Final Fantasy 7 Remake Developers Reveal How Manga Inspired Boss Battles

One of the major changes in Final Fantasy VII Remake from the original video game, which is [...]

By Rollin Bishop

One of the major changes in Final Fantasy VII Remake from the original video game, which is obvious from the moment you look at how it plays, is combat. Whereas the original Final Fantasy VII used an Active Time Battle (ATB) system which had players basically make choices in menus for the most part, Remake seems to be a much more action-oriented video game by design. A new behind-the-scenes video gets into everything combat in the updated version of the game, and it even reveals a somewhat shocking influence by manga, of all things.

"Although I am not sure if this is known internationally, the basic concept of the battle sequence comes from the idea which you can see in a 4-frame manga style in Japan," lead battle designer Tomotaka Shiroichi says near the end of the most recent behind-the-scenes video while talking about boss battles in Final Fantasy VII Remake. "It follows introduction, middle part, development, and conclusion."

"Encounter the enemy and start the battle in Phase 1, and show each other's hand and the boss takes lead in Phase 2," he continues. "In Phase 3, the boss shows you the signature attacks, and the players start fighting back. That's when bosses start revealing their weaknesses. Phase 4 is the climax and introduces the next part of the storyline. Basically, boss battles are key events which connect different parts within the story. Each battle should follow these four steps, and each phase should contain 'Jo-Ha-Kyu,' which means slow start, swift break, and rapid end."

You can watch the whole thing below:

What do you think of what we've seen of Final Fantasy VII Remake so far? Are you excited to check it out when it releases next week? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

Here's how Square Enix describes Final Fantasy VII Remake on its official website:

"The world has fallen under the control of the Shinra Electric Power Company, a shadowy corporation controlling the planet's very life force as mako energy.

"In the sprawling city of Midgar, an anti-Shinra organization calling themselves Avalanche have stepped up their resistance. Cloud Strife, a former member of Shinra's elite SOLDIER unit now turned mercenary, lends his aid to the group, unaware of the epic consequences that await him.

"The story of this first, standalone game in the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE project covers up to the party's escape from Midgar, and goes deeper into the events occurring in Midgar than the original FINAL FANTASY VII."

Final Fantasy VII Remake is currently scheduled to launch on April 10th for PlayStation 4. Retail copies of the game could potentially be delayed thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, however, though it would now appear that the opposite is also true in some areas. 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.

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