Asked about whether newcomers should play the original classic before starting its epic trilogy of remakes, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's director says there's no "clear cut" answer. In some ways, knowing what happened in the 1997 RPG is crucial in understanding the Remake trilogy's story, but at the same time, newbies who don't know what a Materia is can still have a great time.
Speaking to GamesRadar+, lead developer Naoki Hamaguchi says fans aren't "mistaken at all" for recommending that new players finish the original Final Fantasy 7 game before its remakes. That's because "the storyline of the original Final Fantasy 7 is very much enshrined within the story [and] the narrative of the Remake series as a thing in the world."
So far, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake games have toyed with fans' expectations. Battling against destiny and fate, all while knowing what's supposed to happen next, is part of the fun. Plus, the remakes' alternate timelines have many fans convinced Square Enix is secretly creating a meta-sequel, of sorts, rather than a clean remake - we'll need to see how Revelation ends for those answers.
"If you know what that original storyline is and you can pick up on what's changing or looking like it's going to change, you're going to have more fun," Hamaguchi tells us, via an interpreter. "And you're going to get more out of it."
At the same time, the Remake trilogy has been "designed very much so that even someone who's not played the original can jump in on any of them [and] still have a really great experience."
Hamaguchi then suggests some people might actually have a better time starting with the ongoing Remake saga, in fact: "You could actually look at it the other way around, too, and maybe say that it's better to start with the Remake series for a different reason." According to Hamaguchi, the modern tech in the new trilogy and the "graphical splendor" on display might make it "easier to have that emotional impact maybe than the original did." At least, for first timers.
"So, in that sense, you could argue coming into Final Fantasy 7 without any prior knowledge [is better]," he adds. "You're experiencing it for the first time in this modern graphical splendor. That might also be a better way of doing it. So I guess really it's down to people's preferences. It's not as clear cut as one way or the other."
