Here's some news that's sure to split Final Fantasy fans. Square Enix, the developer behind the long running RPG franchise, has just announced that the remade version of Final Fantasy VII will be a 'multi-part' series.
Following the unveiling of the first gameplay trailer during the PlayStation Experience event held last weekend, the company issued this press release:
"LOS ANGELES (Dec. 6, 2015) - During this past weekend's PlayStation Experience in San Francisco, SQUARE ENIX® debuted a new trailer for FINAL FANTASY® VII REMAKE, the full remake of the award-winning role-playing game, FINAL FANTASY VII. The new trailer features the first CG scenes as well as gameplay footage. FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE will be told across a multi-part series, with each entry providing its own unique experience."
What they mean by 'multi-part' remains to be seen.
Due to the technological limitations of the time, the original version of Final Fantasy VII released on PlayStation was spread out across three separate CD-ROMs.
It's possible that Square Enix may pattern the remake after this and release three separate games based on the content of each disc. Doing it this way would retain the pacing and flow of the narrative and allow each title to work as a standalone product.
The announcement has been met with some skepticism by series' fans, with many claiming the decision to split the game is nothing more than a cash grab. A petition has already been launched on Change.org imploring Square Enix to scrap plans of an episodic release.
"with this new decision to make the release episodic, you are draining that emotional response and replacing it with contempt from your most dedicated fan bases. Please do not do this. Please do not do this to Final Fantasy VII. We still want to have faith in you Square Enix." Reads the complaint.
