Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on January 22, 2026, which was revealed at today’s lengthy . This is the first entry in the remake trilogy and primarily takes place in the opening city of Midgar. You’ll have to wait until Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to explore the overworld map, and there’s no Switch 2 release date for that one yet.
This release does include the , which involves the ninja Yuffie on a mission to steal powerful items from the evil Shinra corporation. That story takes place after the main campaign.
There’s a trailer and it looks gorgeous, so the Switch 2 should be able to handle this one. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade originally . The long-awaited title was more of a reimagining than a straight remake of the iconic JRPG. The game still managed to garner critical acclaim, despite drastic changes from the original.
It was followed by , with a third game on the way to close out the trilogy. There’s no name for this final entry and we don’t have a release date, as it’s still in active development.
Final Fantasy VII has one of the best openings of a video game ever. The remake cranks that up even further thanks to the the mash-up of modern graphics and Nobuo Uematsu’s classic score. I’m pleased to report the magic is still there on Switch 2. Digital Foundry said it might be the best-looking port on the handheld hybrid yet. Nothing in my time with it led me to think otherwise. And man, does that first mission still hit.
For the uninitiated, the opening mission has a former corporate solider teaming up with an anarcho-terrorist cell to blow up a power plant that is helping to kill the planet. Combined with the slick hybrid turn-based combat, it’s a perfect tutorial that also sets the big-picture stakes for the rest of the adventure.
I briefly tested Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade at PAX West this past weekend and was relieve to see it doesn’t seem to be suffering from some of the issues that appear to be hindering other Switch 2 ports. Square Enix recently promised the newest version of the RPG would run at a stable 30fps with “smooth performance and crisp visuals” and my roughly 20 minutes with the opening mission backs that up. Even in handheld mode it performed well with no obvious visual shortcomings. The game still controls great, and after dozens of hours with Rebirth last year, I’d forgotten just satisfying those early moments of the first game look and feel.
Square Enix
It’s worth noting that I didn’t have enough time to defeat the Scorpion Sentinel and make it out of the No. 1 reactor before it blows up, so I didn’t get to explore Remake Intergrade‘s more open and NPC-filled slums. It’s possible these portions of the game will strain it more on Switch 2. Based on that early section, though, it seems like there’s a decent chance the new hardware’s features will help it come out of the most demanding sections relatively unscathed. Remake Intergrade came out five years ago, but nothing about it looks “old” on Switch 2.
Will I go back and replay it once it’s out? Not without some sort of cross-save feature, which the Switch 2 version doesn’t support. But it’s neat that another excellent game will get a second lease on life with Nintendo’s new hardware, and it doesn’t appear to be cutting any performance corners in the process. There’s no exact release date yet but Remake Intergrade is expected to arrive sometime over the winter.
I love destroying things. The physical destruction of objects can be funny and cathartic. Thankfully, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lets me indulge my desires for destruction in a limited but fun way. While in Costa del Sol, you can hop on a “wheelie,” the game’s in-world equivalent of a Segway vehicle, and smash it into restaurant tables, seats, barrels, and other property. Fun! Better still, you can earn some neat items for riding around on a wheelie, and finding ways to weave some destruction into your travels can liven up the otherwise pretty boring process of gliding around on your own personal transporter device. – Claire Jackson Read More
The Stellar Blade demo has been out since March 29, and if you manage to beat it, your save data will carry over to the full game when it launches as a PlayStation 5 exclusive on April 26. One thing I was curious about was the “Skin Suit,” an outfit for protagonist Eve that basically has her traversing the world in the nude and makes the game way more challenging. Surprisingly, at least in the demo, it’s an incredibly easy thing to unlock, so since I just learned how to get it, I figured I’d teach you how to get it, too. Sharing is caring, after all. – Levi Winslow Read More
Screenshot: Blizzard Entertainment / Kotaku, Kotaku / Square Enix, Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku, Square Enix / Kotaku, Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku, Image: Epic Games / Kotaku, ConcernedApe, Pocketpair, Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku, Capcom / Kotaku
Whether you’re trying to deal with the obnoxious son of the late Shinra president and his pesky pet or just learn a cool new trick to help you tackle Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s battles, we’ve got you covered this week. We’ve also got the lowdown on how to rank up your Fortnite Festival pass without playing the game, and lots more tips and guides for you in the pages ahead.
And if you’re new to the world of Cloud and co. and are curious about 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake and this year’s Rebirth, but haven’t played the original, you may be wondering if you have to play the 1997 classic before jumping in.
While Remake probably won’t leave FF7 newcomers out in the cold, both Remake and Rebirth are very much in dialogue with the original game—sometimes so directly that this current remake project really does feel like a giant meta exercise.
Here I’ll lay out some essential considerations to make when diving back into this essential epic of gaming history, whether it’s your first time or not.
Captured on Switch. Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
Which version?
The original Final Fantasy VII isn’t terribly hard to source. If you have a modern console such as a Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S or even last generation machines like the PS4 and Xbox One, you can easily grab a copy from each platform’s respective stores. This version has smoother-looking polygons than the original PlayStation release, but the pre-rendered backgrounds are largely untouched. It also features great quality-of-life features, such as a 3x speed toggle, the ability to avoid random encounters, and a setting that instantly heals characters to max health and raises their Limit Break status. And while the English translation was improved, it still features some of FF7’s awkward phrasing as a result of its famously rushed origins. It even defaults to naming Aerith “Aeris” like the original English version did in 1997.
Is it Aerith or Aeris?
In the Japanese version of FF7, the character we know as Aerith was named “Earisu,” which should translate to “Aerith.” FF7 had a notoriously rushed English translation, resulting in some bad grammar, odd turns of phrase, and the strange use of words like “wastrel” and “mosey.” One of these translation casualties was Aerith’s name, which appeared as “Aeris” in the 1997 version.
Modern versions of the original FF7, however, have kept this mistranslation. Since you can change every main character’s name in FF7, you are free to kill the S and add a TH if you’re so inclined. For me, as someone who played the game when it came out, seeing “Aeris” on the screen takes me back to those happy memories.
FF7 is also available on Steam. However, the Steam version, unlike the console iterations, does not include the aforementioned quality-of-life features such as the ability to avoid random encounters. The Steam version, however, can be modded. So if you want to change out the in-game character models, swap out the old music with the updated tracks from Remake, add FFVIII’s Triple Triad, and so much more, the PC version is very fun to tinker with—especially if you’ve played this game to death.
What about Ever Crisis?
In 2023, Square Enix released Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis for mobile platforms and Windows. It contains a colossal amount of lore from FF7’s expanded universe, including recreations of scenes from the original game with slightly more modern versions of the polygonal models from FF7. While you can experience the original narrative through this app, I highly recommend playing the original instead as Ever Crisis is loaded with microtransactions and very much wants you to spend lots of money. Check it out after finishing the original game, if you’re curious.
If you have an original copy of FF7, all PS3 models will play original PlayStation discs, so if you have one of those lying around, too, you’re good to go. That said, if you do have an original copy of Final Fantasy VII, do yourself a favor and hunt down an old PSX (and a CRT TV!) to enjoy this game like it’s 1997. Note that the original contains a bug that makes it impossible to raise your party’s magic defense. Modern re-releases of the game have fixed this.
Important ‘config’ settings
As a game from 1997, Final Fantasy VII has far fewer settings than most modern AAA games. That said, while in game, you can select “Config” from the menu to alter a few choice elements of the game.
Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
One of the most fun is the ability to alter the color of the text boxes and menus. The default blue is a classic, but it can be fun to change up the color over the course of the game. I like to change it after each major story beat, but you can also change it across different game saves if you want.
There’s also a handy Cursor setting. This affects the behavior of your cursor during battles. When set to “Initial,” the cursor will reset to the top choice on each character’s turn. “Memory,” however, will return the cursor to the last combat option you selected per character. This is handy if you plan on using the same spell or item multiple turns in a row. And it’ll make combat a little faster for characters you’ll almost always use spells with, such as Aeris/th.
What’s going on with the ATB settings?
FF7 uses an active turn-based combat system called Active Time Battle. On “Active” setting, you’ll choose your attacks and actions on your turn once the time gauge fills up, but time never pauses. If you’re new to FF7, this can make boss fights in particular feel more stressful as combat won’t stop as you’re digging through menus for items or spells.
The “Recommended” setting is a little confusing. While characters are casting spells, using Limit Breaks, or using a summon, time will pause if you are looking through the spell or item list.
When set to “Wait,” time will pause anytime you’re looking through your spells or items.
Captured on Switch. Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
Brand new players should try out Wait and Recommended. Active, however, can make the combat feel much speedier, especially if you increase the battle speed in the config menu.
General gameplay tips
FF7 is an old-school RPG from the ‘90s. Its story, characters, and soundtrack may be timeless, but many of its gameplay elements might seem cryptic or archaic by today’s standards. Here are a few things to keep in mind while saving the planet with your buddies.
Combat positioning and defending
While you can’t move your characters freely around the battlefield during combat, there are two non-obvious “rows” for combat positioning. If a character’s portrait in the menu screen is on the left-most side, they’re at the “Front,” where they’ll enjoy a boost in attack power at the cost of lower defense.
When a character portrait is on the right-most side, they’re in the “Rear,” where they’ll see lower melee attack damage but will enjoy a higher defense. Notably, however, some weapons, like Barret’s gun-arms, are “Long range weapons,” meaning they’ll do the same damage whether the character is in the Front or Rear. You can check a weapon’s range by hovering over it in the “Item” menu.
Don’t miss out on Yuffie and Vincent!
Unlike the other party members, our materia thief and mystery coffin-sleeper won’t just naturally join your party as you progress through the main story. To recruit Yuffie, you’ll need to venture into the forests outside of Junon and encounter her in a battle. Once you defeat her, you’ll have a cute dialogue exchange. Pick the following options to get Yuffie to join you: “Not Interested,” “…petrified,” “Wait a second!” “…that’s right,” and “…let’s hurry on.” Don’t use the save point in this area, as it will take you out of the field screen and Yuffie will vanish.
You’ll be able to recruit Vincent when you return to Nibelheim. You’ll find a safe on the second floor of the Shinra Manor. The code is Right 36, Left 10, Right 59, Right 97. Prepare for a tough fight after opening the safe. Then go down to the basement and enter the room on your left when heading toward the lab/study area where Sephiroth had his little revelatory meltdown.
You can either change order in the menu by selecting “Order,” or during combat by hitting left on the d-pad during a character’s turn and selecting “Change.”
Captured on Switch. Gif: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
You can also command a character to defend, thus mitigating damage by half, by hitting right on the d-pad during a character’s turn and selecting “Defend.”
Save as often as you possibly can
FF7 was released in the era before autosave became standard. Be sure to save, preferably in a new slot, every single time you see a save point or step out into the field. If you die, you’ll go back to your last save point so it’s very easy to lose hours of progress.
Field screen, battle screen, menu screen, over world: Learn the lingo
In FF7 you’ll cycle through four main screens. The “field screen” is any environment with a pre-rendered background where you’ll explore and chat with NPCs. The “battle screen” is where combat happens, a 3D environment signaled by a loud splash sound. The over world is a 3D-rendering of the planet where you’ll travel from town to town; you can save the game at any time while in the over world. Finally, there’s the menu screen, which you activate by pressing the top face button on a controller. You’ll manage all of your character’s equipment there.
Your health and MP won’t regenerate at these save points unless you use a Tent, which is only usable at save points or out in the world map.
Be strategic with Limit Breaks (but don’t be too shy with them)
You can actually hold on to Limit Breaks—powerful signature attacks and abilities each character possesses—across battles. Once the gauge fills up, it will remain available for that character until you use it. A filled Limit Break gauge, however, will lock you out of using your basic attack.
Captured on Switch. Gif: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
It’s not a bad idea to hold on to Limit Breaks if you know a boss fight is around the corner. Once you’re in combat, feel free to use those more powerful moves. The original FF7 doesn’t have a stagger system like Remake and Rebirth do, so there’s no point holding onto those Limit Breaks unless you’re saving them for a boss battle.
You can unlock new Limit Breaks early on
Each character has four levels of Limit Breaks, with each level offering two unique abilities. You’ll unlock each level’s second Limit Break ability by using the first one a certain number of times. For example, you’ll unlock Cloud’s Cross-Slash after using Braver eight times. Gaining a new Limit Break level requires you to defeat a certain number of enemies. Cloud’s level-two limit break, for example, requires you to defeat 120 enemies with him.
There’s a great opportunity early on in the game to get Cloud, Barret, and Tifa’s second level-one Limit Break abilities. While you’re heading to the Sector 5 reactor, after jumping off the train, run toward the screen. You’ll have to travel through a few screens but eventually you’ll arrive at a scene with two guards who’ll attack you when you approach.
Captured on Switch. Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
From here you can engage in several battles by choosing “Stay here” after each battle. If you’re playing a modern version of the game with “God Mode” (activated by pushing both thumbsticks in on the controller), and 3x speed (activated by pushing the left thumbstick in), you can treat this series of battles as an XP farm and a Limit Break farm by spamming Limit Breaks in each battle.
Always check your inventory for new weapons, armor, accessories, and materia
FF7 was made in 1997, so it doesn’t have a menu that’ll badger you with flashing indicators whenever you pick up something new. While you’ll usually be notified of receiving a new item after picking it up in the field or as a reward after a battle, it’s very easy to forget you’ve done so. It’s a good idea to check your inventory frequently to make sure your characters are using the best possible equipment.
Always check shops for new materia and equipment
FF7 wants you to be on the lookout for new materia and items. You can get plenty of Gil from random encounters, so farming for cash isn’t too hard. But be sure to check in with anyone who’s selling things to see if they have something special that could give you an edge in the battles to come.
Don’t forget about the ‘Select Button’
Captured on Switch. Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
While most modern controllers have long since done away with Start and Select buttons, modern versions of FF7 retain the “Select button” feature, bound to the “-” button on Switch, the “View” button on Xbox (the one with two squares), or the left side of the touchpad on a PS4/5 controller.
This will activate a pointer that hovers over your character while exploring the world, accompanied by red arrows to indicate doors and green arrows to indicate ladders. It’s a quick way to figure out what’s available to you if you’re lost. During combat, this will add a second menu that tells you the names of enemies when targeting them as well as relevant combat info if you’ve used the Sense materia on a target.
Modern versions of FF7 don’t totally make combat irrelevant
You might’ve heard that the modern versions of FF7 found on PS5, Xbox Series consoles, and Switch let you just focus on the story. Sadly, that’s only partially true.
If you just want to experience the story and not engage in any combat, you might be better off just watching a no-commentary Let’s Play or something. Current versions of FF7 still require you to engage in combat and do some character leveling and speccing. I don’t find this to be a bad thing as this is a game, after all.
However, the added features, such as speeding up the game, giving your characters max health instantly, and skipping random encounters, do make the experience of Final Fantasy VII a bit easier to manage. Here’s how these features work and how you can best make use of them:
God Mode doesn’t make you completely invincible
Captured on Switch. Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
This tip concerns all versions of FF7 which allow you to speed up the game, turn off random encounters, and activate “God Mode” by pushing both thumbsticks in. While it usually works just fine for random encounters, it’s not going to save you from bosses you’re not appropriately leveled and equipped for.
Although this mode will instantly regenerate your HP back to its highest value after every hit you take, if you get hit with damage that’s higher than your maximum HP, you will still die. When you consider that many bosses have attacks that hit all party members for large amounts of damage, that means you very much can reach a game over screen even with “God Mode” turned on.
So what should you use this mode for? It’s great for grinding random encounters as low-level monsters are unlikely to kill you with this mode on. It’s also an easy way to reset your health and MP like the blue benches do in FF7 Rebirth. Also, if you just unlocked a new Limit Break and want to try it out right away, it’s very handy for that as well.
Captured on Switch. Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
Skipping too many random encounters will leave you dramatically underleveled
Pressing in the right thumbstick on modern versions of FF7 will cancel out all random encounters. Sometimes this is a nice change of pace, but you should use it intentionally. Don’t leave it on all the time. FF7’s bosses were designed with the understanding that players would go through multiple random encounters, hence upping their level over the course of the game, not just from pivotal fights. Random encounters are also a solid way to slowly build up enough Gil to buy items, weapons, armor, and materia.
Sometimes it’s nice to give yourself a break and avoid random encounters, but be sure to dedicate time to engaging in them to make sure you’re properly leveled.
Speeding up the game can make it harder
Sequences like this one are much harder when the game is running at 3x speed. Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
I like to treat the 3x speed option as a kind of sprint button. It’s even bound to the left thumbstick like most sprint commands in modern games. 3x speed is a great way to speed up complex fight animations, climbing ladders, or traversing the open world. That said, certain mini-games and sequences like capturing a chocobo during a battle are made much harder when you have to keep up with the game running at three times its intended pace.
Captured on Switch. Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
FF7 is a classic video game. It’s an excellent RPG featuring a wonderful and dynamic tale, set in a vivid world that fuses science fiction and fantasy, brought to life by genuinely interesting combinations of 2D and 3D graphics, and set to one of the greatest soundtracks of all time—and not just in video games, I genuinely mean of all time. It’s a game that should be on your list to play whether it’s your first time, seventh time, or 777th time.
Of all the creatures and enemies you expect to encounter in Unicorn Overlord, a goat isn’t on that list. Yet goats abound in Vanillaware’s tactics RPG, at least on Albion, an island kingdom that players reach late in the game. These goats are friendly, and produce milk. But befriending these animals and actually getting them to produce Goat Milk is a task that Unicorn Overlord doesn’t explain to you. So, if you are pursuing certain quests, you’ll need some sooner or later. So, here’s exactly how you can get Goat Milk in Unicorn Overlord. – Willa Rowe Read More
Epic RPG Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a lot of fighting. Like a lot. Naturally, you’ll want to up your damage output, cast buffs and debuffs to get through these fights, but healing materia is one of the most essential orbs you can snag and slap into your weapon or armor.
Three Things We Learned From The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Demo
I’ve gathered up all the materia (be jealous, Yuffie) that’ll heal you, revive you, cure status conditions, and in general keep you in the fight for longer in this guide. Plus, if you’re ready to take on Hard Mode, you’ll be locked out of using items. That means no X-Potions or Mist Giga-Potions. Factoring restorative materia into builds is mandatory for any Hard Mode run.
Some of these materia are green Magic materia, while others are purple Complete or yellow Command. If you’re not sure of the differences, check out general materia guide for some basics. Otherwise, here’s where to find all the materia to keep your HP up! (Yes, including HP Up!).
Healing Materia
Healing materia lets you cast Cure to start, and then Cura, Regen*, and eventually Curaga as you earn more AP. Characters with a high Magic stat will heal the most when casting. You can find Healing materia in the following locations (in addition to Cloud having an orb equipped at the start of the game):
Most materia and item vendors
Reward for “Grasslands Region Intel: Level 1” in Chadley’s Combat Simulator
The Cast Break Room of the Gold Saucer
The Hall of Diversion in the Cave of the Gi, rewarded for dropping the faded materia in front of Bugenhagen
Reward for an A-rank in six Piano mini-game performances
*Regen causes you to regenerate HP. Fun fact, it also cancels out Poison. You won’t get the Regen status effect if you cast it on someone with Poison, but it’s a simple solution if you’re not using items or you don’t have Cleansing materia equipped.
Revival Materia
Revival materia lets you raise your dead comrades in battle. It starts with Raise as the first spell, which revives and restores a decent amount of HP. After earning 5,000 AP you’ll be able to cast Arise, which revives a character for full hit points. You can find Revive Materia from the following locations:
Sold by most item and materia vendors after chapter 9
Reward for “Nibel Region Intel: Level 2” in Chadley’s Combat Simulator
I personally have Revive equipped on every character. I suspect there are more economical solutions, but it grants me peace of mind knowing everyone can resurrect someone.
Reraise Materia
Reraise will allow a character to automatically revive themselves after getting knocked out. It does cost 35 MP to cast, so while it may grant peace of mind, it sure is expensive. You can find Reraise materia in these locations:
Developed with Chadley from Meridian Ocean Intel*
Developed with Chadley from Meridian Ocean
*You’ll be able to earn Data Points from the Meridian Ocean once you complete all Protorelic activities in other regions of the world.
Cleansing Materia
Starting with Poisona, which cures Poison, Cleansing materia will level up to grant Esuna, and then eventually Resist. The former cures any negative status effect while the latter gives you immunity to them. You can find Cleansing materia in the following locations:
Sold by most item and materia vendors starting from chapter six
Reward for “Junon Region Intel: Level 2” in Chadley’s Combat Simulator
Chakra Materia
A Command (yellow) materia, Chakra heals for a percentage of the damage you’ve taken. It scales up as the materia earns more AP from combat thusly: 20% of damage taken, 25%, 30%, 35%, and then 40%. As a Command materia, it’s not found in Spells, but rather Abilities. You can source Chakra materia from the following places:
Tifa’s starting materia loadout
Purchasable from most materia and item shops
Reward for Crunch-Off at the gym in Corel
In the Water Grotto at Cosmo Canyon
In the Temple of the Ancients after the first gravity shift
Prayer Materia
Prayer heals all party members and doesn’t cost MP as it’s a Command materia. It can be leveled up via AP five times, with each level increasing the amount of healing dealt. You can find Prayer materia in the following places:
Purchasable from most item and materia shops in chapter 10 and onwards
Part of Aerith’s starting materia loadout
In a chest near Phenomenon Intel 4 in Gongaga
I ended up leaving Prayer materia behind in favor of linking Magnify materia with Healing materia. Cait Sith has Magnify equipped when he joins your party. You can otherwise find it in the Northern Ridge area of Mt. Nibel and after completing the Victim of Circumstance side-quest, as well as Brutal Challenge: Hellions’ Intonement in Chadley’s Combat scenario. It’s a pretty powerful materia that I found was most effective when connected to restorative materia and ones that buff statuses.
HP Absorption Materia
You’ll need to link this materia with an elemental spell. Once done, you can cast that spell and have its damage converted into healing. You can find HP Absorption materia from the following locations:
Develop with Chadley from Corel Region Intel (you can create a maximum of two orbs this way)
HP Up Materia
As a purple, Complete materia, HP Up doesn’t heal you. It does, however, raise your HP from 10% at its early level to 30% at max. You can find HP Up in the following places:
Part of Yuffie’s starting loadout
Purchasable at most item and materia vendors
Reward for “Combat Training: Beginner’s Hall” in Chadley’s Combat Simulator
In a boat on Under Junon’s shore
Earn an A-Rank on a performance of “On Our Way” on Piano
In a corner at the Event Square’s Golden Theater at the Gold Saucer
In the Dustbowl Bandit’s Bluff
Reward for “Gongaga Region Intel: Level 2” in Chadley’s Combat Simulator
You can stack HP Up materia for a maximum of an extra 30%. Note that when leveled all the way up, HP Up will already boost your HP by 30%, so while stacking might be a quick fix early on, it’s more economical to level up multiple instances of it and equip them across different characters (Barret is a good choice since he’s an excellent tank).
While it does help to think of materia in terms of its color-coded categories, I found that I was most effective in combat when I considered broader functionality of materia, regardless of the color-coding. No matter how you approach materia or how you spec out certain characters, materia inspires a kind of RPG character spec tinkering that has clearly withstood the test of time having originated in 1997.
Once you’ve assembled all your troops, it’s time to configure the marching order for the parade. Hit L2 to start arranging them. Different assemblies will influence the difficulty of the upcoming parade sequence across three performances. The higher the difficulty, the better the reward—and and the boost toyour relationship levels with Tifa and Aerith.
If you choose security officers across the whole lineup, you’ll get the easiest parade sequences for all three performances. The difficulty levels will change in real time as you adjust the soldiers. So you can pick something that’s more balanced. But the most challenging and rewarding lineup consists of two grenadiers, two riot troopers, and one flame trooper.
The parade sequence isn’t easy, especially considering all the running around you have to do to gather up your troops. While you may miss out on a chance to improve your relationship with Tifa and Aerith if you don’t perform well the first time, you can always go back to the parade sequence by selecting Chapter 4 from the chapter select after finishing the game.
It was a rather big week in gaming, this last one in February—mostly because we got Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, and everyone came out of the woodwork to spout their hottest take and spiciest opinion about the Square Enix RPG. Is Cid redeemed? Is Aerith a goat lady? Is jank good?
It wasn’t all FF7 all the time: We also had some things to say about third-person shooter Helldivers 2, this week, because we’re a well-rounded bunch. Click through to see our most opinionated stories of the week.
2024’s most anticipated game is finally here, and the further adventures of Cloud Strife and his besties has launched on PS5. Final Fantasy VII Rebirthexpands and enhances the middle section of the 1997 classic, and there’s a big, beautiful world to see. If you’re looking to spend a few dozen hours in Square Enix’s…
Image: Kotaku / Xbox / Thomas Mucha / Lukasz Pawel Szczepanski (Shutterstock)
Over the February 3 weekend, reports from different outlets and insiders claimed that a number of big, Xbox exclusives—like Starfield and Gears of War—could possibly end up on PlayStation 5 in the near future. Once the news spread around the internet, the most Xbox-pilled users and creators began theorizing, denying, mourning, and ranting to those within their Church Of Xbox circle and beyond. Then, Xbox boss Phil Spencer posted a vague statement, seemingly confirming something was happening but the faithful would have to wait until next week to hear what. Perhaps he thought this would calm the masses. It didn’t. Instead, for some devoted Xbox fans, it was confirmation that the brand they worshiped was leaving them behind. And they aren’t taking it well (though some remain pretty chill about the prospect of Starfield coming to PS5). – Zack Zwiezen Read More
This week we’re going back to school,collecting Pals, and being reborn—that’s a lot of stuff to do without some tips. Palworld, the breakout hit from developer PocketPair, got a handful of major bug fixes that will make your creature-collecting a lot easier. And Atlus’ recent Persona 3 Reloadrelease means you’ll want to make sure you’re a Grade A student and a damn good friend—luckily we’re here to help you with all of that. The week also saw the surprise-debut of a Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo, and with progress carrying over to the main game, you’ll want to make sure you do everything you can with Sephiroth and company.
That’s why we’ve gathered the biggest, best, and most helpful Kotaku tips of the week, all in one spot. You’re welcome.
Ever since the launch of Final Fantasy VII Remake back in 2020, fans of the original have been wondering how the next installment of Square Enix’s reimagining of the landmark 1997 game would handle the many iconic setpiece moments, reveals, and twists yet to come. The Nibelheim Incident, which centers around Cloud’s consequential return to his hometown five years earlier, has been an especially fertile ground for speculation. The original game and its many spinoffs revisit this mission numerous times to show off the varying perspectives of the key players. It’s an overused analogy, but The Nibelheim Incident is essentially FF7’s equivalent of the Rashomon murder scene.With each slightly different retelling, we inch a little bit closer to the truth.
FF7‘s save-the-world story wasn’t revolutionary in 1997, and it certainly isn’t today. But the palpable sense that something is “off” with Cloud and his mentor-turned-nemesis Sephiroth elevates it into something far more memorable and enduring. For much of the game, the fate of the planet kinda takes a backseat to finding out what the deal is with these guys. At the same time, with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the developers at Square Enix face the daunting task of attracting newcomers to the second chapter of a trilogy, those who may primarily know Cloud and Sephiroth as cool badasses with fun hair from the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster.
So when I booted up the game at a recent media preview event, I was delighted to see that Chapter 1 of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth immediately begins with Cloud telling his version of what happened at Nibelheim. Rebirth throws you in at the deep end and delivers high stakes right up front—and it’s exactly what longtime fans want and newcomers need.
Sephiroth and Cloud ascend Mt. Nibel as jagged peaks loom ahead.Image: Square Enix
Déjà vu all over again
I’d played a smaller segment of this section at a preview event a few months back, but that slice was more combat- and traversal-focused. True to the original game, the full version of Rebirth’s Nibelheim incident is a slow burn, a cozy evening with friends winding down after the frantic escape from Midgar. Present-day Cloud narrates over this extended interactive sequence where you play as his younger self, and his storytelling is punctuated by interruptions from Barrett, Tifa, and Aerith. Many of these exchanges are taken beat-by-beat from the original game, and it’s nice to see them return here to inject some levity and sense of camaraderie into Cloud’s suspenseful and gloomy story.
Rebirth’s take on Nibelheim largely sticks to that of the original FF7. (Mostly.) The reason for Cloud and Sephy’s mission remains the same—they’re sent to investigate a malfunctioning mako reactor at Mt. Nibel, and deal with any monsters along the way. We get a clearer sense of Sephiroth’s renown and celebrity—we’re mostly told, not shown this in the original—as townsfolk breathlessly gossip about him and jostle for photos. As before, you get the chance to control Sephiroth in combat during the climb, and he’s absurdly strong and fun to play.
Ascending Mt. Nibel functions as a light tutorial for Rebirth’s new traversal mechanics, including jumping and climbing. It’s nothing complicated, but it does convey that Mt. Nibel is dangerous enough to require a guide’s assistance better than the original game did. Speaking of guides, we get quite a bit more of young Tifa in this section of Rebirth (Nibelheim is her hometown too, after all), complete with her adorable cowgirl outfit. And there are some very intriguing consequences of that, which I am not going to get into here.
On that note, Chapter 1 of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a veritable bonanza of jaw-dropping spoilers for folks who haven’t played the original game. Despite knowing exactly what was coming at certain moments, the impeccable visuals and environmental design blew me away. And, as was the case with Remake, when Rebirth’s soundtrack is firing on all cylinders, it’s the stuff of real-deal goosebumps on your arms. As the flames reach higher and the music shudders like a terrified heart, suddenly I’m 11 years old again, sitting cross-legged on the floor next to my older brother in front of a CRT with a skateboarding sticker on the side, unable to say anything but whoa.
Kalm is a far more charming and intricate city in Rebirth than the original game.Image: Square Enix
A whole new world
After Cloud gives his friends the rundown of what happened with Sephiroth in Nibelheim, we resume the present-tense story in the city of Kalm. And golly, what a glow-up. In 1997’s FF7, the town was little more than an RPG gas station—a place to pick up some potions, cheap equipment, and a quick snooze at the inn. There was never much reason to go back once you’d progressed to other places. This time around, its cobbled streets, overgrown flower boxes, and rabbit-warren layout ooze a tranquil charm that’s worthy of the name.
Cloud and his pals have a new slate of double and triple attacks this time around.Image: Square Enix
You won’t spend too long here in Rebirth either, but it does provide a chance to get acquainted with several new gameplay additions. The most notable of these are party relationships and party level, which allow you to strengthen your bond with your teammates through dialogue choices and optional activities. The original FF7 had a less fleshed-out version of this that culminated in the infamous Gold Saucer date, and it’s nice to see that the devs are finding new ways to let players spend more time with their favorite characters.
The innkeeper at Kalm will introduce you to Queen’s Blood, Rebirth’s answer to card games like Witcher 3‘s Gwent and FF8‘s Triple Triad. I can already tell loads of people are going to be utterly obsessed with this minigame, though I sadly am not one of them. (Happy for you guys, though!) This section also offers a brief rundown of skill trees, weapon upgrades, and item crafting. I remain unconvinced that Final Fantasy 7 needed a crafting system, and I didn’t find much occasion to use it during my demo. I can see how it may be useful for some optional fights later on, but I hope it’s more of a “take it or leave it” mechanic.
But we can’t stay in Kalm for long, and it’s soon time for our merry band of weirdos to hit the road in search of adventures, pocket money, and eventually Sephiroth. Rebirth’s version of the original game’s vast open world is bigger and more beautiful than I’d hoped, with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore. You’ll gain access to both menu-based fast-travel and chocobos pretty much immediately after leaving Kalm, mercifully cutting down on the ponderous backtracking of the 1997 game. Instead of large swaths of empty space for random encounters, now there are small farms, hamlets, and ruins between cities and dungeons. This makes Rebirth’s open world feel like a natural expansion of scope rather than just a concession to the expectations of fans. After hitting up the Chocobo Farm, you’re free to explore for a while, but once you’re ready to return to the main story, a Ghost of Tsushima-esque green Mako trail will appear to nudge you toward your destination. It’s a thoughtful design choice that avoids the immersion-breaking “map game” vibes that have become a bit too commonplace in open-world design.
Holding down the basic attack button for Red XIII will allow him to do a continuous “Sonic spin” attack.Image: Square Enix
Naturally, once you get out into the big wide world, you’re gonna be doing some fighting. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth adds another layer to Remake’s real-time combat system, and I’m still not totally sure how I feel about it. You’ll have more than three party members to choose from at any given time, and each unique duo or trio can team up for a unique special attack. On paper, this sounds like Chrono Trigger, which is terrific. In practice, it kinda feels like one thing too many to keep track of. Remake’s combat had a satisfying cadence of managing cooldowns to pull off magic spells, heals, and special attacks. But in the early hours of Rebirth, even mundane fights have a noticeably stop-start feel to them. I’m hoping to settle into a flow eventually, but I’m also curious if this all might feel better in classic, turn-based mode instead. (Thankfully, it’s an on-the-fly toggle in the full game.) Quibbles aside, I’m still enjoying the heck out of the combat and the demo left me hungry for more. Pro tip: Red XIII’s strangely Sonic Spinball moveset is extremely fun to play.
The big question heading into Rebirth and its unnamed successor is: can it recapture—or even exceed—the magic of the original game? That remains to be seen. But, so far, the first three chapters are a helluva good sign for what’s to come.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches February 29 on PlayStation 5.
Were you bummed Final Fantasy VII Rebirth didn’t make an appearance? Well you’re not alone. Good news, though! On February 6, 2024, we’ll be treated to yet another State of Play showing, this time with a closer look at the upcoming second chapter of the Final Fantasy VII remake project.
And that wraps everything we saw at tonight’s State of Play. Which games are you most excited about?
It’s time for a second trip to Seattle in The Last of Us Part IIRemastered. Originally shipped in 2020, Part II amps up the scope of the series, as well as the violence. The result is a dynamic, stealthy survival horror romp that takes place decades after a world-ending pandemic. It can be a tough game to play, and Remastered also includes a new roguelike mode for those who want an even greater challenge. – Ari Notis Read More
Despite what the creative team at Square Enix would have us think, Destiny and Fate probably still have a major role to play in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and beyond. Even though SOLDIER Zack Fair seems to have escaped death and joined the rest of the cast in a new timeline, the most likely outcome is a totally different—but equally tragic—twist of fate.
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Spoilers for the original game and FF7 Remake follow.
In the original Final Fantasy VII timeline, Cloud and Zack are wounded by Sephiroth following what’s known as “The Nibelheim Incident,” five years before the events of the main game. The mad scientist Hojo kidnaps and experiments on them for four years, enhancing Cloud’s strength but scrambling his brain. After Zack breaks them out, they travel around for about a year until Shinra catches up to them on the outskirts of Midgar. Originally, Zack dies fighting Shinra troopers, but because the party defeats the Whisper Harbinger at the end of FF7 Remake, events in the past, present and future are altered.
Remake’s ending cutscene shows that Zack survives the battle and helps Cloud make his way toward Midgar. It’s plausible these events happen in an alternate timeline distinct from the new continuity. However, it’s totally possible that when the party entered the Singularity at the end of Remake and destroyed the Whispers, they didn’t return to their original world. Instead, they were taken somewhere different: a timeline created by the destruction of the Whispers in which Zack is alive.
Producer Yoshinori Kitase has confirmed already that Zack plays a bigger role in FF7 Rebirth than the original game.
“Within the original Final Fantasy 7, Zack Fair doesn’t appear as much,” Kitase told IGN in a September 2023 interview. “As for Rebirth, there will be a new episode with Zack that will contain even more of him than the Remake. I’m not able to say much more than this as I would like for players to play and experience this with it in their own hands.”
Image: Square Enix
How is all of this going to shake out exactly? Well, Rebirth Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura confirmed on the official PlayStation blog in September 2023 that the second part of the trilogy ends at the Forgotten Capital, which is where Sephiroth kills Aerith while she’s trying to the White Materia to summon Holy.
“The future — even if it has been written — can be changed,” Aerith says in the June 2022 First Look Trailer for Rebirth. The original timeline has already been “written,” so to speak, which is why the Whispers strove to preserve this specific future. In other words, events can and should play out as they originally did except for in instances where characters make different choices.
The Whispers may not be around anymore to ensure that everything goes exactly according to plan, but it’s all but certain that Aerith will still try to summon Holy herself and be threatened by Sephiroth. Assuming everybody exists in the same continuity, what will Zack be doing while Cloud and friends pursue Sephiroth? In all likelihood, after arriving at the Sector 5 Church in the post-credits scene of the Remake Intergrade INTERmission chapter starring Yuffie, he’ll try to track Aerith down.
A fittingly tragic culmination of all this could be for Zack to finally catch up to Aerith at the end of the game in the Forgotten Capital just in time to push her out of the way and take the hit himself. The Whispers may not be around to ensure that Zack dies, but his continued existence in the timeline presents all sorts of cosmic continuity issues. This could be the perfect tragic ending to Rebirth that inspires Aerith and Cloud to continue their mission to stop Sephiroth in a way that thematically echoes the original without getting too convoluted. In this fashion, Aerith could successfully summon Holy to stop Meteor earlier than in the original, but who knows what kind of repercussions all of this would have.
Is it fair for him to make the ultimate Zackrifice? Probably not, but something about it feels fitting nevertheless.
Once upon a time, you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody with anything close to a serious love of games who hadn’t played Final Fantasy VII. Flash forward 26 years though, and that isn’t quite the case.
Still, you’ll frequently see it hailed as one of the best games of all time even today. For many, Final Fantasy VII is a lifelong love affair. So long as these folks are still around touting the game’s many virtues there will always be a younger generation of gamers who’ll want to see what all the fuss is about.
But how do you go about introducing them to a game that looks and plays so remarkedly different from those they’d be used to playing?
If you were to ask Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Director Naoki Hamaguchi, he’d probably tell you to just wait for this upcoming game — the second in a proposed trilogy that began with 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Image Source: Square Enix
In a recent interview with GadgetMatch at the Thailand Game Show 2023, Hamaguchi explained how he wants to make a game that’s accessible precisely for those people whose experience with the world of Final Fantasy VII might extend only so far as knowing the names of its main characters.
Hamguchi recognizes that “FF7 is a difficult title to get into today”. And, as much as it might pain those who still hold the game in such (deservedly) high esteem, he’s right.
In a way, I’m one of those people. As an impressionable youth, I was a dyed-in-the-wool Nintendo fanboy. None of that spiky-haired guy on the motorcycle thanks, I’m with the fairy kid on the horse. By the time I finally tried FFVII out for myself, it was already several years old, and even then I remember it feeling too slow and graphically dated compared to the games I was playing on GameCube.
As a far more tribally-averse adult, I regret missing out on PlayStation classics like the Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid series. So, after picking up the game for next to nothing in a Steam sale, I finally played through Final Fantasy VII to completion during lockdown.
Image Source: Square Enix via Twinfinite
Truth be told, it was an underwhelming experience. The cinematic splendor that was so highly touted upon release is obviously not going to be anywhere near as impressive by modern standards. The party mechanics are still solid JRPG fare, but I’m otherwise in the camp who would argue that the age of turn-based, randomized battle encounters is largely best left in the past.
And look, I grew up loving exactly this kind of game. But the world has moved on. Our expectations have changed. The pace of life has changed. Demands on our attention have changed. Ain’t nobody got time for drawn-out encounters with the same enemies over and over and again while trying to figure out where to go next.
Yet, as somebody who has the capability of putting the game into some kind of historical context, I was still able to get plenty out of the experience. There’s still loads to love, least of all the immaculate vibes conjured by the game’s polygonal early 3D, the lived-in environments shot through with cyberpunk neon-lighting, and of course the all-timer Nobuo Uematsu score. I don’t regret playing it at all.
But would a younger gamer raised on Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft, and the like be able — let alone willing — to stick with the game to extract these more timeless aspects? Unlikely.
Image Source: Square Enix
This isn’t some old man shouting at clouds thing either; it’s just a fact. Any young gamer who is curious enough to seek out and try games a quarter of a century old deserves kudos. But let’s be real: we’ve all sat ourselves down to watch an old ‘classic’ film and come away with a sense of “Was that it?”
Few pieces of media are truly timeless in a manner that doesn’t require some kind of contextualisation. Those interested in cinema or the novel might enroll in a film studies or literature course to learn more about the medium, its techniques, and its history. As a much younger medium, we still haven’t quite established a similar framework for video games.
Naturally, we can’t, nor do we want to, just shrug our shoulders and let the great games of yesteryear become ever more out of reach. One solution is to rerelease the games on modern hardware, which Square Enix has at least done quite admirably in recent years. For quite a few years, if you wanted to play FF7, you’d have to scour eBay for an overpriced copy. But now, you can pick up the game on every modern platform at a very reasonable cost.
There are also a plethora of options you can tweak to make the game more palatable by modern standards. However, there’s a strong argument to be made that doing such things as turning off random encounters and enabling faster-paced battles somewhat radically alters the game’s specific magic sauce, and not necessarily for the better.
That, though, is an argument that you can take to any number of extremes. Are you really properly experiencing Final Fantasy VII unless you’re playing it on the original hardware on a CRT television?
Image Source: Square Enix
Yes, Final Fantasy VII had enjoyable gameplay for its time, but what people really fell in love with was its world and the characters that inhabited it. If that’s the most important thing, then how could it not be argued that a full remake offers the best way to introduce new players to it?
A couple of years after I finished my playthrough of the original Final Fantasy VII, I’ve just polished off Remake in time for the February 2024 release of Rebirth. It was everything I wanted but didn’t get from my years-after-the-fact playthrough of the original. I gasped at the stunning views of Midgar, felt my heart sink as Shinra executed its evil plans, and welled up at the sight of Aerith handing Cloud a flower.
After all these years, I can finally say that Final Fantasy VII is in my greatest games of all time list; maybe not for the original game itself, but definitely for its masterfully crafted world, characters, and story. At this point, does it matter that it’s not the exact same one that so many others put in theirs?
About the author
James Crosby
James is a freelance writer for Twinfinite, typically covering new releases and live service titles. He has been writing about MMOs since 2015, and has published a book about Star Wars Galaxies.
Today at New York Comic Con, it was revealed that voice actor Matt Mercer, perhaps best known as the Dungeon Master of popular actual-play webseries Critical Role, will be starring as gunslinger Vincent Valentine in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second chapter in Square Enix’s ongoing remake of the classic ‘90s Japanese role playing game.
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Previous trailers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth have showed off a variety of different locales, as well as characters not featured in the first chapter, 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, including Vincent Valentine. Much of the game remains shrouded in mystery, however, as the remake project isn’t just a faithful retelling of the original story, but sees its narrative branching off in some bold new directions. Today at NYCC, a panel featuring voice actors from the highly anticipated sequel revealed a bit more about what to expect.
While Matt Mercer did voice a few characters in the first entry of the remake project, they were mostly minor NPCs with names like “Wall Market Thug.” During the October 14 panel, Mercer revealed that he auditioned for Valentine in Rebirth, saying that he “put all of his energy” into the audition. Then, he didn’t hear back for nine months. And when he finally did get a callback, it only said that he’d once again play nameless NPCs.
In what he described as a prank played on him by the folks producing the game, Mercer said he was brought into the booth to record lines for a random NPC when the screen containing the script started glitching out before fading to black and presenting him with another character: that of Vincent Valentine. Quite a way to find out you’ve got the job.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth releases on February 29, 2024 for PlayStation 5.
As Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s February 29 release date grows ever closer folks are getting antsy about seeing beloved characters like Cait Sith (pronounced “Kate Sihth,” apparently) Vincent Valentine, and Cid party up with Cloud. Although creative director Tetsuya Nomura has already confirmed that the aforementioned characters will join Cloud in combat similarly to how Red XIII did in Final Fantasy VII Remake, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be introduced in the same order as in the original game. We don’t even know where Rebirth will end given the remake trilogy’s altered timeline. But one fan believes their wild theory pinpoints where Rebirth will end, and it involves FFVII’s cigarette-smoking scientist, Cid.
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In 1997’s Final Fantasy VII, Cid joins the crew long before they make their way to the City of Ancients, a place we’ve seen the Rebirth cast explore in the latest trailer. But for whatever reason the Rebirth trailers still haven’t shown off Cid, despite revealing other, arguably bigger, characters like the vampire-coded Vincent Valentine. And this Reddit user believes they know why.
Yesterday, nikokow59 shared a screenshot from the Final Fantasy VII Trivia Twitter account to the FFVIIRemake subreddit about a scrapped story beat of the classic game that would have prevented Cid from joining Cloud and crew until an even later point in the game. According to the FF7_Trivia tweet, Cid wouldn’t have joined the party until after Sephiroth summoned Meteor. Talk about cutting things close to the buzzer beater. Another tidbit of this scrapped concept involved Shinra sending Cid out on a suicide mission to offset the celestial body with a rocket of his own making, as if he was in some video game version of the 1998 Bruce Willis film, Armageddon.
“In the OG [Cid] didn’t really need to follow the party, so this time that could be a good reason,” Nikokow59 wrote.
Nikokow59’s theory would also suggest that Cid’s famous rocket experiment, which originally took place before the events of FFVII, would instead be a part of Rebirth’s story and serve as the game’s cliffhanger. That would make a lot of sense considering there’s still an entire third game to come to complete the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy. Do you think Nikokow59’s theory holds water, or will Square Enix end Rebirth on a different note?
Either way, we’ll have to wait a while to find out, as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth doesn’t launch until February 29 on PlayStation 5.
