I've played a little of Final Fantasy VII Remake, and I'm quite fond of how it takes fluid, hack-and-slash combat and fuses it with the turn-based ATB system of the 1997 original. You can use menus to activate special abilities, limit breaks and magic use, but also maneuver your characters around the battlefield, using the square button to unleash light but quick attacks. These build up your enemies' stagger bars, ultimately leaving them open for those powerful, menu-triggered moves. It's a good system!
But I do know some people who can't handle change, that refuse to accept that a game with the words Final, Fantasy and Seven (you know what I mean) in it will ever be anything other than strictly ATB-styled when it comes to battles. Not ones for being kept on their toes, these players prefer to procrastinate rather than pulverise. The slow-pokes.
But now, they're in luck, as FFVIIR producer Yoshinori Kitase showed off a newly revealed 'Classic' mode for the game, at the annual Tokyo Game Show. Using this mode, you needn't use the lighter attacks to build your ATB gauge - just like the PlayStation hit of yesteryear, it simply fills up over time. You needn't do anything - just watch, wait, and then unleash hell just as soon as the meter hits its sweet spot.
As Square Enix tweeted after the on-stage presentation of the mode (which you can watch in full here, or below if the embedded video is supported by your device), this makes it possible to play the new game as a "classic, menu-based RPG".
Progress, eh: who needs it? But in all seriousness this is a cool addition to a much-anticipated remake which - okay - some people will want to adhere as closely as possible to the game they played before. We know, of course, that the game coming out on March 3 next year will only cover events of Final Fantasy VII up until the team leaves the city of Midgar; but also that there's going to be enough content in that release to keep us all busy for a long time, and that Square Enix is currently writing the next chapter of the FFVII Remake series.
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As I said right up there, I've played some of this game - and it's good. Really good! You can check out some thoughts on a very early part of Final Fantasy VII Remake in the video below (or find it on Facebook here). The game releases for PlayStation 4 on March 3, 2020.
Featured Image Credit: Square EnixTopics: Final Fantasy 7, Square Enix
