FFVIIR Official Concept Art & Twitter Whatnots

[Theozilla]

If the Remake will only be three parts total, I really think Meteor summon/Weapons awakening is the much better ending point. Not just narratively, but also it allows the player to actually feel the loss/consequences of losing a playable character, particularly the main healer, in terms of gameplay too by having a good amount of content left to finish, which was a significant memorable element of the OG too. Ending with Aerith’s kinda dampers the consequences by separating it between installments.

Also it would allow for a great opening impetus for the third/final installment by having the pressure of escaping from Junon and contrasting how the world has been affected by Meteor hanging in the sky now, not as significant a change as FFVI’s World of Ruin change, but the Remake could really capture some of difference by emphasizing the potential impending doom the planet’s populace would be feeling in the Remake.

 

[KindOfBlue]

Not that I think the number of chapters means much, but how many do you figure it would take to go all the way to the Northern Cave? I mean, I don’t know if they’d want to start the last game in a potential trilogy with Cloud completely MIA though I would personally find it interesting.

I just imagine if they were to end with Aerith’s death, they’d expand on it in a way similar to how the Midgar Expressway was extended with the Singularity so I don’t know if it would make too much of a difference if Aerith’s death happened a little earlier than it would have if the game didn’t go as far as the Northern Cave.

 

[Ite]

Not that I think the number of chapters means much, but how many do you figure it would take to go all the way to the Northern Cave? I mean, I don’t know if they’d want to start the last game in a potential trilogy with Cloud completely MIA though I would personally find it interesting.

I just imagine if they were to end with Aerith’s death, they’d expand on it in a way similar to how the Midgar Expressway was extended with the Singularity so I don’t know if it would make too much of a difference if Aerith’s death happened a little earlier than it would have if the game didn’t go as far as the Northern Cave.

If they don’t add any Aer/Seph 5D chess shenanigans and expanded AVALANCHE story? Like, if it was minimal additions to the script only to flesh out certain story beats? Optional things remain optional within larger chapters, rather than getting their own chapter?

These things are all unlikely to me but here’s the most efficient way to do it:

1. Kalm
2. Grasslands World and Chocobo Riding
3. Mythril Mines
4. Junon Area World (Optional Condor/Yuffie) and Bottomswell
5. Upper Junon (and cargo ship?)
6. Costa Del Sol and Mount Corel
7. North Corel and Gold Saucer
8. Corel Prison
9. Chocobo Race and Buggy World (optional Gongaga)
10. Cosmo Canyon
11. Return to Nibelheim (optional Vincent)
12. Mount Nibel
13. Cid and Rocket Town
14. Bronco World (optional: Wutai, Sleeping Man, etc.)
15. Gold Saucer Date and Bronco World 2
16. Temple of the Ancients
17. Bronco World 3 and Bone Village
18. Sleeping Forest
19. The Forgotten City
20. Cliffs and Icicle Inn
21. Snowboarding and Gaia’s Cliff
22. The Northern Crater (end with Barret revealing Meteor in Junon Prison, jpop song plays while people in the different locations look up in despair, THE KNOWN JOURNEY WILL CONTINUE)

It is possible. It is what I would like best actually. But Zack’s alive, Sephiroth absorbed the time god, and a whole bunch of other stuff came out of the writer’s heads before anyone could stop them sooooo

 

[Chocobo Eater]

I'm hoping they change the Buggy/Bronco fiasco. The way we obtained them and their limitations seem kinda odd, especially Bronco. Instead of the Buggy, maybe we'll get a car in Costa del Sol (or another chocobo). There are so many cars in this world but we didn't even see any being driven in the original aside from the opening cutscene.

Also seems odd to travel to Junon by (mostly) foot. Maybe keep our chocobos or have someone from Condor drive us there. And the only way to Junon is through the marshlands and Mythril Mine?

I'm just rambling at this point so I'll stop here.

 

[BlueCollarNerd]

Also seems odd to travel to Junon by (mostly) foot. Maybe keep our chocobos or have someone from Condor drive us there. And the only way to Junon is through the marshlands and Mythril Mine?

I agree with you it is odd to travel so far by foot in such a technologically advanced world. I would say most would make the trip by plane. My defense to why the party goes by foot is that it would be hard to board a plane or rent a car when you are wanted for terrorism.

Edit: or board a boat

 

[Smoothie King]

If the Remake will only be three parts total, I really think Meteor summon/Weapons awakening is the much better ending point. Not just narratively, but also it allows the player to actually feel the loss/consequences of losing a playable character, particularly the main healer, in terms of gameplay too by having a good amount of content left to finish, which was a significant memorable element of the OG too. Ending with Aerith’s kinda dampers the consequences by separating it between installments.

Also it would allow for a great opening impetus for the third/final installment by having the pressure of escaping from Junon and contrasting how the world has been affected by Meteor hanging in the sky now, not as significant a change as FFVI’s World of Ruin change, but the Remake could really capture some of difference by emphasizing the potential impending doom the planet’s populace would be feeling in the Remake.

Nice take, and I hear your point about feeling the loss of Aerith if you can still play after it happens. I would say, though that losing her and not being able to play the game for another 2-3 years would have a similar effect.

The only problem I would have with ending it after meteor being summoned is that I don't think there's enough story to justify an entire game after that event. The vast majority of the game post-meteor is everyone scrambling around trying to figure out how to stop it. There aren't as many powerful moments that will hit as hard as story beats. To me, anyways.

If they decide to blow the doors off this thing and add in a ton of new stuff, well then all bets are off. We shall see.

 

[BlueCollarNerd]

My last post was off topic so guess i should make another one more on track. Although discussing how many parts it will be is just as off topic for this thread. If you ask me how many parts it should be i would say INFINITE! I want them to cover all of the OG material and to add new material post meteor fall. I want to live the rest of my life in the ff7 universe. Just kidding (not really) the wife and kids need me and i dont have time for both.

Ok seriously i want them to make it how ever many parts they feel fit. I dont want them to cut material but also dont want them to fill the game with pointless material. I can see 3 parts working but prefer 4.

I can see them expanding junon with more infiltration and sneaking around, some side quests helping the citizens below junon and even some sabotaging the shrina parade. Sneaking on and off the ship will be more. Costa de sol could have some more upbeat material. Side quests to gain some fun costumes. I see gold saucer not being expanded much till later in the game.

Gongaga could be much more. The reactor could be something we go inside of to aquire the materia and encouter tseng and scarlet. Maybe more flash backs to do with zack and clouds past together(cc events pre nibleheim) which brings up some more of aeriths and zacks past.

Cosmos canyon is perfect dont touch it.

Nibelheim could be expanded a little but not much as to not ruin the lifestream events with cloud and tifa.

I think just after rocket town when you get shot down and you find your way to wutai. Make the foothills to wutai be a final dungeon of some sorts. Maybe a run-in with yuffie who sneaks up and knocks everyone out just as you peak a mountain and see wutai.

 

[Eerie]

They're probably going to add other locations from the FFVII universe, like towns seen in BC or CC. Nojima wanted to, and I think that's why they were discussing how many parts would there be in Remake when planning for Part 2. This is why I don't really take any bet ha. And don't forget that even if Aerith dies at the end of Disc 1, there are still 2 discs afterwards, and many things to see and do without her. Midgar was only the introduction to the OG, there is much to cram in still, before and after Aerith's death.

 

[KindOfBlue]

If they don’t add any Aer/Seph 5D chess shenanigans and expanded AVALANCHE story?

Yeah, what I had in mind pretty much includes all of that noise but I like your write up, gives me some ideas for my own:

1. Kalm, Nibelheim
2. Grasslands Area, Chocobo Farm
3. Mythril Mine
4. Junon Area (I think Yuffie will be non-optional and maybe Fort Condor could be pushed back until later?)
5. Junon
6. Cargo Ship
7. Costa del Sol
8. Corel
9. Gold Saucer 1
10. Corel Prison
11. Gongaga (Me?)
12. Cosmo Canyon
13. Nibelheim (for the next game to end this early, I think there’d be a lot more padding needed to fill up time so I’m not too keen on this being where FF7R2 ends, also I think Vincent will be non-optional)
14. Rocket Town
15. Gold Saucer 2 (Electric Boogaloo)
16. Temple of the Ancients (I guess we could end here but it doesn’t quite feel like an ending spot to me)
17. Bone Village, Sleeping Forest
18. Forgotten Capital
19+ “In youuuuu and I...there’s a new laaa-haaaaaaand...”

If we go as far as Northern Cave, then I guess we could go

19. Icicle Inn
20. Great Glacier, Gaea’s Cliff
21. Whirlwind Maze, Northern Cave
22. NOMURA, NOOOOOOOOOO...!!

I would say, though that losing her and not being able to play the game for another 2-3 years would have a similar effect.

Yeah, ending it on Aerith’s death and making the fanbase sit on that for 2-3 years seems like a no-brainer especially if they fulfill my edgelord desire of watching Cloud kill Aerith under Jenova’s control

 

[FFShinra]

Coming in to once again suggest Part 2 ends on the cargo ship, with a whole lotta new plot (or additions to the OG plot) to flesh out the Eastern Continent.

General chapters:

-1. Getting to Kalm
-2. Nibelheim Incident, Part 1 (up til the Reactor when Sephiroth first breaks, expanded both in the traversal and in the exploration of Nibelheim and more in depth idea of the town just before the incident)
-3. Nibelheim Incident, Part 2 (library, burning, return to the reactor, expanded to show more of Sephiroth's slow descent, maybe show the people getting worried or agitated)
-4. Traveling from Kalm to Mythril Mines (either they turn chocobo farm into some sidequest hell, Kalm itself becomes sidequest hell, or they make a whole thing out of getting past the Zolom, plus traversal through some idea of dungeon, possibly other plot elements added in here. point being it will be a chapter unto itself)
-5. Mythril Mines
-6. Fort Condor (I feel like Nojima will want to tie the town in better to the story than he did originally, so its gonna get its own thing. Probably will be where the forest encounter to get Yuffie will occur).
- 7. Traveling from Condor to Junon (Yuffie might also be slotted in here, more possibility for Remake specific plot to be added in here as well).
- 8. Lower Junon (Gonna be a sidequest town hub a la Sector 7/5 slums methinks).
- 9. Upper Junon (expanded out to allow exploration of the city. Might even add more plot here specific to Shinra)
- 10. Cargo Ship (expanded out both in its dungeon phase and in its disguise phase. You know SE would love to show off the modeling of Sailor Barret and Sailor Yuffie and everyone else in infantry getup.

Only ten chapters, but this presumes they won't dedicate whole chapters to entirely new content, which is unknowable. So I say 10 beefy chapters is the minimum rather than the actual count.

 

[Theozilla]

Coming in to once again suggest Part 2 ends on the cargo ship, with a whole lotta new plot (or additions to the OG plot) to flesh out the Eastern Continent.

General chapters:

-1. Getting to Kalm
-2. Nibelheim Incident, Part 1 (up til the Reactor when Sephiroth first breaks, expanded both in the traversal and in the exploration of Nibelheim and more in depth idea of the town just before the incident)
-3. Nibelheim Incident, Part 2 (library, burning, return to the reactor, expanded to show more of Sephiroth's slow descent, maybe show the people getting worried or agitated)
-4. Traveling from Kalm to Mythril Mines (either they turn chocobo farm into some sidequest hell, Kalm itself becomes sidequest hell, or they make a whole thing out of getting past the Zolom, plus traversal through some idea of dungeon, possibly other plot elements added in here. point being it will be a chapter unto itself)
-5. Mythril Mines
-6. Fort Condor (I feel like Nojima will want to tie the town in better to the story than he did originally, so its gonna get its own thing. Probably will be where the forest encounter to get Yuffie will occur).
- 7. Traveling from Condor to Junon (Yuffie might also be slotted in here, more possibility for Remake specific plot to be added in here as well).
- 8. Lower Junon (Gonna be a sidequest town hub a la Sector 7/5 slums methinks).
- 9. Upper Junon (expanded out to allow exploration of the city. Might even add more plot here specific to Shinra)
- 10. Cargo Ship (expanded out both in its dungeon phase and in its disguise phase. You know SE would love to show off the modeling of Sailor Barret and Sailor Yuffie and everyone else in infantry getup.

Only ten chapters, but this presumes they won't dedicate whole chapters to entirely new content, which is unknowable. So I say 10 beefy chapters is the minimum rather than the actual count.

In this scenario how many parts are you hoping expecting the Remake project to be? Because this proposal seems like it would require more than 4 parts.

Nice take, and I hear your point about feeling the loss of Aerith if you can still play after it happens. I would say, though that losing her and not being able to play the game for another 2-3 years would have a similar effect.

The only problem I would have with ending it after meteor being summoned is that I don't think there's enough story to justify an entire game after that event. The vast majority of the game post-meteor is everyone scrambling around trying to figure out how to stop it. There aren't as many powerful moments that will hit as hard as story beats. To me, anyways.

If they decide to blow the doors off this thing and add in a ton of new stuff, well then all bets are off. We shall see.

Eh, I really think not being able to access/play Aerith within the same game/part she dies conveys said feeling significantly differently than having to wait years to play again would.
And I definitely expect the post-Meteor summon plot to have major additions/changes, its arguably the part of the OG that would benefit from them more than any other part, especially the Huge Materia subplot.

 

[Smoothie King]

In this scenario how many parts are you hoping expecting the Remake project to be? Because this proposal seems like it would require more than 4 parts.


Eh, I really think not being able to access/play Aerith within the same game/part she dies conveys said feeling significantly differently than having to wait years to play again would.
And I definitely expect the post-Meteor summon plot to have major additions/changes, its arguably the part of the OG that would benefit from them more than any other part, especially the Huge Materia subplot.

Just thinking about that portion of the game has me thinking about how cinematic and amazing it will be seeing Tifa sprint off the Junon cannon onto the Highwind. Sometimes even I forget how many cool cinematics there was in the original. Or how about fighting Diamond Weapon outside Midgar? I don't want to detract with my fanboyism so I'll stop now.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Coming in to once again suggest Part 2 ends on the cargo ship, with a whole lotta new plot (or additions to the OG plot) to flesh out the Eastern Continent.

General chapters:

-1. Getting to Kalm
-2. Nibelheim Incident, Part 1 (up til the Reactor when Sephiroth first breaks, expanded both in the traversal and in the exploration of Nibelheim and more in depth idea of the town just before the incident)
-3. Nibelheim Incident, Part 2 (library, burning, return to the reactor, expanded to show more of Sephiroth's slow descent, maybe show the people getting worried or agitated)
-4. Traveling from Kalm to Mythril Mines (either they turn chocobo farm into some sidequest hell, Kalm itself becomes sidequest hell, or they make a whole thing out of getting past the Zolom, plus traversal through some idea of dungeon, possibly other plot elements added in here. point being it will be a chapter unto itself)
-5. Mythril Mines
-6. Fort Condor (I feel like Nojima will want to tie the town in better to the story than he did originally, so its gonna get its own thing. Probably will be where the forest encounter to get Yuffie will occur).
- 7. Traveling from Condor to Junon (Yuffie might also be slotted in here, more possibility for Remake specific plot to be added in here as well).
- 8. Lower Junon (Gonna be a sidequest town hub a la Sector 7/5 slums methinks).
- 9. Upper Junon (expanded out to allow exploration of the city. Might even add more plot here specific to Shinra)
- 10. Cargo Ship (expanded out both in its dungeon phase and in its disguise phase. You know SE would love to show off the modeling of Sailor Barret and Sailor Yuffie and everyone else in infantry getup.

Only ten chapters, but this presumes they won't dedicate whole chapters to entirely new content, which is unknowable. So I say 10 beefy chapters is the minimum rather than the actual count.

I assess the chances of this at about zero. Not to be harsh about it, but there's no narrative through-arc to be had from this without wholesale creating a new one that wouldn't push the existing plot threads forward at all.

Rufus assumes the presidency at the end of the first game, then does nothing more with it in the second than hold a parade commemorating his promotion (again, at the end). Sephiroth would do essentially nothing but kill some sailors (again, at the end). Aerith's whole Ancient subplot takes a backseat for an entire game. The new Zack subplot presumably doesn't get to go anywhere because you pretty much can't do anything meaningful with that before the party visits Gongaga.

Nearly all the points of conflict and forward character momentum from the first game would have to just go flaccid for the entire second installment.

 

[Makoeyes987]

You might as well make Final Fantasy VII Remake-ReCoded at that point.

 

[Shademp]

You might as well make Final Fantasy VII Remake-ReCoded at that point.

NOMURA NO

 

[cold_spirit]

I always think people should be more frugal with their "how many parts?" speculation, especially considering the Mako Reactor 5 bombing mission was split across three chapters in part 1, something I don't think any of us would've predicted before release.

Here's my speculation. Sorry for basically reposting, though it is slightly updated since the last time we discussed this:

1) Nibelheim Incident part 1 (pre-Jenova discovery)
2) Nibelheim Incident part 2 (post-Jenova discovery)
3) Kalm
4) Chocobo Farm and swamps
5) Mythril Mines
6) Fort Condor
7) Road to Junon, expanded forest event with Yuffie
8) Lower Junon
9) Upper Junon
10) Cargo ship
11) Costa del Sol
12) Mt. Corel
13) North Corel
14) Gold Saucer
15) Corel Prison
16) Keys to the Buggy, gives access to previous towns, lots of sidequests (similar to Chapter 14 in Remake)
17) Gongaga part 1
18) Gongaga part 2

My argument for expanding Gongaga is the same: it would be the least intrusive to the rest of the narrative and is the most relevant to all parties (Cloud and Aerith, Zack, Shinra). I see the arguments for ending part 2 in Nibelheim. I agree it does make a cool narrative arc to bookend both sides of the story with the same town. However, considering the bar they've set with part 1, I can't see them making it that far. Plus I think the developers want to avoid the rather clunky nature of having Vincent be introduced in the finale, like what happened to Red XIII in part 1.

I speculate there'll be four parts overall. Part 3 will end at the Northern Crater and Part 4 at Meteorfall.

 

[Ite]

22. NOMURA, NOOOOOOOOOO...!!

I spit-laughed.

17) Gongaga part 1
18) Gongaga part 2

Honestly, if Zack's duo-dimension adventure is to take Season 2 Main Plot status, which, isn't it? -- then this is actually a really appropriate place for a "Complete Final Fantasy Experience" climax, and by that I mean they can rip this whole town into negaspace without upending the main story any more than Part 1 already has. Salty fanboys (read: me) aren't going to be precious about a completely skippable cutscene with Zack's mom. A Reno/Rufus encounter, Heidegger and Scarlet's appearance, all ingredients for a convergence of plotlines into some kind of NEW story to satisfy their desire to make each part wholly self contained.

 

[KindOfBlue]

especially considering the Mako Reactor 5 bombing mission was split across three chapters in part 1, something I don't think any of us would've predicted before release.

I felt like they kinda “needed” to do those kinds of segments to fill up time though since the game was only in Midgar. It would’ve been nice if each filler segment added something to the story like chapter 4 but I think the further they go in the OG story, the less padding will be necessary.

Presumably, they’d have figured out how to handle multiple locations by the next game and while I am interested to see where the changes in the story are going, I don’t know if they’ll want to keep fans waiting too long to see the most iconic scenes be remade. I guess they could take a similar approach to the first game with sidequests and concentrate them on a few chapters, maybe they could have less sidequests per chapter but spread them out more:

- Kalm/Grasslands/Chocobo Farm
- Junon Area/Lower/Upper Junon
- Costa del Sol (beach episode or we riot)
- Gold Saucer

If we go further:
- Cosmo Canyon
- Rocket Town
- Icicle Inn

I also don’t think Zack is going to be featured too heavily in the next game, maybe some teases throughout but I think they’ll mainly keep him focused on maybe an expanded Gongaga plus wherever they decide to end the game. The Whirlwind Maze illusion is a good segment to feature him in if we make it that far, as well.

 

[Saven]

I always think people should be more frugal with their "how many parts?" speculation, especially considering the Mako Reactor 5 bombing mission was split across three chapters in part 1, something I don't think any of us would've predicted before release.

Here's my speculation. Sorry for basically reposting, though it is slightly updated since the last time we discussed this:

1) Nibelheim Incident part 1 (pre-Jenova discovery)
2) Nibelheim Incident part 2 (post-Jenova discovery)
3) Kalm
4) Chocobo Farm and swamps
5) Mythril Mines
6) Fort Condor
7) Road to Junon, expanded forest event with Yuffie
8) Lower Junon
9) Upper Junon
10) Cargo ship
11) Costa del Sol
12) Mt. Corel
13) North Corel
14) Gold Saucer
15) Corel Prison
16) Keys to the Buggy, gives access to previous towns, lots of sidequests (similar to Chapter 14 in Remake)
17) Gongaga part 1
18) Gongaga part 2

My argument for expanding Gongaga is the same: it would be the least intrusive to the rest of the narrative and is the most relevant to all parties (Cloud and Aerith, Zack, Shinra). I see the arguments for ending part 2 in Nibelheim. I agree it does make a cool narrative arc to bookend both sides of the story with the same town. However, considering the bar they've set with part 1, I can't see them making it that far. Plus I think the developers want to avoid the rather clunky nature of having Vincent be introduced in the finale, like what happened to Red XIII in part 1.

I speculate there'll be four parts overall. Part 3 will end at the Northern Crater and Part 4 at Meteorfall.

I think this is pretty much how I think it will go now. Zack being introduced at the end makes me think the story will be focused a lot around him and Gongaga would be a convenient stopping point. The buggy can act as an end-game vehicle where you can go back and do side quests like the Sleeping Old Man Cave, Fort Condor, or slay the Midgar Zolom before crossing the river into the Gongaga Region. If they end it at Gongaga, then I can see them moving the Kalm flashback to the beginning of Part 3 instead off Kalm. This would keep the Nibelheim incident central to Part 3's plot assuming that it ends in the North Crater when the whole truth comes out.

 

[Odysseus]

Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but I get the feeling Zack maybe being alive is something that won't pay off until much later down the line, not next part. I think new players will be lead to believe he's dead once they learn about Cloud's past and hear about him in Gongaga, and then it'll be a big wham moment when he shows up right at some critical moment towards the end.

 

[FFShinra]

I assess the chances of this at about zero. Not to be harsh about it, but there's no narrative through-arc to be had from this without wholesale creating a new one that wouldn't push the existing plot threads forward at all.

Rufus assumes the presidency at the end of the first game, then does nothing more with it in the second than hold a parade commemorating his promotion (again, at the end). Sephiroth would do essentially nothing but kill some sailors (again, at the end). Aerith's whole Ancient subplot takes a backseat for an entire game. The new Zack subplot presumably doesn't get to go anywhere because you pretty much can't do anything meaningful with that before the party visits Gongaga.

Nearly all the points of conflict and forward character momentum from the first game would have to just go flaccid for the entire second installment.

Thats just it. The end of 7R has already shown they are adding whole new plots. We can't judge the next parts entirely off of how the OG went because we also have to take into account how 7R1 itself went. As @cold_spirit says, Mako Reactor 5 was three chapters.

@Theozilla , to answer your question: 6 or 7 parts in total. I think 6 is the more reasonable one, but I feel SE for symbolism will do 7.

 

[KindOfBlue]

As @cold_spirit says, Mako Reactor 5 was three chapters.

Of those three chapters though, a great deal of it was more padding than story to be honest

 

[FFShinra]

Yes it was. And there is nothing to suggest the devs won't pad out the other parts as well.

 

[KindOfBlue]

On the contrary, having the whole game take place in Midgar forces them to expand it as much as possible, whereas no such necessity to make an entire game out of one location exists once the party leaves Midgar

 

[FFShinra]

They'll still add in sidequests and will try to match pacing of 7R. It makes no sense for them to take it slow in Midgar and then suddenly to a breakneck pace (which it would be if the OG points are followed at all closely) just because they aren't in a city.

Further, the padding out was done because it was taking an OG screen (the Sector 4 underplate) and sizing it to the proportions of the game. The areas of the game that look small in the OG or don't take much time are going to be larger and longer by nature.

And again, the new plot threads the devs are developing will also be given time.