When it comes to combat, Final Fantasy 7 Remake and its sequel, Rebirth, are huge departures from the original, but they are actually more faithful to the initial vision of FF7 than we realized. 1997's Final Fantasy 7 uses the famous Active Time Battle (ATB) system, designed to add dynamism to traditional turn-based combat. ATB features were then grafted onto a real-time action system for the remake trilogy's combat.
In the earliest stages of Final Fantasy 7's development, however, a more thoroughly action-oriented combat system was intended. "Unlike previous FF titles, this envisioned combat not on fixed battlefields but whilst moving through the city's three-dimensional environment," creative director Tetsuya Nomura wrote in a post on the Final Fantasy 7 account. "Ultimately, this form of combat wasn't realised in the original, but has been achieved in the ongoing FFVII remake series."
The above quotes are in reference to a piece of concept art shared in full for the first time by Nomura to commemorate Final Fantasy 7's 29th anniversary, which occurred on January 31. It shows "an early design of Cloud" in combat with a two-headed dragon, which is emerging from a tunnel in...
