The Final Fantasy 7 Remake is no doubt one of the most highly-anticipated games that will grace the consoles of many once it drops on March 3, 2020. We know that the game’s initial release will only cover Midgar, the opening location of the entire game. This may prove worrisome for many, but perhaps seeing remakes of iconic scenes like the Honey Bee Inn may detract from that disappointment.
Tetsuya Nomura, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake director, has confirmed in a recent interview with Japanese gaming mag Famitsu that, in attempt to make the remake as faithful to the 1997 classic, the Honey Bee Inn will also make a reprisal in the game.
The Honey Bee Inn cross-dressing event is still in. We’ve made it more modern. If we made the facility like we did in the original game, the physical unease would be staggering, so that was no good…
Tetsuya Nomura
Whoever played the original Final Fantasy 7 would remember that the Honey Bee Inn is an optional area in Midgar that features Cloud Strife cross-dressing as a woman in order to get past Don Corneo and rescue the kidnapped Tifa Lockheart.
Unfortunately for Cloud, and perhaps for the player, he eventually ends up on the Don’s bed, where the Don forces himself on Cloud. Luckily, Cloud forces the Don off of him, manages to escape Tifa.
This optional yet iconic side-quest in the game has become somewhat of a talking point for many a fan, usually subjected to tons of jokes online. Now that Nomura-san has confirmed that the Honey Bee Inn will return in the FF7 Remake, we’re all curious to see just how ridiculous the new-look scenes will look.
But that’s not all! Nomura-san also revealed a few more nifty new nuggets that will certainly spell a totally fresh outlook for the FF7 Remake. We’ll let the translated quotes speak for themselves:
- The watchmen of fate (the black mist in the trailer) are mysterious beings that appear before the party wherever they go. I hope that even those who have played the original game will enjoy the new elements.
- There are quite a bit of dialogue options. We are making it so the dialogue changes depending on your response, so the sheer volume of dialogue has increased.
- The Honey Bee Inn cross-dressing event is still in. We’ve made it more modern. If we made the facility like we did in the original game, the physical unease would be staggering, so that was no good…
- There are quite a few additions to the scenario. While the main story itself hasn’t changed, there are a countless number of new events. Otherwise we wouldn’t have two Blu-ray discs. (Laughs.)
- Aerith and Tifa are double heroines. One has a western-style look and the other an eastern-style look.
- We wanted Tifa to have abs, so she has an athletic body type. The ethics department at Square Enix also told us that we had to tighten her chest as not to get unnatural during all the intense action. From there we got the black underwear and fitted tank top.
- With an emphasis on immersion and exhilaration, you can fight without stress through the use of shortcuts. When you open the command menu, time slows and you can fight like a command battle.
- Each playable character has different enemy affinities.
- An item is required for MP recovery.
- For the sake of level design, we’re preparing a few new enemies where necessary.
Whether or not these new gameplay features will add more sustainability to the fact that the first part of the remake is only set in Midgar remains to be seen. For now, let’s hope Cloud doesn’t drop his soap in the Honey Bee Inn when the Final Fantasy 7 Remake drops on March 3, 2020.
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Si Jia
