Tis the season to be jolly! Tralalalalala! Sephiroth just descended from the heavens tralalalalalala! Watch him draw his Masamune and stab Aerith through the guts under a beautiful moon! Tralalalalala! Ah, Final Fantasy VII. All the feels, even two decades after it first launched with a ballsy print advert that urged other game companies to smoke a final cigarette before the firing squad of game-changing ideas arrived on the scene.
With just three months to go until launch, Square Enix’s approach to showing off Final Fantasy VII Remake has been one of heavy nostalgia. The last couple of months have seen plenty of screenshots teased, each one taken from a pivotal moment in the original game and given a proper high definition makeover. I for one think it’s amazing that we finally have a video game which has the cutting edge visuals of the 2005 Advent Children, because progress!
Today is no different, with Square Enix having a few more screens to show off that include Tifa Lockheart gazing up at the sky and Sephirth’s absolutely iconic exit through the fire and flames. DragonForce references, awesome. Here they are, with the original images beneath them as well:
And here’s the rest of the gallery! Click to embiggen:
In addition to that, Square Enix also dropped some news on gameplay features. In FF7 Remake, Aerith has a few new tricks up her sleeves in the form of offensive magic that lays a smackdown on the area around her:
A press of the square button will make her launch a ranged magic attack.
By pressing square in repeatedly, or holding the button, successive attacks can be unleashed. In addition, the number of targets hit will increase, and attacks will cover a wider area. By pressing the Triangle button, Aerith will unleash her unique ability – Tempest. You can also charge the attack by holding the Triangle button – at maximum charge it will explode repeatedly after it hits an enemy.
Aerith can also replenish her stock of magical mana with Drain, which allows her to siphon the MP out of a foe quicker than a politician ducking questions. Well, almost as quick as that. Then there’s Lustrous Shield, which allows Aerith to summon a magical barrier that can block enemies and projectiles. Neat.
One of the classic summons from the original game is also getting a makeover, as Shiva use on the battlefield requires a bit more strategy if you want to make the most of her incredible ice powers:
Characters in FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE can use Summon Materia – orbs let them summon an intensely powerful ally into the fight.
The Queen of Ice Shiva is one such Summon. This frosty figure gives an icy glare to enemies and a loving smile to allies. She skates around the battlefield, and manipulates the air to freeze enemies in the blink of an eye. Once summoned, Shiva will fight automatically, but you can also issue commands to make her use specific abilities. Heavenly Strike creates a giant glacier and smashes it down onto an opponent!
Summons are governed by a special gauge – when it’s empty they’ll disappear… but just before they leave, they’ll deliver an especially powerful move. In Shiva’s case, it’s Diamond Dust – a move fans of the original FINAL FANTASY VII may remember. Shiva encases enemies in ice and then shatters them in spectacular fashion.
Oh my yeeeeessssss. March 03 can’t get here soon enough for the first part in the grand remake saga of Final Fantasy VII.
Last Updated: December 17, 2019
Umar
December 17, 2019 at 13:13
Can hear Tifa’s theme just looking at the screenshot of her in Nibelheim sitting on the well. Can’t wait to see that scene of them making a promise to each other in the remake. Gosh….