How Much Will it All Cost?
Final Fantasy VII Remake is a rare breed. There aren’t many major AAAA titles released in multi parts/episode format, so it’s hard to predict the price structure. Also, further complicating things, Square Enix is on the record saying that each episode will be a equal to a full-length game.
So that begs the question: How much will it cost to play Final Fantasy VII Remake from start to finish? Most episodic games still end up being close the current $60 standard price, with each individual episode costing something around $10-$15. Will FF VII Remake follow that model and just give everyone a heck of a deal by only charging ~$15 for a full-priced game? Or will we see an episodic game that costs hundreds of dollars to complete from start to finish?
Even if Final Fantasy VII Remake was only three episodes (based on the original’s three discs), if each were sold at full price, it would cost almost $200 to play FF VII Remake from start to finish. Sure, it may end up being worth it as far as the amount of gameplay you get out of it, but some loyal fans might end up being priced out.
How Much Will the Story Change?
As evidenced by the apparent change in gameplay and switch to an episodic format, it’s clear that Square Enix isn’t afraid of change. Final Fantasy VIII Remake isn’t shaping up to be a 1:1 remake, for better or for worse.
How much, then, should we expect elements of the story to change? 2015 is a much different world than 1997.
Fans waiting for the release will also need to take into considering the switch to an episodic format. Unless Square Enix is planning on following the natural breaks that the three-disc format provide, we still don’t know how they will end up choosing to close each episode. Five-plus episode formats are more common for episodic games. If they choose to go for more than three episodes, how that forces them to change the story (if at all), is a mystery.
Will Vincent and Yuffie Still Be Optional?
Two of Final Fantasy VII’s major playable characters were entirely optional! You could miss recruiting both Vincent Valentine and the ninja Yuffie. Both required side quests to unlock, and weren’t just bodies to throw into battles. Both, when recruited, contributed and participated in the story.
Given how much more hand holding there is in present day games and how linear the main line Final Fantasy games have become since XIII, it’s not crazy to assume that these characters would no longer be optional.
Developing Final Fantasy VII Remake can’t be cheap, so to spend a lot of time creating characters that might be missed by players going through the motions probably won’t happen. However, for now, how Square Enix chooses to introduce these fan favorite characters remains a mystery.
Will There Be an Overworld Map?
Throughout the last and current-generation, Square Enix has yet to master what a “next-generation” overworld map should look like. It’s not like there are a lot of traditional JRPGs out anymore to borrow from, either. Lost Odyssey is probably one of the better examples you can find.
So with that said, will Final Fantasy VII Remake retain the overworld map? It would be easy to write it off, but that would also strip away a lot of features. Not to mention, FF VII’s main/overworld theme is arguably one of the most iconic tracks in Final Fantasy history. So its exclusion would certainly be missed.
What Kind of RPG Is it?
The original Final Fantasy VII was a cut and dry traditional JRPG which utlilized the popular active time battle system to heighten the action. It forced battles to move quicker as you had to think on your feet fast otherwise the enemy would continue to wail on you.
The trailer, well, showed something completely different! To the naked eye, it definitely looks like some kind of action-RPG, and certainly doesn’t look like a traditional JRPG. Depending on how open FF VII fans are to change in a remake, this choice may end up upsetting people.
But who knows? We’ve still seen very little of actual battle gameplay. Will it be more like Final Fantasy XIII that is cinematic, but still retains some element of inputting commands? Or will it be more like the yet to be released Final Fantasy XV that is a straight up ARPG? How much control will we have over other party members? Will we be able to switch around or is combat focused on a main character? The gameplay is still very much an unknown element.
Will Chocobo Racing and Optional Bosses Make the Cut?
It might seem crazy to cut popular extras such as Chocobo Racing and the Ruby/Emerald Weapon boss battles, but knowing that anything could be changed, it’s possible that these extra features might miss the cut.
Final Fantasy XIII took a dramatic turn towards linearity. While its sequels definitely changed things, it’s still nowhere near the wealth of valuable additional content contained in older games such as Final Fantasy VII.
Ruby and Emerald Weapon required an insane amount of grinding to successfully defeat. Considering we don’t know exactly how gameplay will work (will there even be random battles anymore?), there’s no way to know if the game lends itself to extremely difficult optional battles like those. We’re certainly not worried yet, there are so little details still, but it’s something that is going to be on the minds of many until fans get confirmation.
Can We Finally Revive Aerith/Aeris?
SPOILER ALERT: AERITH/AERIES DIES IN FINAL FANTASY VII. One of gaming’s most iconic spoiled twists, Aeris’ death at the end of disc one is a gut-wrenching shocker that will definitely be in FF VII Remake. Fans should boycott the game if that is messed with in any way.
However, for years after FF VII’s original release, rumors circulated that it was possible to revive the popular healer later on in the game. Without the use of cheats, this did just turn out to be a rumor. However, could the long-requested feature make it into the remake? It’s something that whether it ends up making the cut or not, will be on many players’ minds as they play through FF VII Remake for the first time.
More Final Fantasy VII Remake
- 12 Final Fantasy VII Moments That Should Return for the Remake
- Fans React to “Multi-Part” FFVII Remake with Anger, Optimism, and Pure Confusion
- Final Fantasy VII Remake Characters Compared to Their Original Models
Published: Dec 9, 2015 11:18 am