We’re just over a month away from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the first part in what is sure to be a long retelling of the classic RPG. We’re seeing all the older stuff in a new, shiny context. Of course, it’s not the first time we’ve seen the characters and world return, as Square Enix has been flirting with revisiting the FF7 saga for years, and one particular offshoot seems to have made a big impact on the remake.
Speaking to Powerup Gaming, producer Yoshinori Kitase talked about the influence of the sequel animated film, Advent Children. They went as far as tweaking some aspects of the lore to fit some inconsistencies between the movie and the original title, but more so the visuals. Kitase wanted the CGI of Advent Children as the benchmark for Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
“Some of the sub-characters and the backstory of how they link into Advent Children was tweaked in order to better suit the continuity.
“Advent Children became a benchmark for us. When we were developing the game, the cutscenes and the fights that happen in them as well as the general combat and game itself we always think ‘how can we push this?’
“And it always turned out that we’ve got to meet that benchmark. We’ve got to get to what was shown in Advent Children.”
Those who have seen Advent Children probably aren’t too surprised. The remake takes a lot of visual cues from that film, even more so than original concept art for the PS1 release of Final Fantasy 7, especially with the character’s designs. That film was among many earlier attempts to capitalize on 7‘s popularity, which included some prequel and sequel video games as well. But things have come full circle, with the remake releasing next month.