Romance tends to be a part of many RPG games, and has become more prominent in recent years. The Final Fantasy 7 Remake is no exception. While the original Final Fantasy 7 game had very little in the way of romantic subplots, FF7 Remake integrated a much more involved love triangle between Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa. This unneeded addition, however, continues a trend of lacking romantic diversity in the Final Fantasy series as a whole, which has shown no inclusion of LGBT main characters to date.
The original Final Fantasy 7 left much to the imagination as far as character relationships go. Interactions between characters weren't expressed as explicitly romantic, and this ambiguity allowed fans of Final Fantasy 7 to either ship more mainstream couples like Cloud and Tifa, or they could look into relationships that were more relatable to their own personal lives, like Vincent and Cid. By erasing this in FF7 Remake and pushing the love triangle, the game has disposed of the more delicate approach of letting the player connect the dots in their own way, no longer allowing them to decide for themselves which characters might have a personal interest in each other.
If the FF7 Remake is going to take away a player's ability to draw their own conclusions about romantic interactions, it would seem only right to finally add LGBTQA+ representation into the games. A large number of fans for the game identify as members of the LGBTQA+ community, and by forcing engagement in heteronormative relationships, these players are isolated and prevented from being able to find relatable romantic content. In games like Dragon Age, the inclusion of LGBTQA+ characters has not only made the game more diverse, but extends content to a wider audience, allowing more fans to enjoy the game on a personal level. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 would benefit by following this example, instead of pushing outdated love triangles where the female characters feel like nothing more than trophies for the player to win.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 Should Add Diverse Characters
It is past time for Final Fantasy games to join a more inclusive era. While the developers did a good job with bringing the HoneyBee Inn scenes up to date, the fact of the matter is that the story of FF7 still lacks inclusive characters who represent the wider audience that enjoy the Final Fantasy series. This lack of diversity hurts FF7 Remake, taking large steps backwards from the original that left doors open for players to make their own choices and draw their own conclusions about content. Taking away this autonomy for an outdated romantic agenda does nothing for FF7 Remake, and is frustrating for those who no longer can feel connected to the story's characters.
By adding LGBTQA+ characters and representation to Final Fantsy 7 Remake Part 2, the game would be up to date with the diversity that is being seen in other games. This would also allow a wider audience the ability connect to content in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake outside of heteronormative romance subplots, and end the idea that all characters are perceived as straight in the series. If adding more concrete romantic storylines is how the developers want to go, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 should cement other romantic storylines that include their wider audience, allowing fans of the original to continue to find themselves in the characters that they have come to love over decades of gameplay.