Ahead of the opening of Tokyo Game Show 2026 (TGS 2026) on September 17, Square Enix held a two-day Pre-TGS event for Asian media from August 31 to September 1. Among the hands-on demos and interviews for various new titles, the event kicked off with 'Final Fantasy VII Revelation' (hereafter 'FF7 Revelation'), which will cap off the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. Above all, this hands-on demo drew the highest expectations on site as the world's first public hands-on preview for 'FF7 Revelation' ahead of its official release.
Based on Chapter 4 of the main story, the demo build allowed players to board the airship Highwind, freely explore the world map, and experience newly added systems by selecting and completing sub-quests of their choice. In addition, players could experience a portion of the main story set in Yuffie's hometown, Wutai.
However, it was difficult to dive deep into the core of the story that many might have anticipated. Within the limited time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, the sub-quests and Wutai-set main story available in the demo were not sections that answered major narrative questions. Naturally, this hands-on focused more on grasping the new systems and game mechanics rather than the story.
Thus, rather than focusing on the narrative, this preview will center on the newly introduced 'Wear' system, Chocobo combat, and the core gameplay mechanics that refine and expand upon the framework of the previous title.
More Freedom and Variety in Exploration
With the introduction of an open world in the previous installment, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the Remake series significantly increased the emphasis on movement and exploration. 'FF7 Revelation' inherits these exploration elements while adding a new mode of transportation: the airship. The biggest change resulting from this is that intercontinental travel has become far freer. While the previous game had players call the airship, choose a destination, and undergo a brief loading screen to arrive, 'FF7 Revelation' allows players to directly pilot the airship and cross continents in real time.
The airship-related changes do not stop there. Descending from the sky—that is, from the airship to the ground—also takes place in real time. Cloud and his party can put on parachutes and 'dive' straight off the airship rail down to the ground. After leaping off, players descend rapidly in altitude, open the parachute at the right moment, and make fine adjustments to their landing spot.
Of course, real-time travel is not always convenient. There is a good reason why fast travel features are widely used: convenience. In fact, compared to fast travel, diving required descending for a dozen or so seconds and manually maneuvering to land at a desired spot, which could feel somewhat cumbersome depending on the situation.
That is not to say diving lacks utility, however. Fast travel points are not densely scattered everywhere across the map, just like in the previous game. For instance, if a fast travel point is located about 300 to 400 meters away from your target destination, you would have to fast travel there and then walk the remaining distance on foot. By contrast, using dive allows you to descend from the airship right in front of your objective.
In the end, rather than one being strictly superior in convenience, the two movement options felt complementary for different situations. If fast travel instantly closes horizontal distance by teleporting to fixed points, diving closes vertical distance by dropping close to any desired point from the airship. In that sense, being able to choose between the two based on destination and circumstance served to heighten the overall utility of the airship.
Regarding exploration, we could experience the 'MAI Report', which builds on the World Report system from the previous game. True to its name, this exploration content takes the form of sub-quests assigned by MAI, with a basic framework similar to the World Report. As players roam each region and spot notable flora, fauna, or points of interest, MAI contacts them to issue new reports.
However, it is not an exact carbon copy of the World Report. While inheriting the basic framework, its direction has shifted, and the elements to investigate have become far more varied. Whereas the World Report in the previous game added minor exploration elements onto combat—such as defeating nearby monsters to activate towers or hunting monsters under specific conditions—the MAI Report in this demo placed greater emphasis on exploration itself rather than combat.
The most significant change in this regard was the addition of new tools to aid exploration, such as a camera and a Mako Light. Players can take photos of flora and fauna with the camera, or track traces of Mako using the Mako Light much like hunting for clues with a UV light. Rather than simply traveling across the field to fulfill preset objectives, active investigation of surroundings to find necessary clues enhances 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 core role as an NPC who provides assistance outside of combat alongside Chadley remains largely unchanged, seeing her appear directly in the field to interact with the player was a welcome touch.
The expansion of exploration elements in itself was positive. However, there were a few disappointing aspects in this demo, namely that MAI content felt somewhat overwhelming in quantity. As players naturally crossed into a new area or zone, as many as 6 to 8 MAI Reports would pop up simultaneously. Rapidly compounding objectives—from taking animal photos to hunting specific monsters—at times disrupted the flow of exploration and travel.
What was particularly disappointing was not just the sheer number of MAI Reports, but the way new objectives were notified. While moving through the field, abrupt MAI Report pop-ups blocked the screen and interrupted gameplay. It felt as though it could potentially undermine the serious tone of the main story.
In fact, during the demo section set in Wutai, the main story unfolded with a rather solemn atmosphere. Yet, mere minutes after an immersive cutscene ended, MAI sent a series of new reports in an upbeat tone, announcing, "I've found new things to investigate~!" The serious mood that had been building until just moments prior was instantly shattered.
In summary, while enriching exploration elements was certainly positive, the notification method for delivering new objectives needs further polish so that content like the MAI Reports does not disrupt player flow.
The role of Chocobos has also seen minor changes. However, their core function as mounts remains. In fact, it is practically identical to the previous title. Sprinting, gliding, and "Chocobo Jet"—where water pressure boosters fire from the Chocobo's footpads to propel jumps—all carry over intact from the previous game. The major new additions lie within the combat system, which will be detailed below.
Additionally, a Wire Gun has been newly introduced. Using the Wire Gun allows players to quickly scale ledges or reach terrain that would be difficult to traverse on foot. In this demo, however, we could only confirm its inclusion as a new traversal tool rather than fully assessing its overall utility.
From Cid and Vincent to Wear and Chocobos: Expanded Combat
In the combat system, three major changes stood out: Cid and Vincent joining as playable characters, the newly introduced Wear system, and the ability to fight while riding a Chocobo.
First are Cid and Vincent. Wielding a spear like in the original game, Cid is a melee-focused character reminiscent of the Dragoon class in the Final Fantasy series. The biggest difference compared to other melee-oriented characters lies in the combat space. As expected from the Dragoon concept, Cid specializes in aerial combat, delivering a distinctly different playfeel from other melee characters fighting on the ground.
By contrast, Vincent is a ranged archetype using guns, specializing in keeping distance while attacking. Vincent can transform into a Beast form, during which he can rapidly fill the Stagger gauge. Consequently, knowing when to transform and under what circumstances to use it will likely be the core of Vincent's gameplay.
However, fully grasping the detailed playstyles and mechanics of both characters in this demo alone was somewhat tough due to the limited time and abundance of content to check.
If there is one biggest change to combat in this title, it is 'Wear'. Put simply, it is a reinterpretation of the traditional Final Fantasy Job system adapted into the FF7 Remake series' framework. In this demo, four types of Wear were available: Warrior, Knight, Summoner, and Black Mage.
Equipping Wear is simple. You select and equip your desired Wear in the equipment menu just like swapping gear. Furthermore, as the name 'Wear' implies, your appearance—namely outfit—changes depending on the equipped Wear. However, players can also configure the combat performance Wear and cosmetic appearance separately according to preference. For example, you can equip the Knight Wear to act as a tank while setting your appearance to Black Mage.
The primary change brought by Wear is exclusive skills. Knight grants skills to provoke enemies or build up the Stagger gauge quickly, while Warrior grants skills specialized in physical attacks. Using this, players can further accentuate a character's strengths—such as equipping Cloud with Warrior Wear to maximize his melee prowess—or compensate for weaknesses to build a more balanced character.
However, it felt too early to witness the true potential of Wear in this demo. Since Wear was newly acquired, only one or two exclusive skills were unlocked.
Wear operates on a system where players spend SP to unlock Wear-specific skills and abilities, similar to unlocking skills and abilities in the previous game. Ultimately, only after leveling characters and unlocking more skills will we be able to evaluate how much of a dynamic shift Wear brings to actual combat.
Chocobos also saw changes in combat. While players were forced to dismount when combat began in the previous title, they can now continue fighting while remaining mounted. This is not merely a visual 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 respectable performance.
However, the demo did not strongly convey a necessity to remain mounted during battle. Using the active 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.
Expansion Over Depth: A Lateral Shift
'FF7 Revelation' as played in this demo felt closer to expanding upon existing systems rather than introducing a massive overhaul of brand-new elements. While there were indeed numerous additions—ranging from airship exploration and the Wear system to Chocobo combat—the direction of change felt distinct from what was experienced in the previous title.
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 alter combat paradigms altogether. Similarly, riding a Chocobo in combat added a fresh option, but did not feel like a fundamental shift in how battles are approached.
Of course, it is premature to conclude that changes are minor. Wear had just been acquired with only one or two exclusive skills unlocked, and Chocobos were unlevelled; as growth unlocks new skills and abilities later in the game, distinct use cases could very well emerge.
Even so, based strictly on this demo, 'FF7 Revelation' gave the impression of laterally expanding an already polished system with new choices, rather than deepening combat mechanics further like its predecessor.
This is why the change felt somewhat disappointing. As Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth continually added depth to combat with new mechanics, expectations were high for how 'FF7 Revelation', the final entry in the trilogy, would take that depth to the next level.
Of course, lateral expansion does not mean it was unentertaining. The polish of the underlying combat system remains exceptionally high, and the new elements integrated seamlessly with existing mechanics. What felt disappointing in this demo was the direction of change, not the fun of combat itself.
Ultimately, 'FF7 Revelation' as seen in this demo appeared focused on broadening its scope while faithfully inheriting the strengths of its predecessor. What remains to be seen is whether these expanded elements go beyond merely offering new options to genuinely elevate combat depth.
The fact that it successfully inherits the strengths of the previous game was abundantly clear from this demo. Now, it is time for 'FF7 Revelation' to showcase its own unique combat experience and depth. Since that was difficult to confirm in this preview, it will be worth watching how future reveals and the final release present these changes.
