Square Enix released today a four-minute trailer of Final Fantasy VII Remake during its E3 2019 press conference in Los Angeles, California.
In the E3 2019 trailer they released, players will be able to see more of the other known characters in the game such as Tifa. More of the battle system was also shown.
“Remaking Final Fantasy VII has allowed us to dive much deeper into the world and its characters than ever before,” Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase said on stage. “The game design was optimized for this title as well, and we anticipate two blu-ray discs worth of gameplay content. The first game in this project expands on the story of Midgar, and is such an elaborate retelling that it has become a solid standalone game in its own right.”
In terms of the battle system, Square Enix Product Marketing Senior Manager Neal Pabon explained more of the battle system. According to him, the gameplay is hybrid as it merges real time action with strategic command-based combat.
Here’s what he has to say:
Final Fantasy VII Remake features a hybrid gameplay system that merges real-time action with strategic command-based combat. For starters, each press of the Square button is a swing of Cloud’s Buster Sword. Cloud attacks, dodges, and blocks all in real-time. His standard attacks do some damage, but they barely scratch the surface of Cloud’s true potential.
Succeeding on the battlefield requires more than just hacking and slashing. Cloud needs to be tactical. He needs ATB. Two ATB bars are displayed in the lower right. These fill up slowly over time, but fill much faster as Cloud lands standard attacks. Once an ATB bar is full, you can enter Tactical Mode, where time slows to a crawl and you have the opportunity to choose actions from the command menu. Once in Tactical Mode, you can choose to perform various abilities, such as Cloud’s Braver attack. Using an item in battle will deplete an ATB charge, and if Cloud has the right Materia equipped and enough MP, he can use ATB charges to cast spells.
[As for Barrett,] with the use of his iconic gun arm, Barrett is able to target enemies at a distance. Barrett’s standard attacks generate ATB charges similar to Cloud, but his abilities are entirely different. Switching between characters in combat is done with a single button press, which makes rotating through characters in combat a snap. Characters will continue to fight even when you’re not controlling them directly, but it’s up to you to control when and how ATB charges are used. You can maximize your effectiveness by switching between characters or issuing commands to characters with full ATB bars. Every enemy has a focus gauge that fills up as you deal damage. When the gauge is full, the enemy becomes staggered and you’ll deal bonus damage.
Tactical Mode evokes the command selections from the original Final Fantasy VII, and allows players to enjoy battle while taking the time to think strategically. For players who prefer fast-paced actions, abilities and spells can be bound to shortcuts for immediate execution. Shortcuts make combat extremely dynamic, but the choice of using them is entirely up to you.
For fans who are eagerly anticipating for the game, Square Enix also announced that Final Fantasy VII remake will come in three editions: Deluxe, Digital deluxe, and 1st Class Edition.
For $79.99, players will be able to purchase the Deluxe Edition, which is available for pre-order starting today. The Deluxe Edition contains the following:
- a Mini-Soundtrack CD
- Summon Materia DLC that allow players to summon Cactuar
- Sephiroth Steelcase book
- and a hardback art book
For the digital deluxe edition, it retails for $79.99 and will contain the following:
- a digital Mini-Soundtrack selection
- digital art book
- Summon Materia DLC that summons Carbuncle and Cactuar in-game
The ultimate version, which is the 1st Class Edition will include all of the Deluxe Edition content, the Carbuncle Summon Materia DLC, as well as Play arts Kai Strike and Hardy Daytona box set. It is now available for pre-order in limited quantities through the Square Enix Online Store.
For pre-orders, any version of the game from selection retailers will receive a Chocobo Chick Summon Materia DLC at launch. Those who pre-order the digital edition from the PlayStation Store will also receive the Cloud and Sephiroth Dynamic Theme for the PS4 system.
Final Fantasy VII Remake will be available first on PlayStation 4 on March 3, 2020.
