New Final Fantasy VII Remake Details

New information on Final Fantasy VII Remake has come out of new interviews with producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Tetsuya Nomura published by Famitsu and Dengeki Online.

But first, if you missed it, watch the debut gameplay trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake here. Then catch up on yesterday’s news where Square Enix announced the game will be released in multiple parts.

Here are some noteworthy interview snippets from Famitsu:

• The official title is Final Fantasy VII Remake. This is because they wanted to convey to users that it’s a remake rather than a spin-off or sequel.
• Various companies, including CyberConnect2, are assisting development. However, CyberConnect2’s production tastes differ from that of Square Enix’s, so the two companies are keeping very close with each other. Director Tetsuya Nomura was annoyed by the direction of the latest trailer, so Square Enix changed it to be closer to its own style.
• Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children‘s models aren’t being used because they’re more than 10 years old and are too deformed (in the sense that they’re unrealistic). Each part of the remake’s models have been adjusted many times over to be a proper balance between realistic and deformed.
• The entirety of the latest trailer is all in-game, except for the snippets from the E3 2015 teaser trailer. You can alter the camera angle during the train scene.
• Cloud looks skinny due to his white skin and the lighting.
• The scenario where Cloud cross-dresses for Don Corneo will still be in the game, but it hasn’t been designed yet.
• The ATB gauge is there, but it’s not the type where you wait for it to fill up and then attack. Instead, it’s its own system that lends to the action of this game. Its name might also be changed. Nomura says you should pay particular attention to when the gauge turns red.
• There are three-member parties and you can switch freely between them. You can also just control one character if you don’t want to switch.
• You’ll be able to explore various locations in Midgar that you couldn’t explore in the original game.
• The quality of the latest trailer is just the starting point. Now that they’re able to showcase the direction of the remake, they’re moving into polishing.

Here’s Dengeki Online‘s full interview:

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a multi-part series. Please tell us more about this decision.

Kitase: “The idea that a remake of Final Fantasy VII would not fit into a single release was there from the very beginning. We still can’t share more information about its multiple parts, but please look forward to future announcements.”

Nomura: “If we dedicated our time to a single release, parts of it would become summarized. We’d have to cut some parts, and additional parts would come in few, so rather than remake the game as a full volume, we decided to do multiple parts.”

Kitase: “As you can see in the trailer, we showed Sector 1 and Sector 8, but in those areas alone, I think you can see a lot of density. When you’re remaking the entirety of the original version in that quality, it’s not possible to fit it all in one release.”

How will the battle system work?

Kitase: “Rather than a command-based battle ensuing when you encounter an enemy, we’re aiming for a seamless active battle, as you can see in the trailer.”

Nomura: “Regarding the battle speed and tempo, for the sake of a stress-free battle, we want to do something on the level of Dissidia Final Fantasy. As far as the degree of action goes, it’s Dissidia Final Fantasy, then Kingdom Hearts, then Final Fantasy VII Remake. There won’t be any actions that require a technique. By using the new system, we want to do action battles while also being able to fight while thinking strategically.”

What about the elements of the original battle system?

Nomura: “In the end, it’s based on Final Fantasy VII, so elements like the ATB gauge and Limit Breaks will appear with new ways to be used. Please look forward to how this game will evolve through the remake.”

Will the story be adjusted at all?

Nomura: “In addition to delving into these episodes more deeply, we’re preparing a number of mechanisms and such. To those who played the original version will know the important parts and understand the story from the beginning to the end. Also for these people, I hope that they can be surprised once again.”

Kitase: “I don’t want the remake to end as something nostalgic. I want to get the fans of the original version excited.We’ll be making adjustments to the story with this feeling in mind.”

Final Fantasy VII Remake is in development for PlayStation 4.