Some strange, but perhaps unsurprising controversy has emerged surrounding the much-hyped Final Fantasy VII Remake. Centering around the recently-revealed Tifa, fans in some circles have taken umbrage with what they are claiming is a reduction in the size of her chest. The flames were fueled even more when Tetsuya Nomura mentioned an “ethics department” during a leaked interview with Famitsu. However, more context has been given to the interview, revealing the full intent of Nomura’s words.
While Tifa’s chest obviously altered, considering that it was a literal triangle in the original version, what Nomura meant in the interview was more akin to “binding.” As a brawler who specializes in hand-to-hand combat, Tifa’s outfit was designed with an athletic sensibility. Part of that includes military-style suspenders and motorbike-inspired gloves. This also means giving Tifa a sports bra (which can be seen in her official renders) as a way to avoid any sort of “unnatural” movement in action sequences.
Though there are some modern updates to Tifa’s design, it is as a whole faithful to the 1997 original. Nomura himself even said “her body has the same silhouette as her original design.” After all, the only real time we’ve seen Tifa in action is through her blocky, wholly unrealistic PS1 model. It makes sense that her outfit would take into account her more acrobatic style of fighting.
While Nomura does confirm that the Square Enix “ethics department” suggested the change, it wasn’t just forcing the developers to “shrink” Tifa’s chest. A statement provided to Polygon earlier in the week notes that this department is really so Square Enix can achieve its desired ratings across the world. In actuality, it looks like the change was not so much any sort of “censorship.” Rather, it was an attempt to stick with a more accessible rating, as well as Tifa’s fighting style make more sense in-universe. Basically, the team wants to stay away from Dead or Alive-style “jiggle physics.”
Tifa’s design actually seems in-line with what appears to be the goal of Final Fantasy VII Remake. It takes the foundations of the beloved game, and updates it for a new generation, while also expanding on the experience. In the same interview, Nomura confirmed that the infamous Honey Bee Inn section would be part of this remake, but it will be updated in some way.
We’ll get to see how it all shakes out when Final Fantasy VII Remake releases on March 3, 2020, exclusively on the PlayStation 4. Be sure to read our hands-on preview from E3 2019, as well.
[Source: Gaijinhunter on Twitter]
