X-SOLDIER
Harbinger O Great Justice
- AKA
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Well, the subtitle would also tend to indicate that it's like the Compilation in that it's something related to the original game, and not just a retelling of the original game. Whereas some titles like Wild Arms have used subtitles like "Alter-Code F" for their OG remakes, it's honestly just confusing -- not to mention in the case of FFVII, the "FFVII: Something" format is used for supplementary content.
The second part is the answer the give to the direct question about whether it will tie in to the compilation (Will the story be adjusted to [things like/among other things] fit (literally “be made to match up with”with the times, or in connection with the compilation?), which goes as follows :
Nomura :
Yoshinori Kitase :”Apart from delving even deeper into the episodes [of the game], we’re preparing tricks/devices/gimmicks (Author’s note : there was no single word to properly capture the essence of this word) among other things. After all, isn’t it the case that the people who played the original game, the important parts included, knows the story from beginning to end? We’re thinking we want those people as well to be able to get (literally “taste”
This answer deftly circumvents the very issue of tie-ins, despite that being a central part of the question, and very often in Japanese culture, this is indicative of a negative, or that whatever is going to happen is so different it might as well be a negative.
Also, as I said in another thread, the parts about changing things to surprise people already familiar with FFVII is equally true to the compilation products, meaning that even if they were to borrow from them, they're likely to change/retcon parts of that as well.
In their answers, they're talking about making changes and expansions that go beyond just what people know as nostalgia. As we've learned later, some of these expansions are things like enhancements to Cloud's Hallucinations, as well as expanding the interactions with Biggs, Wedge, & Jessie. Even those don't really change anything for or against the Compilation in any way -- and they're going to be the main bulk of what changes we see in the game, because the Compilation is mostly a tertiary connection with most everything. On the other side of things, most everyone knew the ending of Crisis Core, but that didn't prevent it from being really excellently emotionally constructed because of, or even despite that.
Those sorts of FFVII-centric changes and things are more prominent, and even things like Barret's design technically conflicts with the ACC-version of his character shown in the Crater flashback that more closely matches the OG-version's design. Strictly speaking though, I wouldn't call that type of visual redesign a retcon either, because it's a visual representation and isn't anything that really undoes anything to the story as it's been presented in FFVII and the Compilation.
By the same token, neither does adding in extra floors on the ShinRa HQ Building to encompass what we've seen in Crisis Core just to make their portrayal of things consistent.
In fact, we know that Barret's battle with Cloud can't be footage from when Cloud's getting attacked my MPs before jumping on the train -- because Cloud is alone there, and the scenery in combat is different. The surroundings from Cloud & Barret's battle from the trailer actually bears a strong resemblance the front of the Shinra HQ in Crisis Core with the Fountain & Buildings which looks notably different from how it's portrayed in the OG, but if you choose to break in rather than take the stairs... you have to fight MPs just like they're doing here.
While that's speculation, it makes a good case that the Compilation's content is at least being looked at and referred to for reference when making the Remake, rather than only building from the ground up with just the OG in mind and rebooting or retconning anything else.
I'd disagree with this entirely.
By adding references to that that you CAN come by, but aren't required to -- i.e. just like adding the SOLDIER floors in the HQ Building, you're expanding on the world that you're presenting. You're giving the player clues to go off and explore other locations like Banora or Modeoheim as sidequests to get a deeper understanding of the history of what's happened around you, and not JUST following your current linear trajectory.
While Zack isn't an active character in FFVII, his legacy and presence are undeniably felt in the game -- especially when you go digging around in Cloud's head. Even the original game DOES actively retell his story via the ShinRa Manor flashback. Once Cloud knows who he truly is, things like those sorts of Angeal/Genesis/SOLDIER breadcrumbs and references could give an opportunity for players to go looking through more about Zack's past in order to understand how Cloud got from A to B, as well as potentially give Zack's parents some closure -- which is a glaring plot thread left open by both the OG and Crisis Core that's just ripe for expansion based on information from both the original game as well as Crisis Core.
Insofar as I can tell, there's been no indication by anyone that the Remake will somehow include non-self-contained references that aren't Easter Eggs. Doing something like that is just bad game design.
For example, if you were in the Shinra HQ and accessed a terminal that allowed browsing through the Turks' database, you could look through all the OG and BC characters' personnel profiles. The BC ones would all have various missing/inactive statuses, whereas the characters that you'd encounter would have more detailed profiles hinting that you'd run into them, and giving you a way to learn more about them. There isn't really a downside to doing that, because it doesn't require you to know anything about Before Crisis, but it also manages to acknowledge it while not lingering, because it's not a part of AVALANCHE & Co's story. It does help to up the believability of the size of Shinra's organization to something more believable as well, given the size/scope of what the Remake is presenting us, and how much of it you actively encounter during the story.
By "they" I mean everyone involved with revising the legacy of FFVII over the last 10+ years and working on the content for the Compilation. You're also working in the era where various medias' interconnected universes -- whether or not you follow them -- are more well known and tend to hold to continuities that are far and wide. Even if you don't know what something in it is, there's a Wikipedia link about it for you to go find out, because there are fans that do.
Given that Advent Children can't be directly referenced due to the fact that it takes place in the future, but Crisis Core can be because it took place in the recent past and also directly connects to Cloud's narrative, I don't see why you'd think that AC references are more likely than CC ones. Also, not to mention that mobile gaming is a much bigger market in Japan, and Zack is also an incredibly popular character in addition to being a component of FFVII's main story.
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