Overview
Final Fantasy VII Remake is an action RPG developed and published by Square Enix. It is a remake of the original Final Fantasy VII, a title originally released on the Sony Playstation in 1997. FF7 Remake has been rebuilt from the ground up to be a JRPG with real-time action, fully-voiced characters, and modern graphics.
Square Enix plans to release the Remake in episodic installments, with the first released April 10, 2020 (exclusively on PS4) which covers the Midgar portion of the original game. A demo was released on PSN on March 3, 2020.
Plot
Cloud Strife, a former first-class SOLDIER turned mercenary, is hired by the group AVALANCHE to help them destroy a Mako reactor slowly poisoning the city. Though the group succeeds in their task, this act sets off a chain of events involving AVALANCHE, the evil Shinra Corporation, and a mysterious flower girl, with consequences for the whole world.
Gameplay
Players can switch between up to three party members in real-time, taking advantage of their attacks and abilities to defeat enemies in front of them. Though the player can only control one at a time, they can command any of them to use their unique abilities, magic spells, or items in their inventory. Being that this is only the first part of the Final Fantasy VII story, there are only four playable characters in the game: Cloud, Barret, Tifa, and Aerith. Red XIII does make an appearance in the latter part of the game, but is not controllable and is treated as a guest character. Unlike in the original, the party is determined by the story and cannot be adjusted manually.
Additionally, an option for a Classic Mode is available. More akin to an easy mode, in Classic the game will take control of the characters during battle while the player can activate any ATB commands. Direct control of the characters is still possible if desired.
New Game+ and Hard Mode
Once the game has been completed, there is the option to replay the game with all earned items and abilities, as well as being able to play in hard mode, via Chapter Selection. Some weapon manuscripts are only obtainable in Hard Mode.
Limit Breaks
Much like in the original game, each character has a set of Limit Breaks, that can cause significant damage. Whereas the original game had four levels of Limit Breaks with a total of seven per character, Remake only has two per character. New Limit Breaks are acquired in Chapter 9 for Cloud and Aerith and in Chapter 14 for Barret and Tifa. When a new Limit Break is acquired, it can be equipped in the Battle Settings menu. Only one Limit Break can be equipped at a time. To use a Limit Break, a limit gauge will fill during battle when attacked or staggering enemies. Once the gauge is filled, an option to use a Limit Break will appear in the battle menu. Limit Breaks cannot be saved between battles: if it activates during a normal fight, it’s best to use it then and there.
Cloud’s Limit Breaks:
- Cross Slash
- Ascension
Barret’s Limit Breaks:
- Fire in the Hole
- Catastrophe
Tifa’s Limit Breaks:
- Somersault
- Dolphin Flurry
Aerith’s Limit Breaks:
- Healing Wind
- Planet’s Protection
The refocus materia is an additional Limit Break that can be equipped by anyone giving that character two options during battle. Refocus allows the character to have three ATB bars allowing for faster charge.
Latest On Final Fantasy VII Remake
All game data on this page is sourced via Giant Bomb.