Popverse's top stories

• Free Comic Book Day will return in 2026 with a new owner - and without Marvel Comics, as things currently stand
• Watch now: WATCH: Matrix stars Laurence Fishburne and Joe Pantoliano reunited at NYCC 2025!
• Critical Role GM Brennan Lee Mulligan says Jurassic Park played a role in Campaign 4's opening moments

No one could argue that the Final Fantasy series has ever been terribly realistic, especially not Final Fantasy VII. When Square Enix came to remake the iconic JRPG, they weren’t afraid to make major changes to the plot and the characters. However, some things are too iconic to mess with, which is why the director of the Final Fantasy VII Remake project, Naoki Hamaguchi, decided not to make Cloud’s Buster Sword smaller for the new game, even if it broke the realism they were going for.

“While making Remake, there was this aspect of the weight and how Cloud swings it around with one hand that sort of felt like it would weaken the sense of realism, you know?” Naoki Hamaguchi said in an interview alongside Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director Guillaume Broache. “So, at the time, when we were making [Final Fantasy VII] Remake, there was some discussion about whether we should give Cloud a more realistic version of the Buster Sword.”

Of course, fans who have played Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth know that Cloud is still swinging around that ridiculous sword like it is nothing. “But it was just too iconic, and if we’d made it just a regular old sword, players wouldn’t accept it.”

Hamaguchi has said that Square Enix knew they wanted to make big changes for Final Fantasy VII Remake. They were willing to change the plot and the characters, and almost everything about the world of Midgar, but Cloud’s iconic Buster Sword was one change too far.

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

• All upcoming games in 2025 and beyond
• Gamify My Life, our weekly gaming column designed
• Popverse Picks: The best Assassin's Creed protagonists
• How to play every GTA game in order
• Why the GTA 6 budget isn't as crazy as you think
• The Magic: The Gathering x Spider-Man crossover set wouldn't exist without the Spider-Verse

And be sure to check Popverse regularly for the latest gaming news.