Square Enix finally released the free demo forFinal Fantasy VII Remakethrough the PlayStation Network on Monday, nearly five years after the game’s announcement. It gives players the chance to try out one of the game’s early iconic missions, and those who play it early will get a free bonus on PlayStation 4.
Final Fantasy VII Remakecomes out as a PS4 exclusive on April 10, and the first episode has been a long time coming. After bouncing between Square Enix and CyberConnect2, it went to Square Enix in 2017 underKingdom Hearts IIIdirector Tetsuya Nomura, who took over the project.
TheFinal Fantasy VII Remakedemo covers the game’s first chapter, which is the Mako Reactor 1 bombing mission. This mission was also shown during E3 2019, where Square Enix offered an extended look at the game’s new combat system. It features protagonist Cloud alongside Barret as they make their way into the Mako Reach 1 and plant a bomb before facing off against a boss.
“This pump’s sole purpose is to drain the planet dry,” Barret says in the trailer. “You’re going to stand there and pretend you’re able to’t hear the planet crying out in pain?”
The two characters’ combat styles are quite different, just as they were in the 1997 original. Cloud relies heavily on melee combat via the Buster Sword, while Barret can deal damage from afar with a gun attached to his arm. Unlike the original game, combat flows in real time, but players can gradually build up points and then select special attacks from a menu in a nod to classic turn-based role-playing games.
Those who download theFinal Fantasy VII Remakedemo before May 11 will get an exclusive PS4 theme that unlocks when the main game launches a month earlier) and should be available instantly for anyone who downloads the demo after that date.Another dynamic Tifa themewill be available to those who purchase two Butterfinger, Baby Ruth, or Crunch bars.
Final Fantasy VII Remakeis releasing episodically, and the first part only covers the story up through Cloud’s escape from Midgar. Despite the first game’sslight delay from March to April, Square Enix said thesecond part’s development wasn’t affected. It isn’t clear how many parts there will be in total, as the company has apparentlynot decided how it will cut upthe rest of the content yet.
