Final Fantasy 7 Revelation marks the conclusion of the FF7 Remake trilogy, refining the series’ gameplay to its ultimate form as your party grows bigger and stronger than it has ever been. With the inclusion of new characters like Vincent and Cid, the systems of this game’s combat are already dense, especially with many features returning from FF7 Remake and Rebirth. However, revealed details show an unexpected mechanic within Revelation, one that calls back to other classic JRPGs like Bravely Default and Dragon Quest.
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From a larger open world to explore on the Highwind air ship to battles against sentient Weapon kaiju enemies, FF7 Revelation is truly a climatic point in the series. Yet, many of the remake series’ combat systems seem unchanged, including how players can build up meter and MP to unleash abilities and magic through Materia as they fight. Limit Breaks and Summons return, but in addition to weapons and accessories to adjust a party member’s combat capabilities, players also gain access to new skills through cosmetics.
Final Fantasy 7: Revelation Introduces Jobs For Characters Through Unique Costumes
FF7 Revelation introduces a new system called “Function Integrated Tactical Suitwear,” or FITS for short. This mechanic allows players to customize party members on a more detailed level compared to accessories, weapons, or Materia, giving them new abilities tied to a specific costume in their inventory. New uniforms create new play styles, transforming the normal combat gameplay of some characters in fresh ways. Unique move sets are tied to a specific FITS outfit, which are named after some of the most iconic roles in JRPGs.
The two FITS shown off in early FF7 Revelation footage were the “Warrior” and “Black Mage” looks for Cloud and Tifa, respectively. These role names are a reference to classic “Jobs,” or classes given to party members in the Dragon Quest or even early Final Fantasy titles. The Black Mage in particular is an infamous position players could have in their Final Fantasy party back when the series was a traditional turn-based JRPG.
Given that the Black Mage was meant to be a high damage-dealing spellcaster, perhaps Tifa’s adoption of the role will give her a move set tied to increased MP to wield stronger Materia. This change from FF7 Rebirth may not be extremely substantial, but it does give a new angle to battles that prevents them from becoming straightforward. This mechanic allows you to diversity your party beyond just switching out characters, as now each character could have at least two to three play styles with their own strengths and weaknesses to contribute to the group.
Special Abilities Tied To Cosmetics Has Been Present In The FF7 Remake Series
The introduction of FITS is hardly surprising for the FF7 Remake series, as cosmetics have come with changes to player move lists ever since the first title sought to retell the original game’s legendary story. For example, in FF7 Remake, weapons you got for different characters would come with a new ability you could equip, such as Cloud’s Triple Slash being tied to the Iron Blade. In order to gain this move, you had to purchase or unlock the weapon, then use in battle long enough to “master” the Triple Slash ability.
Once you did that, you could have Triple Slash permanently unlocked for all weapons, allowing you to switch back to whichever one you preferred visually. Similarly, the FITS in FF7 Revelation aren’t strictly tied to one costume visually. Further gameplay details have revealed that players can use a FITS’ move set without equipping the unique look that typically comes with that role. So, Cloud could have his default costume as you play, but use the Warrior FITS move set rather than his standard “Freelancer” style.
Multiple Costumes From Past Games Might Have New Purposes Through Job Assignments
Using costumes to convey new move sets and “jobs” for characters gives Square Enix a unique opportunity to bring back some looks from FF7 Remake or Rebirth. Anything from Cloud’s disguise as a Shinra grunt soldier to Tifa’s swimsuit or Yuffie’s Moogle hoodie could be linked to special play styles. The Warrior and Black Mage looks for Cloud and Tifa are completely original costumes, so players can likely expect at least one brand-new look for each character in the game, maybe even for new faces too.
This change is hardly controversial in FF7 Revelation, as players are already responding well to the introduction of FITS. The correlation to the old-school Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest job systems adds a reverence to the franchise, while also giving players tons of freedom to build out and experiment with distinct party comps. Even though a job system might be the most traditional JRPG system out there, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation uses it to expand character gameplay possibilities, leading to exciting nuance for players to discover.
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