As one would expect, game developers aren’t just excited by the titles they’re developing; they have opinions on the releases of other creators as well. Understanding this, Sony recently sat down with several developers to find out what theirmost anticipated games for 2021and beyond are, along with what games inspired them to do what they do. One of these developers happened to be Naoki Hamaguchi, one of three co-directors for Square Enix’sFinal Fantasy 7 Remake.
In his statement on the PlayStation Blog post, Hamaguchi discussed his love for Guerrilla Games’Horizonseries and how it inspired his work onFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. According to him,Horizon: Zero Dawnleft a lasting impression with its unbelievable graphics and unique take on the post-apocalyptic setting. Because of this, Hamaguchi is looking forward toHorizon: Forbidden Westand wants to evolveFinal Fantasy 7 Remake’s currently untitled second part in a similar fashion.
RELATED:PlayStation Blog Highlights Developers' Most Anticipated Games
Hamaguchi didn’t say which elements ofForbidden Westhe wants to apply toFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, but he’s likely interested in its non-linear storytelling. In an interview with Game Informer last year, Hamaguchi said the originalFinal Fantasy 7didn’t utilize open-ended storytelling until afterMidgar’s first visit. Because of this,Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s part 1, which only covers the first Midgar visit, sticks to linear storytelling with a few exceptions here and there.
If non-linear storytelling is what Hamaguchi is interested in, then players will likely see many more open-world elements inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake’s part 2 than in part 1. Hamaguchi has more opportunities to add them now that Square Enix has gotten the first part of Midgar out of the way and opened up the rest of the world toCloudand his team. That said,Remake’s formula for open-ended features likely won’t change too much, and it’ll still stick to placing them at narratively suitable intervals to keep the story’s tension.
Conceivably, more information on bothFinal Fantasy 7 Remake’s part 2 and Guerrilla gamesForbidden Westwill arrive soon. At the moment, there’s not much information available for either title. The news fans thought would come from the recentFinal Fantasy 7orchestra didn’t happen, and only recently didGuerrilla shift focus to working onForbidden West. It would certainly be interesting to hear what Hamaguchi’s co-directors Tetsuya Nomura and Motomu Toriyama want to do with the title as well.
Final Fantasy 7 Remakeis available now on PS4.
MORE:How ‘Ever Crisis’ Could Be Related to Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core
