? As long as Square-Enix is willing to sink in the time to provide excellent production values, there will always be a fanbase for Final Fantasy VII Remake. That said, considering our time on this planet might be more precious than we all could have imagined, I honestly hope they get their shit together for future episodes.

The Worst Case Scenario: Golden Saucer, but with micro-transactions.

As for when the next episode comes out - given Squeenix's track record, I'm guessing it will be after at least 2 or 3 reboots and director changes, and will probably take long enough that people get nostalgic for the remake so that the remake will need to be remade.

Not that I will be playing any of the episodes/chapters/whatever they want to call them. Why would I sully my memories of the game when the beautiful, wonderfully demented original is still so accessible, inexplicable dolphin hopping, military marching, snowboarding mini-games and all? Plus, once I saw the QL and realized the break meter was such a heavy part of combat it I immediately decided that the remake will be a hard pass for me. That was a FFXIII system, and I don't need any part of FFXIII in my life, thank you very much.

The demo had a little bit of quick Cloud flashback and memory rewriting in it that I thought stood out in a neat way.

My question about flashbacks though is about how much of episode 2 is just going to be that 5 hour flashback that takes place in that Inn right after Midgar.

Part 2 and 3 are just going to be Xenogears Disc 2.

At this point as a company I think FF7 remake is about the minimum of what Square Enix can do for Final Fantasy. I have said it before, I don't think Final Fantasy works in the current gaming climate anymore. For a series that has titles into the double digits it somehow lacks a constant that they can lean on. In some strange way the series had biggest success when it follows no rule, but now they are in desperate need of something they can return to safely. FF7 Remake kind of fit that. Although they are definitely running the risk of ruining their biggest legacy.

I am very cautiously optimistic about the remake. It looks ok, I can already identify things that I like and things not too hot on from what I have seen, but that's fine.

Spoiler abound here on out:

The original content is interesting, probably the most interesting part, I think many people are guessing Part 1 is going to cut off at the end of Midgar, which means we will be seeing a lot of nooks and crannies of Midgar. I think that's a very good thing. Personally Midgar was more of a placeholder than a real place in the story for me. Many people seem to mystify it and make it seem like some kind of momentous backdrop...I mean I can sort of extrapolate, but as it is in the original game it is a slum, some junkyard, a seedy market, and Shinra HQ plus reactors. The duality of upper plate vs lower plate is only mentioned in passing.

Cloud's character and Advent Children's tonal shift I think can be address together. The crux of the relationship between Aerith and Cloud I believe is a debate of rather is it real or not due to the condition surrounding their attractions. As we know Cloud isn't really Cloud when Aerith and him met and throughout the time they get to spend together. You can easily argue they seemingly hit it off because of the Zack influence, which also sort of legitimize Cloud's character going all over the place in the earlier part of OG. Furthermore there's also the hot and cold childhood relationship between Cloud and Tifa that was the true spark that set the whole thing in motion. Tifa's emotional vulnerabilities are very much present even in OG and in AC. Her indecisive non-confrontational behavior towards Cloud and chose to quietly observe him plays a huge part in the mystery. I don't think SE is particular good at handling romances, and I honestly prefer them to not deep dive into it, but rather focus on building and addressing the pieces around it which I think is the real meat of FF7's story. At that point AC kind of works, yes there's a certain disconnect between the goofy Cloud in the latter part of OG vs the emo Cloud of AC...but emo Cloud isn't really a foreign concept even in OG, and I can see them leaning just a little more towards that in the remake. Plus the biggest issue with AC is the fact that it can even exist at all. For many years a popular theory is that humans die/return to the planet at the end of FF7. If they want to make a statement canonize that! And we get to forget all about AC and DC.

I find the Jenova and Sephiroth thing hardly matters. The whole concept is human playing with (cosmic horrors) powers they do not fully understand. I still don't fully buy Jenova as "character" it is more of a concept at best or an evil-doomsday-widget; Sephiroth happens to be a great conduit to personify it. It fits with the whole mind bending madness of cosmic horror.

Shamefully I have never played CC...in my defense it was on the PSP!

Flashback and internal monologue I sort of have issues with from what they have shown. I like the sneak peek of Cloud's and Tifa's childhood, SE cutscenes are still fine. What makes me pause is the too early tease of Sephiroth and Cloud having a mystery around him, and how they are so focused and obvious. In the OG a lot of the Cloud/Jenova monologue are brief, and they occasionally hide it by having it overlay with other characters' dialogue, low key in game cutscene and no voice acting helps, it makes little impression to the player, and that's EXACTLY why it was done well. In the beginning the voices were helpful lol, and masked itself as Cloud recalling from his own experience. The lifestream reveal will be a part I am looking forward to. I still consider that to be the biggest moment in the game, although it is probably at least 2 games away. The presentation could be completely bonkers, zipping in and out of timeline and memories in a surrounding that is metaphysical in nature, they made it pretty surreal for its time in OG, but still a little bit hokey.

As for production timeline...who knows really. I fully agree that Midgar is likely the easy part. I mean after leaving Midgar devs will have to decide are they keeping the globe trotting aspect of the game or not. I could see them adapting a menu based fast travel system rather than actually letting the player ride/drive/fly/sail. Although on the bright(?) side, if they do keep the globe trotting I will be more than happy if they can just adapt from FF15's open world. The funny thing with Wutai is that in the OG it could be optional altogether.

@efesell: My hope was that the second installment would start with a cold opening of a truck going down a highway to Nibelhelm, and the first few hours of the game would be the flashback sequence, then returning to the gang in that inn, as though Cloud has just finished telling his version of the events.

God I hope Kingdom Hearts isn’t canon. That game was stupid.

Lots of great points. FF7 was whimsical like traditional Final Fantasy games, but I have seen little of that in the remake.

Can I go on the date with Barrett

I can't wait for Aeris's mothers flashback. That hit me in the feeeeels back in the day.

But you ask some great questions here @zombiepie , particularly the one about which version of Cloud (he was never emo m.f.'s) and how long before episode 2 is released.

Them naming this first episode: Final Fantasy VII Remake really made me question whether they are testing the waters to see what kind of appetite there is for the story of that game in 2020. After all when they started this journey, they kept mentioning how crazy of a cost it brings to recreate all the content of this nearly 25 year old game. That was also how they rationalized the episodic nature to the audience. But what if this first episode gets a poor reception? Would they have to work on the entire world outside Midgar knowing that the sales have already reached a highpoint? I think given the enormous costs associated, they haven't started work on the 2nd episode at least until the beefy trailers got out there and people gave mostly positive feedback.

When they last did a trilogy, The Final Fantasy XIII one, the opening sales in Japan got more dissapointing with each release. From what i could gather, it sounds like FF XIII sold about 7 million copies, XIII-2 about 3,7 million & Lightning Returns sold +- 1,2 million copies. Each entry making less and less. The opening week figures in Japan told a similar story.

So what i expect is that they have designed this first game in a way where they could feasibly just stop the story after this first episode. Naturally we'd be missing a ton of content compared to the original game, but i guess they could always have that whole escape scene from Midgar as the big action setpiece and then Cloud stumbles upon Sephiroth and tells him how much he sucks and then they have a big swordfight in which Cloud beats his ass. Perhaps the new guy with his bike is meant to be the Sephiroth stand-in for this first episode. Not the end that the Final Fantasy fan wants, but an end that can easily be expanded upon if the appetite is there. Now if enough people play & like this game, the story will continue and Sephiroth (or other Jenova Cell infected 'clones') will reappear and we get to meet the other characters and figure out what's up with Jenova and Cloud's backstory. I mean, they had a ton of people sitting in a room to come up with a title for this first episode and decided to not mention it's episodic structure at all. That's sort of shady to me and gives me the feeling that they wanted a clean way out in the case where this first episode fails to be successful. Luckily all signs point towards this game selling like a crazy mf, so hopefully there's no reason to not finish the story.

I also just finished Crisis Core and will agree with ZP that Zack is an awesome character. It also turned out that the game isn't very long at all, unless you do all the bite-sized optional missions. So give it a shot if you never had before. The whole 'dodgeroll at the exact right time and crit an enemy in his back' somewhat reminds me of FF7's remake combat too. It's quite fun and i think graphically it holds up fairly well.

@zombiepie: "To keep things simple, "Camp Jenova" argues Sephiroth is dead before the events of the game, and Jenova steers the course of the story using an army of doppelgangers. "Camp Sephiroth" maintains that a "real" Sephiroth exists in the Lifestream and employs an army of doppelgangers to manipulate and control Jenova."

I've never heard of this theory before. However I will confidently state that both camps are wrong. Sephiroth is a living man throughout the whole game, there are no doppelgangers of him sitting in a vault somewhere, and he has an unhealthy symbiotic connection with Jenova who warps him and helps him turn into an angel man that will one day inspire a wrestler to create a pretty cool finisher.

Also we're definitely not getting goofy Cloud, even though that is the correct Cloud. He'll be put in goofy situations, but he'll remain stoic and "cold" during them.

I'm actually pretty darn excited to get my hands on Remake and see what they've done with it.

Crisis Core is amazing and it's a little sad to know that not many people have/will ever experience it. It's a fun little game and I fully agree that it makes Zack such a likeable and tragic figure. I will fully admit to bawling my eyes out during that ending, despite the fact that we essentially knew what was going to happen to him before the game even starts. If that's not a testament to how well they wrote the character and the story, I dunno what is.

It's been years since I played Crisis Core on a PSP I got a loan off a friend to play that one game. Is there any easy way to play it in 2020? I have a PS4 and Vita, but I don't think it's available on either, at least not in Europe.

Direct sequels in JRPG are kind of weird...in that the subsequent games don't usually do well.

The old theory is that if these games are sequels, and given the story focus nature, it is unlikely for someone to play the later games without the previous, whereas drop offs exist. Therefore the first part dictates the maximum number of copies the later ones can sold.

The only saving grace is that if the later ones catches buzz, people might pick up the series at a later time. Another component of the remake is they are just using Unreal instead of developing their own tech that traditional Square loves to do, will see if that helps cutting cost and time. Western games usually bank on familiarization of their tools and cash in on sequels, but for some reason it seems like Square and FF have a difficult time doing that.

Alright, now that I have some free time on my hand, let's address the community input to this blog.

It's really telling that instead of committing to a clear plan with the Final Fantasy VII Remake's next episodes, the design team is more excited to talk about wanting to do an HD Remaster of Final Fantasy V. The studio in general thinks a mile a minute and rarely, if ever, stops and thinks about its shit long-term. Obviously, Final Fantasy XIV is the exception, but it's almost as if Square is led by someone who lacks a filter and likes to change projects on a whim based on what mood they have when they get out of bed...

*cough* Tetsuya Nomura *cough*

In terms of the gameplay, I'm giving the game the benefit of the doubt. You can toggle a more traditional battle system if you so wish, and to Square's credit, it's not like OG Final Fantasy VII is hard to come by these days. I want to see where the real-time combat goes because outside of XIV, I've always felt like it controls like shit. I hated it in 12 and definitely hated it in 13. So, if they cannot figure it out this time, then it's hopefully time for them to realize it's time to walk away.

I actually LOVE how the Remake is handling Cloud's mind issues based on the demo. A feather magically appearing to Cloud, that no one else can see, is a way better way of going about it than what was in the original game. That said, the internal monologues are going to have to appear somewhere, and it's up in the air in terms of how they go about dealing with them.

So, here's what I want to say, what if they made the Nibelhelm incident entirely playable the first time around, but it's structured exactly like relkin said, BUT the scene plays out as it did in Crisis Core? It is a shot for shot remake of Crisis Core, without the slot machine gameplay, and when you get to the end, it smash cuts to black with Cloud narrating and you return to a fireside room at the inn? You don't actually have to drag your characters all the way to Kalm. Because, and when the game comes out I have a new episode planned, we have no idea if the Remake's next episodes will have an overworld. My guess is they have some sort of third-person world travelling system like FF12 or 14, and you cannot toggle to have the traditional overworld.

Well, the obvious answer is "no," Kingdom Hearts isn't canon. Obvious red flags this is the case include Seifer not knowing how to use a gunblade, Vivi being absentminded on how to perform black magic, and goddamn Aerith being alive.

And then you have "Leon," the bane of my goddamn existence:

Indeed, one of my favorite parts of Final Fantasy VII is its ability to know when to provide the characters with "breathing room" Certainly, these interstitial moments way too often than they should in the game's second and third acts, but they do an admirable job of lending a wholeness to FFVII's world and motley crew of characters. I have issues with Costa del Sol because I find it to be too great a tonal shift when you first arrive there, but there's something "quaint" about Tifa nad Aerith clamly looking over a merchant's goods and talking about what they want to buy.

If the Remake lacks these moments, the issue would be that it would rely more heavily on the cutscenes and dialogue to carry the characters and establish their distinct personalities. And knowing modern Square-Enix, and the limitations of their directing and writing ability, I don't know if they can make this work.

Once again, you amaze me soimadeanaccount with your Final Fantasy knowledge and passion. As always, I'll respond to as many of your points as I can with bullet points:

• You actually think they'll go the disc route with the next episodes? My hunch is that they will release the next episodes as DLC because that would make transferring people's data and saves slightly easier. And again, I think we agree about the state of Final Fantasy as a franchise.
• I'm fine with them adding in new areas to explore in Midgar. That said, they had better design a better way of moving from one place to the next. In case everyone has forgotten, just going from the Red Market to Aerith's House is one of the biggest pains in the ass in the entire game! Remember that goddamn construction yard you have to navigate? Here's a screencap in case you've forgotten!
• I'm fine with Advent Children still being an "booknote" to the series. What I worry about is the fact that Square-Enix does not remember that Cloud is a goofy and fun-loving character who actually enjoys talking to people. Yes, he's emotionally distant when you first meet him. But after Aerith joins your party he slowly becomes more comfortable with his surroundings and starts to genuinely care about the people around him. This is a gradual character transformation and if there's something I know about the SE of today, it's that they do not know how to do gradual character transformations.
• When it comes to Jenova, I JUST want her character arc and storyline to be more coherent. That's all I'm asking for, but I do not think for a minute Square will deliver.
• At the very least, watch the ending to Crisis Core. I'm not joking when I say it's the best thing Nomura has ever done. I would normally recommend playing the game. but I hate Crisis Core's slot machine nonsense with a passion, so, just watch the ending and call it a day.
• Yeah, I 100% think Square is going to completely mess up the big reveal at the Temple of the Ancients and Crater. I think they are going to use the monologues to spell out exactly what Cloud's relationship is to Sephiroth way too early. It;s going to piss me off, but I totally know it's going to happen.
• I fully disagree that Wutai should be optional. I like what it does to show how Shinra has completely pacified the world and the consequences of their conquest. Wutai was also a vessel for sharing the anxieties of Japan as a society in the 1990s, and I don't know how I feel about them adapting or changing that for modern audiences. Again... maybe look to Crisis Core for the answer to that problem because I think it does a good job of establishing Wutai and Yuffie.

DLC or disc release for later parts...I mean would it be a cop out if I say stand alone DLC lol? In that case what's the difference really. Although I am leaning towards different games especially given the timing of the console cycle.

Let's try breaking it down. If they really want to do save transfer I can't imagine it being too difficult. Plus who knows if levels/items would actually transfer over directly, they might just decide to give the player a little jump start if there is a part 1 cleared save (small level boost, some extra items or so).

Even if they release it as DLC I can't imagine they will require the player having Part 1 unless they can pump it out within 1-2 years max or if Part 1 does ridiculously well. This falls squarely into the problem of Part 1 sales dictate the max of all subsequent sales. Therefore maybe a stand alone DLC.

Releasing it as multiple games might be able to entice new players to jump in and hopefully can get some to pick up Part 1 retroactively. Plus I would not underestimate Square's addiction to tinker with their graphics tech even with an on going series. Especially with new hardware coming out; can you imagine? 4 years from now with PS5 and XSX in full throttle and SquareEnix, one of the the biggest graphic powerhouse, releases Part 3 with the same PS4 tech? If that does not bring shame to the family I don't know what will! If they are sticking with DLC we are then looking at a cross-generation DLC that differ from the base game with possibly different versions for PS4 and PS5...that sounds like madness, but curious.

I also expect them to price their separate games at $60 at least in the beginning. If we see something less than $40 initially I think we really are going to get the Xenogears disc 2 treatment.

I completely understand why they won't say anything about Part 2's development. I mean Part 1 is still not out yet. The marketing for Part 2 needs not start, and I would not be surprise if they haven't settle on what direction to take for Part 2 or wants to keep it to themselves, and opt to see how the dust settles for Part 1's reception first. It will be interesting to see and hear how Part 1's reception will affects Part 2's development timeline, but I have a feeling we will never know the true story however...unless it bombed so bad that they had to pull the plug.

As for Wutai I meant in the original game it is possible to skip Wutai and Yuffie considering she is technically an optional character. I fully expect Wutai to play a non-skippable role in the remake, and am too interested in how it will be used to tell the story between Wutai, Shinra, and Sephiroth. Flashback scene with a young Yuffie, her dad, and Sephiroth?

.hack figured out multi-game disc releases with full data transfer back on the PS2. I don't know why anyone would think SE couldn't do it now with FF7. Because I'm 100% certain they will. And I bet they will all be full priced games, because they know people will pay it. (And probably need them to in order to justify the cost and time.)

My Release Schedule Prediction:

Part 1 - April 10, 2020

Part 2 - September 2023

Part 3 OH GOD THIS WHOLE ENDEAVOR IS BURNING MONEY JUST GET THE REST OF IT OUT THE DOOR BEFORE THE PS6: May 2026

Still, I continue to maintain that I don't think Square-Enix should be making this game.

I absolutely agree 100%. With the exception of Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix hasn't made a "good" Final Fantasy since X and has been sustaining the Final Fantasy franchise with mobile games, HD re-releases and spin-off titles. I think Square needs a genuine moneymaker and they think the best option is shaking the piggy bank that is Final Fantasy VII. The best thing to hope for is that this remake will help generate enough revenue so they can eventually start development on the next Final Fantasy numbered game.

My predictions of what will happen:

Part 1 Remake - Due to the sheer coincidence of the COVID-19 outbreak, the digital sales for the remake will be the most downloaded game in PSN history. This will cause an immense buzz and convince many gamers who never played a Final Fantasy or a JRPG before into trying it out. Part 1 will be received very positively due to it's cutting edge graphics, music and storyline, but there will be complaints with the amount of RPG elements in the game.

Part 2 Remake - Releases sometime in 2024. The game will start with Cloud and Sephiroth in Nibelheim and ends when Cloud gives the Black Materia to Sephiroth. The game's RPG elements are rehauled making it even more action friendly similar to the transition from Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2. Gamers are still enamored by this remake and this will be the best rated game of all the parts.

Part 3 Remake - Releases sometime in 2025. The release time is considerably reduced due to recycling a lot of the environments and characters created in the previous two parts. The A team will be working on the next Final Fantasy at this point and the B team will handle this part. The main protagonist in the game will be Tifa. This part will consists of the events with Tifa collecting all 4 Big Materia (this is a minor retcon, in the OG, she leaves the party after collecting 2 of the Big Materia) and ends with Tifa and Cloud in the lifestream piecing together his past. Unfortunately this game will be recieved relatively poorly compared to part 2 due to the lack of Cloud in the game and the heavy use of recycled assets.

Part 4 Remake - Releases sometime in 2027. The game will be the most open ended of all the parts. I'm predicting something like Breath of the Wild where after you finish the raid on Midgar you can choose to face off against Sephiroth and finish the game. Optional side quests would be doing the companion quests to gain their ultimate weapons and defeating the optional Ruby and Emerald weapons. The A team will work on the Midgar raid and the final encounter with the B team doing all the optional side quests. This game will probably do a bit better than part 1 but reach nowhere near the level of success as part 2.

Great post as usual :) I have little optimism modern Square-Enix will handle Sephiroth with the same subtlety as the original. He's a crazy person for the majority of his scenes in the og, but all other material have him as this cool and calculated killer. It's dumb.

I'm in the camp that think for the majority of the game Jenova is controlling Sephiroth up until the final moments where you kill Bizarro Sephiroth (it's literally a parasite on his head in that fight), then it's all a manifestation of his Jenova-corrupted will in the lifestream.

Good read.

My hope for the extra content in the first part is to expand on Midgar itself. One of the most memorable settings for a video game. A severe class structure where the underclasses live in slums where they literally can not see the sky for the city plates that the rich live on above them. A huge mega-corp that has a stranglehold on the government; achieved by sucking power from the planet and pushing it towards catastrophe. In 2020 somehow these ideas seem more relevant than in 1997 (or maybe just to me personally), particularly when viewed with our increased awareness of climate change and gentrification now.

Barret: Look... you can see the surface now. This city don't have no day or night. If that plate weren't there... we could see the sky.

Cloud: A floating city... Pretty unsettling scenery.

Barret: Huh? Never expect ta hear that outta someone like you...you jes' full of surprises. The upper world... a city on a plate... It's 'cuz of that &^#$# 'pizza', that people underneath are sufferin'! And the city below is full of polluted air. On topa that, the Reactor keeps drainin' up all the energy.

Cloud: Then why doesn't everyone move onto the Plate?

Barret: Dunno. Probably 'cuz they ain't got no money. Or, maybe... 'Cuz they love their land, no matter how polluted it gets.

Cloud: I know... no one lives in the slums because they want to. It's like this train. It can't run anywhere except where its rails take it.

I don't have much to add other than if Square can't manage to release the rest of this series (and assuming that it will be kept to only three parts is, I think, optimistic) on a yearly or at worst biyearly schedule, then this experiment is a failure.

Alright, with my work still under quarantine, let's have another go at the input I received!

PUT IT IN THE GAME YOU COWARDS!

Hot take, I think everything with Aeris' mother is the best actual storytelling in the game. When Aerith's theme kicks in and she tells you how she came across Aeris is low key the best moment in Midgar. Personally, I can't help but tear up a little. But to return to my point about Cloud, he still has a moment where he comforts Aeris' mother before leaving and earlier makes a promise not to get her into any unnecessary danger.

First, thank you so much for reminding that at some point I have to get back to the "wonderful" world of Final Fantasy XIII. I'm super looking forward to that...

Here's the thing, the "leaders" at Square-Enix aren't making this any easier for themselves with how they approach game design. With Tetsuya Nomura in particular, you have someone who has a bunch of good idea and always clutters them with needless nonsense? Oh hey, you want a game about some bros going on roadtrip? How about we have them play baseball, craft weapons, make recipes, manage resources, and spell out grave musings about the world. The studio as a whole doesn't have a filter and that's part of the reason why they are downright AWFUL at turning out games at a reasonable clip. Look back at PS1 and PS2 era Square. Look at how they would get AT LEAST three mainline Final Fantasy games per console generation. Now, because they get so pre-occupied with pre-rendered cutscenes and making dynamic real-time battle systems, they can only really make one proper game that they then need to copy paste two or three times so they can recoup the development costs. That said, Square-Enix is stuck and they are invested in seeing the Final Fantasy VII Remake through to its end. They've put so much time and money into it, that they can't just walk away and try to make a new mainline entry.

Also, the fact Crisis Core was never ported to the PC or modern consoles baffles my mind. Even Type-0 got ported and that game is ass.

Personally, I agree with your recollection of events, but the dark world of Final Fantasy headcanon knows no limits. However, for fun, I'll offer rebuttals from each camp based on what I can gather from the Final Fantasy reddit:

Camp Jenova:

• The only true Sephiroth is the crystalline Sephiroth in the crater. Even he dies after the events that take place there in order to restore Jenova.
• The Sephiroth encountered at the very end of the game is a dream sequence and or a metaphor of Cloud overcoming his anxieties.
• All previous Sephiroth are fakes because they do things no normal person should be able to do like fly or disappear.
• It's possible every battle against Sephiroth is just Jenova taking the form of Sephiroth as Jenova always talks to or taunts Cloud before those battles.

Camp Sephiroth:

• The Sephiroth that is in the Crater is the one "true" Sephiroth and after the events at the Crater, falls to the Lifestream and uses it to control Jenova and Mako soldiers at Nebielheim.
• The only time you fight the "true" Sephiroth is at the very end when he doesn't have a shirt.
• Sephiroth being able to do supernatural things like fly or disappear are just the crystal Sephiroth messing with Cloud's brain.
• Jenova is obviously not in control of the story because she gets her body cut up by doppelgangers and left behind to fight Cloud.

Thank you for making me do this... I feel dumber as a result.

Again, considering how important to the overall canon, I do not understand why Square-Enix hasn't ported Crisis Core to modern consoles or even the PC. I get the slot machine gameplay might not work well on non-handheld platforms, but worse Square games have been given more attention than Crisis Core. If they can do it for Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, then they can do it for Crisis Core!

But let's pretend Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII never happened.... Fucking Angeal Hewley and his fucking angel wing bros.

What about Red XIII standing of two feet wiggling about?

The best way to play Crisis Core nowadays is through emulation. Bind a triggerbutton to speed up the gameplay and you can really power through all those slotmachine animations. Gamechanging.

@zombiepie: I really liked DoC at the time (I think anyway), but I remember barely anything about it other than terrible camera controls, something about the first boss possibly being a child, and then that terrible Gackt song sequence. I knew some people who where way, way too much into Gackt and all those Japanese synth metal bands that basically just looked like Final Fantasy cosplay bands.

But now that you've reminded me that Zack wasn't the original owner of the Buster Sword I think we're even for me making you dredge back up the arguments for both camps.

They somewhat answered your question about how Cloud will be portrayed in an IGN interview (https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-7-remakes-cloud-can-be-a-bit-lame-says-writer)

“For this game I have gone much deeper into the inner psychology of Cloud, the main character,” Nojima said. “In the original I depicted him as a cool and stylish character. However, this time, he can miss the mark and be a little cringe-worthy at times. His cool facade can often slip. Because he wants people to accept him and respect him, he puts on a front. So, when he doesn't know something he just goes ‘Not interested’. I have written him in a way that makes you think that ‘Not interested’ might not be a cool thing to say, but can sometimes be a bit lame.”

“I am nervous about whether the fans will accept that or not,” he added.

Cloud isn’t the only character Remake is revealing more about. In the same video, co-director Motomu Toriyama revealed that the game will provide more information about Aerith. “In Remake we actually reveal quite a major untold part of [Aerith’s] past,” he says. “You might not even catch it at all.”

WHELP, this blog sure has aged like milk! I couldn't help myself and ended up reading how they solve all of these problems, and HOT DAMN, I did not expect THAT to be the answer. Anyways, there are a handful of comments I wanted to address before I completely walk away from this blog and pretend I never wrote it because... GODDAMN SQUARE! You really outdid yourself this time!

And outside of maybe BioWare, how many company's have actually taken advantage of multi-disc data transfer? Sure, the number is more than one, but it's not a lot! And judging from everything Square-Enix has said, my guess is that they want the player to have a very specific experience in this game and will make most of the choices for the player in how the characters progress/transfer between episodes. Because that is the most Square-ass thing Square could do.

Well... hopefully with the choice they have made in how this game fits in with the rest of the franchise, Square will have an easier time making all of these decisions!

And now, I think Square looks incredibly foolish. I mean... FINE! I'm incredibly interested to see where this nightmare goes, but DAMN! Couldnt they have done this with a new IP or game? Why Final Fantasy VII?

And yes, I know the answer is "money." But good GAWD does that speak volumes on Square poor state of affairs that they needed to pull Final Fantasy VII out of retirement to make some of their wilder ideas possible.

Gosh! I sure would have liked to have seen a game that does all of this, but it sure sounds like Square has other ideas. Which, fine, this is their game, but MAN would I have liked to have seen them have a go at the original game's scope and tone. It would have exposed the studio's current shortcomings, but it would have been an interesting thought exercise.

WHELP! NOW THIS INTERVIEW MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE!

Honestly the only thing that will make me hype for FF7 remake is more people being upset at what they've done. Which sounds like in a couple weeks or so I'll be rarin' to go.

Best. Game. Ever.

I never had any intention of playing this, so I looked up the ending and I just don't understand . . . why? Like, sure, shake things up, it's their game. But why do it that way? What possible benefit does the design gain from doing that?

Setting aside for a moment that time travel/alternate universe stuff is only a half-step up from the "it was all a dream"level of bad writing - if you were going to change things that much, then why not just reimagine the entire story? Just start from scratch, which is, at this point, what they've got anyway. You may as well surprise everyone every step of the way rather than pulling a giant bait and switch right at the end.

I just don't get it. Did they lack so much confidence in themselves that they felt they needed to keep things 90% the same? I refuse to believe they're so ignorant as to fail to realize that this feels like a giant fuck-you to people who were fans of the original, so was this just a giant troll?

As I said, I will never play this, but it's going to be fascinating watching the fallout. Maybe this will finally put a fork in Nomura, which could only be a good thing for the series going forward.

@therealturk: I mean regardless of how a few diehards feel about it this game is already reviewing well, will probably continue to do so, and is certainly going to sell gangbusters.

So it's not gonna stick a fork in anybody.

Was torn about do I want to know about this supposedly "twist" at the end of part 1, so peeked with one eye and looked up a brief summary of what happens at the end; don't have the entire full picture, just some snip bit; with that in mind...

It sounds...weird, but strangely ok? For new players, none of it matter because it is all new to them. For returning players the key story points don't change, only the timing of the reveal, but the biggest impact is now a piece of critical info is reveal to the character who in the OG never found out about, which is a little weird, how they handle this is going to be the big focus from here on out, perhaps on purpose. This becomes a very odd character vs player issue with returning players, but this was always going to be an issue for a remake.

It could very well be a flashback given how it was used by the OG to begin with. Or a recalling of events from a certain part in the story.

This kind of hook sort of have to happen. In the original game the Midgar section of the game has barely anything to do with what's truly important other than a backdrop and a few very subtle hints only becoming noticeable in hindsight which is something I liked in the OG, but Midgar is only a few hours in the original game. For a multiple parts series it will be a little disingenuous to have an entirety of part one having nearly nothing to do with the main plot. I don't like it, but I get why. Again for new players, it doesn't matter. For existing players, you know what's up already...and people need that Sephiroth fan service.

Also, wasn't KH3 like a massive success? People can dislike Nomura's stuff all they want, but he's only going somewhere when he chooses to with the history of success he has.

In addition to that, do Japanese developers really have a history of worrying about fan outrage and course-correcting for it? My anecdotal impression was that they had a much more "if you don't like it, then sorry, I guess?"

@sethmode: Was it? I'm sure it did okay, but KH3 came and went. I was surprised to see it already hitting $20 only a couple of months after its initial release.

@kemuri07: It definitely sold very well. It had a fairly mixed reception, but the fanbase was still discussing it long after it came out, so I wouldn't say it just came and went either.

@zeik: @kemuri07: yeah, I don't know what kind of tail it had on it sales wise, but I remember it selling like crazy early on. Set some kind of record for the series.

KH3 sold 5 million copies in the first week its both the fastest-selling and best-selling in the franchise, JRPG's tend to have very short tails, which is why the steap discounts shortly after release. FF7 will be no different.