New Gameplay Features
A lengthy gameplay demo of Final Fantasy 7 Remake was shown at Square Enix’s Tokyo Game Show 2019 presentation on September 14th, 2019. Hosted by the game’s producer Yoshinori Kitase, the event showcased a number of new features for the upcoming title.
Main Menu
The game’s main menu was shown near the beginning of the demo. A number of actions can be done here, including viewing the party’s current status, saving or loading data, and tweaking the game’s settings.
One interesting new feature shown was the ability to adjust the game’s difficulty during play. The available settings were easy, normal, and classic.
Classic Mode
Classic mode lets players issue commands during combat instead of manually controlling each party member. As stated back in the E3 2019 demo, commands can only be executed by filling up the ATB gauge.
This new feature is likely intended for players who prefer gameplay that is more similar to the original title. It was also revealed that characters can still be controlled normally in classic mode if the player presses a button or moves the analog stick. The issued commands will be executed once manual inputs have stopped.
Battle Mechanics
Wait Mode
Upon opening the command menu in battle, players will enter wait mode. Time will be slowed significantly, allowing for better decisions on what to do.
Wait mode is likely only a new name for what the E3 2019 demo previously referred to as tactical mode.
Cloud’s Burst Slash Ability
One of Cloud’s new abilities called Burst Slash was shown in the demo. The attack builds up a significant amount of the enemy’s burst gauge when used. As already revealed in the E3 demo, foes have a meter that gradually when attacked them. When full, the enemy will be staggered and will take more damage for a limited period.
Materia
Materia will retain some of its known mechanics from the original game. They can be attached to weapons, armor, and accessories to allow characters to use magic, special commands, summons, or gain elemental affinity.
Certain types of equipment slots allow materia to be grouped together. Doing this activates various special effects based on the combinations of materia used.
Magic Materia
Magic materia grant characters the ability to cast spells. These range from those that directly damage enemies to those that inflict status conditions.
Magic materia become stronger over time. Thunder, for example, is upgraded to thundara and thundaga through constant use.
Support Materia
Support materia grant passive effects to characters. Among these are materia that bestow elemental damage to weapons or give elemental resistance to armor.
Summon
A first look at the game’s redesigned summon mechanic was shown during the Abzu battle demo. Halfway through the fight, the demonic Ifrit was invoked. Unlike in previous Final Fantasy games, summons in Final Fantasy Remake will temporarily fight alongside the player like another member of the party. Commands can also be issued to the summon to use its unique abilities.
Before Ifrit’s active gauge was depleted, the beast unleashed its iconic Hellfire attack. Most games in the series limited summons to just using their signature moves, similar to casting magic.
It should also be noted that time stopped when Ifrit used Hellfire. The attack animation is akin to a short cutscene as was the case in the original game.
Limit Break
Aerith’s Healing Wind
Also revealed during the Abzu boss battle demo was Aerith’s first limit break from the original game. It can presumably heal all party members, though it will not restore a summon’s active gauge based on the demo.
Tifa’s Somersault
Tifa’s somersault limit break is a one-hit attack that made the Abzu flinch. The boss also accumulated a significant amount on its burst meter upon getting hit.
Cloud’s Cross Slash
Cloud’s Cross Slash was first showcased in the E3 boss battle demo. Based on the Abzu battle, it deals more damage than Tifa’s somersault. The attack hits three times, with the final strike doing more than 3,000 damage.
Squat and Pull-up Mini Games
The squat mini-game in Wall Market from the original version was confirmed in the remake. Its mechanics are that of a rhythm game, requiring the player to press a sequence of buttons to perform squats. The player must do more repetitions than their opponent to win.
A new mini-game featuring Tifa was also shown in the trailer at the end of the presentation. It had similar mechanics to the one mentioned above, though players will be pitted in a pull-up contest against a challenger.
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