Final Fantasy VII Soon to be Re-released for PC

I think it goes without saying that one of the best role-playing games ever created is Final Fantasy VII, released in 1997 for the original PlayStation. The game had it all – a fantastic story, an interesting world, memorable characters, robust battle and character mechanics and enough on the side to keep you engrossed. While I have a hard time ranking VII above IV (US III), there’s no denying that VII was a masterpiece.

While PlayStation gamers have long had the option to relive the game via Sony’s PSN store, PC gamers have had to settle with emulation, or running the old PC version originally designed for Windows 98 (if it’s even possible without a virtual machine). Soon though, that’ll change. SQUARE ENIX has just announced the pending release of an upgraded Final Fantasy VII for the PC with a couple of added features.

Game engine-wise, there doesn’t appear to be any graphics engine upgrades, but we can hope that we’ll at least be able to run the game at modern resolutions. Features that are added include achievements (no surprise there), cloud saves (hah!) and… “Character Booster”. This one might be best quoted:

“Find yourself stuck on a difficult section or lacking the funds to buy that vital Phoenix Down? With the Character Booster you can increase your HP, MP and Gil levels to their maximum, all with the simple click of a button, leaving you to enjoy your adventure.“

Unless there’s a minor detail missing, that’s quite the cheat code if I’ve ever seen one. It seems like Character Booster might be used by those who’ve beaten the game a hundred times and simply want to coast through to relive it once again, but even so, that’s a strange addition.

No word on price yet, or specific availability, but I’m already confident this is one I’ll be picking up. Oh – and one important thing to note: the game will not be purchasable through Steam, Origin or any other popular digital delivery service. Instead, SQUARE ENIX will be exclusively selling it through its own store (apparently, it has one).