Final Fantasy 7 Remake announced a Classic Mode at Tokyo Game Show 2019, a gameplay feature that will allow player to enable an optional turn-based battle mode that will more closely resemble the experience that characterized the original game. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is one of the most anticipated games of 2020, but some fans have expressed concern that the completely rebuilt effort is eschewing too many of the qualities that made the original FF7 such an iconic and enduring experience.
The big changes in Final Fantasy 7 Remake so far have been ones made to combat, which has showcased as a blend between the Kingdom Hearts series’ cinematic beauty and Final Fantasy 15’s mixture of fast-paced inputs, fluidity, and menu selection during slowdown periods. It’s look nothing short of remarkable, and has tagged Final Fantasy 7 Remake as the game to watch for many outlets each time their respective critics get a chance to go hands-on with it. Now, however, Square Enix has revealed that the developer is covering all of its bases ahead of what is easily the frontrunner for 2020’s Game of the Year at this point, as a Final Fantasy 7 Remake Classic Mode will surely sway the few remaining holdouts who enjoyed the original game into giving the new one a try.
According to a translated recap report of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Tokyo Game Show stage exhibition from the game’s official Twitter, Classic Mode will recreate the same style of turn-based gameplay from the original. While standard mode automatically fills players’ ATB Gauge as they attack enemies, eventually allowing them to select powerful abilities, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Classic Mode will help those who aren’t comfortable with that kind of fast button input or selection on the fly. Here’s what Final Fantasy 7 Remake Classic Mode will function as:
Naturally, the idea that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Classic Mode enables player characters to fight “automatically” sounds as though it will be a complete simulation of combat, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. According to Square Enix, players won’t have to concern themselves with the action side of combat in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Classic Mode, but they’ll still have to select commands as the ATB Gauge fills, more closely simulating the experience that won over the JRPG world in 1997.
“In Classic Mode [the ATB Gauge] is handled automatically. The player does not need to do anything and the character fights automatically, charging up their ATB Gauge.”
For as good as Final Fantasy 7 Remake has looked - and it has genuinely been the star of virtually every show it’s attended - there was always some concern that the revamped combat system would push a significant number of people away. With the announcement of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Classic Mode, however, what feels like the last hurdle prior to the game’s launch and review period has been cleared by Square Enix without any difficulty, and the future looks bright for Cloud and company’s second spin through Midgar when Final Fantasy 7 Remake releases on March 3, 2020 for the PlayStation 4.
Next: Final Fantasy 7 Remake is A Stunning, Ambitious Take On A Classic
Source: Final Fantasy VII Remake/Twitter
