The news about the much anticipated FF VII remake keeps coming, however it might not all be good. Popoptiq.com already reported on the brand new trailer recently released claiming to be gameplay footage, and while the trailer certainly appears tantalizing for the remake, the rest of the news coming out of Square’s appearance at PSX 2015 isn’t as positive.
Official reports from Square have stated that the game will be released in multiple parts, a la Final Fantasy XIII. At least two parts are planned, but as of right now that’s all we can confirm. There’s no word yet as to the pricing for this new release, however the current speculation is that the pieces will be released as full priced games each.
That’s certainly a hefty proposition, all things considered. Let’s assume that the games are released in three parts, just like the original Playstation version. We could be looking at anywhere from $120-$240 for a game that’s available completely for $12 CAD on pretty much any PC.
In defense of this, Square has said they’re going to be adding content to the individual episodes, things like mini-games or side quests. FF VII was already a long game, with the estimated length placed at between 60-90 hours. Splitting it up still places the games at 20-30 hours a pop, longer then most games released and on par with the average modern RPG.
Interviews with Square have been translated and published, revealing some new info. Here’s some of the more interesting notes:
* The official title is Final Fantasy VII Remake, so as to not cause confusion with the original game.
* The cross-dressing scene from early in the game will still be included.
* The battle system still uses the action bar, however there have been changes made to how it operates.
* There will be new levels to explore not seen in the original game.
Speaking about the reason for the split, Square said
“If we dedicated our time to a single release, parts of it would become summarized. We’d have to cut some parts, and additional parts would come in few, so rather than remake the game as a full volume, we decided to do multiple parts.”
There is still no word on individual chapter prices, or how many chapters there will be.
Should Square be allowed to split the remake like this? Does this mean the game will receive extra content, or is this just another cash-grab on what is already a cash-grab on a beloved game? Let us know in the comments!