Final Fantasy VII is one of the most beloved games of all time and is arguably one of the best storied RPG's ever.
Originally released in 1997, it was one of the biggest titles for the first PlayStation and was essential in moving Sony's nascent gaming platform off store shelves. The epic role playing game sold over 11 million copies around the world, making a generation of gamers familiar with the streets of Midgar and fans of chocobos.
Now that Square Enix is creating a remake of its popular game fit for today's higher end gaming consoles, the pressure is on for the publisher to live up to gamer's expectations of the much-loved, classic RPG. In fact, it's been quite the busy week for the highly anticipated remake.
Over the weekend, Square Enix released a trailer revealing Final Fantasy VII's action-packed battle system. No longer turn-based, FF VII's updated battle system is reminiscent of games such as those used in the Kingdom Hearts franchise - live and in the moment. And like the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III, the remake of Final Fantasy VII will also share a similar gaming engine.
"We realize how special FINAL FANTASY VII is to fans, and we place our trust in Unreal Engine 4 technology and tools to help deliver this long-awaited remake, crafted for modern platforms," said Yoshinori Kitase of Square Enix on the company's website.
Usually, Square Enix uses its own in-house engines for its games, especially for its premier Final Fantasy franchise. The PlayStation 3's Final Fantasy XIII used Square Enix's Crystal Tools and the upcoming PlayStation 4's Final Fantasy XV will use Luminous Studios. Engines such as these are often difficult and more expensive to make, so licensing Epic's Unreal Engine 4 can free developers the trouble of creating a brand new system from ground up for the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Besides a brand new gaming engine and an update battle system, Square Enix has also revealed the remake of FF VII will involve a story told across multiple series so the game itself will also be released in multiple parts. When exactly those parts will drop only Square Enix knows, and us fans will just have to eagerly wait to relive old Midgar memories in the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
