The release of Final Fantasy VII on the original PlayStation back in 1997 marked a historical year for Japanese role-playing games. While the gameplay didn't deviate much from its predecessors' turn-based formulas, 3D visuals and cinematic presentation made a significant difference, turning the seventh entry in the series into one of the most popular games ever released.
Though the game was ultimately very successful, the hardware of the time imposed some limitations on the development team's vision for the combat system, and it's only with the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy that the team was able to fully realize it. However, the community isn't convinced this is the case.
Celebrating the 29th anniversary of the original's release, Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura shared some very early concept art for the original Final Fantasy VII with some commentary, including an early design of Cloud, an unnamed character who looks like a member of Avalanche, and more.
In the accompanying message, Nomura-san also commented on the original's combat system: "Furthermore, unlike previous FF titles, this envisioned combat not on fixed battlefields but whilst moving through the city's three-dimensional environment. Ultimately, this form of combat wasn't realised in the original, but has been achieved in the ongoing Final Fantasy VII Remake series," Nomura-san said. "In that sense, I'd be delighted if you could continue enjoying this grand project, where elements technically unachievable in the original are now being realised in the remake series," the Creative Director concluded with a rather definitive evaluation of the ongoing project set to end in the next few years with the third and final game.
The turn-based vs action combat debacle has never cooled down since many JRPG series, including the Final Fantasy series, began to leave turn-based combat behind in favor of action-oriented systems. As such, much of the community isn't convinced the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy realizes the combat vision the team had for the original.
"There’s simply NO WAY this was how the combat was envisioned back then. Square was making turn-based RPGs as their bread and butter, especially for their marquee franchise," said @JuanIsidro on X. @Illusory_Wall has commented with similar skepticism, saying: "So now it turns out that nothing they did in the original was actually what they wanted to do…… sure." "I have the strangest feeling that Nomura is just saying things that he hopes will make part 3 sell more. I'll believe it when Sakaguchi or Kitase says it," added @ZackElfieHill, continuing to echo a shared community sentiment.
While it's understandable how those who love pure turn-based combat systems feel like they are being abandoned, I believe their stance may be a little too harsh on the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, as its unique implementation of the series' ATB mechanics strikes a surprisingly great medium between action gameplay and turn-based strategy, although Final Fantasy VII Rebirth undoubtedly leans more towards the former, rather than the latter. Still, it's undeniable that pure turn-based combat systems are becoming a thing of the past, as even modern games that do feature them often also sport real-time and action elements, like the successful Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
No matter how the community continues to be divided on the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy's mechanics, it will be very interesting to see how the series combat will evolve in its final installment (which has been confirmed to be powered by Unreal Engine 4 like its predecessors and may get additional DLC after release.) With Cid and Vincent finally joining the party, one has to wonder how the development team will accommodate the full party, and how the Synergy System will evolve to further highlight the unique relationships of one of the most recognizable video game casts of all time, not to say how a certain emotional scene will be recreated.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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