Both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 15 succeeded in their own ways to take the classic Final Fantasy style and bring it to modern gaming with fun, flashy, narrative heavy experiences. However, while the new remake clearly learned from Final Fantasy 15, adopting a few features from its predecessor could make both the current release of Final Fantasy 7 and the upcoming part 2 really resonate with fans.
One of these features in particular is the way that Final Fantasy 15 gives players the ability to change not only Noctis' costume, but also the rest of the party as well. This naturally wouldn't be quite as simple as throwing new clothes on Final Fantasy 7 Remake's characters, requiring new models and rigging to be prepared for each new costume. Regardless, some of the models that should be usable already exist, and new costumes would make replaying chapters, playing through new game plus, and taking on the hard mode much more enjoyable.
Reinvent the 23 Year Old Title
Final Fantasy 7 Remake certainly doesn't look or play like the original, but it still holds onto the style first crafted 23 years ago, complete with HD remodeled versions of the original outfits. It's not like Square Enix could have gotten away with going too far with redesigning Final Fantasy 7's classic characters, so everyone has a very familiar look for veteran players. However, with the emphasis that the game has on replay value, allowing customization in both the first playthrough as well as after clearing the game could help reinvent some of these characters.
The option for customization can allow players who want a pure experience that better resembles the original to keep their looks classic, while newer and more expressive players can choose how they look throughout the game. This is something that doesn't even need to wait until part 2 of the remake eventually releases, but can be added to improve the experience by tweaking Final Fantasy 7 Remake's first episode. Of course, this is a fairly big ask of Square Enix, expecting the developer to fiddle with an already finished title, although some of that completed content would be one of the best options available for customization.
Reuse the Dresses
One of the most anticipated features that players were excited to see come to Final Fantasy 7 Remake was the HD remake of Cloud's dress, which Square Enix went above and beyond with by granting players 3 dress options. Similarly, Aerith and Tifa were also given three dresses, each one getting an HD touchup of their original outfits from the Don Corneo section, plus two completely knew dress options. At the moment, these nine dresses both fit the scene from the original, as well as providing a bit of fan service by focusing so highly on the new character models that bring this famous scene into modern gaming.
Unfortunately, beyond Chapter 9, the dresses are no longer available, with Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa all discarding the special outfits for the rest of the game after finishing the first Don Corneo sequence. Adding a customization option could make the work that went into designing these dresses pay off in a huge way, as players have already shown an interest in playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake in Cloud's dress. It's a silly moment from the original that is made even more playful in the remake, and considering the tone of both versions, keeping that silliness wouldn't feel too out of place.
Lean into the Silly
The original Final Fantasy 7 is well known for its story and the serious concepts that are explored such as Cloud's identity crisis, the environmental impact of Shinra, and the death of Aerith. However, most of these moments only resonate so well with players because of how well those fans connect with the colorful cast of characters met throughout the game. Players feel the loss of Aerith because she had been so charming when she first hires Cloud as a bodyguard with a date, and they care about the fight against Shinra because the boisterous, badmouthed Barret is so emphatically against them.
These silly moments are as important to the story as the hard hitting plot-heavy points that veteran players remembered in the first place when asking for Final Fantasy 7 to be remade. So, leaning in on that silliness means that adding crazy ways for players to customize the characters they're playing as can really only improve the already silly experience of the game. This is something that worked perfectly in the most recent title in the series, by letting players dress up Final Fantasy 15's playable party in everything from alien suits to a Nissin Cup Noodle helmet.
Setup Some Crossovers
Looking back at how Final Fantasy 15 utilized these new costumes, the cosmetic customization often lent itself to both DLC options as well as special events and crossovers, like the Assassin's Creed festival. In a game that often leaned almost too far towards the serious side of storytelling, giving players silly costumes added some much needed moments of levity that didn't appear to often outside of side missions. This same feature that let players fiddle with Final Fantasy 15's characters could easily give Final Fantasy 7 Remake the same opportunity to crossover with other games and series milestones.
One opportunity in particular could include other places where Cloud has appeared in the past few years, like a Super Smash Bros. event if the game ever makes it to Switch. Considering how random the Assassin's Creed festival was, there clearly doesn't even have to be that strong of a connection between Final Fantasy and the other series, as Square Enix seems fairly open to partnering with most developers. However, connecting the ongoing Final Fantasy 7 Remake with other titles like Final Fantasy 16 could be a huge opportunity to keep the success of this remake going strong for the developer.
The opportunities really are endless, with future parts even being able to push the implementation of this feature further as players continue through Final Fantasy 7's original story. This customization and these crossover events could even go towards the multiplayer fans want in Final Fantasy 7 Remake's future parts, another feature that the game should borrow from its predecessor.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now for PS4.