Everyone and their mother is hyped up for the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake, which is set to be released next year. A stunning trailer and gameplay preview was shown in the recently-concluded E3, which showed us a more complete look at the tweaks and upgrades the game got. Among the improved gameplay and Cloud’s more put-together hair, what got fans attention was the noticeable downsize of Tifa Lockheart’s, well, chest. For most fans of the 1997 game, Tifa’s huge breasts were a huge part of their gaming childhood, so okay Square Enix explain what happened? My childhood is ruined!
Personally this writer sees no issue with Tifa’s breasts—after all, they don’t really do anything for her combos and are just eye-candy for gamers (please don’t come at me, breast aficionados). It appears, however, that it was indeed an issue for most fans, enough for Square Enix to actually address it. In a recent interview, FFVII Remake director Tetsuya Nomura stated that the redesign for Tifa was done because the designers wanted her to have a “more athletic feel”. Which makes sense, because all those kicks and combos would go well with a fit, muscular body and some toned abs—and not really with some big boobs bouncing around (she might hit herself with her breast again, remember that epic scene in the 1997 game?).
What got fans up in arms, apparently, was the news floating around in forums that the downsizing of her assets was because of a directive from Square Enix’s “Ethics Department”, prompting some to air their concerns about censorship. Well, actually, Square Enix does have an Ethics Department, but their role is not really to censor the game and conform with morals. A representative from the company clarified this, saying,
“In the Square Enix Japan studios, the Ethics Department is actually a group within the company that evaluates game content to make sure it is aligned with the anticipated age ratings standards across the globe (CERO, ESRB, PEGI, etc).
In this case, we want a new generation of gamers to experience Final Fantasy VII Remake and are working very closely with the company’s internal experts to make sure all of the game’s content is appropriate.”
Looking at the current ESRB rating for the FFVII Remake somehow seems to prove the point that breasts do figure in determining if a game is appropriate for most ages. The explanation for ESRB’s T (teen) rating for the remake includes this one line, referencing a character’s (Jenova, most likely) cleavage as one of the reasons for its T rating.
”During the course of the game, a goddess-like character is dressed in a low-cut top that displays moderate amounts of cleavage.”
In conclusion: no people, there is no censorship happening. It’s just… they want to make Tifa look more athletic. Now, time to wait for the game to drop.
Source: Polygon