Final Fantasy 7 Remake Developers Explain How And Why They Changed Combat In New Video

Final Fantasy VII Remake is nearly upon us, and the latest installment of the Inside Final Fantasy VII Remake video series is here to prime us for the game's battles. While episode 1 was a general introduction and episode 2 focused on story, the third episode of this documentary series, embedded below, dives deep into the new combat system for the remake.

The reworked combat system came about because action is "the mainstream style right now," according to director and concept designer Tetsuya Nomura. However, the numbers and stats that fly off enemies during combat were maintained because "they make Final Fantasy what it is."

The battle system has been designed with the thought that this is how it would work if it was designed for the first time today, but the developers report that it was difficult to decide just how action-focused it would be, and whether things like reflexes would be important. Classic Mode, which automates a lot of the fighting and lets players focus on making choices through menus, was included because a lot of fans online were worried about not being able to play because they are not good at more action-heavy games.

Materia will play a bigger part in this game compared to the original, and the developers are hoping that players who die in boss fights will change their Materia before trying again to see what will work. Speaking of bosses, they've been overhauled pretty substantially, as this video shows. They're all phase based now, moving between different stages punctuated by cutscenes, and follow the principles of Jo-Ha-Kyu--that is, a slow start, a swift break, and then a rapid end.

There's also a Chocobo stampede attack shown off, which is a real treat.

The story is discussed further in the video too, and it's said that in the second half of the game the characters will experience a lot of growth. Subquests have been moved around to better suit the pace of the remake's storytelling, and minigames are designed to fit in with the rest of the plot. The game is said to be "story-driven" moreso than "open world".

Depending on where you live, you might already have your hands on Final Fantasy VII Remake--it has shipped early in some places. The game, which covers the Midgar portion of the original, will be greatly expanded compared to the PlayStation 1 classic.