Final Fantasy 7 Coming to PC. Again.
Image via Square Enix
Final Fantasy 7 is one of the best-loved RPGs ever released, and still places high on “Best Of” lists, despite having been released in 1997.
For a while now, there have been rumors and rumblings about a PC re-release of the game. Square Enix have now confirmed these rumors, and a new PC version of Final Fantasy 7 is “coming soon”. Here’s the trailer:
The game’s official website says that it will have “36 brand new achievements to unlock”, along with cloud saves (badum-tish) and something called a “Character Booster”. The website doesn’t go into details on what that is exactly, but it does say that it will enable you to “increase your HP, MP and Gil levels to their maximum, all with the simple click of a button, leaving you to enjoy your adventure.”
Like many a videogamer, Final Fantasy 7 was – and still is – one of my all-time favorite games, yet I’m approaching this announcement with caution. Why? Well, first and foremost, there’s no talk yet of any graphical overhauls for the game. Final Fantasy 7 is a 15-year old game, and running on a modern PC is probably going to look a little flaky.
Partly because we gamers tend to feel over-entitled, and partly because Final Fantasy 7 is almost a holy relic for some, any re-release or remake of it will have to be approached very carefully. For this to be a real success, it will have to serve up more than just achievement and cloud saves.
In an ideal world, a remake of Final Fantasy 7 would give the game an HD graphical overhaul to bring the look closer to the Advent Children movie. It would also include voice work from the movie’s actors as well.
Of course I may be wrong (it happens occasionally) and some or all of these things will be included. But if they are, then why not announce it now?
Square Enix are playing with fire here. Fans have been clamoring for a true Final Fantasy 7 remake ever since we saw the “PS3 Tech Demo” footage way back in 2005.
Fans are fickle creatures, and none more so than the legions of Final Fantasy 7 fans who have waited patiently for the remake they feel they deserve. Square Enix will have to tread carefully, lest those fans end up feeling alienated.
This won’t be the first time Final Fantasy 7 has graced the PC, of course. It was released on PC back in 1998. If you’re lucky, you can dig a copy up on Ebay for a reasonable amount. Even better, there are more than a few fan-made texture packs that upgrade the in-game graphics to something a little more palatable than the default ones.
At time of writing the Final Fantasy 7 re-release has no official release date outside of “coming soon”. Required specs are as follows:
- Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 (32/64-bit)
- 2GHz Processor or faster
- 1GB RAM
- DirectX 9-compatible graphic card
That shouldn’t be too difficult should it? Sadly, those relatively low requirements only help to reinforce the feeling that we wont be seeing an HD makeover with this one. Maybe next time.
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