Final Fantasy 7 Remake is now just over nine months old and since its debut on April 10, 2020, I still find myself consumed by not only the overall quality of the finished product, but also I am enamored with what the future sequel will bring to the table. I would like to see new spells and summons, be graced with a more open world, and have the move forward story be after the jaw dropping conclusion of the unreleased sequal’s predecessor. For all that information only patience will pay off in the end, but for now it is time for my personal wish list for what I would want to see in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 and, for consistency let’s keep this wishlist at seven.
More End-Game Content
I have put in around 60 or so hours of Final Fantasy 7 Remake (FF7R) so this complaint may sound a little tripe at first. Final Fantasy games are known for being large, sprawling, and full of extra hidden bosses, mini games, and secrets to uncover; you can only reach these secrets after the credits roll (or right before the final boss in some cases). So, when I finished FF7R for my first time I was left a little disappointed by the lack of extra things to do besides chapter select to clean up some of the trophies and a new game plus on hard difficulty.
Once I unlocked all the summons, fought the Marlboro and went to take on The Pride and Joy Prototype I found myself wanting more. I do understand that it would be hard to shove more content in the game due to the nature of the story and the episodic nature of the release, but I still find myself pining for new content just to live in this world a little longer.
More Open Environments
Final Fantasy 7 Remake was more linear than most Final Fantasy games, and with the Midgar section of the original title being more streamlined it makes sense that the fans couldn’t openly explore Midgar in the remake. I do feel that FF7R Part 2 can’t go in a more linear fashion, as it could potentially go down a path like Final Fantasy 13 and be heavily criticized for the majority of the game being a giant hallway until the 30 hour mark.
I think Final Fantasy is at its best when the games lets players run around and explore to their heart’s content. Right off the bat I want FF7R Part 2 to start off with the main cast in the grasslands in a large open (or semi open, like God of War 2018) world like Final Fantasy 15.
More Fleshed Out Side Quests
With a more expansive world to explore I feel that side quests could also be improved with the much-anticipated sequel. Now, I am not wanting The Witcher 3 style of quests where you can’t look at the map without being overwhelmed, but I am in favor of more quests akin to the “Johnny side story” that was an optional part of the tale in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
I found this story shed some light on the average citizen’s struggle of living in Midgar’s slums. I would love to see side quests flesh out the overall lore a bit more and see how realized this world is. From the City of “Junon” to the small villages like “Cosmo Canyon” Final Fantasy 7 had some pretty varied locals and each felt like their own little world respectively.
Adding side quests that help expand the lore and the citizens lives can help make the world feel more alive in the process.
Better NPC Animations
I may just be nit-picky here, but as I was working my way through not only the story but trophy cleanup as well, the NPCs stood out like a swollen thumb and took me out of the immersion. Faces and lip syncing didn’t match up well. I found the NPCs’ facial features also seemed flat compared to that of the main and side cast, which makes sense for a game as dense as FF7R.
However, I couldn’t help but laugh at those poor NPCs and I felt bad or doing so. Seeing the lips go all over the place and looking like an early PlayStation 3 game caught me off guard and I would love to see some improvement when it comes time to sit down and make my way through the sequel.
Yuffie and Vincent are Missable characters
I remember when I was young playing Final Fantasy 7 on my PlayStation and first finding Yuffie and being confused that I was suddenly fighting a person rather than a bug or a babushka doll. I became obsessed with her design and personality and just wanted to know more about her character. When I finally found out how to unlock her I was delighted and she became one of my favorite characters in the game.
Vincent, on the other hand, was a complete stranger to me until my second playthrough, where I heard how to unlock him. I wasn’t enamored by him as a character but was intrigued with his story. So, I thought to myself, “Eh why not,” and brought him along on my adventure. Now, I think these characters should stay missable, not only because having them can add to the replay value of FF7R 2, but it also keeps in line with the original game and can act as a sort of nod for fans of the 1997 classic.
Combat Remains the Same
As is the norm with sequels, the combat and gameplay loops are normally improved upon in some way. I do not want to see this happen with the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 for a few reasons. Firstly, if Square Enix wants to hit home with this message of an episodic series, I feel the way you grow your character with Matiera, weapon skills, and leveling should all stay the same.
Secondly, as for the gameplay itself, I found it to be perfect. Menus were quick, snappy, and easy to utilize. When you slowed down time to simulate a pseudo turn-based style of the original, it felt satisfying. Each enemy had its own way of being brought down and staggered so the gameplay loop never got stale or repetitive and I find myself still getting excited to fight well into 60 hours of the same combat loop.
Zack’s Story is Expanded
WARNING – Massive Spoilers for the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake
For long-time Final Fantasy 7 fans Zack has always been a favorite. He was teased in the original game and came to the forefront in the PlayStation Portable title Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core and has shared the spotlight with Cloud ever since. FInal Fantasy 7 Remake ends with what appears to be an alternate ending to that of Crisis Core, one where Zack survives and ushers Cloud into Midgar.
This left fans clambering for more and has spawned many theories and all I could think of in that moment was “Will we get a remake of Crisis Core?” I don’t believe that to be the case but what I would like to see is Part 2 dive deeper on this new development, maybe have Aerith reunite with her lost love, have Cloud regain his memories, and maybe have Zack as a new playable character.
I still have so many more thoughts and opinions about where the next game could go and the big question lingering in the back of my mind (and many others’ as well) is, “How many parts will this story be”. I think the sweet spot would be three, but others may believe that two would work as a duology. Whatever the opinion is, I think I can safely assume that I, among many veteran fans and newcomers, have witnessed a rebirth of a classic and the evolution of one of the most iconic gaming franchises of all time.
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