See, it’s interesting for me because not only I never wanted a 1:1 remake – I find the very idea of this kind of remakes pointless, uninspired and often insulting to the original material, because ironically they never seem to get what the things they are mindlessly copying were actually about. It’s frustrating to live in this era of stagnating, soulless remakes and adaptations, where so many people seem to be unable to let go
and to appreciate the greatness of the original products they claim to love at the same time.
I’ve been paying attention to all the interviews the devs have been releasing from the start, enough to know that this remake seems to be driven by two clear ideas: you can’t do the original justice if you cram it all in one game, and cuts would have to happen all over the place just to give us an abridged version of that story that we all loved; the original is a masterpiece and nothing could or should ever replace it, so the remake has to do its own thing and needs to stand on way more than nostalgia. Doing the original justice seems to be the key factor, here. It was always obvious that the remake was an ambitious project – some would argue
too ambitious – but I always appreciated that the reason for that bold ambitiousness from the creators seemed to be that FFVII deserves nothing less than the most ambitious effort that SE has ever made. The genuine respect for the original that oozes from the interviews and the courage to go for this approach when no one was even asking them to do it were the only reasons I
ever bought into the idea of this remake.
Now, this would be the point where people start accusing me of being a crazy psycho that doesn’t know what she wants
but as someone who did enjoy the vast majority of the game, I guess I never fully realized the extent that they may be willing to go to achieve their goals, and this is made even scarier by the very sloppy execution of perhaps the most crucial part of the whole game. I’m really gutted that we probably got an ending that didn’t fully reflect their vision because they
had to release the game, because as much as I’d want to, as it stands, I can’t give them a pass on intentions alone. Not after the very high bar they have set for themselves, and not with everything that they’ve willingly decided to put at stake.
What I find truly fascinating about this game is that, flaws and all, it has all the things that I’ve come to associate with SE and Final Fantasy as a franchise: the good, even the brilliant and the great, the silly and the overwhelming emotion – but also the
inexplicably bad. I’ve been supporting these games and the people behind them for basically my whole life, and I do know what they’re capable of, for better and worse.
So yeah, after all is settled, and after a week of strong, conflicting emotions since I finished the game, the endless sky truly is a terrifying sight, and kudos to them for making me
feel that terror, at the very least. But I will say this: even if I end up despising the Remake as a whole, and even if it fails spectacularly and ends up ruining SE’s reputation forever, I will always respect that they didn’t settle for a quick buck with a cheap and easy product that most people would have been perfectly fine with. FFVII deserves nothing less than that.
