E3 2019: Final Fantasy 7 Combat System Detailed At Square Enix Press Conference

Square Enix opened its E3 2019 press conference in style with a brand-new trailer for the Final Fantasy VII remake, showing classic scenes from the original game's opening.

Following the trailer, Square Enix also talked about gameplay mechanics, showing off some basic battles against Shinra soldiers before diving into an extended gameplay clip of a boss battle.

Active Time Battle Wait (ATB Wait) makes a return in the remake. As in the original, your ATB meter fills over time, but will also speed up as you land successful basic attacks on enemies. Once your meter is full, you can then effectively stop time and enter tactical mode to issue advanced commands, whether it's casting spells, using items, or activating limit break super moves--no sign of summons just yet.

We also got to see a new layer of strategy that plays into the game's action-RPG side, with Cloud and Barrett taking cover when the boss readied an attack.

It's clear that Final Fantasy 7 Remake is being designed as a hybrid between tradition and innovation, appearing to offer something new for fans and reasons for people who don't like turn-based RPGs to give it a look. Square Enix noted the game will span two Blu-ray discs and revealed new special editions. Pre-orders are now available.

This big reveal comes the day after Square Enix put a release date on the highly-anticipated remake, which we can now expect to release on March 3, 2020.

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