Final Fantasy VII Remake – Is This Really The Right Choice for Square Enix?

So, today we just got word that Final Fantasy VII is going to be remade for the PS4 first. Look at the trailer!

Okay, so of course everyone went nuts when it was announced, myself included. Then, I took a deep breath and started to think about it. And when I did I started to really wonder. Is this a good thing? Here are some things that make me pause.

1) Square Enix Bought a Condo in Development Hell

And they haven’t moved in ten years. You all remember that Final Fantasy Versus 13 was announced back in 2006, right? Then 7 years later, when fans were at their wits end trying to figure out why the game hadn’t come out yet, we got THE announcement at E3 (kinda like this one): Final Fantasy Versus 13 is now Final Fantasy 15! WOW Right???

Still no game.

I mean E3 isn’t over yet, maybe we’ll get a release date, but this doesn’t bode well for FF7R, FF15 or hell, Kingdom Hearts 3 – and keep in mind Kingdom Hearts 2 came out in 2005 (10 years ago) and we’ve been getting a string of bizarre side games and remasters since. And now as a result nobody can figure out the storyline, but that’s neither here nor there.

So, even if the FF7 Remake is announced in the kind of huge fashion fans love, we still don’t know when we’re even going to get the game. It’s not like we haven’t had FF7 revamped trailers before with nothing coming out of it. Remember this:

At the end of the day, Square Enix hasn’t really shown that they’re able to get these kinds of games out on a reasonable timeline. Plus, this may just push back Final Fantasy 15 and KH3 – now, I’m not exactly waiting on baited breath for these games (not anymore anyway, it’s been too long), but still I imagine taking on this COLOSSAL project will just make it harder to get everything out, which will be really tough on diehard fans.

2) What if it Sucks?

Okay, how can Final Fantasy 7 suck??? Wait, so you all forgot:

No but seriously. After Advent Children came out in 2005, Square Enix went on a FF7 rampage and added all kinds of unnecessary plotlines and characters to the original storyline that just made everything murkier and dumber. I am really worried that this is all going to get shoved into the remake for continuity sake, and of course that would just make everything murkier and dumber. DO NOT WANT ~GENESIS~ and ~ANGEAL~ or whoever in this game!! They were terrible!!

3) Have Square Enix Lost Their Confidence?

That is, their confidence in creating new FF games that are good? I’ve been a FF fangirl since childhood. It’s part of what inspires me as a writer. But I can’t deny that the series has gotten worse in the past decade. Square Enix has made a lot of missteps in the past few years that makes me really kind of take a second look at this whole thing. FF13 was awful, FF12 was forgettable. FF14 was a disaster initially, All the Bravest was a cry for help, and don’t forget they also gave us a slew of 13 sequels that were just so silly.

Remember when Square Enix actually said that they won’t remake FF7 UNTIL another game in the series can surpass it? Have they decided “welp, we can’t even get a decent game out anymore so lets mine people’s childhoods!” It really makes me wonder about the future of Final Fantasy as a whole.

As with Final Fantasy 13, just because the graphics look pretty and shiny, doesn’t mean it’ll be good. But who knows? If this game ever sees the light it may be just what the fans wanted. But will it be what the fans (and the franchise, and the company) needed?