Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's combat "reached its perfected state" by embracing the series' "iconic" job system, says director

Cloud's story is a big part of the appeal of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, which will soon come to a close with Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, but to me its combat is just as exciting. Merging real-time action with tactical pause for initiating commands across your three-person party, you can be dishing out impressive combos one moment and then selecting just the right magic to spend your meter on the next. Just as FF7 Rebirth added in synergy attacks, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation adds even more depth with its FITS system.

FITS stands for Function Integrated Tactical Suitwear, meaning that Cloud Strife and the rest of the party weren't just rocking new costumes in the Summer Game Fest trailer simply to strut their stuff. This is a modernized take on job system that's been a crucial part of the series ever since the original Final Fantasy, with strategically swapping jobs becoming vital from Final Fantasy 3. FF7 Revelation isn't the first time job switching has been literalized by different outfits, as it underpinned the dress sphere system in Final Fantasy X-2. While FF7's party members always had their own fixed classes, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation allowing you to swap these around is a big change, and one I'm really excited about.

No job unfinished

"The job system is a pretty iconic factor of the Final Fantasy series as a whole," says Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi when we get the chance to catch up with him at Summer Game Fest in sunny LA. "In the early phases of development, myself and the combat director, Teruki Endo, were in discussions about how we can expand the combat system from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and the idea that we had is to just bring in this job system that resembles the previous FF entries."

Even outside of the storyline, which I'm loving as an original Final Fantasy 7 fan, there's a strong case to be made that the remake saga is one of the best Final Fantasy games on the strength of its combat alone – it already scratches the right itch for me as someone who is a fan of both Devil May Cry 5 and turn-based RPG games like Persona 5. As you progress and unlock new abilities, controlling even one party member like Tifa can feel like a character action game in its own right, so piloting three to bring the smackdown can feel immensely satisfying. Big bust ups can get complicated if you want to do them right, especially when it comes to optional fights.

That's also why the development team have had to be careful about implementing FITS into Final Fantasy 7 Revelation – and it's why you'll only be able to change the jobs of party members between battles. "The basic approach of the hybrid combat system in the FF7 Remake series is that you strategize by switching between your characters mid-combat, so if the players were able to also switch the FITS mid-combat, that might make it too complicated," says Hamaguchi.

The goal of the FITS job system is so that "players can customize their characters based on their personal preferences," he says. "For example, if you look at Cloud, traditionally he's probably seen as more of a warrior type job, where he fights at close range, he fights on the front lines, things like that. But with the FITS system, you can actually apply the Black Mage job to Cloud. By doing that Cloud can not only continue to fight at close range, but he can also attack with long range attacks with his magic too."

Allowing players to approach Final Fantasy 7 Revelation in their own way is a broader theme, as well. With an "even bigger open world map" than in Rebirth, players can airdrop into the "seamless" world from airship Highwind, obtained just "five to six hours" into the new RPG. While environments will have recommended levels, "there won't be anything physically blocking you" entering areas you want to explore, says Hamaguchi. Rather than suggested levels applying to whole regions, they'll be split up into smaller areas of level recommendation, so you can worm your way through some zones even at lower strength.

Similarly, though there is "a singular ending" to the RPG's story, "we wanted each player, each fan to have a unique experience as they head on to the final battle into the story," says Hamaguchi. It's about the journey as much as the destination, so the route you take through the game will create an adventure that feels like your own. "There will be some moments where players will be faced with choices, and based on the choices that they make, these specific moments where we see each character facing the final battle, and the story moments where it shows their resolve as they head into this final battle that determines the fate of the planet, that's going to change a bit between the players based on the choices that they made throughout the game," he says.

That loops right back into the combat, where the FITS system allows for deeper and more unique expression of each individual party member, and how you have them tackle battles. "We really wanted to focus on offering further customization and giving further expansion and depth to the individuality of each character," says Hamaguchi about FF7 Revelation's evolved combat system, no longer having certain party members lean into specifically tank or healer roles, for instance. With this new element of customization, "we're pretty confident that the hybrid battle system has reached its perfected state."

Though introduced in FF7 Rebirth, Vincent and Cid will both be properly playable characters this time around. Vincent is "actually one of my personal favorites to put into my party when I play the games," shares Hamaguchi. His fighting style has "similarities with Yuffie", he says, as "he can actually switch between close range attacks and long range attacks". With his iconic spear, engineer Cid plays like "an aerial version of Red XIII," he continues. "What that means is that there's a plethora of abilities that he can perform in the air against enemies, and that's where he really shines in combat."

Zack Fair, a SOLDIER vital to the backstory of Final Fantasy 7, was playable throughout brand new sequences in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, becoming vital in how that story played out. "We're taking it a step further in FF7 Revelation," teases Hamaguchi. Once again he'll be involved in the main story, but we don't get much information from the director at this stage. "We're pretty confident that all the Zack lovers are going to love what we have in store," he smiles. After all, having seen the menu already in some Final Fantasy 7 Revelation footage, I could almost swear there's room for one more party member to join Cloud's crew. Could Zack finally join up with the main squad instead of being siloed into his own journey?

I'm not getting anything more out of the development team yet, but what we've seen of the new RPG so far already has me incredibly excited. With a huge open world to explore, and a deeper version of a combat system that's propelled the series into being one of best ARPG games as far as I'm concerned, I can't wait to get my hands on this one and get some new combos together. All while making my party style icons with FITS, of course. It's time to slay – literally.

Join me for a bit of nostalgia as I count down my personal best Final Fantasy characters (and let me know if you agree)!