A tantalizing video that we wished would go on longer than a mere minute, the new trailer of the remake of Final Fantasy VII, released on May 9, 2019, PDT, refuels the passionate and desire for the epic game.

It begins with the all-too familiar turquoise font associated with mako energy, stating tantalizingly the words “The return draws closer” to much abated breath, causing expectations to rise again within our souls. The glaring white fine print at the bottom coldly reminds us of the possibility of more changes and delays, but upon hearing the musical tone, memories flood back and the fine print is eventually forgotten.

As the camera draws closer to the ground, we realize the figure we see is the one and only Aerith Gainsborough, a key character in the game and in our Avalanche hearts. This is then we realize the trailer could be revealing the opening cinematic of the game. And boy is it an attention-grabbing opening right from the get-go!

Aerith’s newly-defined features are improved since the last trailer, giving her an even more perfectedly sculpted face. Is there actually a word that’s better than ‘perfect’? Do note that at this point in the trailer, her eyes are closed. Just as we wait for them to open and reveal her supposedly entracing green irises…

“Halt! Hands up!” commanded the Shinra MP in a rough voice, and we are abruptedly brought back to the opening of the first battle of the game. Yes, Cloud is revealed, but not in his full glory. Only a swivel of the camera. But just from taking in the artwork of the MP and the voice over, we already get the jolt that this will be an incredible trailer indeed!

We do not get to see the battle take place, but instead, get cut to the launching of missiles, exploding upon impact, and… What’s this familiar scene of a trio in bandit-like attires?

Biggs, Wedges and Jessie! The beloved duo who appear in just about every Final Fantasy game makes their debut in Final Fantasy VII’s trailer at last! But perhaps the producer wanted to give us a little more fan service with a close-up of Jessie, the hard-kicking female vigilante whom we believed to have grown some attachment to our protagonist. Yep, she’s a beauty! Aerith, Tifa and Yuffie, save a spot for a new candidate!

An in-game scene then takes the stage, displaying the reactor bombing segment where the player needs to escape before the bomb destructs. Examine the environment of the reactor and you’ll realize the upscaled design. From the original game, the reactor interior had at most some glowing green lights and steam, even when Cloud and gang were supposed to be escaping a potential death trap. The trailer makes it more realistic by displaying burning ruins and a train rumbling along in the background. Details, details, details!

Plus, we finally see the button commands on the bottom left corner of the screen. It is an absolute makeover from the original classical listing of commands, and seems a tad like an action RPG mobile game setup. Players of the original Valkyrie Profile will realize some similarities there, relying on specific button commands to execute actions.

Via: IGN

My attention was grabbed again by the fancy swordplay delivered by Cloud – a high jump backflip ending with a forceful downward slash, much like the Braver limit break that Cloud uses. Wait a minute… The command list does state “Braver”! Welcome to Final Fantasy VII Remake’s limit break!

via GIPHY

The next scene pays tribute to Bigg’s facial features that seems to give these side characters more personality. We know Biggs to be a gruff vigilante, but now we know him to be more of a lady killer! It’s a pity he doesn’t last long in the game… Was I supposed to say “spoiler alert”?

Has anyone been paying attention to Barret’s speech thus far? His voicing is impeccable and very authentic of a rough and tough man, ready to inflict pain at a moment’s notice. Me thinks Barret’s characterization will make him a superstar in this remake, what with his rockin’ action-packed tone of voice!

Whoa! Aerith! Full in the face, with beautiful green eyes filled with warmth, staring right at Cloud, which incidentally are boring right through the audiences’ eyes. It feels like a very typical Japanese schoolgirl pose where she bends down a little to the side and tilts her head up, but this pose can truly melt hearts.

As Cloud walks past Aerith and she catches up with short, petering steps, we see the fluidity and naturalness of the character motions. Actions in battle may not be all that familiar with us, as few have truly been in a sword fight in our lives, whereas pushing past people and trotting to catch up are common everyday movements. These such movements, seemingly so simple, are delivered so beautifully in the trailer.

via GIPHY

The next few scenes portray more battles that are reminiscent of Final Fantasy XIII, which is in a way good, because I do find the movements and actions fluid. But the action that caught my eyes were Cloud’s second limit break. YES! Two limit breaks displayed in one trailer, and Cross Slash is beautiful!

via GIPHY

I honestly expected the view of Guard Scorpion’s tail to be an in-game scene, so I was half disappointed that it was a cutscene, and half impressed at how a boss fight would look like, compared to earlier trailers we had of this boss. Should that tail blast be as realistic and bombastic in battle, I think we will have having our hands full of incredible graphics and explosive action!

The part of this trailer that perhaps takes the cake is Sephiroth’s entry. Only his back is shown and his voice heard. Will we get to see his features up close within the remaining 12 seconds? The answer is: no. My heart weeps at the prolonged anticipation. But did anyone realize his voice is exactly the same as the actor in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core? The dignified yet humble tone of voice that seemed to drone but is actually emotional belongs to George Newbern, starring as the people’s favorite villain in the remake!

00:36 George Newbern’s deep-toned voice, full of confidence.
Via: Youtube GogoKaito

Of course, the trailer ends on more cliffhangers, although this time, some promised text states that more information shall be available in June. May is one-quarter past. Let us hope this one month shall not be as agonizing as the last few years!

What would this trailer foretell of the game to come? A lot, I dare say!

For one, I actually believe that this game WILL come! In fact, the release might actually come out sooner than what most of us expected. The trailer itself stated a Playstation 4 release instead of a Playstation 5, which bodes well that the game might be released long before the new console. The Playstation 5 is rumored to be releasing in 2020, and if that’s anything to go by, we might very well wait until 2021 or 2022 before it actually launches. If Final Fantasy VII were to be launched on the Playstation 4 only, then they would most preferably launch way before the Playstation 5 goes commercial, otherwise they might as well market it as a PS5 release. Late 2019 game release, anyone?


…it’s also possible Kodera was merely trying to keep a lid on the rumors that were flying around at the time which were saying the PS5 would be released as soon as 2019.

Via Gamespot

Don’t forget that in this trailer, Tifa and Yuffie were not featured. If Aerith has been improved to such a stunning level, I believe Tifa shall become truly life-like, and Yuffie is simply adorable! In the Advent Children movie, the trio already feel like perfection. Imagine now in the remake, how much more perfect they would be! Wait, again I ask, can there be another word that’s better than ‘perfect’?

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Aerith, Tifa and Yuffie from the Advent Children movie are already so beautifully rendered.
Via: Desktop Nexus

Last but not least – in fact, it might also be the most – summon monsters! We oh’d, we ah’d, and our jaws all hung slack at the incredible graphics of Final Fantasy XV’s summon monsters. Final Fantasy VII is already proving to be a greater gem than this diamond. Would Bahamut be blasting his megaflare out of the screen VR goggles? I… I can scarcely imagine how incredible the summoning will be. If this game can be played with VR, imagine the Knights of the Round Table converging on the viewer on all sides!

UHD TVs supposedly allow viewers to experience movies 360-surround experience. Why not games too?

Please remember also that the original scenario writer, Kazushige Nojima, will be involved in the game again. From the characters’ speeches in this trailer, we already recognize dialogues that were not in the original game. Next, consider the remake of Final Fantasy Tactics, the War of the Lions version on the Playstation Portable. Playing through the storyline closed certain gaps in the plot, opened additional details and created more open endings. For example, the abuse on Rapha by Duke Barrington.

The inclusion of Balthier from Final Fantasy XII is a prime example of change in the War of the Lions remake of Final Fantasy Tactics.

In consideration of all these factors, I strongly believe that Sephiroth will become a briefly playable character in this remake!

In Final Fantasy VII, the lead character temporarily shifted to Tifa and then Cid. In Final Fantasy VIII, during Squall’s dreams, the player controlled Laguna instead. Square Enix’s creativity seems to thrive on multiple characters, particularly in Frontier Saga 2. Of all the key characters in Final Fantasy VII, everyone has their own spinoff games, leaving just Sephiroth a mere part of everyone else’s stories. In the original game, Sephiroth was an NPC during the Nibelhiem flashback, while the player could only control a level 1 Cloud whose role was pretty much to be a paperweight. Surely this remake leaves room for a special addition! I would absolutely love to see Hatto Issen as a limit break, even for just a short while!

Imagine you controlling Sephiroth to do this!
via GIPHY

June is a mere month away, yet it seems too far away before we are fed with additional morsels of information on Final Fantasy VII’s remake. Still, this trailer holds more hope for Final Fantasy VII fans for the realization of a perfected remake of our favorite game!