Square Enix published a batch of new screenshots for Final Fantasy 7 Remake. As it often happens with upcoming games, the screenshots were published first exclusively in Famitsu magazine and were then a few hours later distributed publicly in direct-feed versions. The same issue of Famitsu magazine included an interview with Tetsuya Nomura.

We've already covered the beginning of the interview, which focused on Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind, and some of the biggest announcements, such as the Honey Bee scene coming back in the remake. Here's everything else Tetsuya Nomura mentioned.

Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura were particularly wary of leaks prior E3 2019, as they wanted to surprise Final Fantasy 7 fans with all the new reveals in the trailer.

Tetsuya Nomura confirmed that the scene with Sephiroth seen in the trailer is one of the many newly added scenes. This is an illusion seen by Cloud in Midgar's Sector 8.

Tetsuya Nomura also confirmed that the ghost-like things appearing when Cloud meets Aerith as she's selling flowers are named "Guardians of Fate", and are among the new story elements added to the game. These kinds of brand new elements will allow them to surprise even those who played the original.

Like the original game, Final Fantasy 7 Remake has many dialogues choices to pick for Cloud. For example, there are different dialogue choices to pick when Cloud meets Aerith, just like in the original game. Tetsuya Nomura mentioned they made plenty of different reactions for each character depending on your choices, along with new choices-related events, making the game even bigger.

Tetsuya Nomura also explained that they added many new environments. Many places present in the original game will also look different, as simply recreating them with current graphics makes them look unnatural. For example, Don Corneo's mansion looks and layout were changed. Else, it didn't look like an actually viable modern mansion. This is when he also revealed that the Honey Bee Inn cross-dressing event is present in the Remake, as we already reported.

Most fans already noticed the scene with Jessie and Cloud running away on a bike in the trailer is different from the Shinra headquarters escape scene of the original game. Tetsuya Nomura officially confirmed in this interview it's a different scene, and one of the countless new scenes of the remake. Following that, he joked about how the first part of the remake "isn't coming on 2 blurays for no reason".

Tetsuya Nomura also lengthily explained the characters' designs, mostly Aerith and Tifa.

Aerith and Tifa are the two main female protagonists of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and are different in multiple aspects, starting with their faces. Aerith is designed to look like a western girl and focus on beauty, while Tifa is designed to look like a Japanese girl and focus on cuteness. They also tried to make them both look as beautiful as possible, to show off the amount of work they're putting into the remake.

The remake's new designs of Aerith and Tifa are also thought in a way to accentuate their differences as much as possible. If one were to judge by appearance, Aerith seems like a beautiful but naive girl, while in truth she's extremely strong-willed. Meanwhile, Tifa wears more revealing clothes, so one could think she's confident in herself, but she actually keeps her thoughts bottled up inside and avoids imposing herself. According to Tetsuya Nomura, these differences between the two are what makes them both charming.

Square Enix also tried to make each character' clothes more realistic, notably by using actual clothes as reference. For example, Tifa's suspenders are the types you'd find on some military uniforms. Tifa's gloves are designed to fit various uses like her martial arts or piloting bikes. At the same time, they tried to avoid changing each character' global silhouette, such as Tifa having a chest larger than most girls. They also wanted Tifa to have abs so they tried to make her look as athletic as possible. The ethics department also suggested her chest having more support so it doesn't feel unrealistic with all the moves she pulls off. That's why she went from the super simple top she had in the original, to something more complex and realistic, with the black underwear and the sports tank top.

Ending the interview, Nomura stated that players who played Final Fantasy 7 around the time of its release could feel something special. Obviously, those who play the original right now won't have these same feelings. The goal of this remake is to bring an experience that will make newcomers and fans alike experience these special feelings again.

The new screenshots are included below. Square Enix also revealed a slight change to a not particularly massive but still an iconic element of Final Fantasy 7. In the original, Loveless was the name of a fictional epic, whose theatrical adaptation was shown at a theater. In the remake, Loveless is the name of the theater itself.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake launches worldwide on March 3, 2020, on PS4. You can preorder it on Amazon.

Update: Polygon's Patricia Hernandez asked a Square Enix representative about the role of the Ethics Department, clearing away misconceptions:

Square Enix Representative: In the Square Enix Japan studios, the Ethics Department is actually a group within the company that evaluates game content to make sure it is aligned with the anticipated age ratings standards across the globe. In this case, we want a new generation of gamers to experience Final Fantasy VII Remake and are working very closely with the company’s internal experts to make sure all of the game’s content is appropriate.

Basically, this means they didn't wish to take any risks and tried to make the game have the lowest rating possible so more young players around the world can play it, as each rating boards in different countries have their own standards. At the same time, it doesn't necessarily mean that Tifa's chest being less realistic could have changed the ratings.