Final Fantasy 7 Remake devs put "special effort into creating Cloud's hair," half of the character's total polygon count, in fact

GamesRPGFinal Fantasy 7: RemakeFinal Fantasy 7 Remake devs put “special effort into creating Cloud’s hair,” half of the character’s total polygon count, in factWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesRPGFinal Fantasy 7: RemakeFinal Fantasy 7 Remake devs put “special effort into creating Cloud’s hair,” half of the character’s total polygon count, in factWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Square Enix) Final Fantasy 7’s Cloud Strife is one of gaming’s most iconic characters. His striking, spiky hairstyle has not gone out of style in the 27 years since he first graced our screens. No matter what game you see him in, he justexudescool, but there’s no denying that since his debut appearance in 1997, he’s had quite a glow-up. InFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Cloud looks better than ever before, with a character model so detailed that you could probably count all of his individual pores if you really wanted to. Believe it or not, his character model’s total polygon count has actually doubled from around 110,000 to 220,000 since 2020’sFinal Fantasy 7 Remake– a game that was already visually stunning. Of those 110,000 Cloud-based polygons in Remake, though,Square Enixdefinitely had its priorities in order, as it’s been revealed in aPlayStation Blog postthat half of them were dedicated to perfecting his luscious locks. “When people think of Cloud, most think of his gigantic sword and his unique hairstyle. Because it is so iconic, we needed to put special effort into creating Cloud’s hair for Final Fantasy 7 Remake, to properly express his personality,” Square Enix’s lead character artist and main character modeler, Dai Suzuki, explains. “The hair was an extremely high-priority element and in fact accounted for half of the total polygon count for the whole model. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the hardware has been changed to PS5, allowing for a higher polygon count to be used than in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.” For comparison, back in the original Final Fantasy 7, Cloud’s battle model was made up of roughly 900 polygons, making his polygon count in Rebirth around 244 times larger. Meanwhile, his timeless Buster Sword was estimated to have had a polygon count of approximately 50-100 in the original, which has since grown to around 8,000 in Rebirth. There’s no denying that the entire Final Fantasy 7 world, including the characters in it, now looks significantly better than it did in the late ’90s, even if there is something incredibly nostalgic about those low-poly models. It makes you wonder how much more detail Square Enix might be able to cram into Cloud’s hair for the third Remake installment. Looking for your next gaming adventure? Be sure to check out our ranking of the top25 best RPGsfor some recommendations. 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Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the 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