Nomura: The Conclusion of the FFVII Remake Trilogy Will Change the Way Game Storylines are Written

After the massive critical success of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Tetsuya Nomura (the game’s director) has been riding high within Square Enix, and in an interview with Japanese publication, Hentai no Hikaru, he shed light on the upcoming final episode of the FFVII Remake project. 

Nomura even talks about the potential, and possibilities of  a Final Fantasy VI project happening.

(Translation provided @Sepukku)

Interviewer: The Western press has finally given a Final Fantasy game high scores. How does that affect the way you will continue to work in FFVII’s Remake trilogy, and on future projects?

Nomura: Yes! We felt that gaming was moving into a more ‘open’ direction. Given that the game’s original artwork was already stellar, we just upgraded our original vision to Unreal 4 Engine standards. I wouldn’t say this visuals are ‘next generation’, but they certainly look great in action. So, more open and less “constrained” areas were certainly a priority here after critics complained about Remake’s linear approach.

Interviewer: The Storyline has received some praise as well, even though it further deviates from the original game’s canon…

Nomura: At this point, I think anyone who finished Remake…has to know that this project is not an exact retelling of the original events, but more of a sequel where we explore alternative timelines that can co-exist along side the original timeline. So, yes! Changes were made, it is an entirely new timeline (which is why we used the “Remake” moniker) we are remaking the timeline. 

Changes were made to Final Fantasy VII’s cannon ever since the compilation. Sakaguchi would have never allowed something like Crisis Core to exist. Genesis, for example, could never exist within the original game’s canon. His existence makes no sense if you play the original game.  

Sakaguchi was very serious about making sure that storylines were kept within ‘realistic’ boundaries. I, on the other hand, I prefer flash over substance, and I like extraordinary characters that couldn’t exist within the confines of a rational world. So, when Sakaguchi left Square…the reigns of Final Fantasy VII were finally freed for me and Nojima to experiment in. 

Interviewer: Is this how Zack Fair gains relevance to the storyline? 

Nomura: Cloud was always meant to be the star. From the conception of the Final Fantasy VII’s ideas in the mid 1990s, Zack was never in the cards. This was Cloud, Sephiroth, and Aerith’s storyline. But fans welcomed the idea of Zack, being this…super warrior lover. We saw this in the fan fiction craze that took off in the late 1990s. It was surprising to see the positive reaction towards a character that was written as a stepping stone for Cloud to reach his true potential. 

Sakaguchi had Zack killed in a very pedestrian way. Him and a comatose Cloud are found by an officer and two Shinra Army grunts on their way to Midgar. Zack goes to face them…but in the real world bullets beat swords. Thus, Zack gets easily mowed down, and dies in a gutter. Gritty, and realistic stuff. This was Sakaguchi’s vision for the title. 

Personally, in Crisis Core..and even in the Advent Children film, I gave these characters larger than life capabilities. Dragon Ball Z type of powers. I feel like I gave Zack a proper Japanese Pop death in Crisis Core. That event made him a larger than life character on par with Cloud, and Sephiroth of course. Reality is boring (laughs).

Interviewer: So, in Rebirth he ends up with Aerith?

Nomura: Possibly, in another timeline. Many timelines were created after the first game. Perhaps, an infinite amount if you want to go down that rabbit hole. There is a possibility that in our Remake timeline Cloud will end up with Aerith, or Tifa…we are flirting with leaving this up to the player. 

Zack was originally meant to just be a memory of an Ex-Boyfriend. Aerith’s first crush love type of thing. Cloud was meant to be her real once in a life time love. But then we changed things up after Sakaguchi left. But now, we feel it is best to leave it up to the player…we think an ending in which the player can choose for Cloud would be best.

Interviewer: Wow! An Open Ended Storyline?

Nomura: I know. We Japanese are know for linearity, and sticking to tradition. But in the 1990s an obscure Japanese Action RPG, The Granstream Saga, allowed for players to choose between one of their love interests. 

Since playing that game, I always felt that FFVII fans were done a disservice by not being afforded the same of opportunity of choosing (between Aerith and Tifa). 

So, this is something I have discussed, quite deeply, with Nojima and Kitase. Being that we already destroyed the original canon, we might as well go down that route…keep everyone happy. I felt we did this in Advent Children…if you watch the credits…Cloud drives up to meet up with Aerith. Beautiful scene.

But to do it in the game’s storyline would be a terrific surprise for long time fans. The Conclusion of the FFVII Remake Trilogy will change the way game storylines are written. 

We did this (revolutionize storytelling) in 1997! We can do it again on 2027!

Interviewer: What do you say to those who claim you have disrespected the canon…especially since you admitted that you destroyed it after Sakaguchi left.

Nomura: Blame Square Enix *laughs*! I am a character designer. That is all I am passionate about. I create characters. If you want a consistent storyteller then hire a novelist. Square gave me the reins of the series… they knew I wanted to create characters. New flamboyant characters, and introduce them into the canon, even if their existence – like Genesis – does not make sense. I create likable characters. That has been my gift.

Interviewer: Do you have plans of Remaking another iconic title? Final Fantasy VI?

Nomura: There are certain games with a niche, but very vocal, very strong fan base. These type of games are hard to remake…even if we try something like we did with Final Fantasy VII, where we basically gave old time fans a sequel set on an alternate timeline. I don’t know that my career would survive a Final Fantasy VI Remake to be honest.

Interviewer: Why is that?

Nomura: You must understand. Fans will expect a true to the canon remake. Just like they did with FFVII. Fans expected a real remake, we didn’t deliver that…but only older players seemed to care. We were forgiven because we had already prostituted the storyline and canon to no end with the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII back in the mid 2000s. By this point (2020) no one gave a damn.

It is like Star Wars…in a way. When Disney took it, everyone expect the downfall of the saga. So, when Disney did ruin Star Wars with the new trilogy. No one cared. Fans always saw, ad will always see the Lucas made films as the true canon.

I feel that under my vision, Final Fantasy VII is Square Enix’s Star Wars. We ruined the storyline, but few fans gave a damn. Old timers will always consider the original 1997 game as the true canon. In my wisdom, I foresaw this. This is why I pulled the Whispers out of my rear end. I, along with my partner in crime, Nojima, made a non sensical story filled with wonderful Unreal 4 visual effects.

Disney would be proud. I do hope they (Disney) are paying attention…I want to direct a Kingdom Hearts animated film with Pixar before my ride on this earth ends.

Interviewer: Anything you want to say in closing?

Nomura: If Final Fantasy VII Rebirth keeps selling like it is selling…I want to work on a Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Remake project. I truly feel that we can turn Final Fantasy VII into an endless saga…at least until we can’t make any more money out of it. So, keep buying it!

 

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