Heya, folks! Square Enix and PlayStation just held a special State of Play dedicated to Final Fantasy VII a couple of days ago, giving us more details about the game. They also released a demo for the PS5 to give us a taste of what's to come, which will be updated between now and when the game releases. Let's get into it!

State of Play

The State of Play, which lasted about 20 minutes, gave us a number of details on the game:

  • The game world is split into interconnected areas that you'll be able to explore freely.
  • Each area has a number of activities and side missions that will help you get more acquainted with the world at large.
  • A number of minigames are added compared to the PS1 original, including missions where the characters are low-poly and a card game.
  • You'll now be able form bonds with the other party members, which will lead to various social interactions in the story.
  • These bonds will also allow you to unlock and perform various combo attacks, which you can reassign at will (Aerith and Barret sees both of them wearing cool glasses).
  • Each character will have their own special abilities that will help with traversal and exploration.
  • In terms of music, the game features both tracks from the PS1 original as well as over 400 new compositions.

Demo

There's now a demo available on the PS5 for all players. It's pretty linear, focusing on the flashbacks in Nibbleheim, where we can see Cloud and Tifa interacting with Sephiroth, as well as witness the latter's descent into madness. You'll even be able to control Sephiroth during combat for a good portion of gameplay.

The demo also showcases one of the new minigames, the ability to play the piano. It uses the analogue sticks to play notes and I am very bad at it. While not technically a mini-game, you'll also have to clear a few small areas of Mako gas using a very slow-moving device in order to proceed. Hopefully this isn't something that happens too often in the full game, as it is a pace killer.

Overall, the demo should take players about 60 to 90 minutes to finish, and you'll be able to skip this section in the full game. Later this month, there will be an update that will let players explore part of Junon, one of the game's regions. 

Did you watch the FFVIIR (not that one) State of Play? What did you think of the demo? Are you excited for the full release? Let us know in the comments below!