If you've been invested in a remake of Final Fantasy 7 since 2005, when Sony showed a tech demo of what the game would look like on the PlayStation 3, you may feel like Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a bit of a mirage. Square Enix says it's coming out March 3, 2020, but that feels like a trick. We've waited so long that the reality almost seems like an illusion. But it's not an illusion. How do we know? As you can see above, the game has official box art now.
"We're proud to reveal #FinalFantasy VII Remake's official box art for North America and Europe," an official account for the game tweeted on Wednesday. "Take on the oppressive Shinra Corporation as Cloud Strife on March 3, 2020."
The company also uploaded an impressive Tokyo Game Show gameplay video that shows Cloud, Aerith and Tifa battling sewer beastie Abzu. They even call Ifrit to lend a fiery hand during the fight, revealing how the game's summons seamlessly join in (rather than interrupting the action as long animations, like they did in the original game).
The game is currently slated for release only on the PlayStation 4. Read everything we know about Final Fantasy 7 Remake here.
Back in the day.
Square EnixFor you whippersnappers not around in 1997, it's a throwback to the original game's box art. Note that Square Enix was still called SquareSoft back then, and that the game was spread out over three discs.
The Remake will also be spread over several discs, because it'll be released over several parts. The March 3, 2020, release date is for part one, which will take place entirely in Midgar. (In the original, the Midgar section was the first part of the first disc, so Final Fantasy 7 Remake is an expansion as well as a remake.)
CNET's Sean Keane contributed to this report.
First published Sept. 25 at 6:46 p.m. PT.
Updated Sept. 26 at 7:40 a.m. PT: Adds gameplay video.