The announcement of "Final Fantasy VII Remake" during the PlayStation Experience 2015 event got fans pumped up and nostalgic over the much-loved role-playing game. It looks like the graphics and visuals may just be the tip of the iceberg when talking about how Square Enix changed a few details of the game.
The cinematic trailer, that teased "they are coming back to Midgar," presented not only a more sophisticated environment and life-like character design while navigating through the map. The gameplay clip showed it may have scrapped the active time battle system (ATB) from the game.
ATB is a gameplay system used in "Final Fantasy" games where an action bar fills up over time, and the player can issue commands to the character once the said bar has been filled up. This caters to both experienced and first-time players alike. Setting the gameplay it to wait mode would freeze everyone else's ATB while the player decides what he should do. On the other hand, the active mode makes it more challenging since the enemies' ATB bar will continue filling even as the player controls his character.
According to Parent Herald, "Final Fantasy: Dissidia's" battle system may have been the inspiration of the battle style seen in the trailer. However, the presence of a menu at the bottom left of the screen while controlling the character could point to a "Final Fantasy: Type-0" gameplay reference.
Shinji Hashimoto, "Final Fantasy' brand manager and Square Enix executive producer, gave a few words regarding "Final Fantasy VII Remake's" development as well as teasers on other Final Fantasy titles. Gamerclick reported a few highlights of the talk during the Lucca Comics and Games 2016 event held in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy.
Hashimoto explained that there are no confirmed dates yet for "Final Fantasy VII Remake's" release, and they are working hard to perfect its development. He also said that rumors about its 2017 launch should be taken with a grain of salt, and he appreciates the fans' patience.
It was also mentioned that there are plans of releasing "Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age" as soon as possible, in time for the game's 10th anniversary. Hashimoto adds that the game will be in full HD, with its audio revamped.
Hashimoto also acknowledged Yuna and Tidus' popularity among cosplayers, and he said that it just shows the success of "Final Fantasy X/ X-2 HD Remaster". With the team's hands tied to finishing some of the previously announced Square Enix titles, the possible creation of a "Final Fantasy X-3" may be bleak but not entirely scrapped.
"Final Fantasy XIII," on the other hand, already has three titles, and the producers feel the results are already sufficient. With the main protagonist Lightning's popularity, though, they aim to foster her character more in the future.
