“Famous Part of Final Fantasy VII”- Co-Director Reveals What Brought About Cloud’s Dance Performance and the Message of Tolerance

After months of waiting, Square Enix finally released Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for the PlayStation 5. The latest iteration of the hit Square Enix title adds a new episode with Yuffie as the central character. Along with that, there are also a lot of visual upgrades including the addition of 4K resolution.

Final Fantasy VII Remake has a lot of memorable moments that players can now play in 4K resolution or in 60 FPS using the Performance Mode. One of the more hilarious and offbeat moment in the game involves Cloud taking part in cross-dressing and a dance-off. Recently, the game’s co-director revealed the reasoning behind the addition of this dance-off and the change from the original.

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Final Fantasy VII Remake Co-Director explains the origins of the dance-off

During an interview, Final Fantasy VII Remake Co-Director, Motomu Toriyama, talked about the popular dance-off between Cloud and Andrea Rhodea. He mentioned that the developers always wanted to add the scene from the original which showcased Cloud cross-dressing. But they didn’t know how to portray it.

“This was a very famous part of Final Fantasy VII, so we knew from the beginning we would include it in the REMAKE. However, we hadn’t decided exactly how we would portray Cloud wearing a dress.”

Toriyama later stated that it was his idea to tweak the scene to make it much more of an extravaganza. He explained that he wanted to have Cloud’s transformation and cross-dressing to happen during the dance. Along with that, Toriyama also said that the inspiration behind the performance came from Parisian cabaret and burlesque shows.

“I started with the concept of Cloud taking the spotlight and appearing before the audience of a stage show. For a show that would fit the occasion, I took inspiration from traditional Parisian cabaret and burlesque-style dance shows.”

Toriyama explains his reasoning behind the tweak

Toriyama also talked about the developer’s decision to tweak the original scene from Final Fantasy VII. He said that they didn’t want to change it massively. But, they also wanted to make sure that they changed it for the modern generation. At the same time, they also wanted to exceed the player’s high expectations as well.

“We knew we had to do it in a way that both lived up to those expectations, but took modern sensibilities into consideration.”

Toriyama also sensed that it was important for the developers to send a positive message to the community with this dance-off. He explained that the dialogue and lyrics for the performance allowed them to break gender barriers through an amazing scene.

“For example, fans these days expect stories and dialogue in games to go beyond stereotypical depictions of gender. Through Andrea’s lines and the lyrics of the backing track, Stand Up, we tried to build in a positive and supportive message for Cloud during his cross-dressing scene.”

It’s an extremely cool scene for fans to enjoy in one of the best Final Fantasy games ever. Players can now view this scene in 4K by playing the Intergrade version of the title, which is a free upgrade for Remake. Players definitely need to experience this moment as Cloud, while pulling some cool dance moves with Andrea Rhodea.

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