Final Fantasy 7 Remake: New Trailer Reveals FF7 Remake Is An Action RPG, And That’s OK

Final Fantasy 7 returns to PS4. Trailer reveals curious cameo feature Aya Brea of Parasite Eve.
Final Fantasy 7 returns to PS4. Trailer reveals curious cameo feature Aya Brea of Parasite Eve. Square Enix

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is, after years of dreaming, finally, actually happening, and releasing sometime in the far distant future. But luckily Square Enix isn’t taking its usual total silence approach with this one. Just a few months after first announcing the game at E3 2015, Squeenix has unveiled a new trailer… one that actually shows us the gameplay. And the combat system. The totally different combat system. Check out the trailer:

Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Trailer Reveals Totally Different Combat System

So, there are some major key takeaways from the new Final Fantasy 7 Remake trailer. First, the character designs are pretty different… not so much for Cloud, but definitely for Barrett. Second, the graphics are spectacular… or at least the cutscene graphics are. Third, it’s coming out on PS4 “first…,” which means it will be coming to other platforms later. Presumably that’s the PC, the Xbox One, and possibly even the Nintendo NX.

But the real takeaway is that part of the trailer that reveals the combat system. Because, as we suspected, it’s totally different from the one in the original Final Fantasy 7. Instead of being strictly turn-based, it’s moved to a more action-oriented system, although one that still features the classic Final Fantasy menu commands. Basically, it’s the FFXV system, the refinement of what we’ve seen for the last few rounds of Final Fantasy games. Square Enix has chosen not to resurrect the turn-based battle system for the modern era, instead sticking to what works for now—even though that system is often maligned by older Final Fantasy fans.

Expect a backlash about the Final Fantasy 7 Remake battle system. It’s bound to happen—the purists, the diehard fans, the traditionalists, are going to be well and truly pissed. FF7 Remake is going to feel like a totally different game with that kind of a battle system, since it will be more of an action RPG than the turn-based version of old (which, of course, you can still play… the port just came out for PS4, in fact). A lot of people won’t like this version.

But face it: A lot of people will like an action RPG version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake much, much better. The games of today are faster-paced than those of yore, for better or (probably) for worse, and this game isn’t a throwback. It was never intended as one. It’s a version of Final Fantasy 7 for the modern era. Think of it like New Super Mario Bros U rather than Super Mario Bros on the Virtual Console, and you’ll get it. It’s a reimagining of what came before. Many people will love it. It’s okay if you don’t.

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