There's no question that Sephiroth is an icon, striking fear into players even remotely familiar with the villain. Just the opening notes of his theme song, One Winged Angel, are enough to get the heart racing. But Sephiroth didn't make a name for himself with Final Fantasy alone. A particular Disney and Square Enix collaboration, Kingdom Hearts, introduced the villain to a new era of fans, and his appearances in that series are just as menacing, if not more so, than his Final Fantasy 7 presence.

If players missed out on Sephiroth's 1997 Final Fantasy 7 debut, it might be hard to discern why fans go gaga over the character. Heralding a planet-ending event and haunting protagonist Cloud Strife throughout FF7, Sephiroth presented himself as a fearsome villain from the get-go. However, for some of us, Sephiroth's anxiety-inducing encounter in Kingdom Hearts is what truly cemented him as a terror.

In 2002, found myself on the other end of Sin Harvest, and it was in this Disney amalgamation that the One-Winged Angel left an impression that still lingers. See, I wasn’t really old enough to get on the FF7 wave when it was hot, and it wouldn’t be until years later that I experienced the title. So, for me, Kingdom Hearts was the game tha??t introduced Sephiroth. And man, what an introduction that was.

Sora's Platinum match

As players near the end of Kingdom Hearts, they can revisit the Olympus Collesuem to participate in new tournaments. One of these is the Platinum match, which sheds many of the boss fight conventions experienced up to that point. It pits Sora against? Sephiroth in a fight most players will initially lose.

Until encountering the Platinum match, I barreled my way through enemies without much preparation. Sure, some grew a l??ittle tedious, but after retreading a few zones to nab a few easy levels, I cleared obstacles? in a flash, though nothing prepared me for a fight requiring speed and quick-thinking to match a demigod. 

After starting the Platinum match, Sephiroth teleports into the arena and wordlessly readies his weapon as his theme so??ng builds. The powerful villain doesn't sprint or engage in a reckless assault. No. Much more hauntingly, Sephiroth slowly walks towards me as if to say, “Oh, are you here too?�as One Winged Angel blasts over the arena. This unabashed display of badassery sets the tone.

Thanks to his massive sword, Sephiroth could reach me from nearly anywhere, and his impossibly fast sword swipes met me whenever I faltered. If I tried to close the distance with a brute-force approach, he would completely ignite his surroundings in a fiery tempest. Alternatively, if I tried to play the backfield, Sephiroth could teleport and leap around the arena to line u??p an attack. There was no safe fo?oting. 

By some miracle, I was able to push the One-winged Angel enough to start taking me seriously. Then the big attacks came out, summoned meteor showers or, even worse, that Sin Harvest move that takes Sora down to one HP and zero MP in the blink of an eye. It’s all I can muster to stay alive through the assault, meekly chipping at his health here and there. All the while, it doesn't even?? look like Sephiroth breaks a sweat.

Faster than I realize, it’s already over. Sephiroth catches me in the center of one of his fire attacks, and in my haste to heal, I stop?? right in front of his sword. The first time I lost the Platinum match, it felt unwinnable. But that’s precisely what drove me to throw myself at it again and again until I eventually scraped by.

Sephiroth's Dark Depths

While Kingdom Hearts might have led to me think I knew what to expect from Sephiroth, his second appearance continued to throw curveballs. The battle occurs in a rocky area with more room than the previous bout, but maneuverability worked against me. Throughout Kingdom Hearts 2, I unwisely neglected the painstakingly-slow-to-unlock movement and traversal abilities, and that made my Sephiroth rematch all the more imposing. The villain moves around a lot more in Kingdom Hearts 2, often teleporting behind or taking to the?? sky, and I had no means to defend against these hit-and-run tacti??cs.

In stark contrast to his previous appearance, Sephiroth charges as soon as the fight starts with an attack that’s only avoidable via an unexpected quick-time event. This wasn’t the only time he tried to catch me off guard with the deadly strike, it randomly happens throughout the fight. It’s something I had to always stay on the lookout for, as the ?blow has the potential to end the match instantly. Without giving? me a chance to counterattack, Sephiroth moved back to familiar tactics, teleporting and leaping around, testing my defenses with his blade.

Difficulty felt exaggerated by the fact that nearly all of Sephiroth's attacks could bring me down to critical HP, and he'd unleash onslaughts back to back without care. This quickly backed me into a new game of attrition, with Sephiroth effortlessly whittling away my health while I scrambled to keep my head above water. We danced around that arena for what felt l?ike hours, with Sephiroth laying out one spectacular display of strength after another and me panic healing and scratching slices of??f his health with quick combos.

When I finally bested Sephiroth again, a scene shows him literally brushing some dirt off his armor like he’s brushing off our maddening encounter. In the ultimate insult to injury, Sephiroth concludes that only Cloud can offer him a real challenge before sending me off to fetc?h the ex-SOLDIER for h??im. Ouch man, that hurts.

Reintroducing Sephiroth

The Kingdom Hearts series offered Square Enix an opportunity to grow Sephiroth's fame and notability. The character was already a fearsome antagonist to those who first met him in FF7, but Kingdom Hearts would open the door for the?? One-winged Angel to transcend his own universe. It would have been easy to use Sephiroth for a throwaway cameo like Tidus ??or Selphie, but the more substantive approach paid off.

Before Kingdom Hearts, Sephiroth only existed to me as an enigmatic legend I heard about from friends�older siblings or on online forums. But once Kingdom Hearts presented the terrifying foe, his reputation suddenly made sense. Going through the toils of preparation and practice to beat Sephiroth in these Disney games is forever cemented in my memory. It forced me out of my comfort zone and got me thinking in a game that primarily encouraged button mashing. And no doubt, whether players like the character or not, Kingdom Hearts ensured Sephiroth lived up to his hype.

The post Sephiroth’s deadliest appearance wasn’t in a Final Fantasy game appeared first on Destructoid.

While no live-action film of Final Fantasy VII has been announced, it's not hard to imagine Hollywood doesn't at least have an overly eager eye on it. Depending on pers??pective, that's either a threat or delight to muse over, especially when you consider Square Enix isn't too shy to flirt with the big screen �looking at you, Spirits Within and Advent Children.

For better or for worse, I often find myself musing over ideal actors for the inevitable, like Zelda or Shadow. So, in case Hollywood goes for it, I'm shouting out my choices now. In honor of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's launch, here are my picks for a live-action FF7 cast that I think, if made now, would be worthy of such a??? classic legacy.

Cloud Strife - Cody Christian, Darren Barnet

As one of Final Fantasy’s best protagonists, Cloud deserves someone who can understand him and his complexities. So who better than Cody Christian, Cloud’s current VA? The transition wouldn’t be too jarring, as his resume’s mainly live-action, being in Teen Wolf and All-American. Plus, he's proven himsel?f to play the ex-?SOLDIER quite well. 

If Hollywood wants more stardom, I offer up Darren Barnet. Striking success with shows like Never Have I Ever and Blue Eye Samurai, he’s done video games and adaptations, including Immortals of Aveum and Gran Turismo. He can grow into the role, much like Cody has been. It’s a tough role but I'm confident Darren could carry t?he Buster Sword and rock spiky yellow hair.

Tifa Lockhart - Britt Baron, Jessica Henwick

Who doesn't like Tifa? She has a heart of gold and kicks (and punches) some serious ass. You’ll need someone skilled in combat and not afraid to get their hands dirty. Britt Baron, Tifa’s VA, stars in many live-action projects including the wrestling-oriented show GLOW.

On the other hand, there's Jessica Henwick. She's portrayed many badasses on-screen in projects like The Matrix Resurrections, Game of Thrones, and Iron Fist. Whoever t?hey go with, ??Tifa will be in good hands (or fists in this case).

Barret Wallace - Colman Domingo

The gun-armed Barret strikes fear into the hearts of Shinra yet has a heart of gold. You want an actor who can balance it with finesse and poise. That's where Colman Domingo comes in. His award-winning work in Euphoria and Rustin and his badassery in Fear the Walking Dead prove he has the chops. It's the perfect duo?????????????????????????? that I can't help wanting to see come to fruition.

Aerith Gainsborough - Hailee Steinfeld

As the last living Ancient, Aerith is a key figure in FFVII’s narrative beloved for her carefree and brash personality. I'd go with Hailee Steinfeld to deliver on all fronts. While she's done action-oriented roles, projects like Arcane, Dickinson, and True Grit sho??w her versatility as an actor to handle those sincere moments with wit an??d ease. If anything, it proves she can blossom as the beloved flower girl.

Zack Fair - Xolo Maridueña

Being Cloud's mentor and the protagonist of Crisis Core, Zack is as charming as he is audacious. For the role, you need someone who exudes infectious energy and fierce determination. Enter Xolo Maridueña. His starring roles in Cobra Kai and Blue Beetle nail Zack’s qualities with precision aim, with the latter even letting him conjure a Buster Sword to use. It's practically aski?ng for Xolo to become ?the SOLDIER we all know and love.

Yuffie Kisaragi - Karen Fukuhara, Stephanie Hsu

Energetic and vivacious, Yuffie brings more than her ??Materia and ninja moves to the party. T?he character requires someone not afraid to embarrass themselves and step out of their comfort zone. Enter rising stars Karen Fukuhara and Stephanie Hsu.

The Boys�Karen Fukuhara’s very much capable of taking on the Wutai warrior with comedic finesse (as well as kicking ass). The same can be said for Everything Everywhere, All at Once's Stephanie Hsu, as ??her background in musicals and comedies fits the lovable ninja precisely. Either of these actresses can make Yuffie just as f?un as she is in-game.

Red XIII - Max Mittelman, Regé-Jean Page

An experiment of Hojo's, Red XIII aids AVALANCHE on their quest to stop Sephiroth. Like others, I’ll throw in current VA Max Mittelman for the role. His performance is extremely impressive for someone who knows him as Ryuji from Persona 5. I also nominate Regé-Jean Page. Known for his roles in Bridgerton and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, his voice and range is pretty c??lose to Red's tone now.

Cait Sith - Ewan McGregor

It's a magical Scottish cat. Need I say more to justify Ewan McGregor? Despite being a respected actor (and Obi-Wan Kenobi), he's not afraid to experiment with genres. Cait would be fun for him to do outside of Star Wars and various ventures??. If anything, it'd showcase Ewan's versatility as a voice actor, something he hasn't done much of.

Vincent Valentine - Hayden Christensen

Many characters claim to be edgy but none come close to the immortal gunslinger Vincent Valentine. So, of course, I picked Hayden Christensen to play him. Known for Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, he's due for a vengeful comeba?ck. Vincent would be a great character for Hayden to strut his stuff.

Cid Highwind - Bradley Cooper

Chain-smoking mechanic Cid deserves someone who knows their way around things. Luckily, there's one fit for the job: Maestro's Bradley Cooper. Sure, given his resume, it’s a rich pick, but I d?on't think anyone could do the role justice like he would. His charisma and nailing of a Southern twang is a major draw (or drawl) for me. While a surefire blockbuster, Cid is right up his alley.

Rufus Shinra - Taz Skylar

Nepo baby Rufus Shinra needs someone who can nail his cockiness. I vouch for Taz Skylar. His role as Sanji in Netflix’s One Piece radiates a sort ??of charm that makes him enjoyable to watch. Plus, given his recent foray into Hollywood, this would be a great way to?? make an even bigger name for himself.

Tseng - Andrew Koji

As the leader of the Turks, Tseng is intimidating and precise, so it requires someone who can command a room and kick ass. So, I turned to Andrew Koji. He's wrecked people in Warrior and wants to play Jin Sakai in the live-action Ghost of Tsushima. While he hasn't had many ??dramatic performances, Tseng may provide a good character f?or Andrew to spread his wings with.

Rude- Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Rude is a tight-laced Turk of few words, opting for results rather than reason. An actor I think would knock it out of the park is Kelvin Harrison Jr. Starting from 12 Years a Slave, he's gained traction in Hollywood, leading films like Waves and Chevalier. Rude, while not as musical, is a role th?at can shine if ??done right. Kelvin may be the actor to do just that.

Reno - Brandon Perea

The funny man against Rude, Reno is quick to crack both a joke and your bones. While he's seen as comedic relief, he's pretty ruthless given his hot-headedness. With this, I chose Brandon Perea. He's new to acting, but his performance in Nope convinced me to choose him. He's witty, brash, and prime for another? scene-stealing role. He's just the type of actor that'd make Reno as fun a character as he is.

Sephiroth - Robert Pattison

Sephiroth needs to be played by someone menacing and fierce. May I present to you Robert Pattison. Yes, I think the Twilight and The Batman actor would be a good Sephiroth. He's got insane range and can bring in lots of newcomers. Also, Robert’s a huge FFVII fan, calling it one of his favorite games. His portrayal as the perfect SOLDIER can strike?? plenty of chords with audiences. Also, he hasn't done many villain roles, so Sephiroth would be the best character to take a stab at.

The post If FF7 ever sees the live-action treatment, here’s who we would cast as Cloud and the gang appeared first on Destructoid.

Cloud Strife's massive Buster Sword is just as much a fixture of the character as his spikey blonde hair. But how m?uch w??ould that immense weapon actually weigh?

Whether you are a fan of the RPG genre or not, if you follow gaming, you've likely heard of Cloud Strife. The stoic protagonist from Final Fantasy 7 has appeared in countless titles over the years, sometimes even with a new look. However, one iconic detail of Cloud's attire is his Buster sword. While the sword looks wholly unwieldy, Cloud easily manipulates his Buster Sword like he's swingin??g around a whiffle ball bat. How feasible is this???

The best way to bring the Buster Sword into reality is to try ?to break it down into its materials and parts. From there, it's just a matter of tying in real-life weight.

Gigantic but not impossible

Fans have debated the Buster Sword's functionality for years, with popular YouTube series Man At Arms even creating an 80 lb version of the weapon. However, one YouTube channel, Vsauce3, sought to answer the question definitively. To this end, the? video breaks down the materials and composition of the weapon.? 

By analyzing key artwork and com??paring it to Cloud's originally given height of 5'7", the Buster Sword's total length is estimated at 70.5". The blade alone comes in at 54" and appears between a half-inch and an inch thick. Though that might seem far too big for practical use, it's noted that some European two-handed great swords, like the Zweihänder, have been known to reach 78" in size. 

While the size of the Buster Sword may fal??l into the realm of believability, weight is a whole other matter. From sizing, the YouTuber estimates the sword's width at around 10", and that means a lot of metal. Assuming a standard 1 lb. handle for the weapon, the Buster Sword's total weight is estimated to reach around 60 lbs. if made from a typical metal like s?teel. That said, if it were made from a lightweight zinc-aluminum alloy instead, the weight could drop down to around 20 lbs.

Square's unofficial answer

Questions about the Buster sword's weight have existed for as long as players have seen Cloud using the weapon. While Square Enix hasn't ever officially commented on realistic weight, the Final Fantasy publisher once inadvertently offered i??ts own take.

A full-scale replica of Cloud's Buster Sword was shown off during the 2019 Tokyo Game Show to promote Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Undoubtedly tickling fans' interest in its colossal size, a sign noted the Buster Sword was just over 6' and weighed just under 15-and-a-half pounds????????????????????????????.

While the replica's weight comes pretty close to the zinc-aluminum alloy estimates offered by Vsauce3, it's important to note that Square Enix's version was made with the intent of becoming a photo prop. As such, it was likely made of lighter facimilies of real materials to ensure it wasn't too heavy for attendees to weild while heaving their photo ?taken. Even at 15 pounds, a 6' sword is no easy weapon to wiel??d. However, it doesn't seem like the Buster Sword is as impossible as players once thought.

The post How much would Cloud’s Buster Sword actually weigh? appeared first on Destructoid.

Want to dive into Cloud and co.'s post-Midgar adventures early? You’re in luck. Announced at the State of Play today, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is getting a demo, and it's out today ??on the PlayStation Sto??re. 

The demo will get you access to the first chapter of Rebirth, with a party of Cloud and Sephiroth in the game's opening. Sometime between today and the release of Rebirth, the demo will also be updated to extend to Cloud, Aer?ith, Tifa, Barrett, and Red XIII in Junon. There was no mention of whether save progress would carry over or not.

Pizza in the Sky

Final Fantasy games have been consistently getting demos lately. Last year, we got the fantastic Final Fantasy XVI demo and, before that, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins. In fact, in 2020, Square Enix released a demo for Final Fantasy 7 Remake which covered the first chapter. 

News of this new Rebirth demo leaked a little ahead of schedule last night, via the Explore page.

As a fan of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, I’ve been hyped about Rebirth for a while. Plus, I just finished Crisis Core Reunion, so I’m up-to-date on whatever craziness Tetsuya Nomura and the team have in store. I’m way too curious as to why a certain black-haired SOLDIER is still alive and squatting.

The demo should be available today on the PlayStation store for players to plunge their swords into, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth releases on February 28 on PlayStation 5.

The post Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a demo available t??oday appeared first on Destructoid.

To be perfectly honest, sitting down and thinking about my favorite games of 2023 has been a surreal experience. When I look back on my corresponding list I wrote in 2022, I ??feel like the person who wrote that is a fundamentally diffe??rent person than who I am today.

At the time, I was still recovering from some rough life experiences and wasn’t playing a lot of new games. My list of candidates was so sparse that I had to include Jimothy Donbleau’s Quest for Game of the Year, which is totally real and not just something I mocked up in RPG Maker. Look, I’ve always had an overwhelming passion for video games. Once upon a time, I was here as a community member of Destructoid talking about my story of playing Final Fantasy II (IV) before I could even ??read. But it was always somethi??ng I treated as my hobby and not my work.

Now, ever since Chris �.5�Carter invited me to write for Destructoid full-time, my relationship with the world of gaming has changed a lot. I’ve gotten to preview games like Persona 3 Reload, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and even Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I was able to review huge games like Diablo 4 and be on the forefront of complaining about its microtransactions. And aside from talking about new releases, I got to write about the insane backstory behind Gex and how The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse still holds up.

And of course, I must mention the entire week I spent pouring my heart and soul into a single Link’s Awakening analysis for Destructoid’s Zelda Week. I’ve been given so many opportunities to follow my passions here, and I cannot express how thankful I am that so many of you have been reading my words. Despite the gaming community’s reputation for tox??icity, most of you have been nothing but exceedingly kind and supportive. I don’t know what I did to deserve that, but from the bottom of my heart, I’m grateful to you all.

The dark side of the industry

That said, I can’t say this year has been a bed of roses. Being this close to “the industry�and seeing how the sausage gets made has meant being keenly aware of layoffs after layoffs after layoffs after layoffs after�you get the point.

It’s been hard to retain my enthusiasm for video games when the people making them have been treated like disposable assets. It’s as if the ones responsible for these firings merely see their employees as gears in a machine, completely unaware that those gears have hopes, aspirations, families, and maybe the occasional desire to just stop turning for a few minutes. Even if 2023 was a particularly bad year for job security, it’s not ??like any of thi??s is necessarily new. But it’s been hard to sit here and enjoy amazing new video games when so many lives were changed in the process.

In the face of such tumultuous times, I’ve frankly fel?t kind of cursed. Feelings of imposter syndrome and more have welled up throughout the year. All in all, I’m doing okay. But I also couldn’t talk about a bunch of cool games I played this year without acknowledging the sheer mental and emotional cost they accrued. My hope beyond hope is that everyone who lost their jobs this year will land b??ack on their feet soon.

Now let’s talk about video games

Some quick ground rules for my rankings: I’m not limiting my picks this year to strictly 2023 games. Since there was some warm ?reception last year to seeing older games pop up, anything I played this year is fair game. Priority is given to completely new titles though, so don’t e??xpect older stuff in the top 3.

Also, I’m only ranking games that I finished or at least got close to finishing. So while I’m sure Tears of the Kingdom belongs on this list, I didn't play enough to have much to say about it. And given how much I struggled to find time this year, I had absolutely no chance of making progress in Baldur’s Gate 3. I played more games than I ever have and still missed some of the biggest hits of the year, which?? is maybe worrying. I’m going to choose not to ?think about that now.

Timothy Monbleau’s favorite disaster of 2023: The Last of Us on PC

Look, playing The Last of Us on PC was not pleasant. I had a lot of issues, to the point that my write-up for the port had less to do with the game and more to do with my whirlwind experience of playing it. But I can’t?? pretend that I didn’t have an absolute blast writing that piece for you all.

From what I understand, The Last of Us on PC is at least a bit better today than it was then. At the very least, the underlying game was still excellent, which made coping with the ridiculous PC port easier. It was a good, bad time, and sometimes those experiences are memorable too. Still probably better than half the things Zoey ?puts h??erself through every week, though.

#10: Astlibra Revision

I was barely able to finish Astlibra before 2023 ended. Fittingly, it barely makes its way onto my best of the year list. Granted, I don’t mean that as an insult. The fact that I’d sooner rank a game made predominately by one person over other polished AAA games is a testament to KEIZO's dedic??ation to this passion project. The ever-evolving gameplay was an absolute ?trip, and the story really stuck out to me with its numerous twists and turns.

It’s a title for a very specific audience. But if you like the grindy games, there’s truly nothing quite like Astlibra.

#9: The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails

Few things make me smile wider than a Falcom action game, and The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is no exception. Despite technically being an HD version of a decade-old PSP game, Nayuta’s adventure absolutely competes with the best games released this year. The combat gave me a rush that only Falcom games can, and the soundtrac??k is easily one of my fav??orites of this year.

Nayuta’s adventure is pure RPG comfort food. One day, I’d love to complete a New Game Plus run an?d see everything it has to offer. It's just a pleasant time from start to finish, and a game I highly recommend you check out if it passed you by this ye?ar.

#8: Final Fantasy VII Remake

How’s this for a long overdue backlog game? Someone into both RPGs and Final Fantasy like me should have had Final Fantasy VII Remake long finished by now, but with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on the horizon,?? I ?knew I needed to catch up. And, surprise, it’s a good game.

I’m going to make a potentially controversial statement here, but the weirdest thing about Final Fantasy VII Remake is that it kind of felt like a better version of Final Fantasy XIII? I mean, the dungeon design often devolves into hallways, but the inclusion of puzzles and twists and turns helps disguise it much better. The battle system feels like an evolution of the mix of action and menu-based combat XIII attempted, with things skewe?d towards the “action�side to give more player freedom. Even the weapon upg??rades feel like the Crystarium with less busy work.

I don’t say this to argue that Final Fantasy XIII is actually a misunderstood gem. It was just a weird ?case of déjà vu, but also a testament to how rough ideas can be refined in interesting ways. Also, I like that Tifa and Aerith are pals this time around. I’m not emotionally prepared for anything to happen to them in the sequel.

#7: Rakuen Deluxe Edition

Rakuen is the very first game I reviewed for Destructoid, and�I honestly feel a little bad about it. I was still finding my voice at the time, and in retrospect, I perhaps focused too much on critique and created a negative sounding review. A lot of that was because of my reaction to Mr. Saitou, but it does seem like most ?people did enjoy that little side story. Honestly, I’m happy to be in the minority as far as that goes!

All of this is to say, Rakuen was a special experience. It’s a very earnest, emotional story that hit me hard after my experience through the pandemic, even though Rakuen originally came out in 2017. And Laura Shigihara did a fantastic job on the music here. Build a Little World With Me is one of the most emotionally devastating songs I’ve ever heard, and I’m amazed more ar??tists haven’t covered it. I’d say I’ll listen to anyone who ta?kes a stab at it, but I don't think I’m ready for that feels-trip again.

#6: Blasphemous 2

As far as my personal tastes go, Blasphemous 2 is an absolute dark horse hit. I genuinely was not grabbed at all by Blasphemous when I tried it out, and I was prepared to just treat reviewing the sequel like sheer work. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I didn’t just like Blasphemous 2, but I loved it. It just hit so many notes that I feel a Metroidvania should, and I adored nearly every boss battle.

I don’t typically expect Metroidvanias to hit the highs of stuff like the GBA Castlevania games, but The Game Kitchen pulled it off in stride. It’s just a good as h??ell video?? game that's well worth your time, whether you played the first or not.

#5: Super Mario RPG

It’s Super Mario RPG, what do I even have to say? It’s one of gaming’s greatest creative collaborations, and this remake retains nearly everything that made the SNES classic special. Mario RPGs work so well for both genre fanatics and those who typically dislike RPGs, and Super Mario RPG especially reminded me of that.

If the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake (remaster?) does just as well and succeeds commercially, I hope we see a renaissance of Nintendo RPGs. Bonus points if?? we get Yoko Shimomura back for the soundtracks!

#4: Terranigma

Anyone who has followed me this year knows I’ve spent a lot of time discussing this nearly 30 year old RPG. I wrote a whole passionate write-up abo??ut it back in May, and I even ranked it as one of the top three best SNES games ever made. Given how much I’ve already said a?bout it, I’m going to let yo?u in on my dirty secret that partially influenced why I’m so enthusiastic about it.

This year was the first time I’d ever finished Terranigma.

Don’t get me wrong, I played Terranigma a lot when I was younger. However, given the game’s Europe exclusivity, let’s just say I had a rough time trying to beat it with a keyboard two decades ago. My main motivation for playing it this year is that I wanted to rank Illusion of Gaia on my best SNES game?s list. However, I needed to see if ?Quintet’s subsequent game was more worthy of the spot.

I was not prepared for how hard Terranigma’s themes would strike right through my soul. Shortly after I?? finished the game, my girlfriend called ??me while she drove home from work. I was doing my best to engage in our usual small talk, but she could tell there was something different about me.

She asked me about it, and I just started bawling, and we spent the rest of our call talking about Terranigma. The ending didn’t even have those big emotional moments that I was expecting it would. But everything Terranigma was about, and everything it had built up to, just sunk in. I was so profoundly sad and so happy to be alive all at the same time, and I couldn’t believe something that powerful was hidden in an SNES game all t??his time. A week hasn’t gone by since where I haven’t though?t about Ark’s journey in one way or another.

I gave myself the rule about prioritizing newer games in my rankings here because Terranigma was, hands down, the game that impacted me the most this year. It’s easily in my top ??10 games of all time and stands as a testament to the reasons we create and share art with each other. I’m almost three decades late to the party, but you did it Quintet. You created a masterpiece, and I’ll never, ever forget? it.

#3: Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI is somehow both a critical darling and a surprisingly divisive game, and I can understand both sides. I don’t necessarily agree with every take on its gameplay or story I’ve read, but I do get the points of view. Personally, Final Fantasy XVI really resonated with me, and I fe?lt it was the kind of story I needed this year.

As I discussed back when I was ranking Final Fantasy games, the series likes to explore the concept of hope amid hopeless circumstances. And despite how edgy Final Fantasy XVI is, I felt this spirit was intact. This particularly? struck me early in Clive’s journey, when he is getting to know his mentor figure Cid. Clive explains his desire for revenge, which makes Cid rather bluntly respond with:

“Fate. You’re content to be its slave then.�/p>

Many RPGs explore the concept of fate, but usually from an external perspective. For example, for the characters in Final Fantasy XIII, their fate of becoming l’Cie is forced on them, and the game’s theme involves breaking free of that fate. But in Final Fantasy XVI, fate is anything that takes our agency away from us. Whether it’s the destruction of your home or a desire for revenge that clouds your judgment, we’re constantly struggling with forces that threaten to take or redirect our f??reedom.

That depiction of fate has really struck me since it’s something that I struggle with daily. And I’ll venture a guess that many of you have your own "fates" you're battling too. Reframing fate in those terms has, weirdly, been mentally grounding for me. Whenever I feel myself staring too deep into that void, feeling hopeless ??as the world around us just seems weirder and dumber with each passing day, I try to remember Cid’s words. I don’t want to be a slave to fate. No matter how futile that may seem, it’s somethi?ng I want to fight against.

I also like the part where Clive gets the big laser beam move and can go pew pew on his enemies. Good game, I hope to have a drink with Ben Starr someday.

#2: Super Mario Bros. Wonder

After discussing two games in a row that made me think and feel, it’s also important to remember games that are like the equivalent of being dropped in a Six Flags as a kid with $500 in your wallet. I went into Super Mario Bros. Wonder expecting something along the lines of the New Super Mario Bros. games, but what I got instead was pure, unadulterated joy. A?s much as I like to wax poetic a??bout video games, sometimes I enjoy a good vacation too.

I love 3D Mario, but 2D Mario has always been where it’s at for my tastes. And Super Mario Bros. Wonder is, without a doubt, the best 2D Mario game I’ve played since Super Mario World. The level design consistently knocks it out of the park, the Wonder gimmicks are almost always entertaining, and it’s visually more filled with life than all the New games combined. There wasn’t a minute of Wonder where? I wasn’t having fun; it was pur?e Nintendo magic from start to finish.

All in all, 2023 was a great year for Mario fans. And as cynical as I’ve become about our modern corporate world, the thought of parents sharing these wonderful Mario experiences wi??th their kids this year just warms my heart.

#1: Octopath Traveler 2

Octopath Traveler 2 is one of those games where I couldn’t even comprehend how special it was until it was over. I went into it expecting more of the original Octopath Traveler, which I liked but did not love (similar to Chris Carter’s take). But if Octopath Traveler was a love letter to golden age SNES/PSX RPGs, Octopath Traveler 2 is a perfect encapsulation of them.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most fun RPG worlds I’ve ever explored. There are secrets and bosses around nearly every corner, rewarding every ounce of curiosity you have. At the same time, it never feels like you’re just cutting through filler content either. Octopath Traveler 2 is immaculat?ely paced, always tantalizing your senses with story objectives ?and rare treasures to pursue.

Similarly, the game’s combat mechanics offer a wonderful level of depth. Random encounters never gave me that usual feeling of tedium, since I felt consistently engaged in figuring out ways to dispatch foes faster and faster. Octopath Traveler 2 does a fantastic job of offering rich levels of party customization, yet it never bogs the player down with them. I was constantly getting huge “aha!â€?moments whenever I discovered different synergies with my skills and equipment. This did eventually make the game feel easy, but I also felt like I’d earned it. Even after spending nearly 100 hours with the g??am?e, I was fiddling with my team and experimenting with new ideas.

The segmented story has grown on me in retrospect too. While I init??ially didn’t like?? how separated each character’s tale was, that structure felt so real to me this year. Our paths often cross with friends and comrades, but ultimately, we’re all the heroes of our own stories. We all have our dreams we’re reaching for, and those goals may create temporary friendships of convenience.

But that’s not to say that those practical relationships can’t become meaningful. It’s human to want to make connections where we can, and we see the characters in Octopath Traveler 2 do that too. Hikari’s mission to lead Ku will naturally diverge from Agnea’s aspiration to become a star. But that doesn’t mean that, for a brief time, they can't share a story together. People often come and go in our lives, and seemingly lifelong friendships may become fleeting over time. But those memories, however temporary, are important. And by the end of Octopath Traveler 2, that’s the sense I got? from these eight unlikely, but ultimately relatable allies.

There’s no telling where our paths in life will take us. But if we only look ahead at where we want to be, we might miss the adventure we can have now. And in the case of Octopath Traveler 2, there ar??e few adventures I’ll ever look back on as fondly. Here’s to what 2024 may bring, and may Team Asano rest easy knowing they’ve created such a special, captivating game.

#0: Jimothy Donbleau’s Quest for Game of the Year 2: We’re All Content

That crazy bastard did it again, Jimothy Donbleau wins Game of the Y??ear ?2023!!!

The post Timothy Monbleau’s 10 favorite games of 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

I sincerely don’t envy the position Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is in.

The middle entry of a trilogy is always a precarious thing. On one hand, it lacks the opening act to introduce the cast and get players excited for the story. At the same time, middle entries also can’t culminate in the story’s ultimate climax. Combine that with being part of a remake of one of the most beloved RPGs of all time, and you have a game that really needs to come prepared to impress. After all, Final Fantasy 7 Remake already indulged us in seeing Cloud and friends in glorious HD. Can Rebirth leave a lasting impres??sion a?fter that novelty has worn off?

In search of an answer to this question, I attended an event hosted by Square Enix to play some of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for myself. This demo took me through two distinct sections of the game, which showcased Rebirth’s story-focused moments as well as its semi-open-world. For the most part, much of what I saw can be summed up as “it's more Final Fantasy 7 Remake.�

However, it’s what I didn’t see that interested me the most in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Adventures with a safer Sephiroth

The first section of the demo had me control Cloud and �gasp �Sephiroth on the mountain path leading to the Nibel Reactor. This is, of course, part of the original game’s flashback sequence explaining the Nibelheim Incident. I don’t know if the full game will start here, but it works shocking well as its own introduction. The mountain paths and caves all had explainers for basic mechanics in case it’s been a while since you played Remake, but it didn’t linger too long on its tutorials.

The big selling point of this whole sequence is, of course, playing as Sephiroth. And in truth, this was probably my favorite part of playing Rebirth. In the original Final Fantasy 7, the game drives home Sephiroth’s power by making him comically overpowered. I love how classic Final Fantasy used gameplay to tell stories, but I can’t say this was thrilling to play. Conversely, Rebirth puts Sephiroth and Cloud on more equal footing at t?his stage, with both being capable of dispatching the monsters in front of you.

Rather than pumping up raw numbers, Rebirth instead sells players on Sephiroth’s sheer power with his playstyle. And that ??playstyle is “I don’t have any complex mechanics, I just wreck enemies.�He’s just a powerful guy with a big ol�sword who can use sk?ills that will inflict impressive damage, no matter what you pick. I like this approach since it drives home that Sephiroth is just effortlessly strong, regardless of his opponents. He genuinely feels mighty on his own, rather than just more powerful than the enemies around him.

Promote Synergy Abilities

This sequence also introduced me to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s new Synergy Abilities. For those just tuning in, Synergy Abilities are vaguely like Chrono Trigger's Double Tec?hs. Whenever you use a character’s ATB gauge, you charge a secondary meter. When two characters reach a certain threshold ?of their respective meters, they can trigger a Synergy Ability together.

While these can inflict serious damage, Synergy Abilities primarily revolve around stat buffs from what I saw. For example, a couple Synergy Abilities involved making spells cost 0 MP for an extended period. I could immediately tell that these moves were way too powerful to ignore, so switching between characters to build their respective ATB gauges became essential. This also gave me a reason to not use Sephi?roth exclusiv?ely, which was probably a good call.

I did enjoy how Synergy Abilities shake up the gameplay, but I am worried they might become the ?most important part of combat. I mean, I like having ??more tools in my combat toolbox. But if all paths lead to building up my Synergy Abilities because they’re just that powerful, then they’re stop feeling like cool new options and instead come off as something that I’m forced to juggle.

When I poked through the menus in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, I did notice that there were many more Materia slots to go around. Even at this relatively early stage of the game, characters could already equip more than ten pieces of Materia each. Additionally, you can find Materia that consolidates two distinct spell sets from Remake, such as a Materia that grants both Fire and Lightning spell?s. There might be some captivating potential in building around Synergy Abilities, which I would love to test out. Unfortunately, these more RPG-y pa?rts of the game were locked out from the demo.

Out on the open world

The first demo section ended on a satisfying note, with a lot of little nods that I’m sure longtime Final Fantasy 7 fanatics will pick up on immediately. ??Sephiroth calls Cloud “Puppy�at least once, which made an overly enthusiastic part of me want to jump up and go “I know what that means!�However, I soon found myself in the second section of the demo, which sees the party in the open area outside of Junon. This is where the game showcases its more open-wo??rld inspired elements.

Right off the bat, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth hit me with several mechanics that one would immediately think of when they hear “open-world.??�I could ride my chocobo mount, pick up materials off the ground as I walked by them, and chase down opti?onal battles to engage in. In the demo, those random materials could only go into crafting consumable items. The big thing here is the Cushion, which Cloud must use if he wants to rest on shoddy looking benches. Honestly, I can relate. My butt deserves only the best too.

It was neat to see Rebirth open up a bit, especially with how predominately linear Remake was. But, honestly, the Cushion did concern me. It seemed like the type of thing that didn’t really need to be in the game, but existed so you had something to grind in this open space. I mean, Remake had benches with no need for cushions, and to be fair, those are here too??. But again, I don’t want to come down too hard on this because of the nature of the demo. I’m sort of ambivalent to crafting systems in general, so as long as there’s interesting stuff in the full game to chase, I’ll be happy.

Intel-ligent battles

That said, it was the Combat Assignment fights that made me a bit worried about Rebirth. These optional battles pit your party against set groups of monsters, but each come with three optional intel objectives to fulfill. You can beat these battles without clearing all the objectives, but the game really seemed to discourage that. Basically ever failed attempt involved some voice clip along the lines of “maybe try that again.�/p>

Most of the objectives here were straightforward. Stuff like “defeat the enemies in under three minutes�needs no explanation and works fine. On the other hand, some objectives grated on me with how rigid they felt. In one case, an optional objective involved evading an enemy using a certain attack. However, I had no context as to what “evade�meant. Simply not getting hit didn’t count, and my attempts to Perfect Dodg??e by rolling away at the last second didn’t work either. Maybe the full game explains evasion timing better, but this just wound up frustrating me to the point of maki?ng me give up.

Similarly, an objective in the enco??unter I faced right after involved interrupting an enemy when it starts casting a specific attack. Using the Assess skill reveals that you can interrupt it by inflicting enough damage during the casting period, except the enemy incessantly pushes party members away during this window of vulnerability. Again, I tried beating this objective several times and couldn’t clear that dama??ge threshold. I also tried timing my strikes so I could stagger the enemy during casting or just flat out kill it, but neither of those tactics counted towards completion.

I wound up just abandoning these optional objectives since I really didn’t have fun tr?ying to chase them down. Plus I had other things I wanted to do in this demo.

Action vs. RPG

The weird thing about my experience is that I saw a game that I really wanted to play here, but just didn’t have the opportunity to. Even during the battle I described above, I noticed that those enemies pushing my party away had a Lightning weakness. I immediately thought “If I could just equip Aerith with Lightning Materia, I bet I could complete this objective easily.�Alas, Aerith didn’t have any Lightning magic, and I couldn’t d??o that menu management myself.

The boss battle at the end of this section of the demo left me with similar feelings. Playing Rebirth as strictly an action game, I felt somewhat lukewarm about the experience. There were certain attacks I had to use guard against, certain phases where I had to use certain moves, and mechanics where I had to use specific characters. It all came together like a game that wa?nted to escalate the difficulty by becoming much more rigid, instead of giving m??e the freedom to play how I want.

Yet I couldn’t stop thinking about all those Materia slots my characters have that I couldn’t play with. And how, again, you can find Materia that consolidates existing magic to give you room to try out new toys. Even after my demo time, I talked with a representative about different tactics the full game might allow. For example, I could possibly make Cloud a dedicated tank to give other party members more freedom to hit bosses without worrying about dodging or blocking. That sounds like a blast to me, but it was outside the scope of what I could try here. And that could be the key that seriously enriches Rebirth's combat.

The rebirth of Final Fantasy 7

In the end, I was left with some conflicting feelings about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It did come with some notable changes to what Final Fantasy 7 Remake offered. For example, Aerith had stronger attack options as well as some neat evasion tricks. But overall, it mostly felt like more Final Fantasy 7 Remake with a few additions I could take or leave. I honestly wouldn’t recommend replaying Remake leading up to Rebirth, sinc??e I t??hink you’d burn yourself out with how similar they are.

However, all those RPG elements on the periphery of my experience have stuck with me. How will the game build up Sephiroth and work with plot threads that l??ongtime fans are familiar with? What kinds of things might I craft in that open world once I can dive deep into that character building? And again, what new possibilities might arise with the new Materia in the game? The sheer implication of new toys makes me eager to try the game for myself.

So all in all, I’m still absolutely keeping my eyes peeled for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I mean I would anyway, simply because I like Final Fantasy. But if what I both did and did not see comes together in a satisfying way, Rebirth could absolutely be something special. Otherwise, it’s just more Final Fantasy 7 Remake with a few extra systems, a?nd tha??t isn’t a terrible outcome either.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches on PlayStation 5 on February 29.

The post Hands-on: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth? has action, but tease?s just as much RPG appeared first on Destructoid.

Vincent is coming out of his coffin. Announced at the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth voice cast panel at New York Comic-Con, the voice actor for the gun-toting ex-Turk has been officially confir?med: Matt Mercer. This comes after fans claimed the prolific voice actor was the character when he appeared in the latest State of Play.

Disturbing Vincent Valentine's slumber

As host, Matt Mercer brings up his background work in FFVII Remake after introducing the cast. He then puts the rumors to bed (or coffin, in this case) by saying that he will take on the role of Vincent Valentine in the sequel. Vincent, in Final Fantasy VII, is a former Turk who joins Cloud and his crew on their escapades as revenge on Hojo. He also was the protagonist in Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, voiced by VA legend Steve Blum.

Being in the industry for many years, Matt Mercer is no stranger to big-ticket roles. His parts in Persona 5 (Yusuke), Fire Emblem (Chrom), and Overwatch (Cole Cassidy) were heavily praised. He also hosts the popular Dungeons & Dragons show, Critical Role. Most recently, he played the main villain Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Without?? a doubt, Matt is the perfect actor to take over Vincent Valentine. I, for one, can't wait to see him in all his glory.

While fans are likely to be excited by the announcement of Vincent, a fan-favorite character, it is worth noting Square Enix already confirmed he will not be a playable party member during an exclusive interview with Game Informer.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth releas??es on February 29, 2024, ?for PlayStation 5.

The post Matt Mercer confirmed as Vincent Valentine in Final Fantasy V???II Rebirth appeared first on Destructoid.

The conversation surrounding Cait Sith, one of the most contested names within the Final Fantasy 7 extended universe, has taken a dramatic turn. On the social media website that I insist on?? ca?lling Twitter, Square Enix posted the following clarification:

“In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Cait Sith is pronounced ‘Kate Sihth.’�/p>

For some Final Fantasy fans, this statement may read along the lines of calling water wet. In fact, I imagine many who played Final Fantasy 7 back in 1997 naturally pronounced the name like that. However, many (naturally) believe the name “Cait Sith�to be a reference to the corresponding Celtic folklore creature �a href="//en.wikipedia.org?/wiki/Cat-s%C3%ACth" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cait Sidhe.�strong> This is typically pronounced like “Ket-Shee,�which some have since applied to the remote-controlled Shinra machination. But with Square Enix's clarification, it appears that in an effort to be as correct as possible, som??e fans have argued themselves into an inco?rrect pronunciation instead.

Note that Square Enix specifically says that Cait Sith is pronounced this way in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Clearly, this opens the door to pronouncing Cait Sith as “Ket-Shee�in the original Final Fantasy 7, since the post offers no clarification on that front. I’m not team ??“Ket-Shee,�I just enjoy chaos.

Easily in the top 5 of most controversial pronunciations in Final Fantasy 7

Honestly, arguing over how to pronounce things in Final Fantasy 7 is a time-honored tradition at ??this point. If you were on a message board during the mid-2000s, saying “Aeris�instead of “Aerith�was tantamount to saying that you hated everyone with three or? more toes.

Also, calling Tifa “tih-fuh�instead of “tee-fuh�could start wars. At some point, I caught the “tih-fuh�bug and still say that even though I know “tee-fuh�is correct. I have been nearly punched in the face at least once for this reason. No, hearing it pronounced in Final Fantasy VII Remake has not helped.

So, as silly as it may seem, Square Enix’s clarification here does have context. And while the voice acted script of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth would naturally answer this question, at least we can put this one to rest early. Now we just need Square Enix to clarify whether "Safer Sephiroth" should actual??ly be ??"Sefer Sephiroth" or "Savior Sephiroth" to sate fans once and for all.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches on February 29, 2024 on PlayStation 5.

The post Squar???e Enix clarifies Cait Sith is pronounced Cait Sith appeared first on Destructoid.

It is an undeniable fact that almost all games are, to some extent, commercial products. If we were not willing to spend our money on video games, then companies would not make them. With all-time classic titles like Final Fantasy 7, I often don’t think about this. Instead, I’m so swept up in the story, music, and gameplay that I forget about the cash I spent. It’s only when games like Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis come along that I remember that th?e eternal wheel of capitalism lurks behind even my most precious gaming memories.

Look, I’m not above the experience that Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis offers. In my review-in-progress, I explained my robust experience with gacha games. Because lest you forget, Ever Crisis really is just a gacha game. It goes through the same motions as any title in this space does, and its gameplay mostly devolves into consuming Stamina and watching numbers go up. In my spicy opin??ion, games like this can still be fun. As long as there’s a substantive core driving the experience, I can enjoy incremental grinds like these.

Well, I speak to you now as someone who has spent roughly 27 hours in Ever Crisis. I’ve cleared the main story, seen all its modes, and raised my team’s power level to roughly 60,000. Admittedly, this is only about a third of the way towards chall??enging the hardest content available in th??e game. But even if there’s an amazing experience hiding here, I’ve played enough to say that the Mako just ain’t worth the squeeze.

Disclaimer: All s?creenshots have been cropped to fit on the page. So?me shots may not be fully reflective of the game.

[caption id="attachment_403810" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis (iOS [reviewed], Android)
Developer: Square Enix, Applibot
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: September 7, 2023
MSRP: Free-to-play with microtransactions

The First Soldier, the second time

I'm going to gloss over the basics of Ever Crisis, as I covered that in my review-in-progress. In that article, I discussed how Ever Crisis smashes Final Fantasy 7 with the “Compilation of�stories together in a frankly incohesive way. However, I didn't really cover The First Solider content, which functionally serves as Ever Crisis�“original�story. Unfortunately, I can’t say this? did much for me.

For the most part, it revolves around introducing us to the new characters Glenn, Matt, and Lucia. It makes sense for this arc to take this angle, since it presumably lays the foundation for future updates. I just never found myself invested in this party or their mission. It adds some supplemental lore, sure, but I didn't find it interesting either in the scope of Final Fantasy 7 or on its own. It's n??ot that it was? terrible, it was just kind of boring.

It's only at the end of The First Soldier that we finally get to see young Sephiroth, who Square Enix teased prior to launch. However, without spoiling too much, I’ll say ??that clearly any intriguing content here is still being withheld. The game's launch teaser trailer states “we still don’t know Sephiroth,�and that remains true for me after playing??.

Fortunately, Ever Crisis does let you choose which story to progress past a certain point. However, this winds up revealing just how little story content there is. The Final Fantasy 7 arc currently ends after Midgar, which I guess lines up with what assets the game could use from Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Meanwhile, Crisis Core ends after the first Ifrit fight. Stuff like Dirge of Cerberus or Advent Children has no representation in the game so far, despite appearing in the game's debut trailer.

[caption id="attachment_403811" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Systems of a Phoenix Down

As far as the actual play experience, I noted in my review-in-progress that I've kept auto battle on since it was unlocked. That never changed, though Ever Crisis does try to add depth in very small ways.

The crunchiest option here is the Criterion Dungeons, which task you with repeating the game's occasional dungeons with boss fights that escalate in challenge. This does introduce very, very lite roguelite-style mechanics where you can select certain stat buffs after each fight. However, these are ridiculously basic, like choosing whether to boost physical or magical attack. Many gacha games have experimented with these types of mechanics, and Ever Crisis doesn't compete in any meaningful w??ay here. To?? their credit, Criterion Dungeons do try to incorporate some item management. But I found this offered nothing more than "heal between battles and use buff items before the final boss."

The other substantive option, which I imagine has the most strategic depth, is co-op. As of writing, teams can link up to take down three different bosses at several different difficulty levels, with a limited-time event boss also joining the mix as of writing. Given the way the battle system works, you could theoretically coordinate some neat strategies here. In single player, you must automate two party members even wit?h manual play turned on. Co-op technically lays the foundation to let players work together as dedicated attac??kers, healers, stat buffers, etc.

However, in practice, co-op quickly become ju??st another thing to use auto battle on. My Cloud would join two identical Clouds to take down baddies, and given that we all changed our attack stances at identical times, I assume that everyone else was just auto-farming too. There could be a worthwhile experience at the top level, I’m just not seeing it now.

[caption id="attachment_403812" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

I am not a Materia girl

As far as progression itself, it really does stay firmly in that “grind for grinding sake�mentalit??y. More upgrade systems unlock as you progress, but they all boil down to the same loop. Identify what you should upgrade, spot the resource you need, and then run the appropriate stage until you're done. Sure, it’s neat that characters earn mild skill trees to climb. But these systems don't m?ix up the gameplay in any meaningful way.

The one exception, however, is the Materia system. And unfortunately, I don't mean that in a good way. Materia is essential, since it’s the easiest way to slap the elemental coverage on your team without performing more gacha pulls. However, crafting Materia takes real-world time, and you can only craft up to five at once. Additionally, each Materia is treated like a unique item, since they all wind up with randomized stats and rarity levels. In othe?r words, it's a gacha inside your gacha.

None of this is bad on paper, but treating each Materia as its own unique item quickly becomes a UI nightmare. If I just want to figure out which Materia I should optimally craf??t, I have to do a ridiculous amount of cross-referencing. Do I have enough of this element for my ?team to equip? Which type of Materia could use a better variant? How much time am I willing to spend chasing a few extra stats?

Additionally, strengthening Materia requires sacrificing your spare pieces as level-up materials. I can see the logic here, since you’re rolling the dice on Materia over and over again to find ones with good stats anywa??y. However, again, this requires micromanaging to make sure you aren’t chucking Materia you might need by accident. None of this is i??mpossible, but it’s just so tedious to repeat this process ever few hours that I stopped trying to optimize it.

[caption id="attachment_403813" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Rain in the desert

Now, credit where credit’s due, if there’s one thing I do genuinely like about Ever Crisis, it’s the character stories.

These unlock quite a ways into the game, and I assume they’re linked to your characters' levels. I only really used Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith, and those were the stories I had the option to experience. These are, no joke, quite good! They fill in implied gaps in Final Fantasy 7’s main story that are fun to see, even if they're kind of unnecessary. For example, Cloud’s story de?tails his reconnecting with Tifa and explaining how, exactly, he became involved with Avalanche. The writing and cutscenes feel authentic to the original game, as if they were long-lost delete??d scenes.

It's not just the character stories either. Even the silly beach event that went live as I type this features some decently charming writing with the Final Fantasy 7 cast. It’s 100% filler content, but I like seeing the game have fun with its cast and put them in whimsical situations. Honestly, if the game just wholly focused on original stories like these, it’d make a much stronger case for itself. I know that The First Soldier technically is trying to do this,?? I just really don’t care about the characters there like I do for the? original cast.

Sadly, these bits are over way too quickly. You'll finish each tale in a handful of minutes, which pales in comparison to the hours of grinding you’d need to do to get there. I couldn’t even complete Tifa’s story, since it abruptly jumps from a recommended power level of 45,000 to 70,000 in one mission. It’s a bummer that FF7 fans who just want to see content like this will hit walls like these. Especially if it cause??s them to pay to climb over those walls faster.

[caption id="attachment_403815" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Draw a line in the Ruby Weapon’s sand

It’s tempting to look at Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis and say that because it’s a gacha, it's therefore garbage. I bet at least one person will look at the score below and say that I rated this too highly. However, I don’t think that’s necessarily fair. There is a market for these casual, long-term grinds, and Ever Crisis does meet that bare minimum. It looks and sounds great, generally runs well, and, occasionally, does deliver feelings of playing PSX Final Fantasy 7 again. I think Ever Crisis successfully accomplishes everything it sets out to do. It's just that the bar it wanted to clear is exceptionally low.

Outside the Final Fantasy 7 branding, there just isn't anything notable or remarkable here. For as much as I talked about just leaving the game on auto battle, I have no interest in meaningfully interacting with the core systems at this point. The menuing is so clunky that I don’t even want to build my team, which is typically the best part of gacha games. It’s somehow both too shallow to be interesting and too convoluted to be engaging, which is below par even by mobile game standards. In my review-in-progress, I compared gacha games to ordering a Big Mac. Ever Crisis is a Big Mac made by a?? team who completely forgot to add a?ny special sauce.

Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis is just a gacha game. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen, and it does offer adequate fanservice for those who love Cloud and friends. But otherwise, Ever Crisis doesn't do anything that other free mobile games already do better. Maybe it’s worth a download for bored Final Fantasy fans, but otherwise, you can spend both your time and money better elsewher?e.

The post Review: Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis appeared first on Destructoid.

You will (not) have to Remake

Square Enix has been dropping some questions and answers about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, its second entry in the remade Final Fantasy VII timeline. And while it's a follow-up to 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake, Square Enix is saying you won't have to play the remake to enjoy Rebirth.

In response to whether players will need to play one before the other, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth co-director Motomu Toriyama says:

"No—we have made preparations so that players who did not get a chance to play the first game can fully enjoy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth."

What those preparations look like is anyone's guess. The answers in these social posts have been fairly vague so far, though. A recent one confirmed that players can journey across the world with a "high degree of freedom" and?? experience a "myriad of different stories," for example.

//t??witter.com/final??fantasyvii/status/1665705101196136448

Notably, Square Enix has confirmed that development is progressing and the FF7 Rebirth team is looking to nail down a release date. Last we heard, it was set for this coming winter.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_4CkyOmuuU

Return to the remakes

We haven't seen too much of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth since its big reveal, but it's also had some set-up to do too. We did get confirmation that Rebirth is the second in a planned trilogy. And, as you might have figured out from playing Final Fantasy VII Remake, this trilogy looks to buck the canon of its original text.

So in one sense, I get how one might be able to jump into Rebirth without a massive wealth of knowledge. Still, it does feel like a series that's in conversation with itself. It's hard not to draw comparisons to the Evangelion remakes here.

Still, if you're holding off on Remake for whatever reason, Square Enix has said it's made preparations. And if you'd rather get some backstory, FF7 Remake is available on a few platforms now. Regardless of whether you need the background prep or not, it's a pretty good game.

The post Square Enix says you? can play Final Fantasy VII Rebirth without playing Remake appeared first on Destructoid.

The power of music

Square Enix's premier RPG series is known for its grand story, epic battles, and outstanding graphics, but it is also known for its Final Fantasy battle themes. Across its 36-year span, the Final Fantasy series has enlisted many talented m??usicians, including Nobuo Uematsu, Yoko Shimomura, and Masashi Hamauzu.

From Final Fantasy XIII's "Blinded by Light" to the original battle theme from the first FF, here are the best Final Fantasy battle themes, ranked. Let us k?now your favorites in the comment?s below.

10. Final Fantasy VI - "Decisive Battle"

//youtu.be/WmBPTpvYyIY

This upbeat Final Fantasy battle theme ups the stakes with its frenetic tune and intense drumline that keeps your heart racing. A great battle theme keeps you energized and "Decisive Battle" ??certainly does that. Something about the nostalgic 16-bit tone also adds so much that's lost within modern remakes of this track.

9. Final Fantasy XIV - "Torn from the Heavens"

//youtube.com/watch?v??=lWtVj3OnCPc&??si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE

Final Fantasy XIV is known for its epic themes whenever a big battle occurs, and "Torn from the Heavens" is certainly one of those. The callback to the main theme of the series alongside its gorgeous percussion and choir makes this an unforgettable track. The stakes are raised whenever "Torn from the Heavens" is played in this grand MMORPG.

8. Final Fantasy I - "Battle Theme"

//youtu.be/uddFta0D7FY

All great series have their beginnings, and Final Fantasy I made an impression from the very start. The melody is as intense as it can get on an 8-bit system, and the flow of the piece is sublime. You'll hear how great this composition is if you check out World of Final Fantasy's interpretation of the trac?k. It truly gives the original piece justice with a rocky interpretation and a lovely strings thro??ughline.

7. Final Fantasy X - "Battle Theme"

//youtu.be/aZzQLHdMkQc

With a game that's as long as Final Fantasy X, you'll want to make sure the standard battle theme is a banger. Thankfully, it is. Tidus' journey? is complemented by a track with a tasty bassline, an exciting clash of drums, and a riveting melody that will keep you focused on the fight. What also helps with a battle theme such as this is the unpredictable nature of the track. It keeps surprising us with alterations to the song, and ?for the first ten times of listening to it, you'll notice a new twist on the main melody.

6. Final Fantasy V - "Clash on the Big Bridge"

//youtu.be/1a8OirsKVbc

"Clash on the Big Bridge" used the SNES sound font to the absolute max. This battle theme has an impressive melody, a wonderful drumline, and will catch you off-guard with how fast it is. It's a blast to play on Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. The otherworldly playing of the introduction is also ?striking and catches your attention.

5. Final Fantasy XV - "Stand Your Ground"

//youtu.be/GqDeit4elR8

Yoko Shimomura is known for her work on the Kingdom Hearts and Street Fighter series but she brought her A-game to Final Fantasy XV.  The battle theme "Stand Your Ground" starts the track with an epic sweep of the strings section and doesn't let you go until the very end. It then gets followed by a glorious reference to the main Final Fantasy theme, just like "Torn from the Heavens." After that, the action gets elevated by a ra?mbunctious array of the orchestra with the blissful woodwin??d matched with the thunderous percussion.

4. Final Fantasy VII - "J-E-N-O-V-A."

//youtu.be/G8eCJCcBelo

Whenever you hear that high-pitched synthesized intro from "J-E-N-O-V-A," you know you're in for a good time. The melody is pleasing, the drum beat elevates the action, and the bassline is a grand accompaniment to the whole piece. It's a track that sounds mysterious as Cloud and his friends are unsure of what lies ??ahead of them. Music should help set the scene, and "J-E-N-O-V-A." does that perfectly.

3. Final Fantasy XIII - "Blinded by Light"

//youtu.be/WyTRg-DJ99M

Final Fantasy XIII is arguably the most controversial game in the series, but you can't deny how awesome the soundtrack is. "Blinded by Light" is one of the best Final Fantasy battle themes because it consistently engages the player with its striking melody and ability to let every instrument in the piece shine. The guitar in the background gives it a hard edge, and the heavy use of the emotive strings se?ction makes this theme song epic, but beautiful at the same time.

2. Final Fantasy VII - "One-Winged Angel"

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNms5rOaGlk

When "One-Winged Angel" plays, fear strikes the heart of every Final Fantasy VII fan. The dread-filled drums, the terrifying cluster of brass, and bewildered strings section all set the scene for the evil Sephiroth. Then there's a badass guitar throughline and the deep choir that adds to the drama of the piece. Each fight with Sephiroth is meaningful, and "One-Winged Angel" makes it next level. While the Advent Children version isn't technically from a game, it is the best version; it's in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The PS1 and Remake editions of the track also deserve praise??, howeve??r.

1. Final Fantasy VII Remake - "Let the Battles Begin!"

//youtu.be/zRHiTjce9s0

A great Final Fantasy battle theme is able to establish the danger present for your characters and motivate the player to carry on forward with the fight at hand. "Let the Battles Begin!" from Final Fantasy VII Remake successfully establishes that. The mixture of the powerful brass, thunderous drums, and emotive strings all make for a piece that truly stands out in the Final Fantasy series. Listen to it and you'll get hyped for anything: a run, pumping weights, or going to your dreaded dental appointment. "Let the Battles Begin" is a perfect battle theme, through and through, and Final Fantasy VII Remake just takes it one step further.

The post 10 best Final Fantasy battle themes, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

Inconsistent definitions

Welcome back! It’s time for a new episode of the Spot Dodge Podcast exclusively on Destructoid. Topics: Tonight we’ll be talking all about the magnificent and recently stealth-released Metroid Prime Remastered. Along wi??th that, the team discusses the difference between a remaster and a remake -- And how even game devs are split on the meaning.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdkaKidkq?7??A&ab_channel=Destructoid

I know what you're thinking, the difference between a remaster and a remake is clear. A game like Wind Waker HD is a remaster and Resident Evil 2 (2019) is a remake. Wind Waker retained the same skeleton as the?? or??iginal but overhauled the graphics. Essentially being 90% the same game. Whereas Resident Evil 2 was a full reimagining of the original game. With new gameplay, dialogue, characters, sound, and more.

Spot Dodge is a weekly Nintendo-focused Podcast here at Destructoid where we dedicate an hour or two to go over the latest Nintendo news and discuss the games we’re playing. If you’re a fan of Nintendo Switch, RPGs, or having a good time, Spot Dodge will be a great addition to?? your podcast rotation. So be sure to subscribe!

Spot Dodge is streaming live every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. ET on Twitch channel. ICYMI: We now have a dedicated Spot Dodge YouTube channel for our archived streams!?? All ??future episodes will be uploaded there.

Afterward, the show will be available on-demand for audio listeners via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. The live ??video version will remain on both YouTube and Twitch (don’t forget to follow and subscribe). So many options!

The post Even game s??tudios are defining remakes/rem??asters differently appeared first on Destructoid.

There it is again, that funny feeling

The upcoming Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion remaster has some big implications for the series. Aside from bringing Zack's story forward to new platforms, it also seems to be playing a role in the general Remake project.

This post contains spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Remake.

In an interview with Yoshinori Kitase, transcribed and translated by fan translator @aitaikimochi on Twitter, the producer discusses the upcoming Crisis Core remaster. The decision to make Reunion was apparently made in the middle of Final Fantasy VII Remake's development. Since Crisis Core was only on P??SP, the team wanted more people to play Zack's story.

The question is whether there could ?be p??otential changes in the mix, too.

"The story of Crisis Core FF7 Reunion will basically not change from the original game," Kitase says. "However, even if we say that, there might be some who played Remake or watched the Rebirth trailer and felt that something was... off. As such, you can consider Crisis Core FF7 Reunion as a part of the FF7R Project. With that in mind, we hope you can enjoy Zack's story along with the strange feeling that was brought forth from FF7R."

//twitter.com/aitaik??imochi/status/1548650253477617666

And if you were curious, Dirge of Cerberus doesn't seem to be in the works, since it happens after the original Final Fantasy VII.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRBiRFM2k0I

What's Fair play?

With the reveal that Zack Fair seems to play a much, much larger role in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, remastering Crisis Core makes total ?sense. It is all about Zack Fair, after all.

But the big question was whether Crisis Core would be a literal remaster or whether it would stray to address what's changing in the Remake Project. After all, the Final Fantasy VII remakes are now charting their own course. The confirmed trilogy is breaking from the path set by its source material, and could be headed into uncharted waters.

This quote does make it seem like Crisis Core is being made with some cognizance of this. I'm wondering if we might get a slight tease of what's to come in Rebirth from it. Square Enix does enjoy teasers; just look at Kingdom Hearts for plenty of examples.

We'll see the return of Zack's side of the story this winter when Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion arrives for PC and consoles.

The post Crisis Core Reunion can be cons??idered part of the FF7 Remake project, producer says appeared first on Destructoid.

An ode to the days of cherished demo discs

Final Fantasy VII Remake may stray from the original in some notable ways, but it also has a lot of love for its predecessor. One piece of evidence is the inclusion of Leviathan as one of the few summons that made it into Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Square Enix has been running a series of blog posts going over the remake's development, with the latest posted today. And in response to a question about Final Fantasy VII Remake's Summoning Materia, co-d??irector Naoki Hamaguchi explains why Leviathan specifically made the cut.

"At an early stage of development, we looked over the line-up of summons in the original FFVII and decided to go with Ifrit, Chocobo and Moogle, Shiva, Fat Chocobo, Leviathan and Bahamut, for a roster of 6," said Hamaguchi. "The reason Leviathan was included is because he was featured in the original FFVII demo, so I personally wanted him in the first Remake too?. We then also added? Carbuncle, Cactuar, and Chocobo Chick as pre-order bonuses."

Hamaguchi goes on to explain that summons cost a lot in terms of development resources, so the team didn't plan and discard any of them. "We strived to be as accurate as possible in the planning and then s?tuck to that plan until the fin??al version," Hamaguchi says.

There's a flood down in Midgar

Leviathan isn't just a summon, but one of Final Fantasy VII Remake's VR boss fights too. And even though Leviathan has always been a pretty sick summon in Final Fantasy, the Remake does pretty right by it.

Below, you can take a look at a full playthrough of the original Final Fantasy VII demo. Here Aerith, somehow on the original Bombing Mission with Cloud and Barrett, can summon Leviathan for its Tsu?nami attack.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zBBzuGnNJQ

The remakes are rolling on though, as Square announced Final Fantasy VII Rebirth last month, set for next winter. And while I'm all for exploring new ground, I'm really?? hoping for some throwback summons in the next t??wo remakes.

The post Final Fantasy VII Remake included Leviathan as a nod to the original’s demo appeared first on Destructoid.

It's based on the Dissidia Final Fantasy NT model

A Kingdom Hearts Cloud mod that brings the KH aesthetic into Final Fantasy VII Remake is something I always needed �and only just got. I mean, i?t only makes sense with Nomura connected t??o both!

Crafted by ColossalCake (great name, I could use a colos??sal cake this weekend) and housed on NexusMods, the Kingdom Hearts Cloud mod is simple and breezy, and swaps the core character model of Cloud for the one featured in Kingdom Hearts. That include?s his memorable little infernal wing and red scarf, as well as the extremely Nomura-heavy bandaged sword. As the creator puts it:

"Cloud as redesigned in Kingdom Hearts. I chose to remove his cape however, as there wasn't any clean way for it to be supported by the armature. His sword is also mostly the original FFVII:R mesh, with the bandages adapted on top."

Apparently most of the texture legwork was done by Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, with adjustments done by the modder. At this point, the Final Fantasy VII Remake modding scene has multiple pipelines and paths to? success, with mesh importers and modding tools available to help ease the process. It's great! You love t?o see modding communities come together.

The post A Kingdom Hearts style Cloud FF?VII Remake mod is an easy download appeared first on Destructoid.

"We created a dedicated shader for the flashback scenes"

Various Final Fantasy VII Remake changes have been big hits or have created their own micro-controversies, but today the team sat down via an official Square Eni?x blog to talk about more specifics.

So there's a lot to unpack here. We'll start with Midgar. Suffice to say, there will be spoilers below for the story of Final Fantasy VII and the Remake.

Teruki Endo, battle director on the Remake, opened up by noting that two of the most-used bits of materia on the team are Magnify and Elemental �and I can definitely relate to heavy use of the latter. ATB assist is also a big one. Interestingly, Endo notes that they didn't notice a ton of variation between materia usage, which they describe as a "challenge" to address in the sequel. Nice, a sequel tease! And I'll hold them to it!

The environmental director, Takako Miyake, chimes in to say that in a bid to make the Mako bombing "more realistic," the team "increased the extent of the damage," and marry the bombing itself with the character's emotional response to the events, by "having them see the suffering that they caused the citizens ?of Midgar firsthand as they walked through the streets." Naoki Hamaguchi (co-director) backs this up, saying that they wanted to break up Sector 8 into distinct locations, with the intent of "gradually moving out towards the suburbs."

When asked if the Whispers are "interfering with the timeline," Motomu Toriyama (co-director on the scenario design) had this to say: 'The Whispers surrounding Aerith in Sector 8 are not trying to interfere but are guiding events so that Cloud and Aerith?? meet each other for the first time there. The Whispers are making sure that Aerith stays i?n the area and does not run away because of the commotion from the reactor bombing."

Uh, ominous!

Shintaro Takai sheds more light on some of the potential Final Fantasy VII Remake changes?? coming in the sequel, and talks about the dedicated shader the team made for the flashbacks, and how "The backdrop of the?? [illusion of Nibelheim] also contains wooden buildings set on fire that should not exist there and we used the controller vibration to heighten the feeling of synchronicity between the player and Cloud."

There's a few more tidbits in there (like how "Shinra has a monopoly on the cutting-edge technology of the world" still) that are worth reading if you're a hardcore FFVII fan. I mean, you have time until (checks watch) late 2023 at the earliest for the Remake sequel, assuming no delays!

The post Final Fantasy VII Remake team muses on some chan??ges from the original appeared first on Destructoid.

The newest entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project is dubbed Rebirth. The news revealed yesterday confirms that the next entry arrives next winter, and the story of Cloud and pals will continue on. But Rebirth also locks in a few interesting tidbits about Final Fantasy VII Remake itself, which seem to cement the direction being taken with remaking this classic a??dventure: truly re-making it.

[This article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Remake.]

There was a curiosity, I think, about what the naming convention of this new series would be after the first was simply called Final Fantasy VII Remake. Is the next one �em>Remake Part 2?�Final Fantasy VII Remake Continued? Or some other equally bizarre naming convention, the kind onl?y Square could conc??oct?

Well, the answer is much more simple: Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and on?e more game in t??he future to complete the story.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wRnP5aYlLA

I've seen some confusion about this. Remake has certain connotations and expectations, especially in video games. Games like Bluepoint's Shadow of the Colossus, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, or Capcom's ongoing Resident Evil remakes all hew closer to the source material. Some might add new content or ideas, in ways that change up the game pretty significantly; see Resident Evil 2 and its new camera angle and contro?ls, f?or example. But it's still a new angle on largely familiar subject material.

Remake doesn't just mean recreation, though. You could, feasibly, re-make something; that is, make it from scratch, from square-zero.? And how does that affec?t the story? 

What's in a Remake?

Final Fantasy VII Remake was pretty clear up-front about how it wasn't going to be a direct retelling. Story events happen at unintended moments. Different conversations take place. There are literal ghosts flying around, trying to reinforce the narrative of the original Final Fantasy VII, and the Remake ends with the party defeating them.

Alex Donaldson at RPG Site wrote about this as well, highlighting how fans had written their own theories about why any of this happened but still could be a remake. I think the writing's on the wall at this point: Remake is not about simply doing Final Fantasy VII again. It's about building a new one from the?? ground??-up, while still acknowledging the original.

We see scenes in the Rebirth trailer of Cloud and Sephiroth walking together. We get flashes of questions, like what's going to happen to the planet, and what does Sephiroth actually want? Zack Fair is alive! That's already a huge change from the original game, and with a Crisis Core remaster on the way, Square seems like it will be making he?avy use of Zack.

Tackling history

It honestly reminds me a lot of the Rebuild of Evangelion. These films were touted as such: a "rebuild" of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The first movie had some teases that something was different, that something was amiss. But it was still, largely, a recreation of the first quarter-to-third of the television series. Then, in 2.22, things radically changed. The final film's title, Thrice Upon a Time, feels like itself a recognition that it's the third time series creator Hideaki Anno has "ended" Evangelion, and the fourth movie is acutely aware of every bit of Eva that came before it.

I don't just bring this up for remake comparisons, but because Evangelion tackled a similar question to what it feels Final Fantasy VII's deve??lopers have as well: how do you remake something so sig??nificant, so well-remembered? 

In Final Fantasy VII Remake's case, the decision has been made. There is a n??ew future ??ahead, one where the tracks have been torn up and new possibilities await. Different characters seem cognizant of this fact, like Aerith and Sephiroth, and there are already some great theories out there about the nature of their existence in this timeline.

For some, this might be a disappointment. I've seen the sentiment before that a direct remake of Final Fantasy VII is what some people were hoping we'd get. In a strange way, Square Enix is delivering that, albeit in the form of Ever Crisis, a retreading of all Final Fantasy VII.

Building a trilogy

I'm pretty excited for this new direction, though. With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, it seems like the remake series is not just heading in new directions and unforeseen story avenues, but doing so in recognition of what came before it. Does this mean things will get extremely meta and twist over themselves? Yeah, probably. Kingdom Hearts' Tetsuya Nomura is at the ?creative director helm?? for this, after all.

Yet it's that world of bizarre impossibilities that feels more exciting to me than playing through the classic again. Could we see a world in which Aerith doesn't have to die? In which Cloud and Zack could co-exist, or maybe where their shared presence brings? them to cross Buster Swords? What of the extended cast of Vincent, Cait Sith, and Cid?

In comments from the creative leaders behind the Final Fantasy VII remake project yesterday, producer Yoshinori Kitase highlighted the special place a middle entry has in a trilogy. Making a?? second entry in a three-part series can be difficult. Yet there's a tradition of classic secon??d installments, ones that tell incredible stories and take compelling risks. Kitase specifically notes stunning story twists and deeper explorations of characters as two factors that can make them stand out. Rebirth seems to be following in the same vein.

While there might be some level of disappointment present in not getting those same moments from Final Fantasy VII faithfully recreated, this also means we can go anywhere from here. It could still be good or bad, but at the very least, it won't be something we already know. And to me, that's pretty exciting. Seeing Final Fantasy VII not just re?created, but remade into i?ts own self-aware story means nothing is off the table at this point.

The post Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is heading for unpaved roads, and I’m here for it appeared first on Destructoid.

Our favorite remake is headed to Steam

Final Fantasy VII is considered one of the best games of all time, and as we celebrate its 25th anniversary, this game is the gift that keeps on giving. An enhanced and expanded version of the remake, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, is already available on the PS5 and the Epic Games Store. We learned today during the Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Celebration stream that the Intergrade version is also going to be on Steam as of June 17, and the game will be playable on the Ste??am Deck as well.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4t1OFONu10

Intergrade comes bundled with INTERmission, which is ne?w story content for the game featuring Yuffie as the main character. There are other new gameplay and content features, incl?uding Fort Condor, as part of the game as well.

Similar to the PC launch of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on the Epic Games Store, the Steam version cos?ts $69.99 �but there's a discount knocking it down to $49.69 until July 7.

The post Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is a??vailable on Steam appeared first on Destructoid.

A lot can happen in 10 minutes

June isn't done yet, and this afternoon, we've got another gaming showcase to watch. It's about time to check out the Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Celebration, which will be streaming live at 3:00 p.m. Pacific today. What's on the docket? Officially, Square Enix has promised "all the latest information relating to the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII."

Depending on who you ask (and which leaks you believe), this stream could touch on many different things �a Steam release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, a coveted glimpse of FFVII Remake Part 2, and potentially even some FFVII "expanded universe" news.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wohQiEysqIA

You can watch the event live on YouTube and Twitch.

While the FFVII 25th Anniversary Celebration stream is supposed to be on the shorter side, t??he hype for this event has really snowballed in the past 24 hours, as is the way.

Admittedly, I'm less interested in hearing about stuff like The First Soldier and Ever Crisis, and with Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 such an unknown quantity at this point, I'm sure many of you feel the same way. If we get anything concrete on the Naoki Hamaguchi-directed game, and maybe a fun wild-card announcement, I'll be happy. A few details �heck, even a bit of familiar image??ry to latch onto �can go a long way while we wait.

(Worth reminding: if Dragon's Dogma is more your speed, Capcom is also hosting a 10th anniversary stream at the exact same time. I'm?? feeling reserved yet hopeful.)

Y'all ready for this?

Recap �that was a great showing!

• Final?? Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is available on Steam tomorrow
• Final Fantasy VII Rebi?rth is the next of the remakes, coming next wint??er
• Final Fantasy VII: Ever Cri?sis is getting a closed beta sometime this year
• Crisis Core Final F?antasy VII Reunion arrives this winter for PC,? consoles

It's nice to still feel a bit of that "E3" spark.

The post Let’s watch the Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Celebration appeared first on Destructoid.

Champions of Justice

Outfit unlocks (which eventually become free or paid DLC for the most part) rule. Every so often I'll talk about the feeling of playing through say, an action game, and picking up drastically different outfits for party members: and it's sort of indescribably fun to me. That includes this FFVII Remake Sailor Moon mod from juijub.

Thankfully, PC modding has made the practice of outfit unlocks easier than ever. As in, you literally download a file for the FFVII Remake Sailor Moon mod, and boom! You get the fan-made equivalent of a $10 DLC during the Xbox 360 era. Wild, right? This mod takes the base concept of Sailor Mars, Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Mask, and applies them to Tifa,? Aerith, and Cloud respectively. It's quite the power trio, but the combo fits Aerith perfectly, from her move set even down to her hairstyle.

So as usual, you can pick up the invisible weapon mod for Tifa from creator Narknon, which helps all Tifa costume mods sing. This hair color mod (also by juijub) lets you mi?x and match to fit the Sailor Moon cos?tumes.

After this, be sure you check out the recent Final Fantasy X outfit mod!

The post These FFVII Remake Sailor Moon mod?? outfits are perfe??ct appeared first on Destructoid.

Two mods actually

A Final Fantasy X mod for Final Fantasy VII Remake? It's a no-brainer: I've?? already downloaded it into my dreams, so I may as well make it official.

In reality, this is actually a pair of mods. One of them is a Tifa as Yuna outfit from urbandayz. Another is a Cloud as Tidus costume from Ninjagrime12. With both mods deployed, they work in concert to allow you to live out your FFX fantasy: because of course you know you want to.

A little housekeeping: so the Cloud as Tidus mod doesn't require much legwork to get going. There's an optional "Brotherhood over the Buster Sword" mod that reworks Cloud's weapon into the FFX version from Uploaded by swifferpilled �but you don't need it. On the Tifa side, you will need to consider that you won't be able to see her hands properly as-is. You'll want to apply the "Tifa Invisible Weapons" mod from Narknon to smooth things over.

If you want, you can use the Amano Barret design to remake the whole crew! Or bask in the glory of Final Fantasy X: a game that did get a full sequel once upon a time, but deserves to live on far beyond that sco??pe.

The post A Final Fantasy X style? Cloud and Tifa? FFVII Remake mod? Sure appeared first on Destructoid.

More on the horizon for Cloud and pals?

We could be hearing more about Square Enix's plans for Final Fantasy VII fairly soon. Final Fantasy VII Remake director Tetsuya Nomura says that some FFVII news is in store for next month.

During a Japanese-language livestream about battle royale Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, Nomura said news is on the way regarding the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII for June, next month. (Translation via VGC and @aitaikimochi on Twitter.)

The comment doesn't seem to have any more specifics, in terms of what this means related to Final Fantasy VII. Hopes would be high that this signals some news about Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2, but there could also be other projects?? i??n the works.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge73iBqc7o8

Change your fate

The first installment of Final Fantasy VII Remake landed in 2020, after a long wait for its eventual drop. And the interstitial update Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade landed a year later, addin??g some extra Yuffie content to the fold.

Wherever Part 2 of Final Fantasy VII Remake is, chances are good it's still in the works. Some confirmation of what's coming though, and especially how the team plans to tackle the story after Cloud and the gang leave Midgar, would be interesting to see.

It sounds like a decent chunk of Final Fantasy XVI news is on the way. Producer Naoki Yoshida recently said a new trailer is on the way for the next big numbered installment in Final Fantasy.

With Summer Game Fest just around the corner, chances of some Final Fantasy news showing up seem high. Square Enix hasn't announced any of its own plans as of this writing, nor has Sony or Nintendo. Xbox and Bethesda are hosting their joint showcase on June 12. Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest ??????????????????????????Live stream kicks off on June 9.

The post Final Fantasy VII news is comin?g ne??xt month, according to Remake director appeared first on Destructoid.

"So this is a SOLDIER uniform?"

Cloud's mom has always been a cryptic element of the Final Fantasy VII mythos. In the original release, she wasn't even named �and was only referred to as "Claudia" in design documents. Now her name is fully canon thanks to Final Fantasy VII Remake, which expands upon ?this scene a bit?? with a full look at Claudia's face.

This past weekend, Square Enix pulled back the curtain a bit and gave us a glimpse at art of Claudia for Mother???'s Day. While her in-game Remake model has a strong familial resemblance to Clo??ud, her character art is a bit more distinct of a design.

In any case, it's highly likely that the mythos of Cloud will be expanded in future entries, which could impact the overarching meta-narrative behind the "remakes" themselves. Wait did ??I just use the term "remakes?" How will Square Enix find the time to make more games when they're so invested in live service and potentially play-to-earn and the Metaverse?

Here is Square Enix's concept art for Cloud's mom, as well as an in-game Remake model, and a screen from the PlayStation game:

//twitter.c?om/FFVIIR_CLOUD/status/152316579??9510380544

Here is the Claudia flashback in the Remake:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQOooDxjSkA

Here is how the Cloud's mom flashback was handled in the original Final Fantasy VII:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_nbNDTg2ts

The post Square Enix releases Final Fantasy VII Remake art for Cloud’s mom appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a fun way to spend an afternoon

In these trying times there are plenty of eggs and virtual experiences to go around: including this Final Fantasy VII art gallery.

As a sort of dual celebration of the 25th anniversary of this one game and the more recent release of the Final Fantasy VII Remake, you can now embark upon a virtual adventure inside of a collection of fan art curated by Square Enix. Just head to this site here, click on the entrance, and away you go.

Upon booting up the Final Fantasy VII art gallery you'll be granted access to "Room A," with the ability to swap to Room B, C, or D from the main menu (and toggle background music). Clicking on each exhibit will zoom in on the photo and present the artist's name in Japanese. You can scroll through the exhibit like you're "walking" down the hallway, or let the screen automatically flow from one side to the next: and then the subsequent room, in order. Square Enix noted when launching this exhibit that there are "40 works" from aro?und the community, and "not all works could be exhibited."

It's an absolutely lovely way to spend a bit of time, and Square Enix picked some great pieces here. Many of them look like straight-up offic??ial promotional art, and if you want to spread the love, you can click on the heart symbol below each piece to essentially upvote it.

The post Square Enix launches virtual art gallery for Final Fantasy VII’s 25th appeared first on Destructoid.

I wish this was a joke

Over the course of the pandemic, Zoom has been both a blessing and a curse as it's allowed us to continue on with business as usual. It does have its vulnerabilities like any other software, however, and that has never been more apparent than during a meeting of the Italian Senate about data transparency in politics yesterday. About a half-hour into the three-hour official government meeting, as one of last year's Nobel Prize winners in physics Giorgio Parisi was being introduced, the senate feed was suddenly interrupted by unofficial Final Fantasy porn featuring Tifa Lockhart.

The porn continued on for an agonizing thirty seconds, while the audio lasted even longer as host and Five Star Movement Senator Maria Laura Mantovani frantically tried to turn it off with the help of her assistant. Parisi continues on with his prepared points after the porn is shut down, and I'm honestly impressed at his level of professionalism. The Zoom call was populated by both live and remote participants, and while some blamed hackers for the ??incident, we don't really have any way of knowing w?hat happened for sure.

To top it all off, the meeting was being live-streamed to bot?h Facebook and the Italian equivalent of C-SPAN. While the clip has been removed from the official VOD, it's still making the rou?nds online (view at your own risk, obviously).

//twitter.com/FrancescoDona??ld/status/1483447868837044224

Thankfully the meeting was able to continue on as usual a?fter the feed was shut down, but I imagine it wa??s a bit more difficult to focus afterward.

?Look, I'm? not trying to kink shame anyone, but there's a time and place for these things, and a government Zoom call just ain't it. This is certainly one of the weirder things I've witnessed in 2022, but hey, the year just started, right?

The post So, ?some Final Fantasy porn just played during an Italian Senate meeting appeared first on Destructoid.

Make those shiny faces that little bit shinier

Square Enix has announced that it will be rolling out a PS5 upgrade option to the Final Fantasy VII Remake players who "purchased" the title via PlayStation Plus back in March of this year. If you recall, the critically acclaimed RPG was offered out as one of March's PlayStation Plus offering?s but, as a caveat, players were unable to receive the free upgrade to the?? title's next-gen edition.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA-f3KyBZyU

Well, as of this week, it seems that this is no longer the case. Anybody who has the PS Plus edition of Final Fantasy VII Remake, (and a PS5, obviously), will be able to upgrade to the new version. The PS5 port features faster loading times, improved texture quality, and new performance options including 2160p visuals at 30 FPS or 1512p visuals at a slicker 60 FPS. Additionally, DLC expansion Intermission will retail at a 25% discount for a limited time. So you see, it benefits Square ??Enix to roll out the upgrade, given the additional DLC sales that it will facilitate. I see you, SE.

Final Fantasy VII Remake, which on paper seemed like an incredulously risky endeavor, turned out to be one of the best remakes in video game history, as well as one of 2020's very best releases. The remake injects one of the most beloved adventures of all time with brilliant new visuals, engaging and cinematic cutscenes, and smart and surprising new story turns �winning over new and old fans alike. The title recently arrived on PC, although reports from Digital Foundry have criticized the ??port for severe technical shortcomings that compromise ?both the gameplay and narrative experience.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is available now on PlayStation an??d PC platforms.

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Cloud and gang arrive on the Epic Games Store

[Update: The store page is up and a home page ad for the game lists Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade as a $69.99 game. So those who want to pick this one up ?might want to start saving some pennies.]

If you've been holding out for Final Fantasy VII Remake to leave the PlayStation family, next week's your shot. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will come to PC via the Epic Games Store next week on Dec. ??16.

Announced during The Game Awards 2021, it looks like the Remake is only coming to Epic on PC for now. The Intergrade version of Final Fantasy VII Remake includes both the first part of the story and Yuffie's extra content, alongside some graphical improvements. That means you'll be able to get fully caught up with the current progress of the Final Fantasy VII Remake, all in one package. Check out the trailer below:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=O91o1-R3eEY

It'll be interesting to see comparisons between the PlayStation version and what some high-end PCs can pump out of an already gorgeous video game. And Final Fantasy VII Remake is one heck of a video game, so it's good that PC players will finally get the chance to check it out. Plus mods! Someone will? probably turn Sephiroth into Th??omas the Tank Engine or something, it'll be great.

We're still waiting on news for when Part II may surface, b?ut until then, we'll at least have a new platform to play the adventure on. And it's not that far off, either. Looks like we'll be able to ring in t?he holidays with another venture through Midgar.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade lands on PC through the Epic Games Store o?n Dec. 16, 2021.

The post Final Fantasy VII ?Remake Intergrade hits PC next? week (Update) appeared first on Destructoid.

Alan Wake Remastered also spotted

The PC version of Final Fantasy VII Remake seems like a matter of time. The question is, how much? As in, "how much longer??" And "how much money?"

Database entries gleaned from EpicData, an unofficial Epic Games data tracker, suggest that Final Fantasy VII Remake is coming to the Epic Games Store.

The clues are tucked in this entry for Pineapple QA �if you click "customAttributes" and then "CloudSaveFolder?" and also "CloudExcludeList," you'll see this text:

• "{UserDi??r??}/My Games/FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE/EOS/{EpicID}/"
• "ff7remakedevice.sav"

"Pineapple" might make you chuckle (honestly, same!), but in my time, I've seen far stranger and more out-there names for private test builds of unreleased?? games.

Separately, but on a related note, ever-watchful gamers also noticed a reference to "/Remedy/AlanWakeRemastered/" in a database entry for HeronStaging. You can catch screencaps of both in this @Wario64 tweet. He doesn't miss a beat. I won't speculate too much on a potential remaster, but I will say that depending on the differences �and depending on whether or not a sequel is lined up �I could go for Alan Wake Remastered.

At this point, Epic Store or otherwise, I'm wondering when PC players (and Xbox owners) will get to play Final Fantasy VII Remake. It's been over a year since the exclusive PS4 launch, and now we're into Intergrade being locked up on PS5. Considering the recent Kingdom Hearts PC ports launched at full price, there's no reason to expect anything less.

Funnily enough, I haven't touched the Yuffie DLC yet, but I did just start a fresh save on PS5 and yep, this game is great. I'm rooting for you, PC- and/or Xbo??x-only fam.

I will say, someone at Square Enix re??ally has these bus?iness deals figured out.

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Last SOLDIER standing

If you've thought of yourself as SOLDIER material, the chance to virtually prove your mettle is coming. Registration is open right now for Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier's closed beta.

Square Enix has sign-ups open through May 27 at 8 a.m. PDT, after which a play period of June 1 through 7 will follow for those selected. You can pre-register on the Google Play Store, and you'll be notified if you make the cut—though Square Enix mentions that registering does not guarantee a closed beta invite. It's also only open for Android users; sorry, Apple fans.

If you need a refresher, Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier is a battle royale set in the universe of Final Fantasy VII, where SOLDIER candidates compete to be the last one standing across Midgar. While there are certainly guns, there's also plenty of more Final Fantasy options, like summoning Ifri??t for help or using materia to ?get the upper hand.

It's a curious-looking battle royale, but between the chocobo attire and the Midgar locales these candidates are fighting in, it at least seems faithful. Those looking for more traditional Final Fantasy VII Remake content can instead look towards the most recent Intergrade trailer. The PS5 upgrade of Final Fantasy VII Remake goes live on June 10, not long after First Soldier's closed beta closes.

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You can hear your childhood come roaring back

Seeing Final Fantasy music in concert is something you should definitely?? ?do before you die.

I've had the good fortune of sitting in on numerous gaming-related musical events, like "Video Games Live," and a heap of side projects like Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses. In concerts like the former, Final Fantasy music is often peppered in. And you better believe a lot of that is Final Fantasy VII related.

Take this "trailer" for the Orchestra World Tour for Final Fantasy VII Remake. As our own Jordan Devore ??pointed out when he showed me this clip, "trailer" is underselling it a ?bit. It's basically a miniature show for free!

For reference, the clip was actually recorded back on February 13 of this year at the Tokyo International Forum, and is just being released by Square Enix publicly this week. It's all part of the Orchestra World Tour, which will be beginning in Osaka, Japan on April 17, then moving to the United States in August 2021, before hopping around the world starting in October. You can find the full list of current dates here.

You can also find the set list for the trailer below, with timestamps from yours truly. Stand Up! I can't believe the Honeybee Inn is still this prolific decades later. That's the power of Final Fantasy VII.

Set list:

• Opening Medley (0:20)
• Stand Up (8:22)
• Let the Battles Begin! - Battle Medley (12:20)

The post You can watch a miniature Final Fant??asy VII Remake orchestral concert in your living room wit??h this new official video appeared first on Destructoid.