The long-awaited Final Fantasy VII Remake resurfaced at Sony’s latest State of Play presentation after being out of the spotlight for a while, but Square Enix’s plan for releasing the RPG hasn’t changed much. Here’s what we know.
The second State of Play closed with a new trailer for the Final Fantasy VII Remake, ending years of dormancy for the ambitious project. The trailer provided a glimpse of Cloud, Aerith, and Barrett, while showing off the game’s new real-time combat system that is reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV. Square Enix promised more information in June, most likely at E3 2019.
“For Final Fantasy VII Remake, which will be reborn on PlayStation 4, there is a lot of content to review in doing a full remake, and production is underway as multiple parts,” Square Enix said in a Japanese blog post that followed the latest trailer, as translated by Gematsu.
The plan to produce and release the RPG in multiple parts was first revealed in 2015, shortly after Square Enix revealed its first gameplay trailer at the PlayStation Experience. The decision for Final Fantasy VII Remake to be developed as an episodic game was to ensure that the original Final Fantasy VII would be brought to the current generation with all of its content, instead of having to fit everything into a single release.
Fans have questioned the status of Final Fantasy VII Remake, including whether it would still be released in multiple parts, when the project went silent after its 2015 announcement. Most recently, it was a no-show at E3 2018, though game director Tetsuya Nomura later clarified that progress was still ongoing for the RPG.
Square Enix has not fully clarified what “multiple parts” mean. In one scenario, Final Fantasy VII Remake will launch as separate games focusing on different arcs of the RPG’s story. In another, it will be released like Final Fantasy XV, with a base game that focuses on a main story and the rest of the content to be added as DLCs.
Hopefully Square Enix sheds more light at E3 2019, and doesn’t just release another trailer that brings up more questions than answers.
