Remakes

I finally finished the Final Fantasy VII remake this weekend. I played the original years ago but never finished it. At some point, I took a break and just never got back to it. But that did allow me to have a somewhat fresh experience of the remake. I remembered the characters and a few events but little else. 
Not too long after the remake begins though I found myself questioning if I remembered anything at all.

Typically remakes are pretty faithful but this one takes a more bold approach. FF7 is one of the most beloved games of all time so making any changes is a huge risk. Rather than being completely faithful, it augments the original story at several points to create a deeper world and characters. Side characters have unique personalities and you get to spend a lot more time with them. But then you get to the end of the game and it makes a huge change that leaves you believing anything is possible.

It only covers the first section of the original game and there are more parts to come but somehow they've managed to unsettle players enough that you can't be sure things will unfold the way they originally did. And as satisfying as an exact remake can be I think it's the better approach. Remakes must work for new players and old as well. By derailing expectations it creates excitement in old players just as it does with the new. For the next instalment, everyone will be on a similar footing. Having some clues of where things might go but not being sure.