As a longtime admirer of video games and a die-hard fan of Final Fantasy 7, I must say that Jamie Colliver’s remake of this timeless masterpiece is nothing short of extraordinary. This man has poured his heart and soul into recreating every inch of the original game using LittleBigPlanet 2, meticulously replicating scenes, locations, dialogues, and even the iconic soundtrack.
Approximately 27 years after its initial launch, die-hard Final Fantasy 7 enthusiast Jamie Colliver has completed his masterwork: A scene-by-scene remake of the original PlayStation 1 game, crafted entirely within LittleBigPlanet 2. Colliver’s reinterpretation transforms the original game into a platformer, meticulously incorporating every scene, location, dialogue line, and song from the game’s soundtrack as individual levels in LittleBigPlanet 2.
After nearly four years of dedicated work, which Colliver meticulously recorded on his YouTube channel, his project has finally been completed. This extensive undertaking is presented through a YouTube playlist containing 141 videos, providing a comprehensive walkthrough of the game. Colliver, who considers Final Fantasy 7 his favorite video game of all time, takes pride in his accomplishments and shared some insights into the process of rebuilding a 27-year-old game using a 13-year-old puzzle-platformer, giving TopMob a sneak peek behind the scenes.
Colliver shared with Gamespot that his journey began by tinkering with the crafting tools in LittleBigPlanet 2. To him, Final Fantasy VII stands as the epitome of any form of media, boasting the most compelling group of main characters seen in video games. For Colliver, Final Fantasy VII isn’t merely an exceptional game; it’s a timeless story that remains impactful on a personal level as he matures.
Among the numerous games that allow players to build their own worlds (such as Minecraft, Roblox, and The Sims 4), we were curious to understand what prompted Colliver to base his intricate recreation of Final Fantasy 7 on LittleBigPlanet 2, which was released in 2011.
Colliver explained that in LittleBigPlanet 2, the platforming mechanics enabled him to incorporate fresh gameplay features absent in the initial Final Fantasy 7. For example, you might require a grappling hook to access certain locations or scuba gear for underwater fights. The three-tier design imparts an intimate, stage-like ambiance to the world, and the change in visual style lends a distinct appeal to the characters and surroundings. The polygonal aesthetic of Final Fantasy harmonizes well with LBP’s DIY look, while the original game’s emphasis on written dialogue echoes LittleBigPlanet’s storytelling approach, relying on facial expressions and environmental hints to drive the narrative forward.
Discussing the extensive remake, Colliver’s large-scale project encompasses all 140,000 lines of dialogue from the initial Final Fantasy 7. He estimates that his adaptation of Final Fantasy 7 requires approximately 30 hours to finish, which is nearly the same length as the original game’s 35-hour completion time. Colliver mentions that he dedicated roughly the same amount of weekly time to the project throughout its three and a half year production process. The game’s soundtrack was meticulously recreated using LittleBigPlanet’s Music Sequencer, a tool that enables users to compose music with various instruments and adjust pitch and tempo to their liking.
Clearly, such a large-scale project wasn’t an easy feat, and Colliver encountered numerous challenges during the game’s production process.
Colliver stated that Wutai was exceptionally tough because of its enormous expanse, countless scenes, and secret passages, which made it a nightmare to organize a plan. Constructing expansive regions like the Great Glacier and Northern Crater were also troublesome due to their many branching paths and immense size, requiring more adjustments than smaller areas such as Kalm or Under Junon. Furthermore, the project’s extensive text conversations and numerous NPCs populating the game world added complexity, taking an excessive amount of time to incorporate. Lots of coffee was necessary to keep focused during this process.
But it all came together in the end, and Colliver says he’s “especially proud” of the Sector 7 pillar section of the game.
“He shared with TopMob that he aimed to reflect one of his favorite aspects from the initial game – the brutal fall of Sector 7’s pillar, conveying struggle, despair, and complete collapse. Another significant part was the burning of Nibelheim, where he wanted to portray Sephiroth’s intense emotional breakdown. He spent a considerable amount of time perfecting that dramatic scene in the flames. Furthermore, recreating Aerith’s memorable death, adding a personal touch to Cosmo Canyon, and completing his character designs were all moments he felt particularly proud of,” he expressed.
With the project now finished, Colliver is contemplating enhancing it by incorporating characters (primarily new bosses) from Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth as a bonus feature. However, his current focus lies in promoting the completion of his project. A Change.org petition has been circulating, encouraging fans of Final Fantasy and LittleBigPlanet to sign, with the aim that Square Enix might incorporate part of Colliver’s remake in the next installment of the Final Fantasy 7 remake series.
Due to the permanent shutdown of LBP servers, Colliver stated that his project can only be viewed on his YouTube channel. As an alternative way to share it with the public, he thought up the idea of creating a petition, aiming to request Square Enix to incorporate his creation as a playable mini-game in the third installment of the Final Fantasy 7 remake series.
As a gamer myself, I can say that, despite Square Enix not officially recognizing Colliver’s project, what makes it all worthwhile is the feedback I’ve received from voice actors who are part of the franchise. It’s truly heartening to know they appreciate his creation as much as we do.
“I’ve been fortunate to get fantastic recognition and comments about my work on my project from voice actors like Barret, Cait Sith, Tseng, Elena, Rude of the Turks, Palmer, Professor Hojo, Elmyra, and Roche and Kotch from the remake trilogy. This acknowledgement means a lot to me. If my project could be included in the game alongside these characters and the rest, it would truly complete the experience for me.”
Colliver’s project can be seen in its entirety via his YouTube channel.
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2024-07-31 23:39