HD Remaster for Compilation of Final Fantasy VII Would Be Difficult
During MAGIC 2017 last week, Tetsuya Nomura showcased a couple new screenshots for Final Fantasy VII Remake, and he also talked a bit about the possibilities of HD Remasters for other Final Fantasy VII spinoff titles and more.
Would it make sense to you to create an HD Remaster of Compilation of Final Fantasy VII ( Before Crisis, Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus) on a unique platform like you did with Kingdom Hearts? Beyond the possibility of making it, would you like to do this ?
Tetsuya Nomura : Concerning Final Fantasy VII Remake, which is a title loaded with a lot of mystery for now, it will be different from the original Final Fantasy VII. If we make a compilation, these games will hardly have an overall coherence. It will be difficult because there is no more continuity between the Compilation and the Remake for the moment.
Here are a few more quotes from the director:
According to you, what game was the turning point of your career? Final Fantasy VII and his huge success in Western countries or Kingdom Hearts, your first project as a director?
Tetsuya Nomura : I think it is Kingdom Hearts.
You have a particular talent to make trailers and opening cinematics with high quality who brings a lot of emotions to fans. What is your secret?Tetsuya Nomura : I have a fairly repetitive process. Actually I watch several times what I have made and I try to put myself in different points of view. For example as a fan, I try to imagine what they would want and I watch the trailer. After this, I watch it another time as someone else.
Will the maturity that characterizes the original game be retained in Final Fantasy VII Remake?
Tetsuya Nomura : A lot of things will change, but the essence of the universe will not. That is one of the things that will remain intact.
Source: Siliconera
Voice Acting for Main Story Is Almost Complete
Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase revealed in an interview featured in this week’s issue of Dengeki PlayStation that the game’s main story voice recording is almost done.
Here’s what Kitase said:
“Final Fantasy VII Remake requires hefty readiness. The voice actors are practically finished in recording voices for the main story. Fans might be picturing Cloud from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children for it, but it’s a Cloud in his “prime” from before Advent Children, so you might sense a fresh new performance from it.”
Keep in mind that it wasn’t specified, but Kitase was probably talking about the first part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series.
“The new visual [pictured above] that was presented at the Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary has something that wasn’t in the original, Sephiroth (with the black wing?) and we’ll leave it to your imagination as far as the meaning behind it goes.”
Final Fantasy VII Remake is in development for PlayStation 4.
Source: Siliconera
New Gameplay Images, Including First Boss Fight
Cloud sneaking passed guards in the reactor
At MAGIC 2017 in Monaco, France, Square Enix showcased a couple new screenshots for Final Fantasy VII Remake, with a world premiere look at an in-game screenshot as well as a look at the first boss fight.
The top image shows Cloud sneaking around the starting area as well as a brief look at its UI, which Tetsuya Nomura mentioned isn’t final, but what they have for the time being. If you look very closely, there’s an ATB bar located right underneath the HP parameters.
Nomura also noted that they’re putting a lot of attention into the battle system, so things can happen with little interruption. They’ve discussed problems they’ve had with grenades during meetings and asked themselves whether allies would also take damage as well from the grenades.
Cloud and Barret fight the first boss, Guard Scropion
The next screenshot is of the Guard Scorpion, the first boss you encounter in Final Fantasy VII with Cloud and Barret. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, some of the areas around it will be destructable. Nomura said that he wanted to show a video but the office disallowed it.
Source: Siliconera
Key Artwork Released! Producer Talks Progress
New key artwork revealed at anniversary show
Square Enix is hosting their special Final Fantasy 30th anniversary event today, where they showed off a new key visual for Final Fantasy VII Remake featuring Cloud and Sephiroth. Producer Yoshinori Kitase talked about the latest of the upcoming PS4 title in an interview with Famitsu magazine.
Famitsu: What’s the progress condition for Final Fantasy VII Remake looking like?
Yoshinori Kitase, Producer: We’re currently brushing up the scene from the announcement trailer. We can now see the line of quality that we’re aiming for more clearly, but there’s still a ways to go.
Should the production be prolonged due to being in multiple titles, will the rest of the titles maintain the quality from the first?
Kitase: With the quality line set in place, it’s our duty to carry on and protect it until the very end without having any disturbances for the episodes under production. But of course as we advance through the episodes, it’ll only be natural to have quality that is fitting for the next generation [of when the episode releases].
Will there be anything to fill the gap while waiting for the next episode announcement?
Kitase: Final Fantasy VII expanded through a compilation. We don’t have any fundamental plans on that for now, but since the game volumes won’t be something that we can release in just a few months, we’d like to think of a way to supplement those gaps to maintain interest.
Such as releasing videos using models from Final Fantasy VII Remake?
Kitase: There’s plenty that we’d like to do.
Will there be DLC and smartphone developments as we saw in Final Fantasy XV?
Kitase: I’d like to use that as a reference. A live stream or a program to keep in touch with the users is something I’d like to do, but Final Fantasy VII Remake will be episodic, and if we want to have it go all the way to the end of the original version, then I believe we’ll need to devote everything we got for it, so I have no idea what will happen for things such as filler development [between episodes] and other works.
About battles.
Kitase: The base of it is solidified. Tetsuya Nomura is a given, and Mitsunori Takahashi who worked on the Kingdom Hearts series and Dissidia Final Fantasy series are going to work hard on it.
What will happen with the Materia system?
Kitase: There’s still a lot that I can’t say but we won’t be removing any parts of the original Final Fantasy VII that was well-received.
Tetsuya Nomura talked about wanting to show the progress on Final Fantasy VII Remake sometime this year
Kitase: That’s what we’re hoping for, but it’s still undecided. However, as for when we’ll release the next information, for example, I think that it’d be nice if we could have it playable or a trailer for it at an event.
Please remake Final Fantasy VI!
Kitase: We’re currently working on Final Fantasy VII, so… I’m also asked the same from company staff, but I’m keeping it pending for now
Source: Siliconera
Final Fantasy VII Remake Collaboration with Mobius Final Fantasy
With the worldwide release of Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue released, Tetsuya Nomura assures the fans that development for the Final Fantasy VII Remake is going smoothly, but the release for the game, as well as Kingdom Hearts III, is still a while away.
English voice actor Steve Burton also returns to play Cloud
Square Enix has announced that their smartphone title, Mobius Final Fantasy, will be coming to Steam in the west on February 6th. With the release on Steam, the game will feature full HD support which will work with various screen sizes. To promote this PC release, a special campaign is going on right now called “Mobius Final Fantasy Windows PC Version Global Release Campaign” which will give out rewards to players depending on how many likes and shares the game obtains on Facebook.
In addition, starting February 7th, a Final Fantasy VII Remake collaboration will begin in the game, which will see players joining Cloud as he goes astray in Palamecia. Besides Steam, this mobile game is available on the iTunes Store and Google Play.
Source: Siliconera
Tetsuya Nomura Spills Details on Final Fantasy VII Remake
Tetsuya Nomura had quite a bit to share in an interview featured in this week’s issue of Dengeki PlayStation.
Here are some notable highlights from the interview:
Finally, please tell us more about the Final Fantasy VII Remake that has caught the world’s attention.
Nomura: If it had past materials like Kingdom Hearts, the basics would have been easy to understand, and the staff can understand the hurdles we’ve had to overcome, but at any rate, the battles in Final Fantasy VII have greatly changed from the original, since they’re something with more action in them. The next time I release information about Final Fantasy VII Remake, I think that I’ll definitely have to explain the specifics of what the battle system has become to the players. I think right now that nobody is really able to imagine a concrete battle, so I’m in the middle of coming up with steps that I can show and explain to people, “It’s this kind of battle.”
Sounds like you’re breaking your backs over remaking what was originally a command-based battle system into an action style battle system.
Nomura: We’ve heard a lot of Final Fantasy VII fans also say that they want to play the game with the original ATB style, but for the remake we’re proceeding toward an action-heavy style. Of course, we’ve added systems that future fans will be able to enjoy, so people who are bad at action-style battles, please don’t worry. For those who excel at action-style battles, we’re working to make this a system that’s different than what you’ve used before and can still enjoy. Recently, we checked the Guard Scorpion at the beginning of the game, and I think you’ll be satisfied with the realism you’ll feel there.
2017 is also the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII.
Nomura: Like with the 15th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts, I’m thinking I’d like to plan something or other. It’s just that, since we’ve been keeping busy with productions, including the game World of Final Fantasy that I showcased today, I don’t think I will be able to share any new news until after things calm down.
Source: Siliconera
New Elements for Final Fantasy VII Remake
Speaking with Game Informer, Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase had a few words to share on the upcoming PS4 title about the game’s multi-part format, adding new elements, and more.
When the remake was first announced, there was some confusion among fans about its multi-part format. Is comparing it to the Final Fantasy XIII saga fair in that regard? Will each entry have that kind of scope?
It will essentially be a full-scale game for each part of the multi-part series. In XIII, each installment told the story from a different angle. It was kind of like approaching an unknown territory, in a sense. Whereas with Final Fantasy VII Remake, we already have a preexisting story, so it wouldn’t really make sense if that isn’t encompassed in the multi-part series, and it wouldn’t make sense to remake it if we don’t encompass that that entire story.
With regards to the current HD capacity and volume, the idea is that we wouldn’t be able to encompass it all in just one installment. So, if we’re just looking at each of these parts, one part should be on par with the scale of one Final Fantasy XIII game.
Have you decided how many installments there will be?
Yeah, we do have an idea on the project side in terms of how many installments it may consist of, but unfortunately, we can’t share that at the moment. Of course, as we’re creating and developing the scenario and the stories, these are things that move in real time. So, the plan may change along the way. But, that said, we do have a vision for how many installments it will consist of.
The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII added new wrinkles to the story and lore behind the game. How is the team approaching the integration of those new elements into the remake?
It’s not to say that all or some of the characters from the spin-offs or other Compilation works will appear in the remake, but if there are any areas where we can use the settings or the characters, we do want to try to incorporate it in there, so it gives off that sense of nuance and those other stories existing.
So, there isn’t any pressure to include every character and storyline from the Compilation content?
Yes, there may be instances where the characters appear themselves, or are just referenced in dialogue. But, of course, it would be difficult to follow up on everything that happened in this universe. So, maybe some of the characters who weren’t as famous won’t appear or be mentioned. But in terms of the characters and instances that remain in the memories of our fans, we do want to try our best to integrate that in some fashion in the world.
Some fans seem to want a remake that is mainly visual upgrades, with none of the story or gameplay altered. Was that ever considered for the project?
The starting point was – and our executive producer [Shinji] Hashimoto-san has mentioned this – it would even be okay if we just upped the graphics to the quality of Advent Children. But, in terms of game styles and battle systems, it’s been 20 years since the original, and a lot has changed. Trends have changed, and I believed that we needed to revisit and rethink that aspect for the remake.
You can read more from the interview over at Game Informer.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is in development for PlayStation 4.
Source: Siliconera
Delving More into AVALANCHE and Dating
In this week’s issue of Famitsu magazine, Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase, director Tetsuya Nomura, and scenario writer Kazushige Nojima had some details to share on the upcoming PlayStation 4 title. The interview features various details that we previously reported, but Hachima put the following notes on some of the interesting tidbits.
Jessie and Biggs
Cloud dissing AVALANCHE
- We’ll get to explore around all the areas of Midgar.
- Square Enix would like to delve more deeply into Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie.
- They can’t say how many volumes the entire Final Fantasy VII Remake will be in this stage.
- Can’t say anything about any online features for now.
- The main scenario for the multi-series’ first part is already completed.
- As previously reported, the game is using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4 to create the game. They’re also getting technological assistance from the Kingdom Hearts team, and may work together for the game in the near future.
- Cloud’s auditory hallucination scenes are being shaped up to be more meaningful.
- The [voicing] cast is expected to be the same from those of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
- The “ATB Gauge” that turns red is different from a Limit Break, and Square Enix plans on having a special system, one that they can’t show yet, but it will change depending on the play-style of the player.
- They’ve yet to decide on whether there will be a guard.
- The game will be fully-voiced for the most part, and there will be a new cast of voice actors for those that didn’t have lines in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
- The “dating event” will likely be fully-voiced, as it was quoted “we can’t just not voice that part.”
- The reproduction of events from the original version will be done carefully, as social situations were different back when the original game was made compared to today. For example the bath house scene at the Honey Bee Inn.
- Square Enix can’t say anything of the time being as far as map info goes, but they’re not going to put much focus on whether they’ll call it open world or sandbox. However, Nomura wants to have some kind of environment with backgrounds that can be affected by the characters.
- They want to have all the mini-games that still remain in the memories of the fans. There was a variety of big and small mini-games in the original game, but they’re currently testing out whether they should all be redone with the latest technology.
- Its current development status is at a stage where they can say that they were finally able to get started. Nomura says that they have some ideas for the battles, but it’ll still be a while until they can implement it into the game.
Source: Siliconera on Avalanche and Dating
Details On Combat, Exploration, And Cross-Dressing
Final Fantasy VII Remake’s key developers in Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura recently shared plenty of details during an interview with Famitsu. Here are some highlights from their conversation.
- The official title is Final Fantasy VII Remake. Square Enix thought about adding some kind of subtitle that is related to the game’s story, but they decided not to, since they didn’t want to give the wrong idea of it being some kind of “Legends” or a sequel-type game. They thought of different ideas, but in the end, they figured that having “Remake” in the official title would make it easiest to understand.
- Final Fantasy VII Remake will be done in multiple parts, rather than a single entry. The reason for this is because doing a full remake of Final Fantasy VII using today’s technology would be a lot of work. Kitase felt that having the “voluminous” feeling you get from Final Fantasy VII wouldn’t be able to work with just a single title for an HD remake.
- Nomura also commented on the subject saying that they would also have to make a lot of cuts if they decided to make it all under one title, and they would have no choice but to make it into a Final Fantasy VII “digest,” and they felt that it would be pointless to do a full remake if they were going to do just that.
- For example, you’ll get to explore various parts of Midgar that you weren’t able to in the original version; however, in order to do that, it would need to be pretty dense. Of course, that also means that some parts will be cut from the game, but overall they’re adding much more to it.
- As far as models go, Visual Works director is taking care of it, but they’re also getting a lot of help from external sources. Roberto Ferrari, the Italian designer for Square Enix, is focusing his work on sub-characters like Biggs and the others that we saw in the recent trailer. Additionally, Square Enix will get help for roles such as programmers, planners, and other core members from external companies.
- Some of the other companies that will be helping include CyberConnect2, who’ve also helped in the development of Final Fantasy VII: G-Bike.
- Kitase says that CyberConnect2 have experience and great knowhow in action games, and he feels that they have a special sense for cinematics; however, since their production “taste” is different from that of Square Enix’s, along with some complaints from Nomura, they decided to make the latest trailer closer to their own style.
- Square Enix is using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4 to create the game. This means Square Enix has worked with Epic to ensure the game is running properly. Final Fantasy VII Remake won’t be Square Enix’s first game to work with the Unreal Engine 4. It is using it for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and Kingdom Hearts III as well.
- The characters we saw in the recent trailer looked very close to actual humans, and Nomura says that it’s their current goal to make it as realistic as possible.
- Square Enix is not using models from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, as it’s something from over 10 years ago, meaning that its technology is too old, and that it looks a bit too “deformed” when they look at it now. For the remake’s visuals, they’ve done numerous adjustments and balances between realistic and deformed parts of eyes, nose, hair, and other parts. They were finally able to settle on something they all liked.
Cloud from Advent Children Complete
Cloud from Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Everything that was shown in the latest trailer is from in-game footage, and not pre-rendered material. After the camera goes close up on Cloud when he’s on the train, it’ll throw you right into the game. Nomura says that as far as quality goes, they’re still brushing up on it, and they’re only going to keep making it look better from here.
- Famitsu mentions that Cloud looks a bit thin in the video, but Nomura says that it’s likely due to lighting, and also because of his pale skin.
- Next, they ask if that means we’ll get to see Cloud in his cross-dressing appearance. Nomura responds with a laugh saying yes, the cross-dressing scene is in the game, but they haven’t done the design for it yet.
- Square Enix was originally going to go with Barret’s Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children design, but they decided on going with a new design from scratch. Nomura says that they’ve wanted to make all the party members revamped from the beginning.
- When asked whether the battle system will be closer to Kingdom Hearts or Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Nomura says “if anything, it’s action,” and it’s completely different from Crisis Core. It might not be as much of an action title as say Dissidia Final Fantasy on arcade or the Kingdom Hearts series, but it leans more towards there.
- There is an ATB gauge, but it won’t be like the original version where you get to attack when the gauge fills up, but an action-based system that can only be done through the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Kitase says that they may even change the name to something else other than ATB. Nomura also teases that the part you’ll want to pay attention to is how “the ATB gauge may also turn red.”
- Parties will consist of three members, and you’ll get to freely switch between the characters with the L1 and R2 buttons, but it won’t be a requirement, as you can stay as the same character for the entire time.
- As far as the battle tempo goes, Nomura wants to make it close to that of Dissidia Final Fantasy on arcade. He says that what we saw in the trailer is simply the base of Final Fantasy VII Remake’s battle system, and that he’s currently thinking of some kind of original structure for the battle system that adds a strategic element, in the midst of being able to switch through characters, an action that involves more than simply hitting enemies.
Source: Siliconera and Famitsu
Final Fantasy VII Combat System and Release Details
Final Fantasy VII Remake producer, Yoshinori Kitase, has said that the upcoming game isn’t “completely action-based” but it has “more of that element and real-time than the previous game.”
The conversation above is over 4 minutes but here are bits of what was said:
“The hardware itself has evolved since the release of Final Fantasy VII, and the games are more real, and real-time based. The previous Final Fantasy VII was a command-based RPG that utilized active-time-battle. Real-time and GMC are the trends these days.
I can’t say the new game is completely action-based, but it has more of that element and real-time than the previous game.
However, what makes Final Fantasy and RPG different from other games is that the players have the ability to choose weapons, capabilities and magic to be strategic minded, so while the new game has more real-time element, it will also maintain that strategy building element, balancing these two factors perfectly to enhance the gaming experience.”
This sounds very promising for the remake.
However, we also received not so promising news of the remake. “Final Fantasy VII Remake will be told across a multi-part series, with each entry providing its own unique experience.” We need clarification on this from Square Enix, since it’s a bit vague, but that doesn’t leave much room for interpretation.
If this is indeed a multi-part series, this could possibly be devastating to Square Enix. If they mess up on the first game, will fans receive an incomplete saga?
Source: PlaystationLifestyle.net and Kotaku