Everything We Know About Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2

To many fans, Final Fantasy VII Remake is the ultimate showcase of nostalgia. The remake retells the story of Cloud, Aerith, Barret, and Tifa while featuring enhanced visuals, new mechanics, and a more modern feel, breathing new life into the beloved RPG. The odd thing about this 2020 remake is that it only covers a small portion of the original game. Final Fantasy VII Remake lasts around 40 hours and takes place during the Midgar section, which is — comparatively speaking — a minor section from the PlayStation classic.

Because of this, developer Square Enix intends to release multiple parts to wrap up the entire story — culminating in a large, overarching saga. While most of the plans for this full project probably haven’t been ironed out just yet, we do know we’ll be getting a follow-up, colloquially referred to as Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 (though it’s uncertain if that will end up being its official name). It’s not entirely clear how much of this original game this new installment will cover or whether additional installments will release after it.

Release date

Yuffie from Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Currently, there’s no word on when we’ll get to play Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2. The first part of the remake saga was infamous for its long development cycle, so fans were worried the next installment would be in the same boat. While it’s likely Part 2 will have a much shorter development cycle than the first one, you shouldn’t expect to play it until at least 2022. Up until this point, Square Enix hasn’t given us an official look at the upcoming sequel, so it’s likely still a ways off.

The bright side is that Square Enix already has a lot of the groundwork laid out, thanks to the first part, so it shouldn’t take as long as some would expect. Development on the second part had already begun in 2019, and although it was in pre-production then, two years is plenty of time to make significant progress. Considering Square Enix already has an idea for what the Final Fantasy VII Remake saga should look like, many are hoping for the company to be able to crank out each installment much faster.

According to a Famitsu interview (as relayed by ComicBook) with the game’s producer Yoshinori Kitase last year, development on Part 2 is well underway. “Development for [Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2] is progressing smoothly. However, please wait a bit longer for more details.”

“My aspirations, not just in 2021 but beyond, will be how the story will broaden from here on out. It’s so exciting that I can’t even imagine what it will be like.”

Platforms

Final Fantasy VII Remake and its Intergrade enhanced edition are both exclusive to PlayStation systems currently. The verbiage leading up to the game’s initial launch is that it would be a timed exclusive, though it’s not quite clear which additional platforms the first remake will come to. With that in mind, the same logic can be applied to Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2.

It’ll be available for PlayStation and possibly other platforms later down the line. Fans are hoping it’ll be available on PC and Xbox consoles, but given the saga’s history thus far, it’s tough to say if this will come to be. The original 1997 Final Fantasy VII was always associated with PlayStation, and it seems Square Enix is sticking close to that idea with the remakes.

Trailer

Main characters from Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. — Square Enix

There isn’t a trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 at this time. In attempts to not repeat the same mistakes from the first part’s marketing cycle, Square Enix is likely waiting until Part 2 is further along to show it off for the first time. As you might recall, the first installment of the remake saga was shown in 2015 but underwent many developmental changes after its reveal.

In fact, it was originally supposed to be created by CyberConnect2 before Square Enix brought it in-house. All of that is to say that we’ll likely see a trailer for Part 2 much closer to release, possibly next year sometime. Some speculate a trailer for it could be shown at The Game Awards 2021, though it’s tough to say for certain.

Gameplay

Cloud from Final Fantasy VII Remake. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The gameplay introduced in Final Fantasy VII Remake was substantially different from the original. It removed the strictly turn-based combat in favor of a real-time action/menu-based system that felt modern while calling back to its roots.

During a CEDEC interview with producer Yoshinori Kitase and co-director Naoki Hamaguchi (as translated by Twitter user @aitaikimochi), Square hinted at possible changes to the combat in Part 2. “A word that pops into mind is ‘action battle,'” Hamaguchi said. “They experienced a new type of action battle system, and they want to contribute to the system too,” he added, in reference to the fans who played the first remake installment.

When asked about the new staff working on Part 2, Hamaguchi said, “They definitely contribute different ideas that will hopefully allow us to create new surprises to the battle system as well!”

With Part 2 taking place after Midgar, the game will open up a lot more, so you should expect a less linear design than in the first remake. Based on what Square Enix has said, it seems like Part 2 will almost feel like an open-world game. “The next installment will involve Cloud and company to leave Midgar and explore the world map,” Hamaguchi told IGN. “Our next challenge will be to create gameplay that leverages the vastness of the world, unlike what we did in this current title.”

Part 2 will also carry over some of the new elements introduced in the remake’s Intermission DLC. During an interview with The Washington Post, Hamaguchi referenced one of these features. “Additionally, with Intermission, there’s another element introduced: Combo movies where Yuffie and Sonon team up … which makes for a different feel in battle strategy. I would like to leverage these, including other elements we tried out in Intermission, in our next story.”

The first remake took many liberties and featured lots of changes from the 1997 original. Players should expect lots of changes with Part 2, too, not just in the gameplay but narratively as well. “Although those who played the original game know the story, they’re probably thinking what will happen now?” Kitase said during the CEDEC interview. “We want to create something that can surprise them and that they can enjoy that lives up to their expectations. We did something similar in part 1.”

Beyond a handful of interviews here and there, Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 is a mysterious game that has far more questions attached to it than answers. How will the progression from the first part work? Will your characters’ levels reset in Part 2? What will be the pricing model for each subsequent part? How many parts will there be? When will they all launch? Will the story of the entire saga mostly stick to that of the original?

However Part 2 turns out, it’s shaping up to be a fitting continuation that borrows elements from the first installment while implementing new ideas. It seems Square Enix wants to keep the same general themes and story beats from the original 1997 release, but with many differences and improvements to allow it to stand on its own in a modern sense.

Multiplayer

The original Final Fantasy VII from 1997 was a strictly single-player experience, as was the first remake from 2020, so it’s highly unlikely the next installment will have any multiplayer modes. Square Enix has said Part 2 will differ from the original, but we doubt it’ll go as far as having a multiplayer component. For a Final Fantasy multiplayer experience, Final Fantasy XIV is the go-to option right now.

DLC

The Final Fantasy games do have a history of including DLC, especially with recent entries. The most relevant example is the Yuffie DLC that was added to Final Fantasy VII Remake alongside the Intergrade version of the game. But aside from large story additions like that, the game has also received a fair share of cosmetic and gameplay items as downloadable content. With that in mind, it’s highly likely Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 will include DLC of some kind — it’s just too early to know for sure at this point.

It may come with some nifty pre-order bonuses that grant in-game items or something similar. While it’s still too early to know, it’s a safe bet the next installment will feature DLC. Perhaps it will lead into the third installment like the Yuffie DLC did to bridge the gap from part 1 to part 2.

Pre-order

Again, since we haven’t even gotten an official reveal trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2, it isn’t available to pre-order just yet. Once the game has its first major showing, it’s possible it’ll be available to pre-order depending on the route Square Enix is taking with the marketing. We’ll update this post when pre-orders go live.