It’s pretty much the same in terms of story and content with no DLC forthcoming, but there are several new graphical options to put it over the console version. Here are 15 things you should know about the acclaimed RPG before picking it up on PC (which is currently discounted by 30 percent until launch).

Setting

Without getting into spoilers for the first part, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth ventures beyond Midgar into the wider world. From the quaint village of Kalm, players will navigate extensive plains, visit cities like Junon and Costa del Sol, and much more. Some locations from the original aren’t present in Rebirth, though they will appear in the third part. The same goes for Cid’s airship, the Highwind. Nevertheless, the world is teeming with side quests and secrets, including the usual towers to uncover neighboring activities.

Exploration and Traversal

While Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth does feature a fair number of linear areas, the larger open regions are arguably the main highlight. The size and scale of these locations are such that there are even different Chocobo types with unique movement abilities to help get around, from climb climbers to flyers. You even get a buggy at one point which can traverse all kinds of terrain.

Characters

Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, Aerith and Red XIII return from the first part, with new abilities and skills to their repertoires. This time, Red XIII is playable and packs Vengeance Mode, which improves his damage and speed while allowing him to leech health from enemies. Yuffie joins the party after appearing in Episode INTERmission and still carries over the ability to imbue weapons with different elements.

Finally, there’s Cait Sith, who’s skills change depending on whether he’s on his Moogle, and whose name you’ve probably been pronouncing wrong since the original Final Fantasy 7. Of course, there are other characters you’ll encounter, even though the likes of Vincent Valentine aren’t playable, but you’ll have to play it yourself.

Combat Improvements

Though it uses the same combat system as Remake with the ATB Gauge and Limit Breaks, Rebirth expands on it in numerous ways. You can acquire dual-type Materia to harness, say, two different elements on top of various other options. Folios are utilized to upgrade your character with SP and are the key to unlocking Synergy Abilities. New Summons like Phoenix, Bahamut Arisen, Titan, and more have also been added.

Synergy Abilities

You also have new Synergy Abilities, essentially team-ups between two party members. Depending on the current party, these can unleash powerful attacks that deal massive damage up close and at range (with a few defensive options also available). The best part is that they don’t require spending ATB bars, thus providing another resource to decimate enemies.

Mini-Games

If there’s one another pillar that defines the Rebirth experience, it’s the mini-games. Queen’s Blood is a standalone card game with its own side quest chain while Fort Condor offers some tower defense fun. The Junon Parade has also been expanded into something spectacular and the Gold Saucer is jam-packed with the likes of Galactic Saviors, G-Bike, 3D Brawler, and more. Do you need to ace them all? No, but they offer tons of additional fun regardless.

Nvidia DLSS and VRR Support

Nvidia DLSS is available out of the box for improved frame rates, which should also help those struggling with performance. The developer also confirmed that Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) is supported, which is a good thing given the higher frame rates.

Up to 4K and120 FPS support

For all its visual beauty on PS5 and even PS5 Pro, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s upper limit is 4K/60 FPS (and that resolution is achieved with PSSR’s upscaling). The PC version also supports resolutions up to 4K but it also offers frame rates up to 120 frames per second. Long story short, if you want to experience the RPG in the most visually pleasing way possible, the PC version looks to be the ticket.

Graphics Presets and Options

While the full range of graphics settings has yet to be revealed, there will be three presets: Low, Medium and High. Players can also adjust the background model level of detail and texture MIPmaps to enhance the visuals more. This should result in the PC version offering the highest level of graphical fidelity.

Lighting Improvements and Customizable On-Screen NPC Count

The developer touts lighting adjustments for the PC version alongside “significantly improved” light rendering. The results also apply to cutscenes, making them look even better than before. You can also customize the number of on-screen NPCs for further performance gains.

DualSense Support

Like many of Sony’s ports of first-party PS5 exclusives, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PC will support the DualSense controller. Furthermore, it features the same controls as on console, allowing fans of the console version to seamlessly translate their experience over to PC.

Keyboard and Mouse Support

Those who prefer to play on a mouse and keyboard are also in luck as Rebirth supports both on PC. Furthermore, you can remap them according to different activities with separate configurations for combat, mini-games and exploration.

Steam Deck Support

Having an experience like this on the go would be truly something. And while the developer hasn’t quite given it the “Steam Deck approved” label, it is “working diligently on optimizations” to ensure the Steam version is playable on the handheld.

PC Requirements

With everything that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth offers on PC, it’s no surprise that the requirements can be hefty, especially on the low end. To play at Low settings and 1080p/30 FPS, you need a Ryzen 5 1400 or Intel Core 14-8100, a Radeon RX 6600, Intel Arc 1580 or Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, and 16 GB of RAM. For Medium settings and 1080p/60 FPS, a Ryzen 5 5600, Ryzen 7 3700X, Core i7-8700, or Core i5-10400, a Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 2070, and 16 GB of RAM are necessary. It’s worth noting that playing at 4K on either Low or Medium requires a GPU with at least 12 GB VRAM.

As for High settings at 2160p/60 FPS, a Ryzen 7 5700X or Core i7-10700, a Radeon RX 7900 XTX or GeForce RTX 4080, and 16 GB RAM are needed. This time, a GPU with 16 GB VRAM or higher is required for playing in 4K. Windows 11 64-bit is mandatory for the Recommended and Ultra requirements, and if that wasn’t enough, you need a whopping 155 GB of installation space on a solid-state drive.

Playtime

Much has been made about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s extensive playtime – the developer revealed before the PS5 version’s launch that it had double the side content of Remake. Sure enough, HowLongToBeat reveals that the main story and extra content take about 91.5 hours on average to beat (with the main story only requiring 47.5 hours). And if you opt to complete everything? It could easily take about 167 hours.

Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler released in mid-July for the Nintendo Switch and despite being a retro-esque RPG where 2D sprites mingled with 3D environments, it provided a hefty 80 to 100 hours of content. Reports of the game’s stock being sold out in Japan indicated that it was a big success but Nintendo of Europe has now officially confirmed some numbers on Twitter.

It revealed that the game has shipped 1 million units worldwide, which includes downloads from the Nintendo eShop. The development team subsequently thanked fans for making this feat possible.

Octopath Traveler is fairly unconventional as far as role-playing games go. There are eight “travelers” to choose from, each with a unique ability and story to follow. It’s possible to play solo with each or to recruit all travelers to one’s cause. Strangely enough, only the main traveler’s story occupies the spotlight.

Regardless of these oddities, the game was praised for its aesthetic, world-building and combat. What are your thoughts on Octopath Traveler? Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks to your incredible support, #OCTOPATHTRAVELER has now shipped 1 million units globally, including #NintendoSwitch #eShop downloads. The developers at Square Enix would like to thank you for making this possible. pic.twitter.com/dSBRyPt8bl

— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) August 3, 2018

Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler has been very well received for the Nintendo Switch since launching on July 13th. It topped Media Create charts in Japan in its first week. In the UK, it nearly had double the sales of Bravely Default and earned the most revenue of any single-platform title for that week. Many critics have also praised the game, thus leading to an accolades trailer released for it. Check it out below.

Octopath Traveler has been on many RPG fans’ radars since its announcement in January 2017. Players will have eight different characters to choose from, each with their own unique abilities and adventures. It’s possible to play with just one character, or join up with the other characters for a full party. Praise for Octopath Traveler highlights the “2D-sprites-meets-3D-environments” aesthetic and the combat, as well as the overall world-building.

You can read GamingBolt’s own review for Octopath Traveler and see if it’s worth picking up. This won’t be the last Switch game from Square Enix Business Division 11, but they have also clarified that they’re working on non-Switch titles as well.

Despite being exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler has seen very good first week sales. In the UK, it debuted in third place and saw the highest revenue from a single platform game in that week. Meanwhile, in Japan, retailers are currently experiencing shortages for physical copies.

The situation got so bad that Square Enix took to Twitter and apologized for sold out stock at select retailers. It told fans that digital download cards were available at Lawson’s chain of stores. A rough translation of the tweet states, “We’re sorry for some out-of-stock shops on 3 consecutive holidays! You may consider download cards that are currently being sold for DL version at Lawson. #Octopath Traveler.”

The increased demand could also be due to Marine Day, a public holiday in Japan which resulted in a three day weekend. Regardless, despite actual numbers not being available (which this week’s Media Create charts should rectify soon enough), it’s good to see the game doing so well.

Octopath Traveler released on July 13th for the Nintendo Switch. It’s currently sitting at qn 84 Metascore with 35 critics in total weighing in. Though the fragmented nature of the story-telling has been criticized, the overall aesthetic, battle system and exploration have received praise.

３連休で一部品切れのお店が出ているようで申し訳ございません！
DL版や、ローソンさんで販売中のダウンロードカードもご検討いただければと思います！#オクトパストラベラー

— オクトパストラベラーII公式 (OCTOPATH TRAVELER II) (@OCTOPATH_PR) July 14, 2018

Square Enix’s latest role-playing game Octopath Traveler is out tomorrow, and it’s not your typical major release, especially given its exclusivity to Nintendo Switch. Developed by Acquire and Square Enix’s Business Division 11 (of Bravely Default fame), Octopath Traveler features eight protagonists with their own differing playstyles, venturing out into the world. Its unique aesthetic, combat system and world-building are receiving plenty of praise ahead of its release.

Business Division 11 head has already teased that several other Switch titles were in development. However, co-producer Masashi Takahashi recently revealed to Eurogamer that the division wouldn’t just be working on Switch titles.

“As you may know at first the team was just the Bravely Default team, it was just a development team and not a division. But because the game did well and sold well we became a special division. Yes, we worked on Octopath Traveler and we’re working on Switch titles, but that doesn’t mean we’re only working on Switch titles,” said Takahashi.

Takahashi famously stated that Octopath Traveler wouldn’t have DLC, shipping as a complete experience out of the gate. Speaking in further detail, he said, “We really want the first concept we sell at full price to be 100 per cent of the game so there won’t be any DLC in the future. As for Octopath as a series, it depends on the sales – if the players like the game it could be an opportunity, yes. But it’s still not out yet, so we’ll see!”

What could be next for Takahashi and Business Division 11? Given his comments about Octopath Traveler being an evolution of the mechanics in Final Fantasy 6, would he consider going back to the Final Fantasy franchise at some point?

Not only does Takahashi address this but also talks about requests to remake Final Fantasy 6 for the current generation. “To tell the truth I’ve no intention and no wish to go back to the Final Fantasy franchise,” he said. “After my studio became a division, and Square told us to make new IPs, there’s no need and no intention to go back to Final Fantasy.

“A lot of people ask us to do a remake of Final Fantasy 6 with this kind of graphics. My role, though, is to make new ideas. I hope that people who enjoy RPGs will grow up with their kids, and be able to pass that on.”

Will you be playing Octopath Traveler? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.