Square Enix recently released the Inside Final Fantasy VII Rebirth series, a set of four videos detailing the development of the second game in the remake trilogy of Final Fantasy VII which gave some insight into design choices and shared anecdotes about the making of the game from developers and voice actors.
One of the most interesting stories from the series comes in the fourth video, Voicing Icons, from Critical Role Dungeon Master and voice actor Matthew Mercer, who plays Vincent Valentine in Rebirth. He said that the role had been a dream of his since he first became a voice actor, and wanted the part very badly.
Some of the production members knew how much the part meant to him, and brought him in for what he was told were background voices and NPCs. Partway through the recording session, the screen appeared to glitch and revealed that he would actually be playing Vincent.
“They revealed to me in-session that I was actually there to record Vincent instead of these background characters, and it kind of broke me in a beautiful way,” Mercer said. “I think that’s going to be a particular memory that I carry with me for a very, very long time.”
Another fun anecdote is found in the third episode, New Friends & Foes, which talks about how the team found the look for the quadrupedal Red XIII’s chocobo riding. Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura specifically requested that he did not sit down, but needed to hold the reins. The team created a series of poses, and Nomura personally selected the one to make it into the final game.
Another area in which Nomura was consulted was the length and style of Cid’s facial hair, as many believe that he is middle-aged when he is really only in his early 30s. Dai Suzuki, the main character modeler and lead character artist, said that they wanted to address the gap between the character’s perception and real status.
Going back to the first episode, Shaping the World, the team said that they knew they would need to give special attention to the iconic Gold Saucer area, as its atmosphere and wide selection of minigames is one of the most memorable parts for fans of the original game.
They wanted to update what would be considered a cutting-edge theme park for modern times so that players would still be impressed by what it had to offer. The basic music remained the same, but the team created a dynamic system that would change its volume and direction depending on where the player was for a greater sense of immersion.
The highlight of Episode 2, Friends of Fate, involves the evolution of Tifa and Aerith’s relationship between Remake and Rebirth. A senior programmer got the sense that the two characters did not get along during the first game, which was not the intent while writing their relationship. Rebirth has a greater focus on their friendship with the goal to clear up any confusion on their relationship.
The full series delves deeper into the development process of different aspects of the game, and provides insight into the main characters from the actors who portray them. The full videos can be found on Square Enix’s YouTube channel.