Final Fantasy VII begins rolling out to iPhone and iPad
New Zealand launch foretells likely release in UK, United States and elsewhere this week
One of the biggest announcements at E3 in June was surely that of a Final Fantasy VII remake, which has been requested since the PlayStation was replaced by the PS2. But there was another little tidbit lost in the hype: the original game was coming to mobile.
And now it’s here, at least in one early territory: the iPhone and iPad port of Final Fantasy VII launched overnight in New Zealand, which is a pretty reliable sign that it’ll be on the UK and U.S. App Store by the time tomorrow morning rolls around. New iOS apps and games often hit New Zealand first on their way to a global launch.
The role-playing juggernaut maintains its general form from 1997, albeit now with touch buttons and your choice of a fixed digital d-pad or an analogue stick that appears when you place your finger. It’s a 1.5GB download, but you’ll apparently need 4GB of free space to complete the installation process. And you might as well clear off some games, since Final Fantasy VII can easily keep you entertained for 50+ hours.
And the iOS version (which is based on the PC port; trailer above) comes with a couple new options to make the game friendlier for casual players and breezier play sessions. One option lets you disable random battles, letting you focus more on the adventure while still playing the bigger showdowns, while another gives you maxed-out character stats from the start so you can steamroll through every encounter.
Final Fantasy VII for iOS is priced at NZD$20, which comes out to nearly £8.50, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see a £10 price point on the actual UK release. It should pop up overnight, and if you’re waiting on the Android version, there’s no word on an imminent release, although a Play Store port is planned.
[Sources: Wired UK, Touch Arcade]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
