'FF7 Remake' Game Awards trailer is flashy but underwhelming

The much-anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake for the PlayStation 4 is only months away and Square Enix gave fans another glimpse of the title at the Game Awards Thursday. The teaser solely focused on Cloud Strife, the 1997 RPG’s angsty, blonde protagonist but not much else. This is slightly concerning for a game announced five years ago and set to launch in March 3, 2020.

Square Enix has trickled information about its upcoming title, since announcing the project at E3 2015. Instead of being a full remake of the classic PS1 game, the FFVII Remake will be more of a “part one” and will tske place entirely in Midgar, the opening city of the original.

This episodic approach should, in theory, let Square Enix perfect the first segment of the game for modern consoles. However, it’s hard not feel like the development process has held back gameplay and story teasers in favor of flashy cut-scenes that might be creating hype now but leaves launch date uncertainties.

Everything that Square Enix has shown off so far appears to be set in the first couple of hours of FFVII, when Cloud and the other characters are plotting to destroy the Shinra Mako reactor in Midgar. That’s awfully conservative for a title that already exists and that’s reboot has been underway for at least five years now.

As someone who never played the 1997 title, it feels like the FFVII Remake will be more of a anime action movie than a homage to a legendary RPG title. Early impressions of the game’s combat system have been mostly positive, but it seems like Square Enix is hiding behind a veil of showy cinematics to me. But long-time fans of the game don’t seem concerned.

A majority of the reactions on the Final Fantasy subreddit were glowing. Many Redditors expressed that the trailer gave them unbridled nostalgia.

“I feel 10 years old all over again,” commented /u/N2Gen.

The FFVII Remake trailer was one of the headlining reveals at the 2019 Game Awards. The annual event has grown has grown exponentially since its 2015 debut, with the 2018 show attracting upward of 26 million viewers and more than 10 million online votes. (For comparison, this year’s Oscars drew 29 million viewers.)

The ceremony — was aired on 50 different platforms include Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Mixer, among others — included 30 categories that spanned a variety of video game genres. There were technical awards for standout elements like sound design and honors for content creators and esports athletes. Some 107 different games, individuals, and teams were nominated this year.

Final Fantasy VII Remake, or at least the first part anyway, will be released on the PlayStation 4 March 3, 2020.