I was psyched for Final Fantasy VII: Remake when it was first announced, and I was psyched to pick it when it released a couple years ago. I haven’t actually finished yet since I got distracted by other games, but I was liking it for what I thought it was: a modern version of the old game. Well, it’s looking like that’s not exactly what’s happening here. In fact, it seems that Square Enix is looking to go in a completely new direction with this remake, and I’m absolutely on board for it!

First, we have events in Final Fantasy VII: Remake that never happened in the original. They were eyebrow-raising in the beginning, but eventually started to feel more significant. I mean when a major character makes their appearance much earlier than before, you can’t help but think that there’s something more going on here than a simple retelling of the original story. That said, it all ended rather quickly after than, so there wasn’t a ton to chew on…until now.

Going by this trailer, it’s looking like the story has the potential to veer wildly from its original course. I mean, characters showing up way after they supposedly died, Cloud and Sephiroth together in a place we never saw them in before, and Cloud telling Aerith that he saw her die…this is absolutely looking like uncharted territory, no?

What’s a little bit crazier is that it seems most of us fans are 100% down for this. I know I am. Don’t get me wrong either: I actually rather like how the original game played out. I’ve no problems whatsoever with its story or the ending. Yet, I think I (and indeed many of us) have always wondered “what if?” What if Aerith hadn’t died? What if Zack was still alive? What if Sephiroth was pulled back from madness? On it goes too. There are so many interesting “what if” scenarios for Final Fantasy VII, and now we might actually get to play through some of them. I don’t know about you, but that kind of sounds like a dream come true!

Usually, I’d be opposed to deviating from the original story, but in this case I’m absolutely ready to see Cloud and crew make different decisions and face different challenges. I think it’s because this world is so interesting, yet we’ve only gotten to explore it from one narrow perspective. We also only gotten to experience these characters in one major scenario. While some changes might be disappointing, I’m thinking that it’ll just be cool to learn more about these characters I’ve enjoyed since 1997!

Will they grow more as people or come up short in the moment of truth? Will Cloud and the rest be happier after these events, or is the original conclusion truly the best outcome for them? Will Sephiroth once again be the unrepentant villain, or will someone manage to get through to him? Also, other major characters like Angeal and Genesis now have a chance to make an impact on the story. Will they appear or remain locked away? I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to find out!

---

What’s your take on this? Are you psyched for these changes or kind of scared?

Image from Amazon Store listing