The Final Fantasy VII Remake is just a few months away, and today Square Enix revealed a number of new screenshots, along with new details and comments from the development team.

While the focus of the first article is mostly on screenshots, it also includes new art featuring Barrett (and Marlene) and Aerith.

The screenshots themselves begin by showing the members of Avalanche and the Turks (well, Reno and Rude).

After that, there are combat screenshots showing Cloud switching between Operator Mode and Punisher Mode, and using his Triple Slash attack and Blade Burst attack. Another screenshot shows the menu where you’ll be able to switch difficulties or select Classic Mode.

Another set of screenshots show some of the locations in Midgar: the church, Aerith’s house, and the inside of her house.

Getting back to combat, they show screenshots of Aerith casting Fire and Barrett using Assess to see the enemy’s weaknesses, resistances, items that can drop, etc.

Weapons can also be upgraded, and another screenshot shows us the upgrade screen for the first time. Weapons also have unique abilities that gain proficiency as you use them, as shown in another screenshot. When you have 100% proficiency in an ability, you’ll be able to use it with any weapon.

I like the sounds of this system, and I wonder if something similar will be in place for the regular Materia.

The screenshots also reveal the Chocobo and Moogle summons, pictured above, which is pretty cute.

Finally, we get to see the darts mini-game that was shown briefly in one of the trailers and a screenshot of a motorcycle battle.

Now let’s take a look at the interviews.

It’s really a collection of thoughts and comments on the Final Fantasy VII Remake, but there are a few details worth noting. Nomura, who is directing the game, apparently wanted to do a remake as the final entry in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and didn’t get a chance. He reiterated that this is a full-length release with lots of content despite only being the first part and confirmed that there will be several new characters (though not main characters) and bosses.

The second game is also officially in development.

Nojima, who worked on the story and scenario, mentioned that since scenes are more detailed and rely less on the player’s imagination than in the original, “the feel of the story” might be considerably different. However, he also thinks players will feel a deeper connection to Cloud.

I’m a little concerned about why he thinks the story will feel so different, but since everything looks great so far, I’m still excited.

Hamaguchi, the game design and programming co-director, mentioned that “respect for the original” is a phrase they’ve kept in mind while making it, and scenario design co-director Toriyama spoke about how they’ve brought Midgar’s inhabitants to life and revived the Honey Bee Inn as a “pantheon of entertainment.”

I don’t quite know what that means, but apparently the original had quite a bit of content that didn’t make it into the final release, including a scene with Palmer, more NPCs to talk to, an encounter with a ghostly version of Cloud, and an employees’ room, so maybe some of these things have been restored for the remake. Then again, maybe it’s entirely new content.

There are many more comments from the rest of the team members, but those are the parts that stood out to me the most.

What do you think about the latest Final Fantasy VII Remake details? When do you think we’ll start hearing about the second game (and what will they call it)? What do you think they’ll do with the remade Honey Bee Inn? Share your thoughts in the comments!

After Square Enix’s E3 2019 presentation revealed that the Final Fantasy VII Remake would include a Tactical Mode to slow down time once your ATB bars filled, I was pretty happy with it as a compromise between action and turn-based combat.

Little did I know it would get even better!

At a TGS stage show, Square Enix revealed that the game will also have something called Classic Mode. This is a special difficulty option that automates the minor attacks, dodging, etc., removing the action portion of combat so the player only has to choose commands once the ATB meter fills up.

You can see it in action here. (Note the controller camera to show which parts are automatic.)

Some people have objected to this, saying that it just removes part of the game’s combat, but remember that your basic attacks won’t be dealing a lot of damage in this game. The core of the combat system is using minor attacks to build your ATB meter so you can use your special attacks, which is where most of your damage will come from. In Classic Mode, you won’t have to worry about those minor attacks and can focus on everything else intead.

It’s almost like a turn-based system where the characters run around and deal minor damage in between turns.

Of course, this isn’t truly a turn-based combat system, and I’ve seen a lot of people objecting to it because of that. It’s a good compromise, though – far more of a compromise than what I expected.

So between the TGS trailer we discussed last week and the revelation of Classic Mode, I’m really starting to feel excited for the Final Fantasy VII Remake.

How do you feel about Classic Mode? Do you think it’s a good compromise? Will you use it when Final Fantasy VII Remake comes out? Let me know in the comments!