Final Fantasy VII is a memorable game, but it also came out more than 20 years ago, when video games where very different. When news of the Remake broke, fans wondered if many of the original game’s more bizarre elements would make it into this new version of the game. How do you translate the Frog status effect, the ridiculous squats minigame, and the entire Don Corneo sequence? A new Final Fantasy VII Remake trailer shows that these classic elements are all intact, and perhaps weirder than they’ve ever been before.
The trailer opens with some brief glimpses of ghost-like figures flying around Tifa’s bar in the Midgar slums, an enemy that many questioned would even make the final cut. A little later we get a glimpse of the Turks, who all retain their designs from the Advent Children film. Cloud engages in battle with them in Aerith’s church, and yes, in dialog we get confirmation that she will be called “Aerith” for this release, not the mistransliterated English version of “Aeris.”
Later we see Aerith in her red dress as she and Cloud need to sneak into Don Corneo’s mansion to rescue Tifa, but that’s not all. The squats minigame that Cloud needed to play in order to get the wig is not only in the Remake, but it’s expanded to include other characters as well. We see Tifa also working out in a gym-based minigame. It’s not entirely clear how much of the original Cloud crossdressing quest will make it into the Remake, but if these teases are any indication, the entire thing might not only be faithful to the original, but expanded on as well.
After this we see the members of AVALANCHE engaged in battle with Shinra, and yes, the Frog status effect as Cloud turns into a frog, complete with a Buster Sword on its back, and hops around the battlefield. Finally it concludes showing off a couple of summons (Ifrit and Shiva) and the team staring out across the wreckage of the Sector 7 plate after Shinra drops it to destroy AVALANCHE.
While many elements of the original game are there, it does seem like the narrative is being altered and/or expanded to include new characters and new beats. The entire game will take place in Midgar (with follow-up games to pursue the rest of the story), which was a relatively small portion of the original Final Fantasy VII. As we near release, we’re starting to see the fruits of that trickle in through these trailers. Notably this includes a new character that Cloud refers to as “a SOLDIER” who comes roaring in on a fancy motorcycle.
Final Fantasy VII Remake keeps relieving concerns that it wouldn’t remain faithful to the source material, this latest trailer just proving the lengths that Square Enix is willing to go to in order to ensure that fans of the original game are satisfied. Did you catch any details on the Final Fantasy VII Remake trailer that we might have missed?
