Gold Saucer
Final Fantasy VII’s Gold Saucer was so iconic that Square Enix had to bring it back in Final Fantasy XIV.
While The Manderville Gold Saucer isn’t exactly the same, it did open our eyes to what the original might look like on a later-generation console, where processing and display capabilities have much evolved.
XIV came out 13 years after VII, and the remake of VII will come out at least a decade after XIV. That leaves plenty of room for improvements on round three!
Traveling to the Gold Saucer follows a somber part of the story, which takes place in Corel Prison. Without spoiling it, I can definitely say that this sudden contrast makes for one of the most unique experiences in any of the early Final Fantasy titles.
Finding Gold Saucer is similar to escaping from Midgar in the way that, on your way, you aren’t quite sure what to expect.
The opening cinematic as you travel by cable car to Gold Saucer is vibrant and exciting, preparing players for their first detour away from a deep and emotional story to a fun and charming amusement park.
In the remake, it’ll be interesting to see how Square Enix treats the Gold Saucer’s minigames. This gameplay doesn’t exactly translate well to eighth-generation consoles, so will Square Enix spruce them up or change them entirely?
Gold Saucer is filled with some of the best dialogue and cutscenes in the game, too. I hope Square Enix really knocks it out of the park during Cloud’s date and the Event Square.
Final Fantasy VII is an RPG with a serious—even dark—tone throughout the majority of it. Gold Saucer is one of the Square Enix team’s few chances to show how lively and colorful they can be, and I hope it looks and feels incredible on the PlayStation 4.
