It’s been two years since Square Enix released Final Fantasy VII Remake, a modern retelling of its beloved PlayStation hit from 1997. Remake was an ambitious effort: a multi-year, multi-part project that gated its first full game to Midgar—the setting of the original’s opening scene, where most players spent mere hours. Now, we know that the series will span three parts, the second of which, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, is coming next winter.
With Final Fantasy VII Remake, Square Enix had no interest in repackaging the same story in prettier wrapping. As Remake ramps up to its conclusion, it takes shocking liberties; major characters written for death in the original are either saved or painted as not-so-doomed. Producer Yoshinori Kitase wanted a much more “dramatic change overall” but was talked down by the game’s director, Tetsuya Nomura, and codirector, Naoki Hamaguchi.
