Square Enix is bringing Final Fantasy 7 Remake to the Tokyo Game Show 2019 convention in a big way. Not only will the remade JRPG be available to play on the TGS showfloor, but Square Enix also has a brand new Final Fantasy 7 Remake trailer. The trailer introduces a range of new Final Fantasy 7 Remake Reintroducing Familiar Characters at TGS. It also introduces two other significant characters - Ifrit and Shiva.
Ifrit and Shiva, for those who aren't familiar with the Final Fantasy franchise, aren't characters in the traditional sense. They're more like mythical figures from each individual game's lore. Each game typically explains what they are in a different way, but most all of them build to the same idea. That idea being that Ifrit and Shiva are "summons," or figures that can be brought into a fight on behalf of an in-game character to serve their will.
In Final Fantasy 7, summons come in the form of Materia. Materia are equippable items that can even be leveled. When their Materia is equipped, summons can be cast like spells and most often do massive amounts of damage of a certain elemental type. Ifrit is the Final Fantasy franchise's most common fire summon and Shiva's element is ice. Ifrit and Shiva are the two most commonly included summons from the Final Fantasy franchise, game to game.
It's no surprise then that the first two summons from Final Fantasy 7 Remake to be shown publically are Ifrit and Shiva. In the original Final Fantasy 7, Ifrit is a muddy brown satyr-like being with huge horns that casts Hellfire. In Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Ifrit's been updated to be a huge, firey elemental. He doesn't have as large of horns, but his toothy smile makes up for it. Shiva in the original Final Fantasy 7 is a blue-skinned woman with a ponytail who casts Diamond Dust. Final Fantasy 7 Remake's version of Shiva is similar in that regard, but her clothes are much more fantastical and she's been given more fae or elven-like qualities.
Exact recreation of the original Final Fantasy 7's summons is likely a low priority for Square Enix. What's important is to create awesome-looking characters with spell effects that look strong and beautiful. Square Enix has also obviously gone out of its way to maintain the looks of the original game's summons where it fits. But it's clearly more than comfortable changing things as necessary. Ifrit looks much different. Shiva looks strikingly similar. They'll still be bringing the Hellfire and Diamond Dust.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake releases March 3, 2020 on PS4.