On June 5 at Summer Game Fest, director Naoki Hamaguchi appeared on stage to give us our first proper look at Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, the third and final instalment in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy.
However, we didn’t just get one trailer, we actually got two, as the initial reveal trailer was followed by a gameplay trailer that contained some extra clues about what to expect. It’s over seven minutes of footage total. Here’s what we’ve noticed so far.
Just be warned, if you haven’t played the original 1997 release of Final Fantasy 7, this article will contain a lot of spoilers, as the folks at Square Enix have very craftily hidden a lot of references and call backs in here for those who are already familiar with the plot.
Sephiroth Doesn’t Sound Like Himself
Alright, time to get the obvious one out of the way first; yes, Sephiroth doesn’t sound quite like himself in Revelation, and that’s because the One-Winged Angel won’t be voiced by Tyler Hoechlin in the final part of the FF7 remake trilogy.
Although Hoechlin voiced Sephiroth in both Remake and Rebirth, he’s not coming back to reprise his role for the third and final entry. Instead, Travis Willingham will be taking over, who confirmed the news in a post on X on June 6: “I’m absolutely honored to join the incredible cast of @finalfantasyvii & taking up the mantle of Sephiroth in this third installment. I know how important he is to so many, and I come at this with absolute respect & heart.”
At this stage, all we know is that a “scheduling conflict” is to blame for Hoechlin not returning, as confirmed in an interview by director Naoki Hamaguchi. It’s a shame, but I think Willingham will do a great job.
The Menu Portraits Are An OG FF7 Reference
This one is just a cute little detail, but I love it too much to not point it out. As hundreds of people online have already spotted, the in-game party member portraits in Revelation are all references to the same portraits from the original Final Fantasy 7.
The menu portraits in FF7 Revelation are referencing their OG portraits. Super cool!!! #FF7R pic.twitter.com/aPLzAAxv0R
— JB✏️ (@breikka) June 5, 2026
Some don’t match up perfectly, like how, for instance, Cid isn’t smoking in his Revelation portrait. Others, however, are one-to-one remakes, like Yuffie’s portrait. She looks batshit insane with that massive grin in Revelation, which is exactly how she looks in FF7. In fact she somehow looks even more unhinged in Revelation, if that’s even possible.
Dude, Where’s My Post-Aerith’s Death Snowboarding Minigame?
Aerith’s death was handled perfectly in both the 1997 release of Final Fantasy 7 and in the 2024 release of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, but there’s one way in which the original game still has the edge; the sombre scene is immediately followed by a snowboarding minigame.
If for any reason you’re not aware, Cloud goes full SSX Tricky mode down a snowy mountain mere minutes after Sephiroth kills Aeirth. I know the minigame has become a bit of a running joke among the fanbase, which is why I’ve been curious about how Revelation plans to handle this odd scene, given that Rebirth essentially ends with Aerith’s death.
Considering how it all currently lines up, that means Revelation should essentially open the snowboarding minigame… which is not featured in any of the trailers we’ve so far. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s removed, but I reckon it might be slightly toned down this time, as it was a weirdly rad and tubular experience in the original game.
The Party Is Partying Without Cloud
So, I know I already said there will be spoilers, but this a pretty big one, so avert your eyes for the next few paragraphs if you’ve not played the original Final Fantasy 7. Considering where we last left things in Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, fans should probably already know where we’re headed to at the start of Revelation; North Crater.
This is where Sephiroth ends up screwing with Cloud’s mind, after which Cloud will be booted out of the party for a good portion of Final Fantasy 7’s Disc 2. This is a pretty hefty segment of the game too, which sees Tifa and Cid leading the party while Cloud is out of action. There’s plenty of shots in the reveal trailer for Revelation, like the shot of the entire party standing on the Highwind without Cloud, and a team skydiving expedition which is, sadly, also without Cloud.
I think the trailers for Final Fantasy 7: Revelation have been assembled in a way that obfuscates this from those who haven’t played the OG game, but also simultaneously seems to be implying that Cloud will be absent from the party for an equally long amount of time.
Hey, it’s Wutai! And Cloud Is There!
Wutai is an odd location in the 1997 version of Final Fantasy 7, because it’s possible to visit the area without ever recruiting Yuffie. If, for whatever reason, you do things this way around, Wutai will basically be a pointless location to visit. With no Yuffie, there’s no quests, and none of the shopkeepers will sell you stuff either.
You can also visit the location without having access to Yuffie and Cloud at the same time, which is an equally pointless endeavour. Considering that Rebirth swapped a lot of Yuffie’s story around, I don’t think it’s possible to avoid recruiting her in Revelation, as you’ve already recruited her in Rebirth. However, although most of the Wutai scenes in the Revelation gameplay trailer don’t feature Cloud, he does briefly pop up in the background at least once.
Kinda makes me think that, much like in the original game, you might be able to mess around with the order in which you complete tasks in Revelation. This is all a very long winded build up to me saying that I hope this means we’ll still be able to get the secret scene where Tifa recruits Yuffie. That’s because I think it’s very funny that Yuffie’s nickname for Tifa in this scene is “Boobs.”
Sapphire Weapon Is Back, But Is It A Boss Fight This Time?
You remember Sapphire Weapon from the OG Final Fantasy 7? Don’t feel bad if you can’t, because, unlike every other Weapon in the original FF7, Sapphire Weapon can’t actually be fought. Spoiler alert: that’s because it gets its head blown off during a cutscene.
Sapphire Weapon has been a boss in other Final Fantasy games, but its heavy inclusion in the trailer for Revelation might imply that we’ll be able to fight it in an FF7 game for the first time. Either way, hopefully it’ll do a bit more with its limited screentime this time around, other than, y’know, dying and setting up the secret boss fight with Emerald Weapon.
Then again, I’m pretty sure that short scene at the end of the gameplay trailer is a remake of the same one where Sapphire Weapon gets shot in the face in FF7, so maybe not. Instead, perhaps they’ll turn into a minigame that lets you take control of Rufus Shinra, so you can 360-no-scope Sapphire Weapon yourself.
Vincent’s Limit Break Forms Have Unique Synergy Attacks
In the OG FF7, Vincent’s Limit Breaks work very differently to other characters, as Vincent’s allow him to transform into a handful of different creatures. In Revelation, it’s the same deal, as the gameplay trailer shows off Vincent’s Galian Beast form, which appears to be fully controllable (unlike in the OG FF7).
The real detail here, however, is that Vincent’s Limit Breaks seem to have unique Synergy attacks with other characters. I’m not sure if Synergy skills will work the same way as they did in Rebirth, as that allowed every character to unlock one with every other member of the party, but if they do…well, then let’s just say that means the devs are going to have to put in five times the effort where Vincent is concerned.
Yes, Final Fantasy 7: Revelation, We See The F.I.T.S.
If you’ve only watched the reveal trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, you will have missed a lot of context about the new “F.I.T.S” mechanic, as most of the info about the new system was contained within the gameplay trailer.
The “Function Integrated Tactical Suitwear” system appears to function like a job/class mechanic, in the sense that allows party members to alter their move sets by simply swapping outfits. The interesting thing to note from the gameplay trailer is that the F.I.T.S. don’t appear to alter your stats in any way, so you’re still going to want to seek out better equipment if you need to buff your attributes.
Another important thing to note is that while equipping F.I.T.S. appears to slap a unique skin over your party members, there is a “Change Outfit” prompt at the bottom of the screen in the gameplay trailer. Kind of implies to me that you could equip one of these F.I.T.S. and still alter your appearance, allowing you to use its move set without being locked into a specific look. Handy if that does prove to be the case, because Cloud looks like a dork in that Warrior outfit.
Has That Sephiroth And Cloud Scene Been Edited To Remove A Spoiler?
Alright, gonna be completely honest with you; I was not the first person to spot this, as several FF7 fans have already pointed out that one of the scenes in the gameplay reveal trailer for Revelation looks oddly reminiscent of a very pivotal scene in the original 1997 game. However, it almost appears as if it’s been ever so slightly altered to remove a pretty hefty spoiler.
At the 30 second mark in the gameplay trailer, you can see Cloud and Sephiroth standing strangely close to each other, to the point that it looks as if they’re suddenly allies. If you’ve played the original FF7, this might give you flashbacks to the scene where Sephiroth messes with Cloud’s head and gets him to willingly hand over the Black Materia at North Crater.
It even appears as if they hand something to each other in the scene from Revelation, except neither of them are holding anything. I think the fans are onto something here, and that the Black Materia has been edited out of the scene for the trailer, in a bid to shield first time FF7 fans from spoilers.
