Final Fantasy VII, one of the greatest games of all time, is getting a remake

It's finally happening.

After 18 long years, a remake of Final Fantasy VII is on its way.

For those not in the know, Final Fantasy VII - or FFVII for short - was a PlayStation fantasy role-playing game released in 1997. It's widely regarded as one of the greatest games of all time, and key details like arch-villain Sephiroth and the fate of Aeris have become enduring touchpoints in gaming culture.

At annual gaming conference E3, developer Square Enix dropped a trailer for the game on Tuesday night. Fans have clamoured for such a remake for years, and while the studio has released a number of sequels, spin-offs and animated films, it has always backed away from a direct recreation of the original classic - until now.

The teaser trailer appears to show off Midgar, the largest city on the fictional planet Gaia and home to the Shinra corporation:

Square Enix

There's a subtle hint to Aeris, a Midgar flower girl who gets caught up in the adventure:

Square Enix

As well as a road that looks suspiciously similar to one feature in one of FFVII's iconic chase scenes:

Square Enix

Though we never see their face, this man with a gun barrel for an arm can only be Barret Wallace, one of the game's key playable characters:

Square Enix

And close behind Barret comes Cloud Strife, FFVII's primary protagonist and one of the most iconic characters in the last 20 years of video gaming history:

Square Enix

The trailer ends with the caption "play it first on PlayStation 4" - suggesting that while Sony fans will be the first to get their hands on the eagerly-anticipated title, it won't be exclusive to the PS4.

Here's the full trailer:

Kotaku got its hands on a press release from developer Square Enix, and the studio says it has just "begun production." The inference is that the game is a long way off yet:

LOS ANGELES (June 15, 2015) - At Sony Computer Entertainment of America LLC's (SCEA) E3 press conference today, SQUARE ENIX® announced that it has begun production on the full remake of FINAL FANTASY® VII for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system.

Leading the development will be key members from the original project, including producer Yoshinori Kitase, director Tetsuya Nomura and scenario writer Kazushige Nojima.

The immediate reaction on Twitter is, well, exactly what you might expect: