Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Episode 2 – What’s Next?
The Final Fantasy 7 Remake is far from complete.
With the remake of Final Fantasy 7, a long wait ended for fans. But there is still one downside: Nobody needs to expect a complete remake. Because the new edition only covers the Midgar episode from the PS1 original – about 10 to 15 percent of the actual game.
Then the question arises: What’s next?
This article will be continuously updated as new clues emerge regarding the next episode of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Last update from June 17th: The second part of the remake got a first trailer and we now know how many episodes we can expect in total.
How many episodes should there be in total?
The reason for dividing the Final Fantasy 7 remake into several episodes has to do with the effort that Square Enix says it has put in. Because you want to delve much deeper into the world and the story, it is not possible to cover everything at once. There are new places to discover in Midgar and we learn more about the background stories of characters like Aerith. A 1:1 copy should be prevented in any case.
A total of 3 episodes await us: As was finally announced with the reveal trailer of the second episode, there will be 3 parts until the remake will be completed.
Until then, you can read about how the first part of the remake is doing in our test:
more on the subject
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review – Fantastic Preview
Episode 2 gets trailer and release timeline
What we also know is that the development of the next remake episode has already started. Game director Tetsuya Nomura confirmed this in November 2019. However, Nomura kept a low profile about the details of the second part of the remake and only stated that they wanted to meet the expectations of the fans.
New trailer: Now the second part of the remake, which is called Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth hear, revealed in a first trailer that you can watch below. In addition to Cloud, there are also some scenes with Sepiroth and Zack. So it can be assumed that Cloud’s flashback is shown here, that he has Kalm in the original in the town:
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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – The first look at the second part of the remake
Release period known: There is no exact date for the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but at least we know that the game will be released for the PS5 in winter 2023.
How big could Episode 2 be?
Judging from the Midgar episode, it’s unlikely that the next Final Fantasy 7 Remake episode will cover such a small area of the main game as well. After all, the Midgard section only accounts for about a third of the first FF7 disc, but there are only two more episodes to come.
Pure speculation: Since a second remake part probably also needs important core elements and a definite climax, the storyline up to and including the Forgotten City could be a clue. It is also still open whether we will get a world map like the original. Most recently, in 2020, Hamaguchi considered whether a large world map would make sense for the game:
Yes, that is something we need to consider. The concept of the first episode of the remake was to let the player experience the events of Midgar and for the next game we would like the player to have the opportunity to explore the vast world of Final Fantasy 7. But we have to ask ourselves, if we build a big world, how can we also tell a dramatic story?
Red XIII will most likely be playable in the next episode.
What does the ending tell us? No more real remakes in the future?
In the Final Fantasy 7 remake, Square Enix sticks to the plot of the PS1 original for long stretches. But the ending is completely new. I tried to break down the ending and analyze what the ending says about more remake episodes.
You can find all the info here (spoiler alert):
more on the subject
Final Fantasy 7 Remake ending explained: What does the finale mean for the future?
The finale of Final Fantasy 7 Remake suggests that the next episode could deviate even further from the original. According to Kitase but if it is not the plan to go completely your own way:
There is no plan to completely deviate from the original version in the future, so please keep in mind that Final Fantasy 7 will remain Final Fantasy 7 in the remake.
Level 1 again? How would episode 2 play?
Arguably the most burning question regarding the next Final Fantasy 7 Remake episode relates to the progression system. In Episode 1, if I already summon strong Espers, reach the level cap and max out the elemental materia, do I start over again?
Especially with RPG sequels there is the cliché that the main character loses his skills and the new adventure starts again as a “beginner”. In the context of the Final Fantasy 7 remake, however, such a solution is problematic.
After all, there is a story context in which Cloud, Barrett and Co. can’t suddenly learn everything from the beginning. So Square Enix definitely faces a challenge.
What do we know about Episode 3?
The big advantage of Square Enix now is that a lot of the groundwork has already been laid. The character models and animations of the main characters have been worked out, many gameplay mechanics such as the materia system can easily be carried over into the second episode, and the combat system is also in place.
So it’s quite possible that we can expect a similarly long development for the third part as for the second. If we assume about 3.5 years between the first and the second part, we could see the end of the trilogy in spring or summer 2027 at the latest. At the moment, of course, this is pure speculation.
What we do know, however, is that Part 3 of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake is already in development, according to Square.
How and when do you think it could continue?
Reference-www.gamepro.de