Final Fantasy VII Revelation hands-on: Whirlwind Maze and new heroes

The demo focused on exploring the Whirlwind Maze, an eerie environment characterized by howling winds, aurora-like lights, and dark, hooded figures. Traversal in this area utilizes parkour mechanics, requiring characters to shimmy along cliffs and vault over ledges as they move toward the inevitable encounter with Sephiroth.

The roster expands with the addition of Vincent and Cid as playable characters, each offering distinct combat dynamics. Vincent utilizes a dual-style approach, switching between ranged gunplay and a beast transformation. In his monster form, he moves on all fours to deliver slashing attacks, though maintaining this form increases the Chaos level and reduces his maximum HP. Cid focuses on high-mobility aerial combat with his spear, utilizing momentum-based moves like Dragon Spin and Hyper Dive to sweep through enemies.

A core new mechanic introduced is the FITS (Function-Integrated Tactical Suitwear) system. Players can equip one of four specialized suits—Warrior, Knight, Black Mage, or Summoner—to unlock specific abilities. For instance, the Summoner FITS allows players to call upon entities like Ifrit, Shiva, or Titan. While powerful, using the Pledge Roar attack during a summon comes at the cost of the character's HP.

The demo culminated in a fight against Jenova Death, a sinister redesign of the classic foe featuring a spiky, unsettling silhouette. The boss utilizes wide-area fire attacks and deploys tentacles to shield its main body, requiring players to destroy the appendages to deal significant damage. Defeating this massive threat requires the strategic combination of Synergy Abilities and Limit Breaks.