Final Fantasy VII remake is back on track
Over 20 years after the release of the original game, the highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII remake is back in the spotlight.
Promotional poster for the new Final Fantasy VII.
A year ago, it appeared that all hope for this game’s development was lost. Even a few months or even weeks ago, it seemed like this game was never coming out. Now, with the recent release of a new trailer, the hype train for the Final Fantasy VII remake has officially taken off again.
Final Fantasy VII was originally released on the PlayStation 1 in 1997. It is currently regarded as one of the greatest video games ever made, with a critic score of 92/100 on Metacritic. By 2005, almost a decade after its initial release, FFVII sold over 9.8 million copies worldwide, becoming the highest selling game in the franchise.
At E3 2015, Sony officially announced that they would remake the iconic game for modern audiences, which was met with uproarious applause. Since then, this game has been highly anticipated, with fans anxious for any news of its release.
While FFVII is generally regarded as a masterpiece, there’s one aspect of the game that has not held up in the 20+ years since its release: its’ graphics. In 2019, the game’s remake takes the original graphics and replaces them with beautiful character models akin to this year’s Resident Evil 2, allowing us to view these beloved characters in an entirely different light. The new trailer provides even clearer, crisper graphics than ones initially shown in 2015, with sharper character models.
Another aspect of the FFVII remake that’s similar to the Resident Evil 2 remake is the changes made to the gameplay. While the original entry in the Final Fantasy franchise adopted the turn-based combat that’s a staple in a majority of Japanese role-playing games, or JRPGs, the new trailer appears to abandon this mechanic in favor of a more modern system of combat.
The remake will be released in parts instead of as a full game. While this may be disappointing for some fans who are eager to get their hands on the game, this decision is apt for how long a game FFVII was originally. If this weren’t the case, we would be waiting even longer than we already have for the game to release.
As of right now, Final Fantasy VII’s remake has no release date and is only confirmed for the PS4. Nintendo Switch and Xbox fans can remain hopeful, however; the original FFVII was recently released on the Nintendo Switch, and Final Fantasy XIV was released on both the PS4 and the Xbox One. Time will tell who will be able to combat Sephiroth with Cloud Strife and the Buster Sword in HD graphics.
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Stephen White II is a senior at Wiregrass Ranch High School. This is his second year writing for The Stampede. He likes to listen to music as well as write...
