GameTech: First look at new Final Fantasy VII

Back in 1997, cloud gaming only meant one thing — you were playing Final Fantasy VII. The main protagonist of Squaresoft’s seminal RPG, Cloud Strife, was the definition of edgy back then, right down to his iconic (and literally edgy) giant sword.

The question is can Cloud (and his sword) cut it in 2019? We finally got our first proper look at the long-gestating Final Fantasy VII Remake at the E3 expo in LA, and answer seems to be ‘Not quite’. While diehard fans of the original have every right to get excited by what they saw, the rest of the gaming world might be left somewhat underwhelmed.

The E3 presentation addressed a number of fundamental issues, but most importantly the battle system. The original game used Square’s famous Active Turn Based (ATB) system, which essentially boils down to players selecting commands on a menu and watching them play out.

The remake is a straight up action game, requiring players to move characters around the field, press buttons to attack and generally be mobile and reactionary.

That’s not to say that Square have completely ignored the ATB system. In the remake, ATB becomes a meter that is used for special moves and magic. So while players pepper away at enemies with normal, button-mashing attacks, the ATB bar increases, allowing them to perform bigger and better moves.

This new approach to combat is a hybrid of Final Fantasy 15 and older RPGs and it looks like fun but, unlike Meteor, it certainly won’t be breaking any ground.

Meanwhile, Square have also confirmed that this is just the first ‘episode’ of the Final Fantasy VII Remake and that the instalment will take place entirely in the opening city of Midgar. While the development team claim that this first episode ‘is equal to a full game in its own right’, we have big doubts about the team’s ability to deliver the full Final Fantasy VII story in a timely, satisfying manner. Final Fantasy 15 showed us that a great, unfinished game is only ever that — unfinished.

Still, the simple fact remains that Final Fantasy VII, while antiquated now, is one of gaming’s all-time classics. It’s difficult to find a game from the 1990s more beloved.

So when Square Enix showed us the remade Tifa for the first time, complete with traditional melee moves and bare midriff, the fans went wild. And when they showed arch-nemesis Sephiroth, arguably gaming’s most famous traditional villain, wielding his Masamune katana with bad intent — well, that was all the edge Square Enix ever needed.

DARK CRYSTAL

Remakes aren’t just the rage in gaming, of course, but in every aspect of modern entertainment. The Dark Crystal is coming back to our screens courtesy of Netflix, but in more ways than you might expect. Alongside the TV series, we’ll also be getting a game called The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics.

As the title implies, this is slated to be a tactics-driven game in the vein of Fire Emblem, and we really liked the look of the trailer shown at E3. It remains to be seen whether the TV series or this game will live up expectations, but we’re hoping the crystal becomes something of a gem when it releases in November.

Meanwhile, Stranger Things 3: The Game will release on July 4 and it’s looking suitably charming, with retro-inspired pixel graphics and an old-school isometric view that we absolutely love. It’s extremely reminiscent of 16-bit action adventure games, where you explore a town, beat down monsters, pick up keys and items and switch between characters. It has a co-op mode too.

GALWAY GAMES

Finally, one man who has remade himself is John Romero, legendary developer of Doom and currently running Romero Games in Galway with his equally talented wife Brenda.

A pleasant surprise at E3 was the reveal of their new game, Empire of Sin, which is a real-time strategy roguelike based on prohibition Chicago. The idea is that you lead a gang, which you can recruit on the fly during each playthrough, as you work your way through randomly generated maps. Early impressions cite the emergent content that comes from the characteristics of your chosen gang members, plus the ability to choose a variety of approaches to combat.