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Nostalgic video game fans are getting plenty of chances to revisit fan-favorite Final Fantasy protagonist Cloud Strife, from his appearance in upcoming Super Smash Bros. DLC to the recent re-release of the original Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation 4. The biggest news, though, has been a ground-up remake of FF7 which has been announced to as a timed exclusive for the PS4.
Rather than cranking up the resolution on the existing graphics and putting it out as a remaster, the upcoming re-release of FF7 will use all-new graphics to take full advantage of the PS4’s current-gen power. That’s pretty exciting news for those who are used to seeing Cloud and friends walk around the city of Midgar with blocks for hands and feet.
Until now, fans had not gotten much of a glimpse at just how good the new graphics would look. That changes, though, with the release of a new trailer during PlayStation Experience 2015. The trailer clocks in at 2:11 and features cutscenes, in-game graphics, and newly recorded voice work for the remake. It shows a Cloud that looks more like his appearance in the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children movie than the original game, and his old teammate Barret Wallace looking substantially less cartoonish than his previous incarnation.
There are some notable absences from the trailer, such as Cloud’s nemesis Sephiroth and love interest Aerith, so it does not give a complete picture of how the new game will look. However, it’s safe to say that it’s a pretty dark game, drawing heavily on Advent Children as an influence and eschewing the brighter color pallets of other games in the Final Fantasy series. That seems to be consistent with the original game, which brought a much a more modern, tech-heavy aesthetic to the series than its predecessors.
There’s no doubt that Square has been milking Final Fantasy nostalgia for all its worth, releasing port after port and remaster after remaster for a variety of gaming consoles and mobile devices. For that reason, not everybody may be looking for another iteration of FF7 by this point. For those who still have love for the original, though, and yearn to see it in a manner that doesn’t rely on outdated graphics, the new remake is looking very promising indeed.
We will provide more information on the Final Fantasy VII remake as it becomes available.
