Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is just around the corner, and I wanted to kick off “The Wishlist” series of articles where we discuss what we want to see in future video game installments. So, here we go! We’re starting this series with 8 things we want to see in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth!
8) Better Quest Design, Bring On The Fun:
The Final Fantasy games often find themselves trapped in poorly designed quests, with many lacking interesting story elements or consisting of mere fetch quests intended to artificially extend the game’s length. What I want Rebirth to do is to present quests with deeper lore and more engaging activities that utilize various mechanics. With the vast array of materia available, the game could incorporate puzzle-solving elements to make quests more varied and enjoyable.
7) Action Packed Battle System, Burn it Up:
Although I didn’t mind the slower battles in Remake, I hope for faster-paced action sequences where I could seamlessly combine magic with attacks, rather than just casting spells. Of course, having both options available is necessary, but I personally find it more exciting to have quicker access to spell casting to maintain the flow of battle at its most thrilling moments.
6) More Materia, More Summons:
Final Fantasy VII boasts one of the best customizable battle mechanics in RPGs out there. Equipping materia makes your character highly customizable, is linked to the main lore, and can introduce countless ideas to help players be creative in their strategies. And given the capabilities of modern gaming systems I see no reason not to go all out in giving birth to new types of interesting Materias. I would love to see more creative materias and additional summons introduced in this installment alongside those already featured in Remake. This would enhance strategic depth and, most importantly, would be interesting if the team applies different constraints in certain enemies and battles to utilize them effectively and make the players put them in use instead of have them as extra accessories.
5) The Snake Must Come Back:
One of the most iconic scenes in Final Fantasy VII is the encounter with the giant snake, Midgar Zolom, with the famous frame where Cloud says: “Did Sephiroth do this?” The snake lurks near the marsh before the party reaches Mythril Mine, and if you attempt to cross the marsh unprepared, it triggers a battle and goes to wipe out your entire party. This scenario, complete with the need to play a mini-game to breed a chocobo to safely cross the marsh, truly needs to make a comeback. It evokes beautiful memories from when I played Final Fantasy VII with my brother, and it would be fascinating to see new players attempt to figure out how to escape the snake’s deadly grasp and survive the perilous marsh passage.
4) Let Yuffie Steal Our Materias:
Yuffie is an optional character in the original Final Fantasy VII, but in this installment, she will surely be a permanent one. One important aspect of Yuffie in the original game is that at one point (in Disc 1 or 2), she steals all of your materia and runs away when the team reaches her nation of Wutai. While this event could be placed in the third remake, it was an optional event in the origianl and I am afraid it gets scrapped altogether. If the cast is going to Wutai, this must happen. Please, Square Enix!
3) Keep Zack Dead, Please:
Although there are a lot of speculations about him being alive because Cloud and the team altered the fate of destiny in Remake, I really hope he remains dead. All that happened could simply be the creation of an alternative timeline or universe where he lives. Because if he were to be alive in the same timeline, it would rob us of a significant twist of the Final Fantasy VII saga and make it rather tasteless, especially since the team is already building up to it with how Cloud is acting as a SOLDIER.
2) Aerith Must Die, PLEASE:
The most iconic part and why Sephiroth is very famous as a villain in the whole gaming industry is the scene where Aerith gets killed by him, that scenes changed a lot about the gaming industry to the level where even the people who didn’t play Final Fantasy VII know that Aerith will die, taking that away, especially from Final Fantasy fans, will not make Rebirth as memorable as it can be, honestly, I don’t even want a twist where she lives in another timeline or something, Aerith must just return to the life stream and save the world later on, her loss means a lot to the story’s lore, so she must remain so, period (sorry Aerith fans)!
1) Staying True To The Source Material:
The most important thing for me is staying true to the source material, keeping the major beats intact, and expanding upon them. Remake was supposed to do that but ended up catering to a lot of “shipping” rather than expanding on what Midgar and Shinra truly represent. Final Fantasy VII had a very compelling story, addressing themes of corporate greed and environmental destruction envoked by human’s behaviors, and I want Rebirth to delve deeper into those aspects as Remake missed out on it. Therefore, I would prefer fewer fan service quests and scenes, and instead, more lore discovery and storytelling. It would be a huge missed opportunity not to do so, considering the rich and fascinating setup and lore Gaia has.
