Final Fantasy 7 Remake is set to release on Switch 2 and Xbox next January and will come with boost features familiar to players of the Pixel Remasters, known as Streamlined Progression.
Square Enix has confirmed to Eurogamer these boosts will also be coming to the PS5 and PC versions of the game in a future update, though there’s no date yet. The PC version’s enhanced lighting features will be coming to PS5 too.
As outlined previously in a Square Enix blog, players will have access to a new menu where they can implement a number of boosts such as HP full, MP full, Limit gauge full, and maximum damage dealt, which can be toggled individually.
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE – Release Date Announcement – Nintendo Switch 2Watch on YouTube
“I feel that the way people enjoy content has become more flexible these days, as we see with video streaming platforms, and that people also want the same thing from games, with options to tailor the experience based on the time they have and their levels of interest,” said director Naoki Hamaguchi. “I have also had personal experiences where I wanted to play something with the limited time I have but gave up because of the time it takes to level up characters or traverse the game.
“That’s exactly why I think that the Streamlined Progression feature is very effective – to give players smooth access to the story.”
Meanwhile, Hamaguchi stated Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is “doing very well” on PS5 and PC in an interview with Automaton, so there’s no need to worry about part three.
For its remake of Final Fantasy 7, Square Enix decided to create a trilogy. But as sales appear to have decreased with each installment, some fans have been worried about the quality of the third game, presuming the company may be keen to move on.
“I know some fans have expressed concerns, but please rest assured, we’ll be able to deliver a proper, high-quality third installment,” said Hamaguchi.
He additionally provided a status update on the project.
“Development is going extremely well, and the game is shaping up nicely,” he said. “A lot of the content is already playable, and the game’s direction and form are firmly set in place. Right now, the team is united around refining everything.”
For now, the game remains without a release date, but as Remake is heading to Switch 2 and Xbox in January, and Square Enix has confirmed the whole trilogy will be coming to both platforms too, the final part presumably won’t be released until after then. Perhaps it’ll even be a simultaneous multiplatform release.
Indeed, the multiplatform release of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake project will certainly boost sales, helping to counter any decline in sales.
Speaking to Windows Central, Hamaguchi declared himself an Xbox fan. “I’m going to do my best to make sure that Square Enix can continue to reach a wider audience, including Xbox,” he said. “So thank you from me as well.”
He also discussed optimising the game for the Xbox Series S, which is notoriously tricky due to its lower specs.
“In terms of hardware specs, I would say the Xbox Series S is actually quite solid in terms of spec,” said Hamaguchi. “We didn’t come across much of a processing challenge, but many of the challenges were more memory related.
“Optimisation is something we were strongly cognizant of as we worked on the PC version as well. For Final Fantasy 7 Remake, we took some of the philosophies found in Nanite for Unreal Engine 5 and created our own solution for Unreal Engine 4. We were successful in delivering stable graphics there, and gain Steam Deck verification as well. We have been pretty proud of what we were able to achieve, even on lower spec systems.”
Meanwhile, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida has hinted that game may also be headed to Switch 2.