“Final Fantasy VII has a universal quality, whatever the era or continent” – Libération

What should be kept from the original, and what should be completely reinvented? Naoki Hamaguchi and Yoshinori Kitase, directors of both the historical and new versions of the game, discuss for “Libé” their respective approaches and the choices that had to be made.

In the back room of a Parisian hotel drenched in November rain, two generations of Japanese developers are waiting for us. In a blazer and striped shirt, producer Yoshinori Kitase, who is approaching sixty. Calm and collected, he became a Square Enix legend by achieving one of the company's most resounding successes at the end of the 1990s, when he took his first solo steps as director of Final Fantasy VII. He was the one who entrusted one of the most anticipated video game remakes to the talkative fortysomething who stood next to him. Naoki Hamaguchi, wearing sneakers and a sweatshirt, doesn't seem bothered by the fate of the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ship he's in charge. Received great acclaim, the first part confirms the duo in their choices. When one young man advocates tradition, the other encourages revolution.

Can you summarize? Final Fantasy VII In short, an image that captures what had to be preserved from the original when approaching this new version?

Naoki Hamaguchi: For the difference, described Thirty-seventh Like a bento box. What sets it apart is the variety of characters, mini-games, quests, and this large number of layers and little stories that make it feel like a lunch made up of different flavors. I was a student when I was originally