There is nothing quite like rolling back the years, and if you have been a huge fan of the Final Fantasy franchise over the years, you would know how those early titles grasped your imagination and sapped away hours of productivity from your life as you remained glued in front of your TV screen or computer monitor. Final Fantasy VII is one title that received massive coverage when it was first released on the Sony PlayStation, with the major drawback being the pesky load times that were well worth the wait. How many summon cutscenes from Final Fantasy VII can you still remember? Hence, it is not surprising to see that fans of Final Fantasy VII were pleased as punch to hear that a remake is in the pipeline, but the remake will not be just a graphics upgrade. No sir, there will be changes made to the classic Active Time Battle (ATB) system which has ruffled the feathers of some fans.
Final Fantasy VII Remake director Tetsuya Nomura did confirm that the ATB system will see some changes -- being more action oriented along the way. This would mean that the game will control and feel far more similar to Final Fantasy XV or the Kingdom Hearts franchise, as opposed to the classic Final Fantasy VII title. Nomura was also apologetic that he could not share additional information concerning the game’s upcoming 20th anniversary, but you can be sure that there will be more leaks in the future which will deliver additional details concerning the Final Fantasy VII remake.
An excerpt from Nomura’s interview which was translated by KH13 reads, “The battles in [FFVII] have greatly changed from the original, since they’re something with more action in them. The next time I release information about [FFVII REMAKE], I think that I’ll definitely have to explain the specifics of what the battle system has become to the players. I think right now that nobody is really able to imagine a concrete battle, so I’m in the middle of coming up with steps that I can show and explain to people, “It’s this kind of battle.”
We’ve heard a lot of [FFVII] fans also say that they want to play the game with the original ATB style, but for the remake we’re proceeding toward an action-heavy style. Of course, we’ve added systems that future fans will be able to enjoy, so people who are bad at action-style battles, please don’t worry. For those who excel at action-style battles, we’re working to make this a system that’s different than what you’ve used before and can still enjoy. Recently, we checked the Guard Scorpion at the beginning of the game, and I think you’ll be satisfied with the realism you’ll feel there.”
With the new approach in the battle system, you can be sure that the story will unfold in a slightly different manner. After all, without improvement or changes made to old items, there will be no progress, and we are glad that the Final Fantasy VII remake will have a revamped battle system. Expect the release date for the Final Fantasy VIII remake to be revealed as the year comes to a close.
