I experienced the best and worst of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation in a brand-new demo, but now all I want is to play more

Date:
Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:16:11 +0000

Description:
After one hour with Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, I'm in awe of what Square
Enix has achieved with the trilogy finale, I'm just hoping the brilliance isn't too buried by too many messy and dull side activities.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Ive lost count of the number of times Ive played the original Final Fantasy 7 , and the thought of soaring through the skies aboard the airship Highwind with Midgar, Junon, the Gold Saucer, and Wutai scrolling past below in this level of detail always felt like an impossible dream. Now Im watching it unfold in front of me in Final Fantasy 7 Revelation and its glorious.

I cruise around for far longer than is even necessary, just soaking it all
in. Its a moment that finally fully realises what we expected when Square
Enix first announced that it would be remaking the iconic 1997 RPG.

This journey has been a long one: from the restricted but well-focused part one of Remake , through the expansive and a little more erratic part two in Rebirth , and now this monumental finale to cap off the trilogy. Latest
Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: (Image credit: Square Enix)
After a quick introduction to the cast for this demo section that takes place at the start of Chapter 4, Im given the controls of the Highwind. Im told the next destination for Yuffie, Barret, Red XIII, as well as playable newcomers Cid and Vincent, is Wutai. But I dont need to go there right now. And I
choose not to. I zoom over to see whats changed at the Costa Del Sol: this worlds happening holiday resort and lively town. How do I make my final approach? Not by landing the airship, but by parachuting off the edge, watching the terrain and the town grow larger as I approach the ground. Its
an impressive feat that this is possible, with such huge freedom given to how and where I land. You may like Final Fantasy Resonance preview: an exciting old-school RPG steeped in fan service Persona 4 Revival plays fantastically, but I'm still not convinced it's an essential remake of Golden Onimusha: Way of the Sword is shaping up to be a demon-hunting classic

When I reach the Costa Del Sol, it is, effectively, exactly as it was in the previous entry. Folks are soaking up the sunshine in swimwear, popping to the bar to pick up a drink, and enjoying all sorts of entertainment by the seaside. The detail and density still impress and define the approach that Square Enix has taken with the trilogy as a whole. Its bigger, bolder, flashier, expanded, and extended. Theres just more to everything.

I step out into the outskirts of the party playground, and Im immediately hit by how Square Enix has taken this approach in other areas of the game. Sometimes, I feel, for the worse. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. (Image credit: Square Enix) The demo was not afraid to impress upon me the sheer number of side activities that are going to be available in Final Fantasy 7 Revelation . Photo hunts, monster hunts, the Queens Blood card game, environment investigations all of these and more popped up as soon as I landed in a new location or were added as I explored. With an AI assistant, MAI, also trying to explain them all, it almost overwhelmed me.

I get why we played this section of the game, but hot-dropping into a
location while completely fresh to the game and getting barraged by all of these notifications instilled in me equal levels of excitement and dread. Yeah, theres going to be a heck of a lot to do in Revelation if you want it, but I dont know how much of it is going to be compelling. (Image credit: Square Enix) What does still shine, though, is the combat. Zipping over to Wutai for a change of scenery, I ran into several monsters on the path to the village, and my muscle memory from the dozens of hours I sunk into Remake and Rebirth started to come back. What to read next Dragon's Dogma 2's expansion is impressive, but I still need to see more Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis seems like the glow-up the gaming icon needed but Ive not seen enough yet Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve delivers Top Gun thrills, but I was hoping to
see more of its story and the bonds with your wingmen

Cid and Vincent both seem like excellent new additions to the roster. I gravitated more toward the vampiric ex-Turk after a couple of battles, enjoying the rhythm of how hes played. Effectively, you build up attacks over time, before eventually being able to unleash his ferocious Galian Beast mode to deal more devastating damage. Even against unthreatening monsters, he was very satisfying to play.

What I didnt get to explore too much was the new FITS mechanic, which gives your characters more focus by taking on a specific class. I could see how these roles help you refine your party and add another layer to the already strong combat system. For example, Barrett could be set as a Knight in some impressive, shiny, and slightly absurd mech armor, elevating his job as a defender and protector.

Intrigued by both the new characters and mechanics, I found myself seeking more combat, so my journey through Wutai was full of distractions, including accidentally wandering into a boss monster that was about 40 levels above me and destroyed me in a matter of seconds. One of the many, many, many side activities in the region that Ill no doubt have to return to in the full
game, if I dont get burnt out by them again. (Image credit: Square Enix) And then, even with those doubts in my mind, I did find myself in awe of Revelation again just as quickly after seeing the scale and glow-up given to Wutai village. The pagodas and the familiar Turtle's Paradise bar have gone from half-memories of pixelated and blocky buildings to stunning and expressive environments that I could never have imagined.

Overall, there was just so much that it felt impossible to wrap my head
around even half of it in just the short 60 minutes I had to play Final Fantasy 7 Revelation . Ive barely had a chance to mention all the new pieces of equipment you have to navigate the world and interact with it.

What I want to make clear, though, is that all of these features havent put
me off the game at all. It might not have settled some of the worries I had after tiring of the deluge of mostly throwaway content in Rebirth , but I
left wanting more time with Revelation .

More time cruising through the clouds of the Highwind, more time testing how easy it is to jump out from pretty much anywhere on the overworld map, and more time digging into the combat system with new characters and how the FITS system mixes it up. And thats before we see what direction Square Enix takes the story after the controversial ending to the previous entry.

Whatever happens, I have the feeling that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is going to be a huge game when it launches on PlayStation 5 , Xbox Series X and
Series S , Nintendo Switch 2 , and PC on April 8, 2027. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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