It has been over a year since Square Enix first releasedFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeinto the world, and fans eagerly await news for the remake’s second part. In the meantime,Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradejust released, providing a next-gen upgrade for PS5 players. The co-director forFinal Fantasy Remake, Motomu Toriyama, has recently spoken about his high regards for the representation delivered in Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Us Part 2.
Also released last year,The Last of Us Part 2was met with critical acclaim, and has since gone on to become the most-awarded game of all time. A huge aspect of the game that resonated with many fans was the diversity in its cast, especially in regards to LGBTQ+ inclusion.Ellie inThe Last of Us Part 2is a lesbian, her romantic interest Dina is bisexual, and new character Lev is transgender. While some players balked at the amount of trauma shown in the game, many also praised Naughty Dog for its inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters.
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In an interview with TheGamer, Toriyama brings upThe Last of Us Part 2to touch on the importance ofrepresentation in the video games industry. Toriyama thinks “expressing diversity with LGBTQ+ inclusion is an important issue for everyone involved in making content, not just people making games.“The Last of Us Part 2didn’t need to add this representation in to make the story work, and that’s part of the reason its still groundbreaking. A story with LGBTQ+ characters doesn’t solely have to revolve around their identity.
Toriyama goes on to explain that while Square Enix rebuilt Final Fantasy 7 using the latest gaming technology, they felt that they needed to update the story to fit more in the modern world. TheHoneybee Inn segment ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis the perfect example of Toriyama and the developers trying to find new ways reach different groups of people. This scene in the remake is inherently queer-coded, and was noticed by many fans to be a moment for the player, through Cloud, to toy with the notion of gender identity.
The Last of Us Part 2had a impactful first year, winning tons of awards for its story, design, sound design, narrative, acting, and more. A major praise forThe Last of Us Part 2has also been for its accessibility features. Toriyama also commends Naughty Dog for that achievement, remarking that it really is a “benchmark for the industry.” In any case, the positive reception forThe Last of Us Part 2’s LGBTQ+ representation may even inspire the developers forFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketo add some in some more diversity to their next games themselves.
