Bloody Hell, FF7 Remake's 'Easy Mode' Boosts Are Coming To PS5 & PC Too! (And Part 3's Cooking Nicely!)
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Square Enix is bringing Final Fantasy 7 Remake's handy 'Streamlined Progression' boosts to PS5 and PC via a future patch, not just new platforms, showing a commitment to player accessibility. Director Naoki Hamaguchi also reassured fans that Part 3 of the trilogy is well underway and shaping up beautifully, with clever multi-platform optimisation efforts in play.
Right, so you know that feeling when a new console rolls around, and you start bracing for all the cool new features to be locked behind a shiny new purchase? Yeah, me too, mate. For a hot minute there, it looked like Final Fantasy 7 Remake was playing that game with its fancy 'Streamlined Progression' boosts, initially announced for the shiny new Switch 2 and Xbox versions. But hold your chocobos, because Square Enix just pulled a bit of a digital rabbit out of a hat, confirming these handy dandy boosts are actually heading our way on PS5 and PC too, via a future patch! Bloody brilliant, if you ask me.
This nugget of good news, which Eurogamer's Ed Nightingale expertly unearthed from Square Enix themselves, means a whole lot more players will soon be able to tailor their journey through Midgar. And let's not forget another lovely little bonus: the PC version's enhanced lighting features are also making the leap to PS5. It’s like finding an extra potion in a chest you thought was empty – always a welcome surprise.
Now, what are we talking about here with 'Streamlined Progression'? If you've tinkered with the Pixel Remasters, you'll recognise the vibe. We're getting a new menu where you can toggle individual boosts: full HP, full MP, a topped-up Limit gauge, and even maximum damage dealt. Essentially, it's an 'easy mode' for those who just want to zip through the story without the grind. Director Naoki Hamaguchi himself chimed in on the 'why' of it all, saying, 'I feel that the way people enjoy content has become more flexible these days... people also want the same thing from games, with options to tailor the experience based on the time they have and their levels of interest.' And fair dinkum, I get it. We've all been there, right? Staring at a massive RPG, knowing you've got maybe an hour before real-life responsibilities zap you back to reality, wishing you could just bypass the level-up treadmill to get to the juicy narrative bits. Hamaguchi even admitted to his own experiences of giving up on games due to time constraints. So, while a part of me, the purist who loves grinding for XP, raises a gentle eyebrow, the other part – the one with a mountain of unplayed games and an ever-dwindling free schedule – is nodding along furiously. It’s a smart move to make the story more accessible, even if it feels a bit like using a cheat code that's now officially sanctioned.
But wait, there’s more than just boost buttons on Square Enix’s mind. There's been a fair bit of digital tea-leaf reading going on about the future of the FF7 Remake trilogy, especially with whispers (and some rather gloomy sales figures, bless 'em) suggesting each installment saw a bit of a dip. You know how it is – a few concerned murmurs turn into a full-blown online anxiety session about whether Part 3 would get the love and attention it truly deserves. Well, Hamaguchi-san is here to quell those fears like a perfectly executed Omnislash. He confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (that's Part 2, for those keeping score) is 'doing very well' on PS5 and PC in an interview with Automaton. And as for Part 3? He's gone on record, assuring fans, 'Development is going extremely well, and the game is shaping up nicely... A lot of the content is already playable, and the game's direction and form are firmly set in place. Right now, the team is united around refining everything.' That's not just corporate PR fluff, mate; that sounds like a team genuinely invested, not rushing things out the door. A proper, high-quality third installment, he promised. And honestly, I'm cautiously optimistic. It’s exactly the kind of reassuring magic we needed to hear.
Now, let’s talk about broadening horizons. The announcement that FF7 Remake (and the entire trilogy, eventually!) is heading to Switch 2 and Xbox next January isn't just about giving more players a chance to experience Cloud’s moody angst. It's also a savvy business move, no doubt aiming to inject a fresh dose of sales into the series, helping to counter any perceived decline. Hamaguchi even declared himself an Xbox fan in an interview with Windows Central, vowing to 'do my best to make sure that Square Enix can continue to reach a wider audience, including Xbox.' You gotta respect a director who's willing to get his hands dirty on multiple platforms, even if the Xbox Series S sometimes feels like a puzzle box designed by a mischievous imp.
He actually shed some light on that, saying the Series S's processing power was 'quite solid,' but the 'memory related' challenges were where the real wizardry was needed. They apparently cribbed some 'philosophies found in Nanite for Unreal Engine 5' and built their own ingenious solution for Unreal Engine 4, managing to deliver stable graphics and even snagging Steam Deck verification. Talk about clever observational skills – spotting a pattern in cutting-edge tech and adapting it to their existing spellbook. That's genuinely good news, showing they're not just porting, they're optimising, making sure the experience is solid for as many gamers as possible. Perhaps Part 3 will even get a simultaneous multiplatform release, which would be a fair dinkum treat.
Oh, and as a little bonus crumb of curiosity, FF16 producer Naoki Yoshida even hinted that *his* epic might also be making a jump to the Switch 2. It seems Square Enix is really embracing the idea of bringing their big hitters to more living rooms, which, frankly, is a breath of fresh air in an industry sometimes prone to console exclusivity wars.
So, what's the takeaway from all this digital blather? It seems Square Enix is, for the moment, listening to players, being smart about accessibility, and genuinely committed to finishing what they started with the FF7 Remake trilogy in style. While there’s always a part of me that remains gently skeptical of grand corporate pronouncements, the commitment to widely available progression boosts, the genuine reassurance about Part 3, and the clever tech solutions for multi-platform delivery paint a rather optimistic picture. It’s like they cast a 'Fix-It' spell, and it's actually working. For now, I'm just looking forward to zipping through the Sector 7 slums with max damage, then diving into Part 3 with full confidence. What happens if this sets a new standard for accessibility in big-budget RPGs? Now *that's* a thought for another day, mate. (Original source: Eurogamer, by Ed Nightingale, published Sept. 25, 2025)
Tags: Final Fantasy VII Remake, Gaming Updates, Square Enix, RPG, Console Gaming
Original article: Eurogamer