When Square Enix released the first teaser trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Remake back in May and teased us about more information coming in June, we all agonized about E3 being so close and yet so far away. Now that E3’s preliminary events are in full swing, we were teased yet again by Square Enix during their Final Fantasy VII — A Symphonic Reunion Concert with a brand new teaser trailer & an accompanying release date for the first part of the remake (yes, the game is still going to be split into separate parts) of March 3, 2020. Then we were explicitly assured that still more news regarding Final Fantasy VII: Remake would be available during Square Enix’s official press conference.
And not a moment too soon, because that last teaser trailer left us with more questions than answers. Where’s Tifa? Will Aerith/Aeris die this time around if the game’s plot is being reworked? What were those dark, floating spirits surrounding Aerith/Aeris and Cloud in the trailer? Will the Iron Bangle “Perfect Game” requirement come back and make me want to break my controller again?
So what else can Square Enix tease us with regarding Final Fantasy VII: Remake and what else do they have in store for us outside of the Final Fantasy universe?
Luckily, no one had to wait long, as the conference started off with information on Final Fantasy VII: Remake brought to us by producer Yoshinori Kitase and Director of Marketing, Neal Pabon. Along with promising that the first part of the game would include at least two Blu-Ray discs worth of content, highlights of the technical side of the game include real-time attacks, spells and special attacks being able to be mapped to shortcuts, as well as a Tactical Mode that allows not only control of party members with full ATB gauges but also sees the return of the Command system from the original game in order to let your party strategize effectively. Flexibility in battle was heavily emphasized, along with a special look at battle mechanics with a clip of Cloud & Barret fighting a newly revamped Guard Scorpion.
A special appearance was also made by Tetsuya Nomura, advertising that a demo of the game would be available on the play floor A longer trailer was then played, finally giving us a look at Tifa’s new redesign, Tifa’s bar, Barret’s daughter Marlene, and battle mechanics for both Tifa and Aerith/Aeris. Finally, Square Enix advertised both the “Deluxe” and “1st Class Edition” of the game available for pre-order, though the “1st Class Edition” is only available through the Square Enix store. All editions come with a Summon Materia DLC, though the regular pre-order will only net you the Chocobo Chick.
New highlights from Square Enix include The Last Remnant Remastered, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, Dragon Quest Builders 2, and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition, which will come with online multiplayer and will be available on smartphones. Previously seen trailers included Dragon Quest IX, Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:MIND DLC, Oninaki, Octopath Traveler for PC. Also released was a launch trailer for Final Fantasy XIV’s Shadowbringers expansion.
Other developments include Romancing SaGa 3 and SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions being ported to the West, and a spinoff of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, titled War of the Visions now in the development phase.
It looks like we’ve all got a lot to look forward to this year from Square Enix. And to think E3’s only just begun! Can’t wait to see what else is in store for us this year!
