One of the biggest retellings of a story in gaming history is theFinal Fantasy 7Remaketrilogy, which recently released its second chapter,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. But that isn’t the only sprawling recreation of the classic roleplaying game from the original PlayStation. For years now, a fan project has been underway to turnFinal Fantasy 7into a platformer insideLittleBigPlanet 2.
Jamie Colliver of the YouTube channel LittleBigWorld has been working on this passion project/love letter to theoriginalFinal Fantasy 7gamefor years. Unfortunately, no one can play it becauseLittleBigPlanet 2’s servers were taken down some time ago. However, Colliver has high hopes that Square Enix will take note of the project and potentially include it in the next part of the remake trilogy.
LittleBigWorld’s Remake Inside a Remake
Unfortunately,LittleBigPlanet 2had servers shut down a while ago and evenLittleBigPlanet 3’s servers are gone. This means that publicly sharing the game is impossible and that, despite being a fully functional platformer experience, theFinal Fantasy 7platformer can only be watched on Colliver’s LittleBigWorld channel in a sprawling playlist that covers every facet of the original game.
Not only will players miss out on getting to play this new way to experience the original title, but plans Colliver also hopes to add one day, like adding a fight against Sapphire Weapon and the cut Ho-Chu boss fight in the Ancient Forest. Colliver also hopes to expand things eventually from the broaderCompilation of Final Fantasy 7, like Fort Tamblin, Modenheim, andBanora fromCrisis Core. That said, Colliver does have a Hail Mary plan to get his project into players' hands: he’s asking Sony and Square Enix to put it in the third entry of theFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogy.
“My dream is to see it hosted by Square Enix in a playable format once again, which is why I’ve started my petition to address this…I strongly believe that Part 3 would greatly benefit from a diverse array of new mini-games to enhance the overall experience and maintain the world’s freshness.”
Colliver’s project has apetition on Change.orgto be included inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3as a mini-game.
Colliver acknowledges that it is likely a long shot, but Square Enix’s awareness of the project is a decent first step. TheFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogy voice actors for Rude, Red XIII, and Barrett have all expressed their love of the project, and the official Square Enix blog even featured a piece on Colliver’s early work.
LittleBigWorld’s LittleBigPlanet x FF7 Recreation is More Than a Hobby
Colliver’s adaptation isn’t as off-the-wall as it might initially sound. While it has been a genre-defining title for roleplaying games, its strong narrative and compelling characters also make it something special regardless of genre. TheCompilation of Final Fantasy 7is no stranger to playing with the genre on its own, either, with games like third-person shooterDirge of Cerberus, mobile racing gameG-Bike, orbattle royale gameThe First Soldier.
Besides, withouta newLittleBigPlanet, this adaptation could scratch the itch of those missing the charming visual style that the franchise had to offer. Still, it’s clear how much passion and time Colliver has poured into this fan remake.
“The project quickly became more than just a hobby; it became a passion project. I saw a unique opportunity to bring my vision to life, and it felt like something I could feasibly accomplish, with the end goal of having my own distinctive version of the game…Final Fantasy 7,to me, is the pinnacle of any form of media. I believe it has the strongest set of main characters in any video game. To have several characters like Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith have major growth throughout the story alongside having complex personalities, I feel, is quite rare.”
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
WHERE TO PLAY
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE expands upon and reimagines the spectacular world of the original PlayStation® game. It covers up through the escape from Midgar and is the first game in the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE project. INTERGRADE is a bundle that includes both REMAKE and FF7R EPISODE INTERmission (the new story content featuring Yuffie). In her episode, play as the spirited ninja after she arrives in Midgar. There, she and another Wutaian operative are to rendezvous with Avalanche HQ, infiltrate the Shinra Building, and steal the conglomerate’s most powerful materia.
