I haven't actually played it yet. When you're only getting $270 a week you can't exactly spare $60 to buy a video game. But I've already had everything spoiled for me already so here is my two cents on the matter. I agree this is genius but not in the way you think. I kinda feel like Square Enix is trying to turn FF7 into what they turned Kingdom Hearts into.
Now I love Kingdom Hearts. i really do. But it was clearly suppose to end at KH2. They didn't know if there was going to be any more games after it. So they wrote it as a possible conclusion to the series and it works incredibly well as one. All the major story-lines and themes are brought to satisfying conclusion and while still leaving things open for a sequel. KH1,CoM and KH2 form a single conclusive story with a beginning, middle and end. But that obviously wasn't the end. KH2 was so popular that it ensure KH would continue for years to come. And continue it did with spin off after spin off with each one added new layers of lore which leads to even more spin offs. Kingdom Hearts 3 the so called to conclusion to the Xehanort saga was really just set up for whole other saga worth of games. This money train still has plenty of track left.
But the Final Fantasy train on the other hand is definitely starting to show it's age. Once an unstoppable juggernaut in the 90 and early 00's. It's popularity has definitely waned in the last 10 years. It still has it's fans but it's nothing what it once was. People no longer look forward to new numbered titles like they once did. But people still love FF7. Even 23 years after it's initial release it is still beloved by so many. But that's also a double edged sword. It's so beloved that fans are incredibly resistant to the idea of the direct sequel. I mean Square tried that with the FF7 Compilation and it didn't exactly go over that well. But while people hate the idea of a direct sequel they are crazy over the idea of a remake.
Which is why the FF7 Remake is genius. It allows Square to have it's cake and eat it to. This is still clearly a remake but it is also a sequel. But instead of dropping the sequel bomb on people all at once and scaring them off they instead do it in stages. They change things here and change things there and before you know it those changes add up and the entire story-line is completely different from what it is suppose to be. But by that point you are too committed to drop out. You have to know where it's all leading to. And since they are no longer committed to the original story-line they can keep things going for as long as they want. They've basically turned FF7 into it's own separate franchise and they are using the idea of a remake to mask what they are trying to do.
Maybe I'm just being to cynical about this. But I don't think I'm am. Nor am I sure if I have really have a problem with it. I am definitely annoyed that we will never get a proper remake like I wanted but at the same time I would be lying if I said I wasn't honestly interested in what they are trying to do.