A recent interview by The Guardian to Final Fantasy VII Remake’s developers, Yoshinori Kitase and Naoki Hamaguchi, shed more light on the changes seen in the remake treatment of a beloved classic RPG by Square Enix (back then, Squaresoft).
At 4 months since the first installment to the remake’s release, there are still a few things that are not clear about the game. As mysterious as the topic is to many, it prompted a discussion involving the drastic changes the creators had to consider.
Although much of the alterations have been intuitive, others require an explanation coming directly from the minds of those who made the changes.
Kitase Speaks
One of the most obvious deviations that come with the remake concerns the plotting. Whereas the original was mostly focused on the protagonists, the remake also highlights other personas in the game. They especially include the significant characters from the Shinra company that saw little coverage from the PS1 version.
However, the purpose is not merely to retell a story. But to scale their presence with the overall starting from the beginning.
“I did feel that the Shinra company executives and the Turks who will appear again in later parts of the story needed to be portrayed in greater detail,” said Kitase.
“…the same way as the three members of Avalanche,” he added.
As it appears, the notion also applies to Sephiroth who made an initial appearance at the onset of the game. An aspect from the original that did not happen until later in the storyline’s progression.
Moving further into the conversation, another question arises whether the next installments will see deviation story-wise. While admitting to not be able to provide an answer, Kitase claims that engagement is what they are after. Essentially, suggesting making notable deviations that fan a discourse among the avid audiences on the internet.
Hamaguchi Talks
Lastly, the interview talks about how the developers are approaching the reimagining of the game’s most iconic events.
Hamaguchi gives an answer by premising the limitations that come from the game’s original design. Implying the developers’ need to improvise through dialogues and exaggerations to depict certain events with intensity.
With newer technology in mind, the developer claims that they have more means at their disposal. Meaning, that they are able to portray more images more realistically and therefore relay better information to audiences. Not only through visual cues but also with the help of convincing scripts as well, it seems.
As the crisis involving COVID-19 is still ongoing, it seems that development for the second of three installments to the game is hampered. But Kitase is confident that the impact will not be massive in the long term.
Image used courtesy of IGN/YouTube Screenshot