More details about the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake have been shared by Director Tetsuya Nomura and Producer Yoshinori Kitase in a new interview on Famitsu (a couple of elements were integrated from Dengeki Online).

We learn that the team is aiming to balance realism and stylized look. If the characters were to appear too realistic, they wouldn't be recognizable, so they're looking to settle one step shorter of realism in order to preserve the characters personalities.

The models from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children are too outdated to be used, as they're ten years old. Elements like eyes, nose, hair and more have to be redesigned to achieve the right visual balance. Cloud looks suitably pale (even if the lighting influenced that in the trailer), and all party members will get a renewed appearance. Incidentally, the cross-dressing scene is still part of the scenario, but the design for it still has to be finalized.

It was also confirmed that in the latest trailer, all the new footage is running in-engine in real-time. The moment in which the camera pans behind Cloud and Barret after jumping down from the train is where the in-engine cinematics transition seamlessly into gameplay.

The battle system will have nothing to do with Final Fantasy VII: Crysis Core. It's closer to Kingdom Hearts or Dissidia: Final Fantasy (Arcade version), but it's still different and not as action-oriented.

The battle pace the team is aiming for is similar to Dissidia: Final Fantasy, but it will have an element of strategy. Players won't just aimlessly strike at the enemy. In order to achieve this kind of flavor, the team has gathered developers that worked on both Dissidia and Kingdom Hearts.

There will be a sort of ATB gauge and Limit gauge, even if it won't be the same as in the original game. You won't have to wait for the ATB gauge to fill in order to attack, but it will be a new system integrated in the action style of the game. Nomura-san won't say much for now, but something relevant is that it can become red in color. The "ATB" name might change in the final game.

The party will include three members like in the original game, and you'll be able to freely switch the one you're controlling among them at any time. On the other hand, if you don't want to switch, there won't be any need to.

The remake will delve more deeply into certain aspects of the story, and will include a number of new mechanics. The team hopes to manage to surprise even those who already played the game.

Kitase-san also mentioned that the quality of the PlayStation Experience trailer should be considered just a starting point, and everything will be polished from now onward. He doesn't want the remake to be just a matter of nostalgia, but something that can excite the fans of the original game.

Nomura-san concluded the interview on Famitsu explaining that the cheers he heard at the keynote gave him confidence that that the direction they have chosen is not wrong, and now he can continue to work with peace of mind. He would like to continue to improve the game's quality in the future.