Square Enix’s Next Final Fantasy Remake Project Has to Avoid a Major Mistake It Made With FF7 Remake
Few projects have had the impact as the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, and with Revelation due out next year, fans will see the end of the journey they began on April 10th, 2020. While the original was already beloved and massively praised, the Remake trilogy expanded the original’s characters, environments, and combat into a modern RPG experience. The results have given fans a new way to experience one of gaming’s most recognizable stories. However, there is one aspect that I and many other fans are not happy about, and Square Enix cannot repeat it with its next remake project.
For me, the biggest problem with the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy is its handling of tone. Although the original game included humor, absurd situations, and eccentric characters, its darker atmosphere and serious themes gave its story weight. The remake games frequently lean into cheesy, corny, and campy moments that interrupt dramatic scenes. This makes it harder for me to get into the games, and sometimes even has me put the controller down to shake my head. I enjoy the trilogy’s combat, visuals, and expanded storytelling, but the differing tone hurts the experience.
The Original Final Fantasy VII Balanced Humor With Dark Themes
One of my favorite aspects of the original Final Fantasy VII was its dark tone, even if it wasn’t completely grim. It included eccentric personalities, comic situations, and exaggerated character animations. But these all existed alongside a narrative about corporate exploitation, environmental destruction, psychological trauma, and death. It balanced humor and tragedy which allowed the game to create a distinct difference between it and the games that came before it. The balanced themes fit perfectly with the world, especially Midgar.
That balance is important because humor does not automatically weaken a serious story. A well-placed joke can make characters feel human, create relief after tension, or make a later tragedy more effective. But this wasn’t overdone and the timing was used strategically, such as the Golden Saucer or when Cloud dons his dress and wins the Don’s affection. The darker moments are followed by these jokes to give the player room to breathe and process what has happened. Compare to this to the remake trilogy and its exaggerated dialogue, reactions, and extended comic sequences make it harder to remain immersed in the darker elements of the narrative.
Square Enix’s own development comments show that the team deliberately reworked how the original’s characters and scenes were presented. In a 2015 interview, Tetsuya Nomura explained that the original’s lighter moments were part of what made Final Fantasy VII what it was. So it makes sense for these moments to appear in the remake, but Square Enix took it too far. Some of these moments have had their tone shifted, and newly added moments of relief fall flat compared to the original, with my most hated perhaps being Red XIII moonwalking.
Square Enix Should Modernize the Experience Without Losing Its Identity
One of the strengths of Final Fantasy VII Remake is how Square Enix expanded Midgar. The original’s Midgar section was relatively short, while the remake developed its locations, supporting characters, and conflicts into a much larger experience. Getting to spend more time with the members of Avalanche was an especially delightful surprise. This is the kind of thing that a remake should implement, spending more time with the world and characters without taking away from the narrative’s tone.
The same approach should apply to future Final Fantasy remakes. Modern graphics and voice acting offer opportunities to make characters more expressive, but they also require greater restraint. A joke that works in a stylized 1997 RPG can feel different when performed through detailed character models and fully voiced dialogue. The PlayStation’s hardware forced the team to convey emotions in a specific way, and that just doesn’t translate as well on the PS5.
This becomes especially true if Square Enix looks at older games, or even other PS1 and PS2 games. Each entry has its own identity, from the political drama of Final Fantasy Tactics to the melancholic atmosphere of Final Fantasy X. A successful remake should identify what makes its source material distinctive before deciding which elements to expand, modernize, or change. New gameplay systems and additional character development can be valuable, but they should complement the original’s narrative direction.
The Next Final Fantasy Remake Needs To Keep the Same Tone
The most important lesson Square Enix can take from the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy is that more content does not always improve a scene. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth offers a much larger world, additional activities, and expanded character interactions, but even this feels overwhelming. It feels like Square Enix has padded the game with unnecessary content, and some of it directly takes away from the overall experience.
Square Enix needs to trust the emotional power of its stories. When a character experiences loss, betrayal, fear, or moral conflict, the scene should have enough space to communicate those feelings without being interrupted by unnecessary comedy. This does not mean every dramatic moment needs to be solemn or humorless. A game can be funny in one chapter and devastating in the next, provided the transition feels natural and the writing respects the stakes of each situation.
That is the standard I hope Square Enix applies to its next remake project. It remains to be seen if Square Enix will ever attempt a remake as ambitious of this, but there are excellent games like Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy IX that it would work well with. The original Final Fantasy VII remains influential because its world, characters, themes, and presentation worked together better than the remake trilogy. Future remakes should follow the same tone and themes while improving with modern gameplay and learn from where Final Fantasy VII Remake stumbled.