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[stickkidsam]

Final Fantasy VII: Remake
Famitsu Interview with Tetsuya Nomura
Translation by Abriael_GN

Final Fantasy VII Remake Gets New Screenshots and Details on Content and Design on Famitsu

Today's issue of Weekly Famitsu included new screenshots of the Final Fantasy VII Remake for PS4, alongside plenty of new details.

twinfinite.net

^ Full interview translated with much MUCH needed detail and context along with additional screenshots in the link above ^

• Nomura-san explains that the shadow that appears at the end of the latest trailer is something that has been added for the Remake. It’s called “Keeper of Fate” (Unmei no Ban’nin), and it’s a mysterious existence that appears in front of the party. He hopes that those who played the original game will enjoy these new elements.

• Asked whether the events included in the original game have remained the same, Nomura-san mentioned that it depends. For instance, the cross-dressing event in the Honey Bee Inn is still included. That being said, the place itself was significantly rearranged in a modern style. When the developers tried to recreate that space, it looked hugely uncomfortable, and they generally thought it was no good. They tweaked those parts that did not fit the visuals and the world view of the game.

• The game follows the original, but there are quite a few additional scenarios. While the main story has not changed, there are many new events, like the scene shown in the trailer in which Cloud and Jesse run away on the motorbike. If that wasn’t the case, the game wouldn’t require two Blu-Ray disks.

• Speaking of Aerith and Tifa, the team decided to clearly separate them visually since they have a situation with two heroines. Aerith’s beauty follows western aesthetics, while with Tifa they emphasized the cuteness of her face to follow eastern aesthetics.

• Developers wanted Tifa to have visible abs, so they gave her the body style of an athlete. There were instructions from the internal ethics department, and it was decided to constrict her chest [Editor’s Note: the context and wording indicate clearly that this refers to the tightness and design of Tifa’s clothing, not to her chest size] so that it wouldn’t look unnatural even during fierce action. Therefore, the team created a simple design for her upper torso, with black underwear and a body-fitting tank top. It’s a sporty design conscious of fitness.

• The battle system went through a lot of “scrap & build” during development, but now the direction is decided. While the base is action, the team wanted to make it enjoyable for those who like the original gameplay as well. Thus, the current hybrid system was born.

--

Personally, this helps shed a lot of light on the design decisions being made. I'm really interested in seeing what the deal with those Keepers of Fate is. As long as we don't have to deal with any bullshit about destiny pulling the "strings" of Sephiroth or whatever. It was nice to see the context of the "unnatural" comment regarding Tifa's chesticles too. An Ethics Department is absurd to me (though it may be a problem of semantics here) but at the very least, they seem more concerned with making Tifa's boing boings snug and cozy than anything about western politics.

With that said, March 3rd can't mosey it's way here fast enough!
Hold on tight everyone; there ain't no gettin' off this train we're on!!

 

[Dacon]

Good job bringing more attention to this. Gaming journalism is ass.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

In the interview Tetsuya nomura should be happy in the end.

 

[Abriael_GN]

An Ethics Department is absurd to me (though it may be a problem of semantics here) but at the very least, they seem more concerned with making Tifa's boing boings snug and cozy than anything about western politics.

I can possibly help to shed some light on this "ethics department" thing, but keep in mind this doesn't come out of direct info on Square Enix's structure but simply from experience in Japanese corporate culture and in knowing pretty well how Nomura-san normally talks.

I don't know whether something called "Ethics Department" at Square Enix actually exists. Considering how Nomura-san usually speaks, that can be a simplification for brevity simply meaning "those PR dudes who make sure we don't step on a PR landmine."

As for the concept in itself, I'm actually surprised so many people are shocked by this. We're talking about a large Japanese corporation. You can be absolutely sure that all Japanese corporations of this size have people whose job is to make sure that employees don't fuck up. And by "fuck up" I mean do something that could put the company publicly in a bad light. That's your "ethics department" or whatever it's actually called.

Considering the Japanese obsession for saving face, you can bet every single pair of pants you own that every large Japanese company has an "ethics department." It isn't specifically dedicated to censoring products, but simply to make sure employees, in this case, development teams, don't make public missteps that can shed a negative light on the company. It's likely nothing new, and completely separate from the current debate about censorship.

Mind you, I'm not endorsing this. I dislike the idea of developers being influenced by PR as much as the next guy. That being said, like any culture, Japanese culture has flaws, and one of them is that companies are absolutely terrified by the idea of losing face, which is why, for instance, Judgment was withdrawn from sale because one dude of the cast dealt with drugs. It makes little sense, but that's the nature of the beast.

 

[Shouta]

The "ethics department" is probably just a more specific part of the PR group like Abriael points out. I've only seen the small excerpt that's going around in Japanese but the implication from what Nomura said is that they want to avoid creepy otaku spending all day trying to find an angle where you can see stuff and then upload it to the internet. That happens over there pretty often and it's probably something S-E wants to avoid. I'd imagine Nomura and the devs didn't mind since they wouldn't need to program the physics or something.

 

[YukiOnna]

An Ethics committee is pretty bog standard, yeah. Also, glad to see it clarified it wasn't about the chest size, I wonder where that came from.

 

[Abriael_GN]

The "ethics department" is probably just a more specific part of the PR group like Abriael points out. I've only seen the small excerpt that's going around in Japanese but the implication from what Nomura said is that they want to avoid creepy otaku spending all day trying to find an angle where you can see stuff and then upload it to the internet. That happens over there pretty often and it's probably something S-E wants to avoid. I'd imagine Nomura and the devs didn't mind since they wouldn't need to program the physics or something.

We should also consider the fact that the wording of the interview doesn't in any shape or form indicate some forceful censorship by this Ethics Department or whatever it's actually called. It simply says that they received instruction or advice, and this can very well be requested by the developers themselves. Considering the context that they were already partly redesigning the clothes with an eye for realism, it's not unlikely that they saw this as something potentially contentious, so they went themselves to ask for advice on how to tackle it.

We shouldn't automatically assume the worst scenario, especially considering that the situation is described in very vague terms.

An Ethics committee is pretty bog standard, yeah. Also, glad to see it clarified it wasn't about the chest size, I wonder where that came from.

It came from some sites translating a completely out of context leaked summary which completely omits the discourse about the rest of the clothes, and not bothering to do any fact checking even after the actual magazine was released. Out of context, it can be borderline interpreted as a reduction of the chest size. In context and considering the exact wording, there is no doubt that we're talking about costume design.

 

[Aggelos]

4gamer.net has the new screens from that famitsu article

「FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE」，キャラクターやバトルシステムなどE3 2019で公開された情報をおさらい。店舗別購入特典なども

　スクウェア・エニックスは本日，「FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE」において，キャラクターやイベントシーン，バトルシステムなどの情報を公開した。E3 2019で発表された内容のまとめとなっているので，DL版の早期購入特典などと合わせて紹介しよう。

www.4gamer.net

And since a thread was made for this, this is the actual Famitsu FF7R article

 

[BruceCM]

Meh, I still want Tifa with bouncy boobs.... Maybe if SE see all the posts about it, they'll adjust them again?)

 

[Abriael_GN]

Meh, I still want Tifa with bouncy boobs.... Maybe if SE see all the posts about it, they'll adjust them again?)

No one's saying they won't bounce at all. Just that they won't swing all over the place.

 

[BruceCM]

Yeah, I know... I'm not sure that better translation really addresses much Really, need more footage of Tifa & Aerith in action....

 

[Swipeyowifelike]

Why does an "ethics board" sound like an HR department. Really not seeing a problem if it's anything like that.

 

[Psykodad]

Imagine being one of the adult men who screamed murder over Tifas boobies...

 

[stickkidsam]

Something that was really neat to read in the interview was the bit about Tifa and Aerith's respective dichotomies. I was a bit worried that they would play up the innocent flower girl aspect of Aerith but it seems they know she is more than meets the eye.

Her design alone blows me away with how warm it is.

I can also see what they mean by making Tifa more "eastern" in her design too. Initially I thought they were referring to her racial features, but her style is much more about being very kawaii as they say in Nipon.

 

[peronmls]

4gamer.net has the new screens from that famitsu article

「FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE」，キャラクターやバトルシステムなどE3 2019で公開された情報をおさらい。店舗別購入特典なども

　スクウェア・エニックスは本日，「FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE」において，キャラクターやイベントシーン，バトルシステムなどの情報を公開した。E3 2019で発表された内容のまとめとなっているので，DL版の早期購入特典などと合わせて紹介しよう。

www.4gamer.net

And since a thread was made for this, this is the actual Famitsu FF7R article

As a long time fan of KH I expected KH3 to be on par or on the same level as this. What a shame Square handed Kingdom Hearts to such mediocre developers. I never played FF7 but know all the character back story through Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2. Hope this game turns out miles better than 3. Fuck publishers.

 

[Thabass]

• Developers wanted Tifa to have visible abs, so they gave her the body style of an athlete. There were instructions from the internal ethics department, and it was decided to constrict her chest [Editor’s Note: the context and wording indicate clearly that this refers to the tightness and design of Tifa’s clothing, not to her chest size] so that it wouldn’t look unnatural even during fierce action. Therefore, the team created a simple design for her upper torso, with black underwear and a body-fitting tank top. It’s a sporty design conscious of fitness.

LMAO. All that hate for nothing. Literally nothing. Chest size was already decided by the team. Wow.

 

[stickkidsam]

LMAO. All that hate for nothing. Literally nothing. Chest size was already decided by the team. Wow.

 

[MagnesG]

That's a little better situation than what what was discussed earlier. Off-topic, but I noticed one of the Tifa gameplay screenshot where she literally pose her stance from the enemies, is a bit stiff in frame. It's weird and kinda comical pose.

Here's the picture,

Spoiler

Though I'm sure game will sold absurdly well (hopefully), this whole "ethics department" thing being spoken to emphasize the 'reason', or maybe to cover up excuses sure dampen a marginal amount of hype for certain fans. Sony started with their vague censorship bullshit thing, now this potentially acted like one too? Or the team agreed to the intention itself (not believing that when they brought up 'ethics department' lol).

Also for having the aspect of 'tightness' to be the main point for the cutbacks, isn't the whole reason sports bra exist is to remedy that? I'm sure I've seen bigger ones on treadmill runs keeping their boobs in check by wearing those. There's a thick fabrics type with a lot surface covered, so totally not a lewd thing to wear for a lot of people on daily basis.

Well, now I don't care anymore, about the little bit of everything.

 

[The Chairman]

I just wanted Tifa to have big boobs and show her sexy legs just like this woman.

Is that too much to ask Square?

 

[Rodolink]

Oh I understand now the reasoning behind Tifa. I approve. BUT there are also many girls that train like crazy and have the genetics to look like the original size...

 

[stickkidsam]

Anyone else miss the dark blue (purple?) duds on Cloud? I dig the black, but it should have a splash of color dammit!

Oh I understand now the reasoning behind Tifa. I approve. BUT there are also many girls that train like crazy and have the genetics to look like the original size...

Props to all of those ladies on the mat who work with melons like that.

I'm just glad that they are remaining faithful to Tifa's original design. As much as I love the new look, I would've been worried if it was done with social justice pricks in mind. It wouldn't ruin the design for me, but damn would it put a lot of things into question.

 

[mortal]

I can't wait to see Red XIII, he'll be a lot of fun to use with this battle system. Also looking forward to seeing the Turks.

Next trailer hopefully shows off the sector slums, the church and wall market. I wonder if we'll get to visit other sectors of Midgar. I wonder why everyone forget the names of the districts of Midgar.

 

[FranXico]

Barett is one big badass. Dude is going to always be in my party.

 

[danielberg]

"In terms of personality, Aerith has the innocence of a young girl. The Final Fantasy VII Remake conveys that strongly. But there is a gap between her appearance and inner personality, with her aspects of “innocence” and “beauty.” On the other hand, Tifa has a bold costume that exposes her a lot, but she actually isn’t that confident. She is a shy lady who doesn’t get out of her shell much. Both display a difference between their appearance and their inner personality, which makes them attractive. "

Funnily enough for a original fan its all about the personalities of the girls lol and SE seems to get the contradicting looks vs personality of tifa and aeris... which they didnt in any compilation stuff, i guess they replayed the original and got the memo

 

[mortal]

Some new (and older) concept art. More in the link.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Concept Art Gallery

Gallery of official artwork and character pictures from Final Fantasy VII Remake.

www.creativeuncut.com

 

[stickkidsam]

Oh man I cannot wait to see how Aerith reacts to Cloud "accidentally" stepping on the flowers in the church.

I'm just giddy thinking about all of the moments of levity this game has. Currently playing through the original, the characters have so much depth to them. They aren't just one note, but rather show depth to their personalities. Fuck I love this game...

 

[kiiltz]

LMAO. All that hate for nothing. Literally nothing. Chest size was already decided by the team. Wow.

This place can be a mirror image of Resetera sometimes. I'm still amazed people think thigh highs is censoring but I can only shitpost so much.

 

[stickkidsam]

I wonder how they're going to handle the Honeybee Inn since it sounds more like they are redesigning the architecture than anything else. I mean, it was a pretty small place, and the whole circle of rooms thing was pretty limited I guess.

Perhaps they're hoping to make it something you have to be sneakier about...

This place can be a mirror image of Resetera sometimes. I'm still amazed people think thigh highs is censoring but I can only shitpost so much.

The bright side of it is that while yeah, it can feel like NeoGaf has just flipped extremes, the most important difference is that people are ALLOWED to discuss what they will. So in a way, this site is a mirror of ResetEra; only it's a good mirror that reflects freedom of speech as a cornerstone of its discourse rather than totalitarianism.

It sucks that people are more interested in being outraged over a mistranslation than actually talking about all of the cool things we've gotten to see, but it's not surprising. Western culture is in a volatile state on the extreme ends (though thankfully it looks to be chilling out), and worry of censorship is still a troublesome issue in our media. It's kind of ironic when ya think about the 90's and most of the 00's. I guess every generation is going to have it's pricks, shits, and pussies.

 

[Thabass]

This place can be a mirror image of Resetera sometimes. I'm still amazed people think thigh highs is censoring but I can only shitpost so much.

Not sure if you're saying I'm like them, but I think the entire situation is hilarious. I think Tifa looks great.

 

[Varteras]

The bright side of it is that while yeah, it can feel like NeoGaf has just flipped extremes, the most important difference is that people are ALLOWED to discuss what they will. So in a way, this site is a mirror of ResetEra; only it's a good mirror that reflects freedom of speech as a cornerstone of its discourse rather than totalitarianism.

Absolutely. No one here is going to be moderated or outright banned for having an opinion that goes against what is considered typical on this forum. There aren't any mods here forcing people to tow a particular view or face the consequences. People are allowed to challenge and be challenged. The problem is that most of the kind of people who frequent ResetEra don't want to come here. We're talking about anonymous people who have quite literally posted over there that they "don't feel safe" on a forum with other anonymous people because one person didn't immediately defend some transgender throwing a fit. NeoGAF isn't an echo chamber by choice. ResetEra is.

 

[Enjay]

I just want most of everyone here to know their efforts in this thread were not wasted. You are all wiser, more pragmatic, and more enlightened than the next person.

 

[D.Final]

Some new (and older) concept art. More in the link.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Concept Art Gallery

Gallery of official artwork and character pictures from Final Fantasy VII Remake.

www.creativeuncut.com

Beautiful artwork