The cover for the Final Fantasy VII Remake was revealed alongside more screenshots of the game — including how materia works in the menu, the main characters in battle and the Sector 7 Slums.
They also revealed a video taken from the recent Tokyo Game Show, showing the Abzu (Aps) boss fight, where the different fighting styles of Cloud, Tifa and Aerith can be seen.
There's a lot to digest from the nearly six-minute video, but the thing that strikes us most is the way the ATB/action hybrid works — and appears to work really well.
It's somewhat reminiscent of the before-its-time gambit system in Final Fantasy XII, where characters are largely autonomous until specific commands — such as Limit Breaks, Summons or healing spells — are required. It makes for a fluid battle that screams action, and we're excited to get our hands on it.
The essence of Materia appears to have been retained almost exactly, with each piece having levels of growth that unlock different traits or abilities. As in the original, AP will be gained from defeating enemies.
In this case, the Elemental Materia adds more elemental damage as it levels up, or different stages of protection against the paired element, depending on whether it is equipped on the character's weapon or armor.
Following on from seeing Shiva in the previous video released, we have now been given a look at the next core Summon — Ifrit — who retains much of the visual style of the original.
Each character will be able to have just one Summon equipped, according to Square Enix. These supremely powerful creatures will be called upon once a Summon Gauge is fully charged, and will remain with the party as an extra member.
They will do their own thing in attacking your foe, but can be manually ordered to use their unique attacks. Quite like in Final Fantasy XIII, they will disappear once the gauge is fully depleted.
However, they will unleash their signature move (think Diamond Dust or Hellfire), before they leave — not good news for your enemies!
All in all, the game is shaping up to be quite the looker. Flashy attacks and battle sequences, gorgeous character models, and the promise of a worthy update to a classic game, all have me personally chomping at the bit.
Final Fantasy VII Remake comes to PlayStation 4 on March 3, 2020, with preorders now live.
There's a lot to digest thanks to Square Enix' latest Final Fantasy VII Remake trailer, unveiled as part of the Tokyo Game Show 2019. The Turks, summons, the crazy motorcycle chase and *that* iconic set piece are all on offer — all just serving to ramp up the hype!
