Final Fantasy 7 Remake could have had a more realistic Buster Sword

The Buster Sword is one of the most iconic weapons in video game history, but in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Square Enix was considering a different direction.

Co-director Naoki Hamaguchi shared the news in a recent interview. It was explained that with Cloud swinging the sword around with one hand, it “sort of felt like it would weaken the sense of realism”. However, Square Enix ultimately believed that fans “wouldn’t accept” 

Hamaguchi’s full words:

“And with that, too, while making Remake, there was this aspect of the weight and how Cloud swings it around with one hand that sort of felt like it would weaken the sense of realism, you know? So at the time, when we were making Remake, there was some discussion about whether we should give Cloud a more realistic version of the Buster Sword. But it was just too iconic, and if we’d made it just a regular old sword, players wouldn’t accept it. [There are some antics with a baguette, which could have made a good substitute.] But in the end we stayed faithful to the OG, and a whole new generation of people fell in love with it, so I think it was the right call.”

Nintendo fans will be able to experience Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade when the RPG comes to Switch 2 next month. You can read up on our interview with Hamaguchi here.