Pleasantly, but from out of nowhere, DOOM Eternal has congratulated Final Fantasy 7 Remake's launch with an art piece that pays tribute to one of the game's most iconic visuals in a clever and satisfying way.
Fans of Final Fantasy 7 will pretty much immediately recognize what the DOOM Eternal team was going for. But for those who can't quite put their fingers on it: It's the image of Cloud standing before Shinra Headquarters with his hand gripping the hilt of his Buster Sword.
DOOM Eternal reflects this art by having Doom Slayer stand purposefully before the Tower of Babel with his hand gripping the hilt of his trusty new Crucible Energy Sword. Of course, in this instance, Doom Slayer takes the place of Cloud Strife, his Crucible Sword takes the place of the Buster Sword, and the Tower of Babel takes the place of Shinra Headquarters.
The image of Cloud standing before Shinra Headquarters acts as the cover art to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, making it a homage to the cover art of the original Final Fantasy 7. So DOOM Eternal — hilariously enough —pays homage to an homage by reflecting this cover art with the setting of DOOM.
The art probably works so well because of how much DOOM has in common with Final Fantasy 7 beyond the surface. Both games originated in the 90s and met with great success. They acted as benchmark titles for their respective genres to strive for, and they both deal with slaying enemies via guns, swords, and other sci-fi and fantasy elements. And now, they both have remade versions that not only allow long-time fans to revel in their recreated nostalgic moments but let new fans join in on the fun as well.
This isn't to say that DOOM wouldn't work with properties it's not similar to, though. The game is known for having a motley fanbase. Its players love all sorts of games, even ones people wouldn't initially expect them too. Take Animal Crossing, for example. In terms of gameplay and tone, its DOOM's polar opposite. However, both fanbases love each game just as much as they do the other. The result has spawned numerous pieces of fan art that cross the two worlds over.
All in all, it's nice to see developers congratulating each other on their accomplishments. Square Enix even retweeted the Doom Slayer piece through its FF7 Remake Twitter account.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now for PS4.
