Final Fantasy VII Remake trailer 1 (E3 2015)
3Long ago, we looked upon a foreboding sky ...
The significance of the narrator describing events in the past tense is amplified by what’s going on in the opening few scenes. It’s abundantly clear that his words about a star burning eternally in our hearts have a meta meaning, addressed to those that have been calling for years to have a remake and acknowledging that this project cannot be undertaken lightly.
The most important aspect of the whole trailer comes right at the end with the word “remake”. Director Tetsuya Nomura, the character artist of the original FFVII, has stated that this won’t simply be the original game with upgraded textures, otherwise there would be no reason for him to be involved. The intention, it seems, is to make a game that is better than the original, an exciting if potentially hubristic endeavour. Final Fantasy VII was, to put it mildly, huge, spanning three CD-roms – and even then, graphical detail often had to be compromised in order to cram as much content as possible onto those discs.
It is perhaps unlikely that every scene from the original game will be found in the remake. What Square Enix absolutely cannot afford is to have another Final Fantasy XV on its hands – that project started out as a spin-off from Final Fantasy XIII, but grew in scope and ambition, and has taken close to 10 years to complete. Considering it’s the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII in two years’ time, Square Enix must not let the opportunity pass to have its remake ready.
So here’s the theory. The first 20 seconds of this trailer signify what the framework for the game will be: a reunion of some sorts between certain characters from the original, but one held far into the future – perhaps 20 years, if they’re particularly romantic about it. This would allow Nomura-san to tell the story of FFVII in a series of flashbacks, allowing the development team to include or edit out practically any element without changing the original narrative.
The later tie-in, Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, left the door to more story open with a “to be continued” message. In this case, could we get more than just a remake?