Everything About the Final Fantasy 7 Remake That’s Revealed Yesterday

Here’s something to make you feel old: do you know that Final Fantasy VII was released a whopping 22 years ago?

Holy Aeris, that might be older than some of you.

But if you’re here, you’re probably in your thirties or forties because youngsters nowadays have no idea what a legend Cloud Strife was.

And you’re here for the memories, for this time around, you can finally afford the game without resorting to buying it from neighbourhood shops that would suddenly close when a man in blue was nearby, trapping you inside the shop.

So here’s what you should know about this remake that’s set to take you back to 1997.

Final Fantasy VII Remake, a Remake That Started Since 2015

Lest you need a bit of a reminder (of you’re a youngster who’s wondering what the hype is all about), here’s some background:

Final Fantasy VII was released in 1997 to the grey PlayStation, and to many Singaporeans, it’s the first RPG they played. Some of us played it on the PlayStation while others on a PC, and it was the only thing we spoke about in school.

The game has since been ported to everywhere, including current video game consoles and mobile app.

And here’s something you won’t get to read elsewhere: one of the reasons why everyone has played it was because back in the days, pirated versions of PlayStation games were being sold in many shops that were located in the heartlands. They were so cheap, many games were devalued except for this exceptional game that caught our attention.

So, rumours of a remake were circulating everywhere in 2007 but that didn’t materialize. Fake YouTube videos of an alleged remake that combined footages of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (a movie based on the game) misled people to think that it would be out soon.

It was only in 2015 that development of the remake was officially announced at the 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo, and everyone’s been waiting since then.

And the long wait finally came to an end last month.

9 May 2019: FF VII Remake First Trailer

If you’re a fan, you’d have seen this:

All of a sudden, the official PlayStation released a trailer and it blew everyone away. Who’d have thought that Aeris (or Aerith, depending on which pirated version you played) was so chio with a cleavage? We all had the hots for Tifa instead, no?

In the trailer, we were told to wait for June.

And now’s June, and finally, we understand.

They were waiting for the 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo to show us more.

Gameplay Revealed

During the E3 event yesterday (11 June 2019), we got to see not just more footage, but the gameplay as well.

Well, for a start, it seems like the music, which makes the OG so freaking cool, would be the same but a tad more dramatic. We’ll finally be able to hear the voices of the characters as well.

Also, for gameplay, it’s slightly different: there won’t be a fixed angle as you control the character, and battle isn’t turn-based but real-time. Kind of like Dissidia Final Fantasy. That’s understandable since nowadays, people don’t have the patience to wait for your turn.

During E3, the folks did explain the gameplay but it’s still a little complicated—basically, just know that it’s catered for current players instead of people living in 1997.

And there’s an important announcement:

Yes, it’ll be available worldwide from 3 March 2020 for the PlayStation 4, with voiceovers of either English, Japanese, French, and German.

People in the US can start to pre-order le (USD$59.99 for the cheapest version), but I guess for us old fans in Singapore who did the game injustice in the past by playing the pirated version, we’ll just have to wait until 3 March 2020.

And oh, by the way, we finally get to see our imaginary girlfriend, the hot Tifa le:

Gotta admit, I’m falling in love with her boobs again le.