Interviewees include Yoshinori Kitase (Final Fantasy VII series executive producer), Tetsuya Nomura (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth creative director / Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion creative director and character designer), and Mariko Sato (Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion producer).

Get the roundup of new details below.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion

• Zack appears more often in Final Fantasy VII Remake than he does in the original Final Fantasy VII. We moved forward with the planning and development of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion with the desire to better understand the character known as Zack. It’s not something we planned when the Final Fantasy VII Remake project began.
• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion has been improved to the point that there is no part from the original game we left untouched. To put it as simply as possible, all of the assets have been replaced. Camerawork and motions have also been adjusted. And all of the summons cutscenes have been completely remade.
• Other than Zack, key characters such as Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth have been remade with great effort.
• Battles have also been significantly enhanced with the idea of improving the tempo. Zack’s attacks can now be connected in combos, and magic and abilities can now be selected via shortcuts. By abolishing some of the D.M.W. cutscenes, battles now proceed more smoothly. Additionally, the Limit Breaks and summons that previously activated immediately when their Digital Mind Wave slots aligned can now be activated at your own discretion.
• With more buttons available on current platforms compared to the original PSP release, you can freely move the camera with the right analog stick, including in battle.
• Elements of Final Fantasy VII Remake have also been introduced into the battle system. For example, a mode change has been implemented that allows Zack to unleash strong attacks.
• All scenes in which characters appear and dialogue text is displayed are fully voiced. NPCs are also voiced.
• While not true for all major characters, some character voices have been newly recorded. Genesis, who is voiced by GACKT, was already fully voiced when the PSP version released.
• We made some small adjustments such the positioning of treasure chests and so on to improve playability, but since this is ultimately a remaster, there are no new missions or anything like that.
• A “Hard Mode” has been added (this was also included in the western release of the original Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII), which you can select as your difficulty level from the very beginning. You can enjoy challenging battles in which enemies have high HP and how you approach combat requires a bit more thought. You can change the difficulty level at any time during the game.
• The story is a faithful reproduction of the original game, and no new story has been added as a result of Final Fantasy VII Remake. The Final Fantasy VII Remake project was created in a way so that the mystery behind the story can be understood by playing through to the end, and was not made with the intention of changing the past. Thus, the story of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion has not been revised in the sense that history has changed.
• We made visual adjustments to match Final Fantasy VII Remake, such as the design of the Buster Sword and the appearance of summons.

Sources: 4Gamer.net / Dengeki Online

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

• (Regarding why it is called Rebirth rather than Remake 2…) Both Remake and Rebirth have a similar meaning of ‘being newly reborn.’ Also, if we called it Remake 2, it might give the impression there will be a 3, 4, 5, and so on… as well as that 2 only exists because of 1. This also means that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth can be enjoyed sufficiently on its own.
• The reason for the delay in announcing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was because we were not sure whether it would be a two-part work or trilogy.
• Usually when it comes to the Final Fantasy series, only the core members are retained after the completion of a game, while most of the other staff move over to other teams. However, since the Final Fantasy Remake project was decided to be released in multiple parts from the start, the same team was able to start work on the sequel while maintaining their teamwork, know-how, and momentum, so development has been extremely fast. However, due to the large amount of resources required, there’s no time for rest and things are always moving at full speed. The fundamental parts are complete and we’re currently in the mass production stage. Development is going well.
• We’ve already begun work on areas such as the plot and scenario for the third title.
• Just as we created Midgar so that fans of the original Final Fantasy VII can appreciate it, we’re taking care to develop Rebirth as not to ruin the image that fans have of the original. For that reason, the volume is quite massive.
• We hear the concerns of fans asking ‘Can the story really be told in a trilogy?’ and ‘Will it be a trimmed down / digest version?,’ but it will not be a digest.
• As for whether the game will be open-world or not, that will be announced with the next information release.
• The general systems from Final Fantasy VII Remake will carry over.
• The scene in which Cloud and Sephiroth are walking together in the trailer is a Cloud flashback scene.
• The main characters’ 3D models haven’t changed. However, some characters have been adjusted, such as Yuffie’s model, which we touched up from Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade.
• The focal point of the story hasn’t been changed. As for the new mysteries that differ from the original Final Fantasy VII, players of the original will be able to enjoy the game in a new way. The challenge we tackled for this project was how to include those new mysteries without deviating from the original.
• Regarding game progression, there will be some changes. If while you’re playing you think ‘Was this cut?,’ it’s because the structure of the story has changed a bit due to the nature of it being a trilogy. Although the order in which you visit some places may change, our policy is essentially not to cut anything.
• It’s exclusive to PlayStation 5 because of the graphical quality, of course, as well as SSD access speed. Since the adventure unfolds in a vast world after the escape from Midgar, loading stress is an extreme bottleneck. We felt we needed the specifications of PlayStation 5 to overcome that and travel the world comfortably.

Sources: 4Gamer.net / Dengeki Online / Famitsu / Gamer

Thanks, Games Talk (2).

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is due out for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam this winter.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is due out for PlayStation 5 in winter 2023.