Square Enix’s ambitions for the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake go beyond just wanting to put a fresh and prettier coat of paint on a classic. They’re instead looking to take this opportunity to expand upon their original vision for Final Fantasy 7 to great lengths, with the entire first part of the remake being set just in Midgard.
According to producer Yoshinori Kitase, Square Enix is looking make more than a “one-for-one copy” of the original, and instead wants to dive deeper into its story and do it justice with much better technology on their hands.
“We’re trying to delve that much deeper into this iconic classic, go deeper into the world and the characters,” said Kitakse while speaking with GamesRadar. “We’re not just trying to make a one-for-one copy or a remaster of the original game. [We] wanted to go beyond the original and tell the story in a much deeper way, write a much more modern and fresh game experience.”
Kitase explained that since the development team now has access to significantly better technology than they did when they made the original Final Fantasy 7, they can “more expressive” and thus be able to craft a better narrative experience.
“In the Remake there really is this greater emphasis on the characters, their expressions, and the storytelling as well – using this new technology and many of the things we didn’t have when we made the first game,” he said. “It really does allow us to make the characters more expressive and really ramp up that immersiveness that you get in the game and the story.”
Final Fantasy 7 Remake will be out exclusively for the PS4 on March 3, 2020. The game will also be playable at Gamescom later this month.