"The ti feels just about right, doesn't it?"
Takayuki glanced at the clock on his computer, silently doing the math. Then he opened the official Gastar Electronic Entertainnt website and navigated to the Final Fantasy section.
The Final Fantasy discussion board was one of the top five most active on Gastar's forums.
Among them, Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X were the hottest topics by far.
After that ca Final Fantasy XII, which also gained massive popularity. But instead of continuing the main story arc with direct sequels, the franchise shifted toward spin-offs.
Later titles included Dissidia Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Type-0, and other subtitle-bearing entries.
These gas moved away from the classic turn-based chanics in favor of more action-packed, real-ti combat systems. With over a dozen releases, the Final Fantasy series remained widely loved and widely discussed.
Even now, players continued to share discoveries and hidden secrets from the gas.
As gas beca larger in scope, it wasn't just graphics and sound design that improved—developers could now stuff them with tons of extra content.
Easter eggs had beco a fan favorite.
Both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII had loads of these carefully hidden extras, and hunting them down had beco a beloved part of the fan experience.
"Final Fantasy VII's section isn't as lively as it used to be, huh?"
Takayuki clicked into the FF7 subforum. The most recent post was from over a week ago.
"Well, it is a ga from over a decade ago. You can't expect the hype to last forever."
Ayaka Tsukino walked up beside him, placing a bento box in front of him.
"Here—your lunch."
Takayuki opened the lid. It was beautifully prepared, bursting with color and flavor, clearly crafted with care.
After she fell in love with him, Ayaka had thrown herself into learning how to cook—though not because she aspired to be a traditional housewife. Rather, she simply wanted the person she loved to enjoy sothing she had made with her own hands. It gave her the sa satisfaction as completing a perfectly executed role-playing quest.
Takayuki savored the al, visibly enjoying it while still watching his screen.
"But Final Fantasy VII still has a loyal fanbase. It's just that all these new titles are distracting people from the older ones."
"Hm? From the sound of it, are you thinking of doing another Final Fantasy VII project?"
Takayuki didn't give a direct answer. Instead, he turned to Ayaka and asked, "What do you think? If I did, would it still be popular?"
"Absolutely," Ayaka nodded firmly.
Final Fantasy VII was one of her all-ti favorites too.
In all of RPG history, her number one love would always be Dragon Quest—it was the first ga that pulled her into the world of RPGs. But Final Fantasy ranked a close second.
She'd worked with Takayuki on the developnt of Final Fantasy VII, and during that ti, she had begged him over and over to change the ending. She loved the story too much to accept how it ended. More than anything, she wanted it to have a happy conclusion.
She didn't want Aerith to die. She wanted the world to thrive.
Then, when Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII ca out, she'd hoped—desperately—that Zack wouldn't die either.
She was a diehard Zack x Aerith shipper. Every ti she saw the final letter Aerith wrote to Zack, her heart ached.
It was one of the rare ga scenes that hit her with real, overwhelming emotion.
Now, hearing Takayuki's hint that the story might continue, her curiosity was instantly piqued.
"Alright then, tell —who's going to die this ti?"
Takayuki sighed, half-laughing. "Why do you always go straight to that?"
"Because it's not a Final Fantasy ga unless you kill off a beloved character," she teased.
Takayuki shook his head. "Character death is a narrative device. But not all emotional impact cos from tragedy. I don't kill off characters just for the shock—I do it only when the story calls for it."
Ayaka nodded. "Okay, that I agree with. If it ever felt like you were just killing soone for cheap drama, I'd team up with Airi Hayasawa and beat you to a pulp."
Takayuki cringed at the thought.
Airi's iron fists were no joke—especially coming from a family of kendo masters.
"Rember what I once told you and Airi, back when we were first working on Final Fantasy VII?"
"You've said a lot of things. You'll need to be more specific."
"It was about the ending of Final Fantasy VII."
Ayaka frowned, trying to recall. Takayuki waited patiently.
Then suddenly, her eyes widened. "You an what you promised us—about Aerith?"
"That's the one."
Back then, when both Ayaka and Airi were heartbroken by FF7's ending, Takayuki had promised them that Aerith's story wouldn't end with her death—that she would return in the future.
That promise had eased their pain.
When Crisis Core launched, Ayaka had rembered that vow and wondered if that was what Takayuki had ant. But when Aerith still died—and Zack too—the hope faded again.
"Wait, you weren't referring to Crisis Core?"
Takayuki smiled. "I never said I had fulfilled that promise yet. I told you Aerith's story wouldn't end so easily."
"Then you..."
He picked up a pen and scribbled sothing on a piece of paper, then handed it to her.
Ayaka read the words... and her eyes widened even further in disbelief.
Final Fantasy VII: Remake
The word Remake wasn't just for show—it ant a complete reimagining, not just an HD remaster of the original ga.
"I'm planning to remake Final Fantasy VII using new technology," Takayuki said. "But it won't be a simple remake. I'm also planning to... slightly revise the story."
"You an...?"
"Aerith—might survive this ti."
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