FFVII Remake: Should Vincent and Yuffie remain as optional characters?

[Mitsuki]

So what are your thoughts about Vincent and Yuffie for the upcoming remake?

When I first played FFVII as a teenager, I managed to reach the end fight with Sephiroth without Vincent and Yuffie. I got my ass handed to me many times, so I restarted the game to properly explore the world of Final Fantasy VII. Boy was I surprised to find out later that I could recruit that thief who stole my materia! Vincent was another pleasant surprise, but took some time figuring out...and I was only 12 years old with no internet at the time or guide to help me out.

Honestly, I really don't think they should be optional characters anymore. As fun as it was to unlock them though sidequests, I think they're integral to the story and adds a whole new dynamic to the group. I have a feeling that SE might make them mandatory this time... I would be a little upset if they didn't.

 

[Six]

I don't think they should be, and I don't think they will be.

For them to invest time into creating these characters only to "miss out" on them seems illogical. I definitely think they'll just be added to the group now, not sure if it will still be through side-quests, but I wouldn't mind that.

 

[Miko]

I'd be really surprised if they did make them optional, they've built so much around FF7 with both those characters that it would be weird if they did. Games included with optional characters seem to be a rare option anymore anyway.

I'm more curious if Vincent will still be in his coffin when we get to that point in the game. Will we get to do the entire puzzle again?

 

[Setzer Gabbiani]

I'd be really surprised if they did make them optional, they've built so much around FF7 with both those characters that it would be weird if they did. Games included with optional characters seem to be a rare option anymore anyway.

I'm more curious if Vincent will still be in his coffin when we get to that point in the game. Will we get to do the entire puzzle again?

I bet we will. I mean that is what made Vincent the character he is. If they take that part out I will be very disappointed.

 

[shivas]

Vincent better be in his coffin when we find him it's my favourite part.
and I don't really mind if they were optional, still gonna recruit them B)

 

[Dionysos]

Yeah...

I think they were only following in the footsteps of FFVI when they created Vincent and Yuffie as secret characters. FFVI had Umaro and Gogo as secret characters and elite players and those in the know would be able to get them... Anybody else who didn't follow a walkthrough probably didn't know they existed.

But after they created secret characters for FFVII they probably didn't anticipate them being so good and so popular with fans. They have their own storylines explained in the core game itself and in Compilation material.
If Yuffie and Vincent do remain optional, I should expect they'll make them far easier to obtain. So easy in fact that you'd really have to choose to miss them.


That said, we may not see them until the second or third game.

 

[Vivi-Gamer]

No dispute here, of course they should be included! I hope Yuffie is introduced in a Better way than a random encounter - Maybe after having crashed on the tiny Bronco, you arrive on her Island and the introduction is with her taking the Materia - I REALLY want the whole Wutai scenario in this game along with the Towered Boss battles too, easily one of the highlights from a gameplay perspective.

As for Vincent, I hope they make exploring the Shinra Mansion more mandatory, in theory you can skip the entire location - Not that I ever do! But yes, I can't see him being optional either.

 

[Belazor et Britannia]

There's no way they will make them optional characters. It worked in the original because there were no voices and no dialogue between any characters except those that were always going to be there.
For instance, right before Cloud gets tricked into giving Sephiroth the Black Materia, there isn't any dialogue that says "Vincent, do something! Stop him!" or anything to that effect.

That's also how modders are able to seamlessly add Aeris back - it's all dialogue boxes and it's (relatively) easy to just re-add an existing model to that screen and give them a dialogue box. The original game was scripted in a way not unlike JavaScript.

Given how cinematic the remake will be, there is absolutely no way Square would go through the effort of creating four entirely different versions of already very lengthy cutscenes like the Northern Crater Black Materia setup, to accommodate all the possible outcomes (No Vincent / No Yuffie, Vincent / No Yuffie, No Vincent / Yuffie, Vincent / Yuffie).

Add that to the fact that at least for Vincent, he was given a rather integral role in the story of Sephiroth, which you just know they are going to explore further

 

[Vivi-Gamer]

On a side note - I just got the giddies again From reading that

It's going to be awesome to finally see Vincent & Yuffie within the Ending!

 

[MVP]

I would be shocked if they weren't included in the game. It would make no sense to not include them. Plus I think their would be a public outcry if they left them out.

 

[ZaXo Ken'Ichi]

I want them to remain secret, but -particularly because they weren't originally supposed to be optional- I don't think they will be. Like Belazor said, hiding such major content is already a big risk. But it gets infinitely more complicated when you then have to integrate them into fully directed cutscenes and the like.

 

[TerrorOfDeath]

I still believe the characters should remain as optional characters you have to go out of your way to obtain them, however they should NOT be DLC. Too many things nowadays are "pay to unlock" or "pay to win" so for once I just want to see a full game be released. The game is already getting a pretty drastic overhaul with the gameplay and design so we don't need locked out of 2 characters that are just available in the game as optional characters "who you don't need for the end of the game btw" to be added to your arsenal for a more fleshed out final boss with all your team members and the bonds you share.

 

[Dionysos]

I still believe the characters should remain as optional characters you have to go out of your way to obtain them, however they should NOT be DLC. Too many things nowadays are "pay to unlock" or "pay to win" so for once I just want to see a full game be released. The game is already getting a pretty drastic overhaul with the gameplay and design so we don't need locked out of 2 characters that are just available in the game as optional characters "who you don't need for the end of the game btw" to be added to your arsenal for a more fleshed out final boss with all your team members and the bonds you share.

I agree with this. If Yuffie and Vincent were to be DLC only then there would rightly be an uproar. People would feel cheated out of two important, albeit originally optional, characters in the game.

If they were to add characters to the roster as DLC, I think fans could stomach that as that would be something extra.

 

[blakstang98]

I would prefer they still be optional. I mean, they were sort of not meant to be part of the story, as they don't impact it at all, they are just there if you want to move away from the story for a bit. If you make them regular characters, it makes it odd to have to integrate them. What relationship would they have with Sephiroth and what motivation to take him down? And more importantly, if you're going to integrate them, where is the line drawn? Are we implementing Zack too, you know, the most overrated character in any FF game? Are we going to make the Turks playable too? It's just too much. Keep them optional. If a player wants to explore, maybe they get new recruits. If they stick to the story, then let that be.

I didn't think about the DLC angle, and wouldn't think optional characters would be optional. It's like, they are part of the world but not in your path, per se. But to omit them completely, unless you pay? That's ridiculous. I think they stay optional, but doesn't mean you should have to pay for them. You should only have to pay for characters that aren't a part of the game. It would be fantastic to have Yuna Grand Summon something beastly.

 

[ZaXo Ken'Ichi]

They were meant to be part of the story; that's the thing. They were originally meant to not be optional, but time constraints led to the team removing their importance from the main story and making them optional so that they could still be included in some way.

It was early on, but I remember an interview stating that they intended the characters to be re-integrated as parts of the main plot. Too lazy to look it up right now though, lol.

 

[The Witch]

They better make them mandatory. Yuffie and Vincent's bonds with Cloud (as well as Aerith) are too important to have anyone miss out on. I can imagine that out of all the optional dialogues/quests, they will be the exceptions that Kitase/Nojima/Nomura make sure to not miss out on. There would be too much to change/work around if they weren't non-optional. The impact of Aerith's death, for example. So I personally hope they do away with them being optional.