Square Enix is currently entering the final stages of preparation for the late 2022 release of the next chapter in its Final Fantasy 7 remake series called Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, and fans are excited to see how this classic RPG is being modernized. While its narrative is supposed to stay intact, almost every core gameplay system is being revamped along the way, with obvious graphical improvements featured as well.
To that end, there seems to have been some internal discussion at Square Enix as to how the re-release of Final Fantasy 7 ought to be marketed. In his recent interview with Everyeye, translated by Nintendo Everything, the game's creative producer, Tetsuya Nomura, talked about this topic at some length, revealing that there had been some mixed feelings on whether this was a remake or a remaster.
In the interview, Nomura revealed that his team wasn't sure how to describe the project. Namely, while the new Crisis Core game has many improvements that are plainly visible at a glance, Nomura explained how the developers were conflicted about whether it was a true remake since the story isn't changed. Apparently, that's why it's billed as a "Reunion" in its official title. According to Nomura, the game is more comprehensive than remasters usually are, but it's not a total remake, either, making the situation slightly awkward in that regard.
Semantics aside, it is curious to note that most of the promotional materials about Crisis CoreReunion and Nomura himself say that the story stays the same, while it's already been shown that it features one of the biggest Final Fantasy retcons yet. Namely, Zack survives the events of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, and will seemingly be present in Reunion, too. Some changes to the narrative's structure are, therefore, to be expected.
Namura's comments may be particularly strange considering that Zack's survival isn't the only thing that's different about this particular Final Fantasy 7's narrative. Sephiroth's motivations, too, are being altered with the suggestion of alternative timelines having a role in this retelling of the classic story, and some feel that the next chapter of Final Fantasy 7 needs to go off rails as the remake progresses.
Namura's latest interview underlines the massive upgrades to the graphical and gameplay departments of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7, but it's still unclear whether it will, for example, explore some of Final Fantasy 7's overlooked characters in greater detail than the original did. Either way, it's clear by now that the game leans more towards being a proper remake than a remaster, even if the developers weren't quite sure if they could describe it as such.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion releases winter 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Everyeye, (via Nintendo Everything)
