Square Enix

A remake that argues with the original instead of reproducing it: Square Enix keeps reinterpreting its own history.

The Japanese company is one of the defining developers and publishers of the role playing game in its Japanese tradition. Final Fantasy VII Remake shows the approach in concentrated form: a celebrated work rebuilt at a much larger scale, with combat redesigned around real time action and a structure that treats fidelity as a subject rather than an obligation.

Background and Influences

The company was formed by the merger of two rival role playing game developers, and it carries both traditions: one built on cinematic ambition and technological display, the other on accessibility and humour. Its long running series changes cast, setting and systems with each entry, keeping only recurring motifs, a decision unusual for a franchise of that size.

Style and Themes

Recurring subjects: ecological collapse, corporations acting as states, and young protagonists carrying grief they have not yet named. Presentation is maximal, with orchestral scoring and long cinematic sequences. Combat systems are reinvented rather than iterated, so consecutive entries can play almost nothing alike. Its cities are treated as real places with slums, infrastructure and class divisions.

Legacy and Influence

Its output shaped what a generation understood a role playing game to be, particularly outside Japan, where its releases were many players' first exposure to the form. The company's willingness to rebuild a beloved work rather than restore it has reopened a broad debate about what a remake owes its source.

Who Should Explore Their Work

For players who want spectacle, melodrama and an unapologetically long story. A reasonable entry point for newcomers to the Japanese role playing tradition, since each entry stands alone rather than requiring the others.