Warp Zoned Presents
All Articles: Final Fantasy VII
Tetsuya Nomura says we’ll have to wait “a little longer” for release of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Kingdom Hearts III
Like Valve and Blizzard, Square Enix is well-known for taking their sweet time with projects they have in development. Not surprisingly, the publisher is using the same deliberate pace to produce Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII Remake, which have been in the works since 2013 and 2015, respectively.
Director Tetsuya Nomura recently offered an update on both titles to Famitsu (translated by Siliconera), and while progress is being made, it might be quite a while before either is released:
Famitsu: What’s the development status on Kingdom Hearts III?
Nomura: The production process is different than what we’ve had up until now, so I can’t just give you a general idea, but I can say that there are worlds that still remain untouched. We’ve advanced on the production of worlds that have yet to be announced, so we can’t show them for now. As far as development status goes, there’s still a ways to go.
Famitsu: What’s the development status on Final Fantasy VII Remake?
Nomura: We’re making steady progress on its production. While we are indeed working on it, I think we’ll have you guys wait a little longer for both Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Nomura apologized for the delays, but assured fans that it takes time to create “something that will meet expectations.” Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to see how both games are progressing later this year, as the Director also said he’s looking forward to showcasing both games at at least one event in 2017.
It sounds unlikely that Kingdom Hearts III or Final Fantasy VII Remake will launch in 2017, especially after Nomura said, “[Square Enix has] many titles releasing this year,” implying that neither game will be available by the end of the year. Though he did say that fans should look forward to some “surprises.”
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts III
The size of each Final Fantasy VII Remake episode will be comparable to Final Fantasy XIII
The cover of the latest issue of Game Informer is currently adorned by Final Fantasy XV, but that didn’t stop the magazine’s reporters from asking Square Enix about the status of Final Fantasy VII Remake.
When we last checked in with the publisher in December, the Final Fantasy VII Remake was said to be a “multi-part” release that would eventually “go beyond” the original game. That’s still true today, but now we’ve learned that each part will be equivalent in size to a regular game. Producer Yoshinori Kitase got a bit more specific and said that each episode will be roughly similar in size to the entirety of Final Fantasy XIII:
“It will essentially be a full scale game for each part of the multi-part series […] if we’re just looking at each of these parts, one part should be on par with the scale of one Final Fantasy XIII game.”
“In XIII, each instalment told the story from a different angle. It was kind of like approaching an unknown territory in a sense. Whereas with Final Fantasy VII Remake, we already have a preexisting story, so it wouldn’t really make sense if that isn’t encompassed in a multi-part series.”
Kitase also confirmed that Final Fantasy fans should prepare themselves for the “dramatic changes” that were previously hinted at:
“I, along with [Tetsuya] Nomura-san and [Kazushige] Nojima-san–who are involved with the remake–were also involved with the original Final Fantasy. We were the people who created it, so in that sense, we don’t think anything is untouchable. That isn’t to say we’re changing everything!”
I’ve got to admit, I admire his willingness to blow up everything about his most beloved creation and use the parts to start over. Thanks to IGN for digging these juicy bits out of the Game Informer cover story.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged Final Fantasy VII
Square Enix: Final Fantasy VII Remake will “go beyond” original game
Square Enix has been building towards Final Fantasy VII Remake for a long time now, and Producer Yoshinori Kitase has always said that any do-over of the groundbreaking RPG would require a significant amount of time and effort. Kitase chose to expand upon these thoughts today in a post on the Square Enix Blog, stating that a multi-part release is required for the Remake to “go beyond” the original game:
With Final Fantasy VII Remake, we have the opportunity to go beyond the story, world and experience of Final Fantasy VII in ways we’ve always dreamed of – from the depths of Midgar to the skies above the Planet. The multi-part format enables us to expand the original story and turn it into an epic experience for fans and new gamers alike.
Kitase added that, instead of adding content, cuts to the Remake would have been necessary if it were released in a single package:
We’ve seen everyone’s comments and reactions to the news that Final Fantasy VII Remake will be a multi-part series and many have speculated correctly as to the reason why we have made this decision. If we were to try to fit everything from the original into one remake instalment, we would have to cut various parts and create a condensed version of Final Fantasy VII. We knew none of you would have wanted that.
The Final Fantasy Remake is currently in development for the PS4, though it’ll be released on Sony’s system “first,” so expect to eventually make its way to the PC and/or Xbox One.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Final Fantasy VII, PlayStation Experience 2015
Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released as a “multi-part series”
In addition to revealing a new trailer for the Final Fantasy VII Remake, Square Enix also confirmed the game will eventually be released as a “multi-part series.”
According to the publisher’s complete statement, “[Final Fantasy VII Remake] will be told across a multi-part series, with each entry providing its own unique experience.” That doesn’t give us a whole lot to go on, but it sounds like the game could be released episodically, perhaps similar in style to Final Fantasy IV: The After Years.
In anticipation of the PlayStation Experience show, the PlayStation Blog’s YouTube Channel also got a chance to talk with Producer Yoshinori Kitase about the game. While he didn’t offer any new details about the Final Fantasy VII Remake’s release schedule, he did confirm that the real-time nature of the gameplay seen in the trailer will somewhat carry over to the final game:
I can’t say the new game is completely action-based, but it has more of that element and real-time than the previous game. However, what makes Final Fantasy and RPG different from other games is that players have the ability to choose weapons, capabilities, and magic to be strategic minded, so while the new game has more real-time element, it will also maintain that strategy building element, balancing these two factors perfectly to enhance the gaming experience.
The Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released for the PS4 “first,” but when that’ll be and in what form it’ll take is anybody’s guess.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Final Fantasy VII, PlayStation Experience 2015
Final Fantasy VII, Nuclear Throne, Bastion Vita, more added to PS Store today
Have you taken a look at the ridiculous new trailer for the Final Fantasy VII Remake yet? If not, I suggest you should. And if you’re feeling nostalgic, the planned PS4 port of the PSone original is now available to download from the PlayStation Store. Believe it or not, Sony actually added a huge number of games to the PlayStation Store today, check ’em out:
- Vlambeer’s roguelike-like top-down shooter Nuclear Throne is now available for the PS4 and Vita. This one has been available through Steam Early Access (and on the convention circuit) for a long time, but it’s exciting that it’s finally complete.
- Supergiant’s action RPG Bastion, which was previously released for the PS4, is now available for the Vita as a Cross-Buy title.
- The Bit.Trip, the entire Bit.Trip series collected in a single PS4/Vita Cross-Buy package.
- Fat Princess Adventures, a “comical co-op action RPG” for the PS4 for one-to-four players.
- Guns Up!, a free-to-play side-scrolling strategy game for the PS4 that merges “enemy base invasion with tower defense”
More details on all of these titles can be found after the break. And don’t forget about all the new PS2-On-PS4 games, which are also available today. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Bastion, Final Fantasy VII, PlayStation Experience 2015
Final Fantasy VII Remake gets an action-packed new trailer
You can’t have a PlayStation event without talking about the Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Square Enix did just that at today’s PlayStation Experience keynote.
The new trailer gives us our first look at many of the game’s characters, as well as a chance to hear the game’s voice acting. We even got a very short glimpse at some gameplay and it almost looks like an action RPG to me. It’s unknown if Square Enix is moving away from the turn-based style of the original for the Remake, but they have found a lot of success with that gameplay style with the Kingdom Hearts series.
There’s still no release date, but Square Enix reiterated the Final Fantasy VII Remake will be coming “first” to the PS4, implying that a PC and/or Xbox One release is also in the cards.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Final Fantasy VII, PlayStation Experience 2015
“Dramatic changes” will be coming to the combat in Final Fantasy VII remake
We received hints of this at E3, but Square Enix isn’t planning to just give Final Fantasy VII a graphical makeover and call it a day. Speaking to Official PlayStation Magazine UK (via GamesRadar), Tetsuya Nomura said that “dramatic changes” will be made to the publisher’s most beloved RPG during development of the remake:
[G]ame director Tetsuya Nomura said that the team will be making “dramatic changes” to the game’s fights. “And of course, that being said we want to clarify: We’re not going to be changing it into a shooter or something like that. We are going to be bringing dramatic changes, but we want to make sure it’s still recognizable.”
If you are concerned about the game’s graphics, Nomura has suggested looking to Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, because that’s what he’s going to do:
Nomura stated that the team will be looking to the movie – which Nomura also directed – for visual references and inspiration, but that he and his team “don’t intend on utilising the 3D models of Advent Children as is because, well, it’s a different technology, and it’s actually been almost ten years since Advent Children was first released.”
Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII remake is likely still many years away and will launch “first” on the PS4. It’s widely assumed the remake will eventually be released for the PC and/or the Xbox One sometime afterwards.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Final Fantasy VII
I Wish Sony Had Let The Last Guardian Fade Away
Sony put on an incredible show during this year’s E3 Expo, debuting new IPs from Guerrilla Games and Media Molecule, as well as offering further glimpses at long-awaited titles such as No Man’s Sky from Hello Games and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End from Naughty Dog. Yet it chose to open its presentation with perhaps the most long-awaited title of all time, The Last Guardian. (more…)
Posted in Opinions, PS4, Top Story
Tagged E3 2015, Final Fantasy VII, Shenmue III, The Last Guardian