1) The Materia System

Look at that simple, sexy menu.

Every single mainline Final Fantasy game has its own mechanic for character growth. There are Jobs, Sphere Grids, License Boards, Junctions, etc., but none have ever come close to being as memorable as the Materia system. It was simple enough that even the dullest of minds could grasp it, and creative enough to allow the dedicated to put together some killer combinations.

Materia can't stay the exact same in all functions, but it needs to be a primary form of character growth, and properly slotted into gear. None of that pansy 6 materia slot max, based on your Soldier ranking crap. We want to be able to equip up to 16 materia with the right gear, cast 24 Bolt attacks by reflecting a  Quadra-W-magic off of the party, Counter Mime 8 Omnislashes, and Final Attack Phoenix just in case crap really hits the fan.

Okay, so those combos may be extreme and specific, but there needs to be lots of familiar materia and crazy endgame combinations, or it's not Final Fantasy 7.

That's our list for today, feel free to complain in the comment section. Just don't forget to post your list as well. Tomorrow, we'll take a look at five changes that would be appreciated in the world's most anticipated remake.

2) The Minigames

Even the minigames even get their own games.

Final Fantasy 7 has the most minigames of any entry into the series, by a very long shot. They made a simple game feel more complex and breathed extra life into the world of Gaia. They range from serious to seriously silly, but for the most part they're just seriously fun.

Everybody has their favorite minigame. Be it chocobo racing, G-Bike, Shooting Coaster, Junon Parade or the correct answer: The Fort Condor tower defense game. While something like the Wonder Catcher or Basketball game could be dropped, there would be cries of bloody murder if one of the big fan favorites doesn't make the cut.

3) Boss Battles

Before the internet really took off, this fight was a daunting task.

Final Fantasy 7 has some of the most memorable boss battles in the series, and most of them need to return. Obviously they can't be exactly the same, since Square Enix will be shoe-horning in new combat mechanics, but do you really want to miss out on the Weapon fights or Lost Number?

Those fights were all there for good reason, and the sense of accomplishment one felt when finally downing endgame Weapons was a high point of the original game. Due to how deeply seeded into the combat system these battles were, Square Enix has to do a lot of work to make them comparable in the new system.

4) The Music

It's still the reigning king of Final Fantasy soundtracks.

The music in Final Fantasy 7 was groundbreaking, owing to the Playstation's CD quality music, and stands as Nobuo Uematsu's self proclaimed "greatest harvest" to date. Many Final Fantasy games before and since have had great tracks, but none have had so many in one soundtrack.

That's why the music for pivotal moments must stay the same. The Black Mages are awesome. Remixes are awesome. Changing classic music cues is not awesome. Even if Advent: One-Winged Angel, The World's Enemy, or any other variation they could come up with are all amazing, they aren't the original. you're never going to top the original Aerith's Theme, Cosmo Canyon, J-E-N-O-V-A, One-Winged Angel, etc. for those pivotal scenes that absolutely must be in the game.

Even George Lucas didn't fuck with the Imperial March. Do you want to be worse then George Lucas?

5) The Cast

Damn you Gackt, every time I turn around you've planted yourself into another thing I liked.

I'm well aware that Nomura has said there will be no new characters, but what qualifies as a new character in this situation? Does he mean they won't create new characters for the game, or will now canon Final Fantasy 7 characters like Genesis be included in Remake? That's just what I want, more of Gackt ruining things I enjoy.

I'd like it if the truly iconic outfits could stay the same, but we already know Nomura will see the world burn before he leaves fine enough alone. We'll have to settle for hopefully not seeing anyone related to the infinitely terrible Deepground organization.

If I were to promise to bring you a scoop of chocolate ice cream, and instead brought you a scoop of chocolate mint, because I like that flavor better, you'd either be justifiably annoyed or happy because you actually liked chocolate mint as well. Like many, I was really, really looking forward to that chocolate ice cream.

To some of us, the promise isn't being kept. I have absolutely zero faith in Square Enix to not screw up a masterpiece. The rampant retcons through the Compilation of Final Fantasy 7 have been unbearable, and most of their seventh generation works could be considered misses.

This is how I imagine Square Enix handling every facet of Final Fantasy 7 Remake that isn't pretty graphics..

Change is inevitable though, and we know it's coming. In this two part series, we'll look at the top five things that should stay the same, and the top five things that should change. Today we're covering things that need to stay the same.