Final Fantasy VII Remake – what is the E3 trailer really trying to tell us?

What is really going on in the much-hyped preview shown during this year's expo? We carry out a forensic analysis

The Sony press conference at this year's E3 expo in Los Angeles was one huge gift to veteran gamers. There was the long-awaited confirmation that The Last Guardian is still in development; there was news of the Shenmue 3 kickstarter; and, to the raucous delight of the audience, there was the announcement of Final Fantasy VII Remake, a modernised version of the classic PlayStation role-playing game. The internet blew up.

Many writers have attempted to explain the lasting appeal of this hugely successful 1997 release, but few have managed it conclusively. Set in a dark industrialised world, where eco warriors face a mega-corp looking to suck all the resources from the planet, the game is crammed with flawed, interesting characters, quirky charm (including cross-dressing in order to sneak into a pimp's mansion) and truly epic narrative scale. 18 years, three spin-off games, a handful of novella's and an animated sequel later, and the adventure is still considered a masterpiece of its genre.