New Record-Breaking Final Fantasy 7 Remake Ad Takes on the Game's Impact

A new ad for Final Fantasy VII Remake, the upcoming, uh, remake of Final Fantasy VII by Square Enix for PlayStation 4, is reportedly the longest ad to ever air on Japanese television. The 7-minute ad is now available online, and it gets even better: there's a 13-minute version with several scenes that were cut from the TV version of the ad.

The ad, which is all in Japanese, reportedly (again, Japanese, which I do not know) follows a man that's never played Final Fantasy VII as he discovers the impact of the game on his partner as well as the unexpected connections to his own life beyond that. In the end, he decides to get a PlayStation 4 in order to play Final Fantasy VII Remake together with her.

The 13-minute ad is much the same, but features overall more content than the shorter 7-minute ad. Both are nostalgic while also looking to the future of the franchise and game, which is an interesting combination, and largely works on an emotional level alone despite the fact that I don't understand Japanese. If you've got any attachment to the original game, it'll likely only be even more impactful.

What do you think of the new ad for Final Fantasy VII Remake? Is this the sort of thing you'd be interested in seeing publishers do in the future, or does it only work because Final Fantasy VII is... well, Final Fantasy VII? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

Final Fantasy VII Remake is scheduled to launch on March 3, 2020 for PlayStation 4. It's currently unclear exactly how many games the Final Fantasy VII Remake will be comprised of, as it's known that it will be releasing in distinct chunks. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the title right here.