A lot is riding onFinal Fantasy 7 RemakePart 3. Not quite a true remake of the 1997 original, the first part of theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeproject left a lot of plot threads hanging in its final chapter, and whilethis year’sFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthtied a few of those loose ends up, its own final moments brought up some brand new questions. Now, it’s up toFinal Fantasy 7 RemakePart 3 to bring everything together in a cohesive, satisfying way, which is much easier said than done.
But bringing the saga’s ridiculously complex narrative to a satisfying conclusion isn’tFinal Fantasy 7 RemakePart 3’s only worry. With each part in theFF7 Remakeproject seemingly taking a few years to develop and release, fans will be expecting some sizable improvements to gameplay for Part 3, just as they did withRebirth. And when it comes to adapting and evolving the mechanics found in the 1997 original’s final act,Final Fantasy 7 RemakePart 3 needs to be careful not to repeat aStarfieldmistake.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Can’t Fall Into a Starfield Traversal Trap
Starfield’s Traversal Leaned Too Heavily on Fast Travel
One of the most common criticisms surroundingStarfieldupon its launch last year was its overreliance on fast travel. Over the last few years, Sci-Fi games have handled space exploration and traversal in a variety of different ways, but arguably it’s at its most engaging when players can seamlessly traverse between different planets and space. For instance,games likeNo Man’s SkyandStar Citizenallow players to manually enter a planet’s atmosphere and control exactly where they land.
Unfortunately,Starfield’s ship traversalis much more restrictive. Upon entering their ship, players can press a button to take off, which will present them with a brief cutscene and a loading screen. Once in space, they’ll be able to select a planet to warp to, which brings up another cinematic and loading screen.
Finally, approaching a planet and pressing the button to land will initiate another loading screen. While players can skip a few steps by just fast-traveling directly to another planet, this approach makesStarfield’s universe feel surprisingly small, and the constant interruptions of loading screens and menu navigation don’t do a great job of immersing the player in the world.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3’s Highwind Needs to be Fully Controllable
In the final act ofthe original 1997Final Fantasy 7, players get to control the gigantic Highwind airship. Players can freely fly the Highwind acrossFinal Fantasy 7’s map, manually landing it wherever they’d like.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s next entry must capture this feature from the original game and unlikeStarfieldit needs to ensure that players are in full control of the ship at all times and can manually explore the world with it with no loading screens cutting immersion off abruptly.
InFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, players are given brief control overthe Tiny Bronco airplanewhile it’s on its way to Cosmo Canyon. However, all players can do is move the plane slightly while it travels forward on its predetermined path. Players have a bit more control over the Tiny Bronco when it becomes a boat, as players can use it to freely explore the waters surrounding Costa del Sol, and dock at different optional areas dotted around the coast. An important part ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthwas how it evolved the original’s open world, and Part 3 needs to do the same for the original’s flight mechanics.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
WHERE TO PLAY
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE expands upon and reimagines the spectacular world of the original PlayStation® game. It covers up through the escape from Midgar and is the first game in the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE project. INTERGRADE is a bundle that includes both REMAKE and FF7R EPISODE INTERmission (the new story content featuring Yuffie). In her episode, play as the spirited ninja after she arrives in Midgar. There, she and another Wutaian operative are to rendezvous with Avalanche HQ, infiltrate the Shinra Building, and steal the conglomerate’s most powerful materia.
