How did the team decide what to add and what to keep from the original CRISIS CORE?TOSE:
First, we had a few members of the development staff play the original version and compare it to modern-day game quality, then we discussed and looked into what we could improve, including specifications. We emphasized retaining the beloved portions of the original while allowing the player to enjoy the game stress-free.
For example, we added quality-of-life upgrades, like autosave and retry capabilities, battle control shortcuts, and map markers, making this version more pleasant to play than the original.
On the asset front, we created a sample battle screen and did a cutscene test when development first began to get a feel for the schedule and the volume of assets. When we checked the character event animations—which make up a majority of the game—using current device-equivalent models, we found that they were of high enough quality to still be usable today. Essentially, the characters’ bone counts are mostly the same as in the original, so the characters could be animated with the original version’s code.
We did use motion capture from the outset, but given the high quality of the artwork and the facial animations, and considering the number of bones in the original, we were pleasantly surprised that the old assets were still usable as is—a real testament to the skill of the original development team.
Combat was changed to be more active and closer in style to FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE. Can you talk about why this shift made sense for CRISIS CORE?
Square Enix: We made the combat style of CRISIS CORE –FFVII– REUNION closer to that of FFVII REMAKE, keeping in mind that a lot of the folks playing this title would likely already have played that title. After a lot of tweaking and retweaking, I think we ended up with a good fusion of the original version’s combat and that in FFVII REMAKE.
Source: Unreal Engine Blog