Square Enix proved that even in a year as dour as 2020, dreams could still come true. Final Fantasy 7 Remake was everything fans could have hoped for and more. The excitement people have for future entries is on par with walking out of theaters after watching the first movie of a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Everybody has their own ideas on where it should go, of course. Some fans actually want the sequel to go the open-world route, while others feel like it is a bad idea. Arguments can be presented for both sides, as they each have their pros and cons.
10 Should: The World Map
Final Fantasy 7 Remake ends with Cloud and the party leaving Midgar and heading into the unknown. It has not been revealed how closely the next chapter will follow the original game, but either way, they are now out in the world.
It only makes sense for the world map to be represented by an open-world environment in the next game. However, it could split the difference and be like Pulse in Final Fantasy 13.
9 Should Not: Final Fantasy 15
The first Final Fantasy to truly do an open-world design was Final Fantasy 15, though prior entries dabbled with it. The 15th numbered entry polarized fans for several reasons. If the next Final Fantasy 7 Remake title is an open-world title, will the developer take the lessons learned from the mainline entry, or will it repeat many of the same mistakes?
Logistically, fitting nine party members into a vehicle would be funny to see.
8 Should: A Logical Evolution
With each sequel, a franchise has to evolve in some way. Final Fantasy 7 Remake had side quests and let players explore the environment. Putting this similar formula into an honest open-world map only seems like the logical next step.
With more varied towns and open areas, it only feels right to make the game more open. For a similar comparison, look at Batman: Arkham Asylum and its sequel, Arkham City.
7 Should Not: Might Make The Graphics Worse
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is one of the most beautiful PS4 games. Upon playing, it is easy to understand why. Despite the side quests and bonus content, many of the environments are small, shuffling the characters through corridors.
Would opening up the game come at the cost of visual fidelity? Perhaps, but maybe the new hardware could make bigger areas look just as mesmerizing. Do Final Fantasy fans care more about graphics or open environments?
6 Should: More Interesting Side Quests
Considering its density, Final Fantasy 7 Remake has a surprising amount of side quests. Some are significantly better than others. With an open-world map, the developer would have more opportunities to craft a larger variety of side quests.
However, some players do not care about side content. Therefore, better or worse side quests in the sequel would not steer them either way. It is interesting to think about some of the NPCs from the original game being quest givers.
5 Should Not: It Could Make The Structure Wonky
Many open-world games suffer from structure and pacing issues. Since the player often has control over how fast the story progresses, it can sometimes feel too long and drawn out.
While Final Fantasy 7 Remake has some pacing issues, with certain segments overstaying their welcome, at least it does not have too many side quests to the point where you could spend days without going through any story beats. An open-world game could make pacing an even bigger issue.
4 Should: Showing Off The PS5
Final Fantasy 7 Remake uses a lot of tricks to hide load times. You’ll find yourself pushing through small nooks and crannies and slowly walking as dialogue plays out. With the PS5’s SSD significantly cutting down on load times, perhaps an open-world game is possible without the hindrance of constant loading.
With the new hardware, the game could also be bigger and look better. Spider-Man: Miles Morales already shows how quickly an open-world game boots up on the new console.
3 Should Not: Balancing Combat
Another problem many open-world games run into is balancing difficulty. It is extremely easy to become overpowered in titles like Ghost of Tsushima and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, making combat a non-issue.
There are definitely ways around this, especially in an RPG where stats play such a huge part, but it can also ruin enjoyment if the issue is not tackled. Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s combat is particularly great, so the sequel will likely have equally enticing battles.
2 Should: Could Fix Some Problems With The First Game
As great as Final Fantasy 7 Remake is, some fans still have problems with it, mainly the pacing and length. Depending on how it is structured, making the sequel an open-world game could remedy this issue. Many giant RPGs have relatively short main stories, with dozens upon dozens of hours of extra content.
If going through the next game’s story only took between 15 and 20 hours but the map provided between 60 and 70 hours of gameplay, both types of fans would be happy.
1 Should Not: How Would It Work?
If the next game is going for an open-world approach, then how exactly will it work? Will the map be the whole planet or will it just be a small section? It is still not known how many parts this remake will be or the sequel’s runtime.
If it is the whole world, then will all subsequent games use the same map? Wouldn’t this grow tiring after a while? These are all issues the developer is most likely working out now.
