Please tell us.
What more could they add?
- At the start of the game you plant a bomb and blow up a reactor. Understandably you need to hightail it to the train so you're not caught.
- You ride said train down to your base, again, because you don't want just anyone knowing your group is involved in terrorism.
- The next morning you wake up to bomb another reactor. Cloud is separated by the party.
- You meet a flower girl who is wanted by the Turks. Taking her straight home is part of the deal you make with her.
- Cloud wants to go to sector seven and reunite with Tifa and Barret, he sneaks off but ends up going with Aerith. They see Tifa heading to the Wall Market to be sold as a prostitute.
- The wall market happens.
- The team learns that Shinra plans on detonating the pillar of S7 to destroy any remnants of Avalanche. You're knocked to the sewer and then the graveyard.
- Sector Seven is destroyed and Aerith kidnapped.
- You find a way to the top plate and sneak into Shinra HQ.
- Shinra HQ starts, and ends the Midgar segment of the game until disc 2.
Of these plot elements where does extra exploration even fit?
For one, you're wanted terrorists at that point. Another almost every single story beat requires pushing forward because time is of essence. The only parts they could possibly allow you to explore more of Midgar is by extending the Wall Market sequence which is already long enough, making the journey to Sector Seven more tense by extending the journey there and making the sewers and ghost trainyard full fledged dungeons rather than three screens tops. Maybe they could add more stops along the way to Shinra HQ but that doesn't change the fact that you're wanted and Shinra rules the city with an iron fist. Perhaps make the Sector on the way to Sector 7 that's utterly destroyed have more story relevance? Either way, what else could you add and where? No matter what it just sounds like a large potentiality for padding. Sure, they can certainly beef up the already existing areas, but add more? Again, where and why? Why would Cloud and gang go exploring all over Midgar after being caught as a terrorist that killed innocent people? It makes no sense.
If all they did was take the above and beefed it up and gave it a bit more detail I could see the game last 15 or so hours. In the original game it all takes about 5 hours so that's reasonable, but SE have said it's a "full length game" which implies at least 40 hours minimum. What could they possibly add to the Midgar story that warrants 25 additional hours of plot? If Part 1 continued past Midgar, that'd makes lots of sense and they could easily make it a 40 hour game without padding. But they've confirmed Part 1 is only Midgar exclusively. I get wanting to explore more of Midgar but how is it even possible to turn it into a full length game without padding? Adding a few things here and there that are new to explore is totally different from turning it into a full sized game. Not to mention that a large part of the appeal of the Midgar segment of the game is how briskly paced it is.
Good points - maybe the sections that that we're used to getting through quickly may take longer than normal? Just watching that Guard Scorpion boss took a decent amount of time and it gets me thinking that other sections that we're used to breezing through will take longer.
Totally guessing but
- maybe the reactors in Sectors 1 and 4 will be much larger in scope and will take more than an hour to get through (versus about 15-20 minutes in the original). There was a scene with Jessie on the motorcycle that leads me to think that you drive to/from a sector reactor or something, who knows.
- maybe the escape to the train will take you through different neighborhoods before reaching it. Maybe stealth sections before finally being caught and forced to run (I hope not but who knows)
- maybe getting through the slums in Sector 5 w/ Aeris will be fleshed out more than just the one screen with 5 houses. More run-ins with the Turks even after leaving the church. More backstory about Aeris during your meeting with Elmyra. Maybe you'll learn about Zack at this point (I hope not but who knows).
- maybe getting away from Aeris and through Sector 6 takes longer than that one screen.
- maybe Wall Market is like a early look at how Gold Saucer will operate, with shops and side games and stuff opening up more chances to make Cloud pretty.
a. maybe we squat all day in WM
b. maybe the Honeybee Inn takes over our lives
- maybe the sewers are huge, and the train graveyard is even bigger and more complex.
- maybe we have to run all the way up the plate and fight every stupid helicopter solider on the way
- maybe Shinra HQ is ginormous and we spend the majority of our time there undercover until near the very end.
Obviously a huge amount of "maybes" but I like thinking about how these sections might be fleshed out without turning into endless corridors.
