None of us expected the Final Fantasy VII Remake project to be completed on the PlayStation 4. In fact, most of us don’t expect the new series of FFVII titles to be finished before 2030. Case in point, FFVIIR-2 has yet to be announced, even though FFVIIR will turn two years old in just a few months.
Tetsuya Nomura (the game’s director) has never been known for promptness or efficiency. Kingdom Hearts 3 arrived more than a decade after the second entry in the series, and Final Fantasy Versus XIII had to be handed to a different director for the game to be salvageable.
There is no doubt in my mind that Square Enix will put more pressure on the team for FFVIIR’s completion, as the first episode of the remake has been a commercial success. The game’s producer, Yoshinori Kitase, has hinted that “information” regarding Episode 2 will be made available later this year.
Kitase said during the FF7 25th Anniversary stream today:
“Hmm, FF7R Part 2 news…I wonder if we can even drop news this year…” and people responded with “you can’t??”
Kitase then says with “Ah, well…I guess we’ll announce more news later this year!” #FF7R pic.twitter.com/qgEtuK6n8Q
— ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) January 31, 2022
Given the fact that Kitase only hinted at news this year and that nothing of real consequence has been revealed on the game, it is hard for me to fathom a 2022 release for the title. Still, this year marks the game’s 25th anniversary, and it would be disappointing if we don’t receive some big time FFVII related content or at least an announcement including FFVIIR-Part II’s release date this year.
An Open World Final Fantasy VII?
Nomura expressed last year that FFVIIR-2 will explore the “vastness of the world”. The second episode in the series will pick up after the events of INTERmisson (the first episode’s DLC). The first episode covered the entire Midgar section of the original storyline but it did so in an alternate timeline that appears to happen after the events of the original game.
The Whispers and the chain of events set up by “Remake” will allow Square Enix to take some liberties with the game’s plot (I must assume that Aerith will live this time around). The fact that FFVII Remake is a sequel and not a true remake will offend some old timers, but at the same time it will keep things fresh moving forwards.
The one thing that I never expected FFVII Remake to change in Episode 2 is the party’s exodus from Midgar and the subsequent globe-trotting quest. Nomura’s comment about the vastness of the world and the fact that the game is not likely to see a 2022 release lead me to believe that Final Fantasy VII Remake Part II will allow gamers to explore at least a section of the game world in an open world fashion.
Open world games are all the rage. Considering the success of Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Witcher 3, I would expect Final Fantasy VIIR-2 to at least meet similar standards. After all, back in 1997 walking into the overworld map after leaving Midgar was one of the most amazing experiences that gaming had to offer. It would be nice if FFVIIR-2 pulled off a similar feat, though I wouldn’t hold my breath for it.
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