It's long been well known that Hollywood isn't always the best of influences, and that it loves sequels. Recently we've seen these two realities come together in movie series that take their source content and divide it up to create multiple volumes where originally there was only one. Twilight, The Hobbit, The Hunger Games--all the cool kids are doing it, so why shouldn't videogames?
At least, that seems to be Square Enix's reasoning behind this latest bit of Final Fantasy VII Remake info. Hot on the heels of Sony's second annual Playstation Experience conference came a press release earlier today promoting again the gameplay trailer that opened the event's big keynote this past Saturday, which you can watch again (and again and again and again) below.
Now, if this was like any other press release it would stop there, everyone would nod, close the email, and move on. But it didn't stop there, and the information that followed left many scratching their heads instead. Witness for yourself:
LOS ANGELES (Dec. 6, 2015) - During this past weekend’s PlayStation Experience in San Francisco, SQUARE ENIX® debuted a new trailer for FINAL FANTASY® VII REMAKE, the full remake of the award-winning role-playing game, FINAL FANTASY VII. The new trailer features the first CG scenes as well as gameplay footage. FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE will be told across a multi-part series, with each entry providing its own unique experience.
That's right, you read correctly: Final Fantasy VII will be not one game, maybe not even two, but a 'multi-part series' instead. Does this mean the original game will be split into multiple volumes? Will it be an episodic release spread out over a season a la Life is Strange, another of Square Enix's recent properties? Is the entire Compilation of Final Fantasy VII being remade and not just the original? Indeed, the mention of a multi-part series is mysterious enough, but to add that each will be a so-called 'unique experience' leaves much to the imagination as well. Should the remake project entail Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus, or even the Japan mobile phone-only Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, this extra note makes perfect sense. Otherwise, only time will tell what Square Enix has up their sleeves. In any case, if you thought you were in for a simple remake, think again: this project just got a whole lot bigger.
