Consider this, Resident Evil 2 a smaller game overall took Capcom 4 years from announcement in 2015 to release in 2019 and doesn't feature half as many unique locales. So let's discuss their parallels using
this interview.
Much like Kanda's staff respecting the original RE2 we see returning core members of VII's staff working to create a modern realization of their classic title, they are trying to be faithful to the spirit of the original while also realizing that there are changes to be made when creating a modern approach. For example where as Leon's design was changed we can see some of this same design philosophy coming through with differences such as Cloud's newer muscular build which even changed from 2015 to now giving consideration to the fact he swings around a sword as tall as him as well as Aps new design being much more bestial while still retaining a Frankensteinian monstrosity aspect to it:
Resident Evil 2 and VII both had fixed camera angles, with VII having many isometric pre-rendered backgrounds vs now where the entirety of playable Midgar has to be rendered in a fully 3d environment in the remake as well as potentially a considerable number of skybox work, that's not even considering how level design has to be approached and figuring out how to have the characters interact and navigate through the environment.
The second bolded bit is Kanda almost basically describing the scene above: "
You've got just the flashlight beam or you've got darkness ahead. There's smoke, the corridor twists, and you still can't see ahead, even with the third-person camera. " There are many, many more layers of detail being added to the game to give it much more atmosphere in this fully rendered 3d remake.
Much like RE2, the original FFVII existed in a different context back in the 90s and many of its elements were inferred due to the low-poly nature of the game and a lot of it would look downright goofy today. Not only does everything have to be redesigned in a new light, but so many things have to be considered such as the way enemies behave and react. Especially considering the transition from turn-based to a much more action-oriented title. The best thing having the old material at hand does is give them an outline, the worst part being any differences will always have the potential to be under massive scrutiny on an already large undertaking. Saying their work is cut out for them is like saying any adaptation of a book to live action is easy work or that any movie remake is easy work. It's nonsense.
