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Final Fantasy 7 Revelation masterfully blends nostalgia and new in an exciting and overwhelming package
The Highwind floats above the world. Yuffie Kisaragi dives out of the airship, party in tow, and falls through the air with a keen speed before I unleash her parachute, softening our hero's descent into the rich wilderness of Mideel. It's immediately apparent that if we thought Rebirth was big, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is overwhelmingly enormous.
There's something strange about the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy. The numerous differences from the original 1997 title make it almost entirely new, and yet it's easy to feel at home in its many locations, from Sector 7 to Gongaga. The same sensation floods my senses as I tear through feral beasts, before encountering a chubby baby Chocobo.
Not my home but I know my way around
Developer: Square Enix Creative Studio 1
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: April 8, 2027
Aware of the limited time available during my hands-on preview session at Gamescom 2026, I fast travel back to the Highwind, and set sail from the skies above Mideel for Wutai. I'm playing as Yuffie after all, and I'm told this section of Chapter 4 is dependent on my visiting her homeland to progress the story. I must admit I didn't really expect to just fly straight over to the place myself – I anticipated a cutscene – but the open world exploration is seamless as I guide the vessel before sending Yuffie back to the deck for another Fortnite-esque descent into the land below, something director Naoki Hamaguchi confirms is an intentional display of "inspiration".
Again, I'm staggered to feel immediately at home in Wutai, but this feeling tracks with the developer's design ethos. "Everything in the game has to feel both nostalgic and new at the same time" Hamaguchi tells me, explaining the need to deliver what fans know but with enough change to maintain player interest. He also clarifies that any big changes have to be made by the original FF7 creators.
One particular change I inquire about is the manner of Aerith's demise in Rebirth, and by inquire I mean demand an apology from Hamaguchi-san. He laughs and tells me "so sorry" but I press him on the matter, producing more laughter from the veteran gamemaker. He then tells me "You need to experience what happens in the very end. You may change your opinion then."
Similarly, piloting the Highwind to named locations and then descending via parachute is an important part of leveling up the experience of Revelation from Rebirth. "The way you explore the world is all tied to that vertical element," Hamaguchi states, and the effect is a sense of scale so grand I have to fight off choice paralysis with every fiber of my being.
Hamaguchi touches on the size of the game, saying "I'm pretty sure that Revelation has at least the same – and probably actually even more – content in it than Rebirth had, and it's all good content." He also adds that he's aware some players were overwhelmed by the amount in Rebirth, but feels "having that huge amount of content is part of what makes the game so appealing."
Another standout component of my preview session is the lack of Cloud and Tifa, with the roster of available characters instead sporting Cid, Vincent, Cait Sith, Barret, Red XIII, and the aforementioned Yuffie. Having been struck by Aerith being a key focal point of Rebirth, I ask Hamaguchi if we can expect the light to shine more on Yuffie or other characters in Revelation.
"Cloud is still the main character," he asserts, before explaining that the team know some players "want to see more of the other characters too, so we very much wanted to have content that goes into each of those characters," which, as a card-carrying member of the Zack Fair Appreciation Society, is music to my ears. This includes such options as completing side quests with different characters depending on your preferences, as well as the more simple but equally satisfying ability to swap out party members on the fly.
It's been one of the great joys of my time with Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth that I've been able to revel in the company of Cloud's companions. Don't get me wrong, I really love the moody merc and his big beautiful blues, but the added depth to Tifa, Aerith, and many others has resulted in a richer narrative experience.
Not all new content is perfect though, as proven by the mere existence of Chadley, and I'm alarmed by multiple interruptions from MAI, the AI entity created by the precocious young scientist. This apparently feminine-presenting version of Chadley eagerly bombards me with available side quests the moment I set foot in a new place, and it's agonizing given my preview slot is an hour. I'm hopeful Mai will feel less invasive when I'm able to play the game at leisure, but something tells me 2027's Most Annoying Sidekick Award is already en route to Square Enix HQ.
Those Who Fight Further
Throughout my session I enjoy multiple battles. In addition to Yuffie and her fast-flowing combos, I try out Vincent Valentine, whose ranged-based fighting style feels more safety-conscious yet no less satisfying. Then I give Cid Highwind a go, and he swings a spear-type edge weapon with a blend of elegance and brutality that feels perfect for hacking through Wutai's wildlife.
With the ability to mix up the party frequently, I'm eager to see what each combination of fighters will bring, especially now Tifa has appeared as a Black Mage in promotional materials, and other jobs in the FITS system are available too.
Upon arrival at Wutai a cutscene plays out – which I won't spoil – where it dawns on me how incredible a performer Suzie Yeung really is. The Persona 3 Reload actor delivers an expressiveness that virtually propels Yuffie through the screen, which seems fitting given Wutai introduces the ability to use a grappling hook for traversal.
Zipping between rooftops, I find my way to the Happy Turtle bar and restaurant after photographing a cat and having a quick swim in the sparkling waters that surround the traditional Japanese-inspired architecture of Yuffie's homeland. As I walk through the grand building, I strike up a conversation I never get to hear as the session ends.
Now I'm left wondering what the NPC was going to say, what the other areas in the preview build had to offer, and what the unaccounted for characters were getting up to during this section of the game. Above all I wonder how Naoki Hamaguchi and Square Enix so masterfully manage to weave nostalgia into something so obviously new in so many ways. Maybe I'll never truly understand but, if I am able to, it won't be until Final Fantasy 7 Revelation releases on April 8, 2027.
If this is far from your final adventure, check out our games like Final Fantasy recommendations, or our best RPGs and best JRPGs ranking for more to play next!
FIFA annoncerer ny konkurrence for lande i Sydøstasien, FIFA ASEAN Cup
En stor international pause er på vej, og FIFA har annonceret en ny turnering, der minder om UEFA Nations League (men meget kortere), for holdene i Sydøstasien, kaldet FIFA ASEAN Cup. Den første udgave finder sted mellem 24. september og 5. oktober i Bandung og Jakarta, Indonesien, samt Hongkong i Kina, med 14 hold.
De 11 medlemmer af Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) og tre gæster vil blive delt i to divisioner, hver delt op i to grupper, med enkelt-round-robin-format og finaler mellem vinderne af hver sektion.
Gianni Infantino, stadig FIFA-præsident, sagde, at FIFA FIFA ASEAN Cup "blev lanceret for at give landsholdene meningsfulde konkurrencemuligheder inden for Men's International Match Calendar, hvilket giver spillerne mulighed for at repræsentere deres lande i intense regionale rivaliseringer. "
Disse hold er Malaysia, Filippinerne, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam og to gæster Bangladesh og Pakistan (Division 1) samt Hongkong, Kina, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodja, Laos, Myanmar og Timor-Leste i anden række.
Final Fantasy VII: Revelation Forhåndsvisning: « Square Enix lover å by på en førsteklasses opplevelse av gigantiske proporsjoner
Det er få spill jeg gleder meg mer til enn « Final Fantasy VII: Revelation. Ja, det er en nyinnspilling av en elsket klassiker, men det er også en nyinnspilling ulik alt annet som noensinne har vært – og kanskje noensinne vil bli. Vi befinner oss i en tid hvor noen remakes ganske enkelt oppdaterer grafikken og ytelsen til et prosjekt, kanskje med noen få forbedringer av spillmekanikken, før de gir seg. I mellomtiden bestemte folkene hos Square Enix seg for å dele opp sitt mest profilerte remake i tre fullskala deler, som hver for seg er komplekse og omfattende JRPG-er med en fullstendig modernisert visuell identitet, ny spillmekanikk og kampsystem, masser av fullt renderte CGI-mellomsekvenser, stemmeskuespill og opptredener fra start til slutt, pluss utallige sideoppdrag og minispill som også vil ta opp all din tid. Poenget er at selv den hardeste kritikeren av remake-trenden kan se på denne trilogien av spill og bli forbløffet.
Nå som det er bekreftet at « Final Fantasy VII: Revelation skal lanseres samtidig på PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S og Nintendo Switch 2 den 8. april, kan jeg også legge til at jeg har hatt muligheten til å prøve spillet selv og oppleve en del av handlingen. Men det er en viktig forbehold å ta i betraktning, nemlig at jeg bare hadde én time med spillet. For et prosjekt av FFVII: Revelations omfang og storhet er én time knapt nok til å skrape i overflaten – faktisk etterlater det knapt nok et spor i det hele tatt...
If you thought Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was bloated, you're not going to like Revelation - but I'd much rather have too much to do than too little
Settling into my demo of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, I was slightly appalled by how many tutorial pop-ups I had to click through in order to just play the damn game. Granted, the slice I'm playing comes from 'a few hours' into the experience - our ragtag bunch of environmental terrorists-cum-saviours of the planet have just procured themselves an airship, and Square Enix needs to ensure we all understand the guide rails that keeping this wobbly demo in place. Fine.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss is "so sorry" for what happens to Aerith in Rebirth, but if you're still upset, "you may change your opinion" by the end of the remake trilogy
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi has apologized for what happens to Aerith in Rebirth, but if you're still upset about it, he insists you stick around to the end of the remake trilogy, because you might just "change your opinion."
Before we get into it, please take this as your final – very obvious – spoiler warning for the events of Final Fantasy 7 and Rebirth's ending. I'd be shocked if you didn't know what we were about to get into by now, but don't say I didn't warn you if you didn't.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth might have gone about things slightly differently to the OG 1997 JRPG, but one unfortunate fact remains – Aerith dies at the hands of Sephiroth. Ouch. It's arguably made even worse by the fact that, for a brief moment, it looks like things are about to pan out very differently, but alas.
Speaking to Hamaguchi in an interview at Gamescom 2026, GamesRadar+'s James Daly tells the lead how upset he still is about what happened to Aerith, prompting a big laugh. "I hope you have some expectations towards what the final outcome is, though, and I hope you can look forward to seeing what actually happened," Hamaguchi first teases, via interpreter.
He then directly offers an apology himself: "So sorry!" Gotta be honest, though, I'm not sure how sorry he is based on how hard he's laughing.
This comes up again towards the end of the interview, at which point Hamaguchi suggests something rather interesting. After another laugh, he hints: "I mean, really, you need to experience what happens in the very end. You may change your opinion."
Obviously, he's not going to elaborate on what he's referring to at this point, but could there be a glimmer of hope there for Aerith fans? Perhaps, or perhaps not. All will be revealed when Final Fantasy 7 Revelation launches on April 8 next year.