Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director's respect for the original JRPG's source material was influenced by a Disney live-action remake
Feb. 24, 2024When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’sdirector has credited an unlikely live-actionDisneyremake for inspiring the team’s work on reimagining the classic 1997 JRPG.
“We didn’t really know how much we needed to change or how much we needed to keep the same,” Hamaguchi explains. “So while I was wondering about that and the best approach, I saw Beauty and the Beast, and I was very impressed because I was trying to do something very similar.”
Square Enixdevelopers have previously spoken about waiting to remake the classic until the production values could be on par with the CGIAdvent Children film, which is an ideal that seemingly strengthened after Disney’s remake conveyor belt. “The idea was the same, to reinvent and try to take an old style of animation and work it in a much more realistic style,” Hamaguchi continues. “It was a great clue and a great help.”
Of course, Final Fantasy 7 Remake wasn’t just an upscaled version of the original game - it significantly changed key moments in the story, almost serving as an alternative universe sequel in the process. Will the other parts of this remake trilogy operate differently? Who knows? But ourFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth reviewhad glowing praise for the sequel, despite some convoluted moments.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 is already in the early stages of development, according to the director.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.
OG FF7 director says thanks to the remake “half of Final Fantasy 7 […] is now owned by the fans”
Final Fantasy 7 Remake director had to swap his inspirations from The Last of Us to The Witcher 3 to make Rebirth’s open world
Todd Howard “rolled his eyes” at the idea of Troy Baker playing Indiana Jones in the Great Circle, but the Bethesda boss later told him “you’re doing a hell of a job”
