After the brilliant reimagining ofFinal Fantasy 7inFF7 RemakeandFF7 Rebirth, I have seen many fans asking for the same treatment to be given to one of the best games in theFinal Fantasyseries:Final Fantasy 6. Despite being a fan of the franchise, I had never playedFinal Fantasy 6until recently. After finally playing it, I realized why Square Enix seems reluctant to commit to a remake.
Last year, Yoshinori Kitase, a producer on thenewFF7sagaand the original director ofFF6and7, stated in an interview that givingFF6the same remake treatment as7could take as long as 20 years. Now that I’ve played the game, I can see where he’s coming from, especially when considering the difference in scope betweenFinal Fantasy 6and the originalFinal Fantasy 7.
FF6’s Story Is Full Of Big Events
Adapting Every Part Of Final Fantasy 6 Would Be A Massive Undertaking
Final Fantasy 6’s storyis fast-paced, and it feels like there’s always something big happening. Even when the story feels like it might slow down, a big event will happen. A good example is after Sabin, Shadow, and Cyan leave Doma. I assumed traveling to meet the rest of my party would mostly involve getting from point A to B, andI was certainly not expecting to stumble onto a ghost train that I would have to both escapeand fight just to get through the woods.
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Whenever I found myself in a new action set piece or major narrative moment, I wondered how it would be handled in anFF7-style remake. I imagined my first visit to Figaro would probably involve several side quests and maybe amini-game fromFF7 Rebirthlike Queen’s Bloodbefore the story advanced to the point where Kefka arrives and Edgar gives the order to sink the castle.I could easily see this short section of the game lasting hours in a remake.
Final Fantasy 6also spreads its attention across multiple characters’ journeys. UnlikeFinal Fantasy 7, where you spend most of your time with Cloud, there are points inFF6where you choose between multiple branching stories to follow. I was also surprised at the sheer number of characters in the game.Final Fantasy 7 RemakeandRebirthtook their time to really flesh out each party member, and if a remake ofFinal Fantasy6attempted to do the same, it would mean a much longer runtime.
FF6 Could Easily Be Stretched Across Multiple Games
Final Fantasy 6’s Story Has Enough Content For A Series Of Games
Final Fantasy 7 RemakeandRebirthboth end at major turning points from the original game’s story.Remakeends after the party leaves Midgar, andRebirthends after Aerith’s deathat the Temple of the Ancients. While I was playing throughFinal Fantasy 6, I was trying to divide the game into sections in my head and see where these good stopping points would come from. I could easily seeaFinal Fantasy 6remake stretching across three, maybe even four games, if given the same treatment asFF7.
To me, the first game’s stopping point is the hardest to pin down. Part of me thinks it would make sense to end the game when the party is split up at the Returners’ hideout because the game’s world opens up a lot after that. It would besimilar to howFF7 Remakeended after the world opened up to Midgar.However, I could also see the first game’s ending when Terra goes into her trance and then the second game’s ending when she comes out of it, so you wouldn’t have to deal with losing a party member mid-game.
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Either way, I could see a second game following the party while Terra is gone and ending when she rejoins. While you could finish the rest of the game in one installment after that, I could easily see a third game ending when Kefka betrays Gestahl and then a fourth game finishing things up. I honestly don’t see this as much of a stretchif the remake fleshed out areas like Zozo, similar to howFF7fleshed out Wall Marketor the Gold Saucer.
If Square Enix wanted to make aFinal Fantasy 6remake and give each area and character the same attention thatFinal Fantasy 7 RemakeandRebirthdo,it would require several huge games to accomplish it and about 20 years, as stated byYoshinori Kitase in an interview withJulien Chièze. Honestly, if they weren’t interested in making a potentialFF6remake as fully realized asFF7’s, I don’t see what the point would be. That said, I’m not sure aFinal Fantasy 6remake is entirely necessary, even if I would gladly sink hundreds of hours into one.
FF6 Arguably Doesn’t Need A Remake
Part Of Final Fantasy 6’s Appeal Is Its Current Form
I really enjoyed my playthrough ofFinal Fantasy 6, but part of that enjoyment came from me imagining how I would have felt had I played it for the first time when it came out in 1997. Moments like choosing what part of the story to experience or splitting between distinct parties during big fights would have felt like magic back then. And then there’s theone thing everyone mentions when discussingFinal Fantasy 6: the pixel art.
I’ve spent hours in Aesprite making sprites and maps for my TTRPG group, so I have some understanding of the basics of pixel art.Final Fantasy 6blew my mind when I saw what it did with the medium. The opera house scene sticks out to me as a clear example of how much time and effort went into perfecting the game’s art and making immersive environments despite being two-dimensional. While I have no doubt a lot of effort and creativity would go into anFF6remake, I’m not sure it would have the same effect.
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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthis beautiful, so much so that I have to imagineFinal Fantasyremakes will be using it as a reference point. While this isn’t necessarily bad,the series might end up feeling a lot more homogeneous in its visual style. I like that all the oldFinal Fantasygames have their distinct styles, and I can’t help but feel thatFinal Fantasy 6just works better as a masterclass of pixel art than it would simply copyingRebirth’s style.
Square Enix is correct in thinking that remakingFinal Fantasy 6would be a massive endeavor, especially if they want to do it right. As much as I’ve enjoyedFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, I’m not sure I need a game like it for every game in the series that I enjoy.Final Fantasy 6is still a lot of fun in its original form, and its pixel art deserves to be appreciated more than it needs to be updated.
