New Final Fantasy 7 Remake gameplay details revealed at E3

Final Fantasy 7 Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase offered new insights into how the role-playing game remake will play at Square Enix’s E3 2019 press conference, showing real-time battles that blend with strategic “tactical mode” gameplay.

As players swap between control of characters like Cloud Strife and Barret Wallace, they’ll build up an Active Time Battle (ATB) meter as they do basic attacks. Once that meter fills up, players will be able to slow the action dramatically by consuming the meter, selecting spells or special combat moves. Players will take control of one character at a time, but that doesn’t mean other party members will simply be idle; they’ll attack enemies on their own. Enemies have a meter of their own; once it’s filled, enemies can be staggered.

Kitase showed off flashy gameplay against a massive Scorpion Sentinel, a security machine that required Cloud and Barret to team up, attack, take cover, and use special moves. It was all very graphically intense, with explosions and special effects.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake will be episodic in nature, but that doesn’t mean that it will be a small game. The first part of Final Fantasy 7 Remake will focus on and expand the story of Midgard, and take place across two Blu-ray discs.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is coming to PlayStation 4 on March 3, 2020.