20 Things We Want to See in The Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Final Fantasy VII had a huge impact when it came out. To name an example, it did a great deal to popularize JRPGs in the west, meaning that it paved the way for a huge number of games in the subsequent decades. As such, it was inevitable that Square Enix would make a Final Fantasy VII Remake in this often-nostalgia-driven market. Said game could have turned out very poorly. However, it received a very positive reception from both the critics and the consumers. In considerable part, this is because Final Fantasy VII Remake isn’t a true remake. The “Remake” in its title isn’t an indication of its out-of-narrative status. Instead, it refers to an in-narrative remaking of in-narrative events, meaning that we can no longer count on our knowledge of the original game to inform us about what is to come. Something that makes the second part of Final Fantasy VII Remake that much more interesting.
1. Keep the Core Combat Mechanics
The Final Fantasy series has been experimenting with a combination of real-time and menu-based combat for some time. However, Final Fantasy VII Remake has managed to strike a better balance between them than its predecessors. As such, it would be nice if the follow-up retained the core combat mechanics because why change something that works well?
2. Further Refinements to the Combat Mechanics
Having said that, a belief that the core combat mechanics are fine isn’t the same as a belief that the combat mechanics are 100 percent perfect. If Square Enix can come up with further refinements for a very solid system, well, it would be foolish to pass up on those. For instance, it would be great if the developers managed to improve on aerial combat.
3. Bigger Changes
The ending of Final Fantasy VII Remake made it very clear that events have changed. To name an example, Zack Fair’s final stand in the original continuity doesn’t seem to have been a final stand in the Remake continuity. Combined with the other changes that we have seen, this means that Final Fantasy VII Remake pretty much promised us big changes in the story that is still to come. As such, it would be good for the follow-up to live up to that promise by having bigger changes now that the metaphorical train has run off of the rails.
4. But Keep Things Recognizable
Having said that, it would be nice if the follow-up remained recognizable in a general sense. One of the fun things about Final Fantasy VII Remake was comparing its version of events with the original game’s version of events to see what had changed as well as what had remained unchanged. If the follow-up changes too much, that would make this impossible, thus stripping the “Remake” in the title of one of its two meanings.
5. It Is Fine If Sephiroth Shows Up
Sephiroth is one of the most iconic characters of Final Fantasy VII. For proof, look no further than the fact that he keeps showing up in Final Fantasy VII-related products, with Final Fantasy VII Remake being no exception to this rule. Chances are good that Sephiroth will show up in the follow-up, particularly since he has played such an important role in causing the metaphorical train to run off of the rails. For what that is worth, that is fine because he will be either the most important or one of the most important antagonists, meaning that it is necessary to keep his presence fresh in the minds of players.
6. But Don’t Overdo It
However, it would be preferrable if the follow-up uses Sephiroth in a relatively restrained manner. A lot of antagonists lose their narrative weight because they show up too much. Something that is particularly true when they get featured in boss battle after boss battle. After all, a character who gets beaten by the player again and again is a mini-boss rather than a final boss, which is presumably not the direction that Square Enix wants to go with for Sephiroth.
7. More Side-Content
Side-content can make or break RPGs. After all, they are a wonderful way to explore the setting, learn more about the people populating it, and become strong enough to smear enemies over the local geographical region. As a result, it would be nice if the follow-up came with more side-content.
8. Better Distribution of Side-Content
Of course, it would be even better if that side-content was more evenly distributed over the course of the game rather than concentrated in just a few parts. To some extent, the latter is unavoidable. Simply put, it is one thing to go running off for knick-knacks when there is nothing particularly important happening in the main story, it is another when there is some kind of imminent threat on its way. Still, more even distribution could do a lot to ensure a steady rhythm between high tension and low tension rather than overdoing it with either one or the other.
9. More Varied Objectives for Side-Content
Speaking of which, one of the biggest problems with the side-content in Final Fantasy VII Remake was that the objectives were too boring. For example, fetching items. Similarly, killing monsters. There is nothing wrong with some of the side-content having those objectives. However, there really should be other objectives mixed in to prevent side-content from being too similar and thus too boring.
10. More Exploration of Main Characters for Side-Content
The main story has a lot of things that need to be done within not a lot of time. As a result, while it can provide a lot of insight into the main characters, it is much more difficult for it to explore them at length because there are other competing priorities that need to be catered to. Side-content would be a great place to explore the main characters at further length. Something that will presumably become truer and truer as the number of main characters continue to increase.
11. More Exploration of Side Characters for Side-Content
A truly stand-out setting needs to have more people than just the main characters in it. If the main story can spare just a limited amount of time for the exploration of main characters, it can spare even less for side characters. Once again, side-content is precisely the place where side-characters can be explored at length, thus enabling interested individuals to form an even deeper connection with them as well as the rest of the setting than otherwise possible.
12. Make the Summons More Practical
The summons in Final Fantasy VII Remake were cool. However, they weren’t very practical, meaning that they weren’t used very much. That is a real shame because that effectively wastes much of the time, effort, and other resources that went into making those summons. As such, it would be wonderful if the follow-up made summons more practical, thus encouraging interested individuals to make more use of them on a regular basis.
13. Give the Summons More of a Grounding in the Setting
Speaking of which, it would also be nice for the summons to have more of a grounding within the setting, whether through integration into the lore or some other form of coverage. Yes, the Final Fantasy series likes using the same set of summons again and again. Even so, it can be interesting to see how this version of the same summon differs from its alternate dimensional counterparts. For that matter, it would also do a great deal to make summons feel more like a natural part of the setting.
14. Data Transfer
It seems safe to say that interested individuals won’t be able to transfer everything from their save file for Final Fantasy VII Remake over to the follow-up. Certainly, that would be very amusing, if only to see how badly they could break the follow-up’s enemies with everything that they have collected over the course of an entire predecessor. However, that wouldn’t make any sense from a developer’s perspective. Still, it would be nice if the follow-up offered some kind of bonus for people who transferred their save file over, if only as an acknowledgement of their previous efforts. For that matter, remembering which of the three possible scenes at Aerith’s garden that the player earned would be even better.
15. More Playable Characters
Each of the playable characters in Final Fantasy VII Remake had their own identity that enabled them to stand out from one another. The follow-up will continue the story, meaning that more playable characters are to come. Naturally, we should hope that Square Enix will continue being able to make playing them enjoyable and distinguishable. Something that could add a lot of replayability for people who like to stick with a single party on each run.
16. More Playable Characters Who Weren’t Main Characters in the Original Game
Speaking of which, it would be a real shame to have every playable character be playable characters in the original game. As mentioned earlier, Final Fantasy VII Remake has already made it clear that big changes have happened, meaning that it would be strange if that didn’t result in some additional playable characters for interested individuals. Having said that, this doesn’t necessarily mean making them playable characters on a full-time basis. It isn’t exactly uncommon for the Final Fantasy series to have characters who can be played for a small number of battles at particularly important points in the overall narrative. For that matter, the ease with which DLC can be delivered in the modern day means that could be a very easy way to offer a longer play experience for characters with limited playability in the main story. Indeed, Final Fantasy VII Remake showed that with Intergrade. More DLC could be fun provided that they aren’t overdone.
17. Character Swapping
It seems safe to say that there will eventually be more playable characters than what interested individuals can have on the battlefield at the same time. Similarly, it seems safe to say that those playable characters will be capable of being swapped in and out when outside of battle. However, what would be better would the ability to swap them in and out during battle, which could make for some interesting possibilities. Granted, that could turn out to be either too gimmicky or too problematic in other respects, so this is definitely one of those things that should be implemented provided that it can be done well.
18. Bonuses for Characters Who Aren’t Being Used At the Moment
Having playable characters just sit out battles has always seemed kind of lame. As a result, it could be interesting for them to provide some kind of bonus to the on-field team when they are off of the field. Something that makes it clear that they are contributing even if they are out of focus.
19. A Well-Implemented Hard Mode
Some people play RPGs for the story while other people play RPGs for the challenge. Both approaches are fine, which is why developers should make more of an effort to accommodate both kinds of players. One of the easiest ways to do so would be a well-implemented hard mode, which can offer some extra challenges for people who enjoy that kind of thing while being easily avoidable by people who don’t.
20. The Return of Roche
One of the more memorable characters introduced in Final Fantasy VII Remake would be Roche, who is every bit as eccentric as what one would expect from a member of SOLDIER. Fortunately, he is the fun kind of eccentric rather than the obnoxious kind of eccentric, so it would be nice to see him make a return in the follow-up.