Turning the Final Fantasy VII Remake into a series of episodes drew skepticism from more traditional fans before the first game launched in 2020. An entire installment devoted to Midgar seemed excessive, if not unnecessary, to them. But its scope, linear structure, and expanded story made one thing clear: this project was too ambitious for a single game.Final Fantasy VII Rebirth arrived in 2023 and revealed another side of the project. The cramped streets and linear maps gave way to an open world that, for all its successes and missteps, expanded the Planet to something close to the scale we imagined while guiding a low-polygon Cloud Strife across a living-room CRT television.To some, each step of the Remake has involved adapting or improving on an element of an earlier game for FFVII. The linear corridors of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XIII set a precedent for the Remake’s maps, while Final Fantasy XV’s open world provided a template for Rebirth’s richly detailed map—the first modern open world in the series that truly worked.Revelation, the trilogy’s final installment, faces new challenges. For the franchise’s future, it needs to show how a modern Final Fantasy can expand to the scale of the "World Map" that has encouraged exploration since 1987. It is common to hear that "modern combat should follow the Remake’s style"; this game must also become an example of how to build compelling worlds on a scale the series has never seen.Its biggest challenge, though, is delivering a worthy ending to a trilogy fans waited decades to see announced and have followed for seven years since its first installment. Given how far the story has grown, tying up every loose end left by Remake and Rebirth while following the structure of the 1997 game will be no simple task. Naoki Hamaguchi’s team has not disappointed us yet.If the demo available at this year’s Brasil Game Show is any indication of what fans can expect, the future looks promising.Image: Square EnixThe demo—the same one shown at the Tokyo Game Show a few weeks ago—appears to take place within the game’s first three hours. Cloud and the party reach the top of Gaea's Cliff, then make their way through corridors and tornadoes, passing hundreds of cloaked men. In the limited time available, players can explore the map, fight two bosses, and watch several cutscenes.To avoid spoilers, we will not discuss the story in this article. There are a dozen details in the dialogue, maps, and interactions worth analyzing and theorizing about, but those moments are best experienced firsthand rather than recounted in minute detail.My thanks to Square Enix Latam for the chance to play the demo and bring this preview. If you are visiting the Brasil Game Show this weekend, I recommend stopping by the booth to try it for yourself!FITS add to the gameplay rather than overhaul itThe demo is designed to showcase the main gameplay additions in FFVII Revelation. Both new characters, Cid Highwind and Vincent Valentine, are available, along with the FITS system (translated into Brazilian Portuguese as VISU).Before turning to the new characters, it is worth looking at Rebirth’s returning cast and how much FITS change them. Although they alter characters’ attributes and roles in the party, their core gameplay remains the same. Cloud, for example, still has all the abilities he would normally have in Rebirth, but his Summoner FITS give him new ways to exploit elemental weaknesses without relying solely on magic or Materia that add an element to his basic attacks.FITS feels like an addition, not a complete gameplay overhaul. They provide bonuses and nudge a character toward a particular role but do not fundamentally change how that character plays.The New Playable CharactersImage: Square EnixBoth new characters have their strengths. As you would expect from a Dragoon, Cid Highwind excels against airborne enemies, but he also has enough mobility and attack speed to build ATB and unleash abilities almost as efficiently as Cloud. Cid can mark enemies and spread abilities across marked targets, giving him potential as a battlefield-control option for the party.His personality deserves a mention, too. Cid’s middle-aged-man persona works incredibly well, providing comic relief even in the heat of battle.Image: Square EnixIn human form, Vincent plays somewhere between Yuffie and Barret. Like Barret, he attacks from a distance, but he is far more mobile. He cannot match the speed of Yuffie’s attacks, however, which made her one of Rebirth’s best characters. Unlike in the original game, Vincent can freely transform into a beast, trading range and mobility for close-quarters combat and charged attacks that deal a lot of damage.Vincent is clearly the standout among the new characters, and it would not be surprising to learn in April 2027 that he is the best party member. That is not to say Cid is bad — not even close. Vincent is simply more versatile, able to do on his own what would usually take two party slots filled by separate characters.Portuguese localization is a highlightThere is a big difference between translation and localization. Cultural references, slang, and natural-sounding dialogue all matter when bringing a game to a particular region. Despite the lack of a Portuguese dub, Revelation does an exemplary job with its localization. The dialogue feels natural, the ability names make sense even to someone like me who tends to play in English, and there is even a small, iconic nod to our Brazilian identity.Wrapping UpIf these opening minutes of Final Fantasy VII Revelation are a preview of what awaits us on April 8, this will be a heartbreaking journey. It will also be a reunion with the characters who left their mark on us in 1997, in 2008, in 2020, and in 2023—and a chance to draw on their varied playstyles as we reach the conclusion of one of the most anticipated projects in decades.Thanks for reading!
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