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Square Enix revealed more information regarding combat and general gameplay in Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier during the scheduled May broadcast. The broadcast included a short question-and-answer segment with producer Shoichi Ichikawa and creative director Tetsuya Nomura. Additionally, the broadcast shared new gameplay information.
The stream began with a short explanation of what a “battle royale” is, and how Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier will implement these mechanics. Similar to in other battle royale games, players will need to navigate around a shrinking map to defeat other players and obtain useful weapons and armor. The concept for Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier came from producer Shoichi Ichikawa.
Monsters will roam around the different areas that players can traverse. This includes the train yard and even Aerith’s house. Monsters that were shown during the broadcast were the Guard Scorpion and the Tonberry. Night and day cycles will be present in Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier. Melee combat will also be available to players as a major gameplay mechanic in Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier. Melee combat is specifically more effective against monsters, with players able to smoothly switch between melee and ranged combat. Monsters will drop weapons and armor.
The broadcast also demonstrated how magic and materia will work in the game. Players can collect materia to strengthen their magic attacks. Firaga and Blizzaga will function differently, and be a bit more in-depth instead of just spamming spells at players. For example, Blizzaga will take the form of a turret to assist players on the field. Players will be able to choose from several “styles,” such as the Warrior, Monk, and Sorcerer, which come with their own unique abilities.
A level-up mechanic will also be integral to gameplay in Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier. Players can defeat monsters to level up and gain more skills, which will put them at an advantage over other players. However, players will still need to gather materia and find equipment, as the game balance requires players to engage in PvP and PvE elements equally to emerge victorious.
Up to 75 players will be able to participate in a match. A single-player free-for-all and a team match mode will be available. The team match mode will sort players into teams of three. In this mode, players can choose a drop-off point using a helicopter at the beginning of the match.
Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier will appear on Android and iOS devices in 2021.
