One of PlayStation’s Biggest Exclusives Influences Another
A lot of people loved Horizon Zero Dawn, and one of the reasons why is the world. We were given a vast, detailed, and varied world to explore, ranging from frozen tundra to temperate forests to deserts to a rainforest, and it looks like the game has influenced Final Fantasy VII Remake, one of last year’s biggest releases, as co-director Naoki Hagamuchi stated on the PlayStation Blog that the Horizon franchise was a big influence, and that the Final Fantasy Remake’s sequels will evolve along a similar path.
“Horizon Zero Dawn, the first game of the franchise, left a huge impression on me as a game creator,” Hagamuchi said. “I was taken by the deep immersive experience provided by the unbelievable graphics as well as the unique world I found myself in, a future where civilization has collapsed.”
“In the sense that the next [Horizon] title is expected to evolve even further, Final Fantasy VII Remake, which I’m in charge of is expected to do so the same way.”
Of course, a bigger world is par for the course – after all, Final Fantasy VII Remake was constrained to Midgar, whereas the sequels will explore the planet, giving us more classic locations like the Gold Saucer, Wutai, and Cosmo Canyon. We don’t know how far the next game in the series will go, or if any areas will need to be excised for the sake of getting the full story out in a timely manner – and a reasonable number of installments. The first installment was mostly linear by design, only covering the first few hours of the original game – and leaving off just as the original game opens up. However, Hagamuchi has made it clear that he wants players to experience the rest of Final Fantasy VII’s world with the same fresh eyes they did Midgar.
“In Part 2, we want to take that type of detail and allow users to experience how they experienced Midgar in the Remake but with the rest of the world.”
Does taking influence from the Horizon series give you hope for Final Fantasy VII Remake, Part 2? Let us know in the comments, on Twitter, or on Facebook.