Final Fantasy VII Remake Preview – This Game Are Sick At E3

Final Fantasy VII is my favorite game of all-time. Remake is far-and-away the game I was most excited to check out, and that’s saying something when you’ve got titles like Psychonauts 2 and Shenmue III on the table. This adoration also meant I had incredibly high expectations for this long-awaited remake of one of the best JRPGs ever made, and somehow, Square Enix has managed to meet these expectations, and even go beyond them in some respects.

Before trying out the game, former Editor-in-Chief and current cool guy William Saw and I were ushered into a Midgar-themed theater room. The walls were adorned with posters for the in-universe play, LOVELESS, and advertisements for the Shinra Corporation. The security team was dressed as Turks, the slick suit-wearing fixers that work for Shinra. As the press release began, a sanitized commercial for Shinra was interrupted by Jessie, a member of Final Fantasy VII’s environmental terrorist team, AVALANCHE. Sirens began blaring, the lights died and flew back on, all as Jessie explains the game’s controls. It’s the most immersive and enjoyable press briefing that I’ve ever experienced, so I’ve got to give Square Enix kudos for that.

Now let’s dive into the Remake itself. Our demo began midway through the second bombing mission near the beginning of Final Fantasy VII, and ended after I defeated the iconic Guard Scorpion. It was probably a good fifteen to twenty minutes– the entirety of which had me glued to the screen. As a long-time hardcore fan of Final Fantasy VII, I’m truly amazed at just how well Square Enix seems to have nailed the JRPG classic.

“I’m now fully convinced that Square Enix knows what they’re doing with Remake’s combat, and I can’t wait to play more.“

Gameplay is a unique fusion of real-time combat and the strategic ATB (active turn-based) system that Final Fantasy VII is known for (I can only speak to Cloud and Barrett’s fighting styles, as they were the two playable characters featured in the demo). The square button has either character use a basic attack, which do little damage but build up your ATB bar. Gauges of the ATB bar can be used to perform more powerful skills, cast magic (depending on your equipped Materia), or use items.  You perform these actions by entering “Tactical Mode”, which slows combat down in a visually stunning manner. From there, you scroll through familiar command menus to pick your next move.

You’ll die pretty quickly if you stick to real-time basic attacks, which makes combat feel like a truly thoughtful combination of modern JRPG combat with Final Fantasy VII’s fantastic turn-based battles. Changing characters is as easy as pressing down on the D-Pad, which keeps combat feeling super smooth. If you want to stick to one character, though, you can swap to Tactical Mode to command your party members without swapping to them. I’m incredibly impressed with Remake’s combat, which myself and many others were worried about from previous trailers. I’m now fully convinced that Square Enix knows what they’re doing with Remake’s combat, and I can’t wait to play more.

“The boss theme, which mixed with Bombing Mission in some neat ways, will immediately get you hyped and ready to scrap the Guard Scorpion.“

I will say that the camera is a bit difficult to handle at times, especially as Barrett. The camera is controlled with the right analog stick, but you’ll often have your right thumb going frantically between the face buttons as you attack and use commands. Playing as Barrett often has you hold down the square button, which makes rotating the camera a bit difficult.

While I only got to hear a few of Final Fantasy VII’s famous songs, each and every one was an exceptional remix. The boss theme, which mixed with Bombing Mission in some neat ways, will immediately get you hyped and ready to scrap the Guard Scorpion. The ever-intimidating Shinra theme has been done justice as well, feeling as skeevy and catchy as ever.

I’m getting used to the new character voices as well, with Cloud’s standing out as a pretty good pick. Nostalgia means I’ll likely never fully move past Steve Burton, but Cody Christian is definitely doing a rather impressive job of filling those big, zipper-covered boots. I personally cannot wait for the Final Fantasy VII Remake to come out next March, as the E3 demo has miraculously laid all my concerns to rest.