Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s Naoki Hamaguchi Reveals Consideration for a Realistic Sword for Cloud Strife, Ultimately Sticking to the Classic Design

Cloud Strife has once again dodged disaster, thanks to the thoughtful decisions of his creators at Square Enix. During the development of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, there was some debate about whether to give the iconic swordsman a more practical weapon, but thankfully, they chose to stick with his legendary Buster Sword.

In a recent interview with a French gaming personality, director Naoki Hamaguchi shared insights alongside Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director Guillaume Broche. According to translations from a Final Fantasy 7 news account, Hamaguchi emphasized that Cloud’s massive Buster Sword is simply “too iconic” to change.

Reflecting on the weapon’s design, Hamaguchi noted, “While making Remake, there was this aspect of the weight. How Cloud swings it around with one hand felt like it could undermine the sense of realism.” He added that there were discussions about giving Cloud a more realistic version of the Buster Sword, but ultimately, it was deemed too significant to alter. “If we’d made it just a regular old sword, players wouldn’t accept it.”

Imagine how Cloud would feel being separated from his beloved sword after all these years! “In the end, we stayed faithful to the OG,” Hamaguchi stated, highlighting the importance of this decision for both the character and the fans. “A whole new generation of people fell in love with it, so I think it was the right call.”

Looking ahead, the lead for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 mentioned that the Highwind will play a crucial role in the upcoming RPG, and it seems Square Enix is nearing a decision on its name.