For years, video game fans clamored for a remake of the beloved 1997 game Final Fantasy VII. After all, we are in an era of sequels, reboots and remakes, with three different live-action versions of Spider-Man in theaters in the last 20 years. Why not do the same with one of the most acclaimed games of all time?

The original Final Fantasy VII broke new ground for the franchise, as this Times video shows. It was the series’s first leap into 3-D graphics. It ditched Final Fantasy’s typical swords-and-magic setting for a more futuristic, science-fictional one. It simplified some of the gameplay to attract newcomers. And it told a story about eco-terrorism and corporate greed destroying the planet — themes that resonated with gamers and nongamers alike.

Fans wanted to see how Square Enix, the company that makes Final Fantasy games, would revisit and update all of that with today’s technology.

Square Enix listened. It announced that it would remake the game. It is coming in three parts: The first installment, Final Fantasy VII Remake, came out in 2020. The second, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, is coming out this week. (Read The Times’s review.) The final part is expected in the next few years.

But the company did something weird. While it improved the graphics and gameplay to match modern standards, as expected, it also made changes to the story. And they are big changes.

In the original game, for example, the player does not fight the main villain, Sephiroth, until the very end. In the remake, you fight him in the first installment.