Ahead of Tokyo Game Show 2026 (TGS 2026), set to open on September 17, Square Enix hosted a two-day Pre-TGS event for Asian media from August 31 to September 1. Among hands-on demos and interviews for various upcoming titles, opening the event was 'Final Fantasy VII Revelation' (hereinafter 'FF7 Revelation'), the grand finale of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. Above all, this hands-on test generated immense anticipation at the venue as the world's first playable hands-on demo of 'FF7 Revelation' prior to its official release.
Based on Chapter 4 of the main story, the demo build allowed players to board the airship Highwind to freely explore the world map and experience newly added systems while selecting and completing sub-quests. Additionally, players could check out a portion of the main story set in Wutai, Yuffie's hometown.
However, it was difficult to take a deep dive into the core story elements that many had likely anticipated. Within the limited time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, the sub-quests and Wutai main story segment experienced did not resolve long-standing narrative questions. Naturally, this hands-on session focused on grasping new systems and game mechanics rather than narrative details.
Therefore, this preview focuses on core gameplay elements—such as the newly introduced "Wear" system, the Chocobo combat system, and refined/expanded frameworks from the previous title—rather than the story.
More Freedom and Variety in Exploration
By introducing an open world in the previous title, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the remake series significantly elevated the emphasis on travel and exploration. 'FF7 Revelation' inherits these exploration elements from its predecessor while adding a new mode of transportation: the airship. The biggest change stemming from this is that transcontinental travel has become far freer. Whereas in the previous game players called the airship, selected a destination, and arrived after a brief loading screen, in 'FF7 Revelation', players directly pilot the airship to cross continents in real time.
The changes regarding the airship do not end there. The process of descending from the sky—that is, from the airship to the ground—also takes place in real time. Cloud and his companions can put on parachutes and "Dive" straight down from the airship's railing to the ground. After leaping off and rapidly losing altitude, players deploy their parachute at the right moment and make fine adjustments to their landing spot.
Of course, real-time travel is not always strictly convenient. There is a reason why fast travel features are so widely used: they are convenient. In fact, compared to fast travel, Diving required descending for over ten seconds while manually making adjustments to land in the desired spot, which could feel somewhat tedious depending on the situation.
Still, this does not eliminate the need for Diving. Just as in the previous title, fast travel points are not densely scattered everywhere across the field. For instance, if a fast travel point is located 300 to 400 meters away from a target location, players would have to fast travel there and then walk the rest of the way. On the other hand, Diving allows players to drop down directly in front of their target location straight from the airship.
Ultimately, the two travel options felt less like a comparison of superior vs. inferior convenience and more like complementary choices for different situations. If fast travel instantly narrows horizontal distance by warping to a designated spot, Diving closes vertical distance by descending close to a chosen spot from the airship. In that sense, being able to choose between the two based on destination and circumstance significantly enhances the utility of the airship.
Regarding exploration, "MAI Reports"—built upon the previous game's World Reports—were present in the demo. As the name suggests, this exploration content takes the form of sub-quests commissioned by MAI, with a core structure similar to World Reports. As players roam each region and discover noteworthy flora, fauna, or points of interest, MAI contacts them with a new report.
However, it is not completely identical to World Reports. While retaining the basic framework, the direction has changed, and the elements to investigate have grown more varied. Whereas World Reports in the previous game leaned heavily on combat with light exploration—such as activating towers after defeating nearby monsters or hunting targets under specific conditions—the MAI Reports experienced in this demo placed greater focus on exploration itself rather than combat.
In this regard, the biggest change is the addition of new tools to aid exploration, such as the camera and Mako light. Players can photograph flora and fauna with the camera or track traces of Mako using the Mako light, similar to searching for clues with a UV light. Rather than simply moving across the field to complete static objectives, players actively examine their surroundings to uncover needed information, heightening the sense of true field exploration.
Meanwhile, MAI herself has undergone a change. In the previous game, MAI existed virtually as a hologram AI, but in this entry, she has gained a physical body. While her role remains largely the same as an NPC who assists with non-combat elements alongside Chadley, having her physically appear in the field and interact directly with the player was a welcome change.
While the expansion of exploration content was a positive addition, there were also drawbacks in the demo—namely, an overwhelming volume of MAI content. Moving naturally into another section or region often triggered 6 to 8 MAI Reports simultaneously. From photographing animals to hunting specific monsters, the barrage of new objectives at times disrupted the flow of exploration and travel.
What felt particularly disappointing was not just the sheer number of MAI Reports, but the way new objectives were communicated. While navigating the field, sudden MAI Report pop-ups would cover the screen and interrupt gameplay flow, raising concerns that it could undermine the solemn tone of the main story.
In fact, during the demo set in Wutai, there were story sequences delivered with a serious tone. Yet mere minutes after immersive cutscenes and dramatic staging concluded, MAI chimed in with cheerful notifications like "I've found new things to investigate~" sending a series of new reports. It instantly shattered the serious mood established just moments prior.
In summary, enriching the exploration elements is undeniably positive, but the method of presenting new objectives needs further refinement to ensure content like MAI Reports does not disrupt the pace of gameplay.
The role of Chocobos has also seen slight changes, though their primary function as mounts remains. In fact, it is virtually identical to the previous entry. Sprinting, gliding, and "Chocobo Jet"—where water pressure boosters fire from the Chocobo's footpads to propel jumps—all carry over intact. The major new addition lies within the combat system, which will be detailed below.
A Wire Gun has also been added. Using the Wire Gun allows players to quickly scale ledges or easily traverse areas that are difficult to reach on foot. However, during this demo, the Wire Gun served more to demonstrate the addition of a new movement mechanic rather than revealing its full utility.
Expanded Combat: From Cid and Vincent to Wear and Chocobos (Kweh!)
Three major changes were evident in the combat system: Cid and Vincent joining as playable characters, the newly introduced Wear system, and the ability to fight while mounted on a Chocobo.
First are Cid and Vincent. Like in the original game, Cid wields a spear as a melee-focused combatant reminiscent of the Final Fantasy series' Dragoon class. His biggest distinction compared to other melee characters lies in the space where combat takes place. True to his Dragoon concept, Cid specializes in aerial combat, delivering a distinctly different combat feel from grounded melee fighters.
Vincent, on the other hand, is a ranged attacker armed with guns, specialized in dealing damage while keeping distance. Vincent can transform into a Beast, and in his transformed state, he fills the Stagger gauge rapidly. Consequently, timing his transformations and choosing when to deploy them will be key to managing Vincent in battle.
However, fully grasping the detailed playstyles and mechanics of both characters was tough within this demo alone, given the limited session length and the vast amount of content to cover.
The single biggest combat innovation in this title is "Wear". Put simply, it is a reinterpretation of the traditional Final Fantasy Job System tailored to the FF7 Remake series. The demo showcased four Wear types: Warrior, Knight, Summoner, and Black Mage.
Equipping Wear is simple: just select and equip the desired Wear from the gear menu, like changing equipment. True to its name, equipping a Wear also changes the character's physical outfit. However, players can set the combat-effective Wear separately from their aesthetic appearance according to personal preference—for example, equipping Knight Wear to perform a tank role while visually appearing in Black Mage attire.
The most prominent change offered by Wear is dedicated skills. A Knight can use skills to taunt enemies or build up the Stagger gauge quickly, while a Warrior gains physical attack-focused skills. Utilizing this allows players to double down on a character's strengths—such as equipping Cloud with Warrior Wear to further elevate his melee combat—or compensate for weaknesses to build a more balanced combatant, offering diverse strategic potential.
That said, it was too early in this demo to witness the full potential of Wear. Since Wear was freshly unlocked, only one or two dedicated skills were available for use.
Similar to unlocking skills and abilities in the previous entry, Wear utilizes SP to unlock individual skills and abilities per Wear class. Ultimately, only after leveling up characters and securing more skills will players be able to see how significantly Wear impacts real combat dynamics.
Chocobos have also transformed in combat. Whereas players were forced to dismount when combat initiated in the previous game, they can now fight while remaining mounted on a Chocobo. This is not merely a cosmetic gimmick either, as riding a Chocobo grants access to dedicated Chocobo skills. In the demo, skills like Choco Flap and Choco Magic were demonstrated, showing quite impressive performance.
However, the demo did not strongly convey a necessity to remain mounted during battle. Using the controllable character's standard skills rather than mounted Chocobo abilities—or dismounting mid-fight—prevented remounting for the remainder of that battle. Furthermore, the available Chocobo skills at the time were not noticeably stronger than standard character skills.
Of course, it is worth considering that this demo took place right after acquiring the Chocobo. At that point, the Chocobo was essentially unlevelled, with dedicated skills and stats far from fully unlocked. Given the restriction against remounting after getting off in combat, higher levels of Chocobo progression may well unlock performance advantages worthy of that constraint.
A Shift Toward Expansion Rather Than Depth
The demo of 'FF7 Revelation' felt less like a game introducing sweeping brand-new systems and more like one expanding its scope on established foundations. While there were certainly many new additions—from airship exploration to the Wear system and mounted Chocobo combat—the evolution took a somewhat different direction from what was felt in previous entries.
From Final Fantasy VII Remake to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the series continuously elevated system depth with each release by introducing new combat mechanics. Rather than simply expanding playable characters or skill lists, each title added new combat paradigms that broadened how players approached encounters. In contrast, 'FF7 Revelation' as seen in this demo felt closer to adding new options to existing systems rather than deepening core combat further.
Wear is a prime example. While Wear grants dedicated skills and alters character roles to a degree, changing Wear during the demo did not dramatically transform the core combat loop itself. The same held true for Chocobo combat: while mounted battle offered a fresh option, it did not necessitate fundamentally different battle tactics compared to standard combat.
That said, it would be premature to write off these changes as minor. Wear was newly acquired with only one or two skills unlocked, and Chocobos were unlevelled; as progression yields new skills and abilities later in the game, entirely new tactical applications could well emerge.
Nevertheless, based on this demo alone, 'FF7 Revelation' leaves the impression of expanding horizontally by adding new options to a polished system, rather than driving combat depth to the next tier as its predecessor did.
This is precisely why the direction felt somewhat disappointing. Because FF7 Remake and FF7 Rebirth continuously deepened combat through new mechanics, expectations were high for how 'FF7 Revelation', the trilogy's conclusion, would take that mechanical depth to another level.
Of course, horizontal expansion does not mean a lack of fun. The core combat system remains exceptionally polished, and the new features blend seamlessly into existing systems. What left something to be desired in this demo was the direction of innovation, not the fundamental enjoyment of combat itself.
Ultimately, 'FF7 Revelation' in this hands-on demo showed a clear focus on faithfully inheriting its predecessor's strengths while expanding its outer scope. What remains is to see whether these expanded elements do more than just offer new options and truly elevate combat depth in practice.
That it builds solidly on the previous title's strengths was clear enough from this demo. Now, it is time for 'FF7 Revelation' to showcase its own distinct combat experience and mechanical depth. Since that was difficult to confirm during this preview, all eyes will be on future announcements and the final game to see what changes unfold.
