Nearly 27 years after the original game’s release, Final Fantasy 7 superfan Jamie Colliver has finished his magnum opus: A shot-for-shot remake of the original PlayStation 1 game, created entirely via LittleBigPlanet 2. Colliver’s remake reimagines the original game as a platformer, with every scene, every location, every line of dialogue, and every song from the game’s OST painstakingly implemented into a LittleBigPlanet 2 level.
After three-and-a-half years of work (which he diligently documented via his YouTube channel), Colliver’s creation is finally complete, and can be seen via a 141-video YouTube playlist showcasing an entire playthrough of the game. Colliver–who says the original Final Fantasy 7 is his all-time favorite video game–is proud of the work he’s done, and gave GameSpot a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build a 27-year-old game via a 13-year-old puzzle-platformer.
“It all started with experimenting with the creation tools in LittleBigPlanet 2,” Colliver told Gamespot. “To me, Final Fantasy VII represents the pinnacle of any form of media. I believe it features the strongest set of main characters in any video game. For me, Final Fantasy VII is not just an excellent game but a timeless narrative that continues to resonate on a personal level as I grow older.”
Given the plethora of build-whatever-you-want games that are currently available (like Minecraft, Roblox, and even The Sims 4), we wanted to know what motivated Colliver to use 2011’s LittleBigPlanet 2 as the framework for his incredibly detailed reimagining of Final Fantasy 7.
“LittleBigPlanet 2’s platforming mechanics allowed me to introduce new gameplay elements not present in the original Final Fantasy 7,” Colliver explained. “For instance, you might need a grappling hook to reach certain areas or scuba gear for underwater battles. The three-layer design gives the world an intimate, stage performance vibe, and the shift in visual style adds a unique charm to the characters and environments. The polygonal visual style of Final Fantasy complements LBP’s craft-based aesthetic nicely. Additionally, the original game’s focus on written dialogue mirrors LittleBigPlanet’s storytelling method, using expressions and environmental cues to advance the narrative.”
Speaking of written dialogue, Colliver’s little big project also includes all 140,000 lines of dialogue from the original Final Fantasy 7. He says it takes about 30 hours to complete his version of Final Fantasy 7, which is close to the 35 hours it takes to complete the original game. Colliver says he spent a similar amount of time each week working on the project during its three-and-a-half-year development. The game’s soundtrack was recreated via LittleBigPlanet’s Music Sequencer, which allows users to create music using a variety of instruments and adjust pitch and tempo as they see fit.
But obviously, a project this size was no small task, and Colliver faced several roadblocks while the game was in development.
“Wutai was particularly challenging due to its vast size, numerous cutscenes, and hidden paths, making it a nightmare to plan,” Colliver said. “Building bigger areas like the Great Glacier and the Northern Crater also proved difficult, as they have multiple branching paths and are massive, so [they] had to be adapted further than smaller locations like Kalm or Under Junon. Additionally, the project’s scope, especially the extensive text conversations and NPCs populating the game world was a headache, taking forever to include. Lots of coffee helped keep me focused.”
But it all came together in the end, and Colliver says he’s “especially proud” of the Sector 7 pillar section of the game.
“It was one of my favourite parts of the original game, and I wanted to capture the brutality, struggle, and despair in my version by showing the full collapse of the pillar onto the citizens of Sector 7,” he told GameSpot. “Another highlight is the burning of Nibelheim, where I aimed to convey the intensity of Sephiroth’s breakdown. I spent hours perfecting the infamous scene in the flames. Additionally, recreating Aerith’s iconic death scene, putting my own spin on Cosmo Canyon, and finalizing my character designs were also proud moments for me.”
Now that the project’s complete, Colliver says he’s considering adding some content (mainly new bosses) from Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to the game as an extra treat. But his main goal at the moment is getting the word out about the completion of his project. There’s even a Change.org petition making the rounds, urging Final Fantasy and LittleBigPlanet fans to sign their names in the hopes that Square Enix might include a part of Colliver’s remake in the upcoming third chapter of the Final Fantasy 7 remake.
“Since the LBP servers are down permanently, the only way to view my project is on my YouTube channel,” Colliver explained. “In order to make it playable to the public, I had the idea of creating my petition to ask Square Enix to include my creation as a playable mini-game in Part 3 of the FF7 remake trilogy.”
But regardless of whether Square Enix acknowledges Colliver’s project, one of the more rewarding parts of finishing his creation has been the feedback he’s gotten from voice actors involved in the franchise.
“I’ve been lucky to receive brilliant praise and feedback on my project from the voice actors of Barret, Cait Sith, Tseng, Elena and Rude of the Turks, Palmer, Professor Hojo, Elmyra, and Roche and Kotch from the remake trilogy so far. This has been really special to me, so having my project featured in the game alongside them and the other characters would be the cherry on the cake.”
Colliver’s project can be seen in its entirety via his YouTube channel.
