Producer of the Final Fantasy 7 remake claims that the narrative changes are “necessary” to keep players engaged

Looking back, the Final Fantasy VII Remake really could have gone either way. It was no easy task to recreate a game as renowned and significant as the original Final Fantasy VII, but thankfully Square Enix succeeded and gave us the outrageous Honey Bee Inn dance scene we so richly deserved. However, as anyone who completed the game to the end is aware, alterations were made that might have a significant impact on the plot of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Producer Yoshinori Kitase explained the reasoning behind the decision to depart from the original game’s plot in an interview with VG247, noting that “we approached the FFVII Remake project with the aim of making it something that could be enjoyed by both fans of the original game and people who did not know it.”

However, it can be more difficult to create a game for a player who already knows what will happen next, and nostalgia can only go so far, as Kitase explains, “I’ve also had instances where a game I used to adore and play frequently was remade, and I bought and played it out of sheer nostalgia. Although it is entertaining for a while, the novelty of the nostalgia really only lasts through the first sections.” Kitase hoped to keep things from coming to this. In order to make the remake of Final Fantasy VII feel both familiar and new at the same time, he “decided that Final Fantasy VII Remake would not just appeal to nostalgia, but would include a new story as well.”

Players should expect the unexpected, says Kitase, who also confirms that this ethos will continue in the remaining two games of the anticipated trilogy. He writes that “the result of [the changes] is that, for Part 2 and Part 3, we are able to give fans the excitement of wondering which parts will be 100% faithful to the original – and where the new elements will be added.”

But everything depends on your point of view. Kitase is well aware that he must take into account the legacy of a cherished franchise. He asserts “The original Final Fantasy VII has been adored by fans for more than 20 years, but I got the feeling that I didn’t want it to end up in an archive and instead wanted to create a game that fans would continue to adore for another 100 years. That is what the remake of Final Fantasy VII is.”

Winter 2023 is the anticipated release date for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Do you want the plot to follow the original course more closely or are you eager to see it take an unexpected turn?