Final Fantasy 7 Remake – Battle System Details

Most people knew that Final Fantasy 7 Remake would not off a turn-based experience like the original game. It’s not a remaster, it’s a complete remake from the ground up. When you’re developing a remake you can take some liberties and that’s exactly what Square Enix is doing. For fans of the original game, you can play the PC version or the recently released PC port to experience the battle system in all its glory.

Not Turn-Based

The new game will offer a unique battle system that may look similar to Kingdom Hearts at first glance. However, from what we currently know about the new system, the two games won’t be sharing much. Square has made it clear that the action in the battle system will be slower-paced than that of a Kingdom Hearts game. The original comparison was that Dissidia was full action, Kingdom Hearts was action with a bit of strategy, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake would offer less action than Kingdom Hearts combat with more focus on strategy and tactical battles.

One big point to make clear about Final Fantasy 7 Remake is that you don’t need to be skilled at action games to win these battles. You won’t see anything like Ninja Gaiden or Dark Souls here. If you’re a novice action game player, you will still be able to perform well in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. That’s because the new system will allow you to plan out your attacks and even give you the choice of switching between characters or sticking to just one.

At this point things can always change, but the focus is to create a system that’s more action-oriented than the original game, but not so action-focused that an RPG fan would have trouble playing it. At this point the combat system is still in a state of flux, with the defending mechanic not fully fleshed out. If you noticed in the gameplay trailer there’s a Defend option in the combat menu, but at this point that was more placeholder than anything else. The developers don’t yet know how Cloud and crew will defend attacks in Remake.

Multiple Play Styles

Having a combat system that doesn’t require the player to be skilled at action games, but isn’t a turn-based system means that there are going to be multiple ways to play. If you want to focus on action and not worry too much about healing and the other technicalities of a typical turn-based combat system, you can certainly do that. However, if you want to slow the pace down and be a bit more meticulous with your attacks, that will also be an option. You won’t be able to fully stop the action like you can in a turn-based game, but you will have time to plan out your attacks.

While Square Enix isn’t ready to divulge details, the company has hinted at the possibility of online play in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Imagine the combat if you can play co-op with a friend or even multiple friends (parties in FF7 contain three characters). Playing with other people would also change your fighting style, especially if you lack communication with the other players as is sometimes the case in online multiplayer games.

New Unique Ability

Limit Breaks from the original game will make the jump over to Remake, but there’s also a new system in place that Square Enix isn’t quite ready to discuss. How you play the game will determine how this new mechanic works for you. Players who choose a more action-oriented style of play will use the new mechanic in a different way compared to players who take their time and focus more on battle strategy.

Very little information is currently known about the new system, but it could be the bar that was present in the gameplay trailer. This mystery meter filled up quickly as Cloud attacked his opponents and seemed to offer more powerful attacks once it was full. Summons were also a key element of Final Fantasy 7 and they’re certain to make a return in Remake. It wouldn’t be completely out of the question to think they’re now tied to this new ability or the new meter seen in the trailer.

For now Square’s new comments on Final Fantasy 7 Remake bring up more questions than answers, but if you haven’t read about all of the new details take a look at our article on what to expect from Episode One and our coverage of the PlayStation Experience news.