Final Fantasy VII Remake Gameplay Trailer. FFVII Is Multi-Part Release. ATB Replaced By Realtime Combat (PS4)

IT IS REAL AND IT IS HERE! Final Fantasy VII Remake got its long-awaited gameplay debut at Sony’s PlayStation Experience 2015 event during their keynote showcase! Square also revealed that FFVII Remake is running on Unreal Engine 4 & that developer CyberConnect2 (.Hack series, Naruto Ultimate Ninja series, Asura’s Wrath, Little Tail Story) is assisting with development.

Check out the Final Fantasy VII Remake Gameplay Reveal exclusively for PS4.

While the gameplay footage absolutely brought down the house, it also filled some players with a sense of absolute dread, even while others were filled with awe.

Incredibly cinematic, badass & graphically impressive, it dawned on fans as they watched that Square has replaced the turn-based ATB gauge (“Active Time Battle”, as introduced originally with Final Fantasy IV) with REALTIME combat.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Moviescene Cloud Barret Ready to Fight PS4
Cloud & Barret GOT THIS!

As you can imagine, this changes the game completely and makes it 100% opposite of what Final Fantasy VII once was.

Square also revealed that Final Fantasy VII will be a multi-part series instead of a singular product.

“As you can imagine, both the realtime combat and the splitting of the game into a series of multipart releases are EXTREMELY controversial moves… Making Final Fantasy VII Remake exactly as many feared.”

While not quite episodic (though no one knows how many “episodes” there will be), it sounds like the game will be split up into three or more parts.

Square says this will allow them to undertake the massive challenge of translating Final Fantasy VII into the modern era in smaller chunks; therefore allowing them to cover more of the game… And instead of cutting out parts that they wouldn’t otherwise have time to work on, they can go deeper into exploring areas that they always wanted to explore even in the original Final Fantasy VII game.

As you can imagine, both the realtime combat and the splitting of the game into a series of multipart releases are EXTREMELY controversial moves… Making Final Fantasy VII Remake exactly as many feared (Alongside the addition of voice-acting).

Thus many fans will see Final Fantasy Remake as an absolute butchering of the original game.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Gameplay Screenshot Attack Equipped Weapon PS4
FFVII Remake Gameplay At Last!

“However, if you look at it objectively, you can easily see WHY Square would go with these changes… Realtime combat makes the game feel visceral and action-packed, just like the combat in the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children film. FFVII Remake absolutely drips with hightech flash of an overwhelming magnitude that constantly bombards the senses and makes you feel as if YOU / ARE / CLOUD STRIFE.”

However, if you look at it objectively, you can easily see WHY Square would go with these changes.

To have a classic-style RPG without voice acting goes against the modern-day RPG grain. And the realtime combat makes the game feel visceral and action-packed, just like the combat in the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children film… Something Square has constantly defended as closer to their original vision had today’s tech existed back in 1997.

Whereas the ATB turn-based combat of the old style takes you out of the cohesive, seamless, bombastic experience Square is shooting for.

Making Final Fantasy VII Remake drip with hightech flash of an overwhelming magnitude that constantly bombards the senses and makes you feel as if YOU / ARE / CLOUD STRIFE.

Or so it is argued.

Finally, as mentioned above, splitting the game into smaller parts will allow Square to cover the entire story as much as possible without having to cut the chaff.

Whether or not fans will buy all these “excuses” by the creators, much less accept them, remains to be seen.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Barret Midgar Slums Ingame Cinematic PS4
Barret is Blade.

“Despite all this, I thought the Final Fantasy VII Remake gameplay footage was absolutely spell-binding & phenomenal in action! No matter what my own opinions are on how it SHOULD have been done, I will absolutely love this new interpretation for what it is.”

Personally I am of two-minds about Final Fantasy VII Remake.

On the one hand, I greatly appreciate this all-new interpretation and re-envisioning of the original.

I expected that this was the direction they would go… As it’s kind of a natural fit.

On the other hand, I was hoping against all hope, that Square would keep the game EXACTLY the same – turn-based combat, voiceless-text-based dialog, ATB & all – and ONLY update the graphics (and perhaps the music) to modern-day standards.

Here’s the Final Fantasy VII Remake image gallery.
Click on any of these image thumbnails to see the full-size photos:


I’d still absolutely LOVE to see THAT version of FFVII… And part of me is hoping they can somehow fit a version like that into FFVII Remake as another option….. But I’m not holding my breath.

Despite all this, I thought the Final Fantasy VII Remake gameplay footage was absolutely spell-binding & phenomenal in action!

No matter what my own opinions are on how it SHOULD have been done, I will absolutely love this new interpretation for what it is.

It looks beyond badass!

Final Fantasy VII Remake Logo Official PS4
The awesome Final Fantasy VII Remake Logo

What did you think of Final Fantasy VII Remake. Did the gameplay reveal disappoint or inspire?!