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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Chapter 17 Walkthrough: Deliverance From Chaos (Spoiler-Free)

We’re quickly nearing the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but there are more bosses to fight and secrets to find along the way as the story ramps up toward its conclusion. Our spoiler-free walkthrough can help you battle through everything Shinra has to throw at you as you approach the end of the game. Keep reading below to find strategies to beat every boss and find every secret.

Check out the rest of our Final Fantasy 7 Remake guides so you don’t miss a single secret or collectible. You can also read our FF7 Remake review.

Chapter 17 Walkthrough: Deliverance From Chaos

Make sure all four of your characters are outfitted with weapons and Materia before you leave Aerith’s room. Open the chest in the corner to grab the Reinforce Staff weapon for Aerith. As you follow Tifa and Aerith out of the room, be sure to check the cells on either side of the hallway for chests with an Enfeeblement Ring accessory and a phoenix down. There’s also a chest near the exit of this hallway with an ether.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Shudder’s Cursed Films: Season 1 Review

All five episodes of Cursed Films can be streamed on Shudder with a subscription (or free 7-day trial).

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Shudder’s new unscripted look at harrowing horror film productions, which were labeled as “cursed” by the media because of their genre (while PR wizards sometimes simultaneously exploited said rumors) is an engrossing dive into the some of the most famous on and off set tragedies to ever happen in cinema. Over five 30-minute episodes, the iconically ghoulish legacies of The Crow, Poltergeist, The Exorcist, The Omen, and Twilight Zone: The Movie are laid bare in stunning and intriguing fashion.

Now, even at a short episodic run time, not every film being showcased here contains enough conversation fodder to fill up a full chapter. This is where Cursed Films falls a little short. The series works best when we’re hearing from those who worked on the film or from those who study horror films today (Linda Blair, Richard Donner, Fangoria’s Phil Nobile Jr., film critic April Wolfe, etc) and focuses on the outlandishly taboo takes the press, both mainstream and tabloid, presented in order to assuage the public’s anxiety over coincidence and happenstance tied to these maligned movie sets.

Cursed Films even works well when that type of psychological coddling is probed more and experts are introduced who can explain why people think projects and objects can carry and nurture dark energy. The docuseries stumbles slightly though when it brings in black magicians and their ilk to explain how a “real” curse would work. Or to give their opinions on how Satan might have, in fact, been protecting these films. It’s here the the show, surprisingly, feels like it doesn’t have that much to say overall and is reaching out into the fringe aspects of YouTube for some clunky clock-watching.

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That said, the two episodes where the most metaphysical theorizing occurs, the installments about The Omen and Poltergeist, also happen to create an interesting back-to-back story. 1976’s The Omen, which featured a sinister story centered on the Antichrist, had a production that was surrounded on all sides, pre and post, by suspicious phenomenon and disturbing violence (including a freakin’ decapitation). With this episode, Cursed Films takes the most liberties with regards to the film possibly being an actual jinxed endeavor.

Then however, Poltergeist, which some fans enjoying thinking is a “cursed” franchise since two of its stars (including the famous poster girl, Heather O’Rourke) died off-screen over the course of three movies, represents a prime example of social psychosis working over time to try and make sense of the senseless. In fact, one of the best moments from Cursed Films comes from Poltergeist’s Special Make-Up Effects Artist, Craig Reardon, taking the cursed rumors (which often stemmed from the film’s use of real skeletons), and those who entertain them, to task because they’re an insult the two young actresses who died. The Omen chapter feels a touch loosey-goosey with reality while the Poltergeist episode is a harsh dressing down – almost a scolding to those who too easily endorse macabre myths.

Then there are the actual awful on-set deaths that occurred, infamously, during The Crow and Twilight Zone. These episodes are the true standouts of the series because of sheer shock-and-awe and devastating sadness. Brandon Lee’s death on the set of The Crow not only represented the apex of an already ill-fated film shoot but it got swept up in the whirlwind of conspiracies that surrounded his famous father’s demise two decades earlier.

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On the flip side, Twilight Zone’s terrible and calamitous helicopter accident that claimed three lives, two of which were young children (and – warning – the actual footage is shown), is an infuriating instance of a stunt gone wrong that just might not have an easy culprit to blame. Though, between Twilight Zone and The Exorcist, Cursed Films does examine the type of chaos a reckless “auteur” (like John Landis and/or William Friedkin) can invite to their set when caution is constantly thrown to the wind. To contrast the exploits of Landis’ notorious set, Troma Films’ Lloyd Kaufman is given a small spotlight as the example of someone who places everyone else’s safety and well-being far above the movies he’s making.

Cursed Films hits you from a lot of angles. You definitely get a panoramic, and cross-time, view of these films, though some expert opinions resonate better than others. Once you hear from a few of the people who were there though, and who were part of some of the tragedies, and watch them have to relive some of that agony, it makes the occultist “talking heads” seem more silly and reductive.

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Daily Deals: Save Big on Apple AirPods, XCOM Pre-Purchase and Xbox Game Pass

Today’s deals aim to save you some money on the technology and games that you’re eager to use. Grab a pair of AirPods for 10% off, or maybe a Dell gaming PC at discounted prices. In the mood for some games? Consider the Xbox Game Pass, a great service that gives you access to hundreds of games, currently on sale for a single dollar!

10% Off Apple AirPods Pro, Now $224.99

Add to cart to see this price

This is the lowest price ever, even lower than on Black Friday. These are truly wireless AirPods with built-in active noise cancellation and despite that that they actually have longer play time on a single charge than the vanilla AirPods. Other features include three sets of silicone tips for customized fit, a sweat and water resistant outer shell, and a wireless charging case that can provide an additional 24 hours of battery life.

1 Month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1 (Includes Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass)

May work for both NEW and EXPIRED accounts

This price is reserved for new and expired accounts. Game Pass Ultimate is basically Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass combined into one membership. You even get access to Game Pass for PC. Normally you’d be paying $14.99 for one month, but Amazon is offering an additional month for free. Game Pass gives you access to tons of high profile games like Kingdom Hearts 3, NBA 2K20, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Gears 5, Forza Horizon 3, The Outer Worlds, Grand Theft Auto 5, State of Decay, and more.

Out April 23: 54% Off Your XCOM: Chimera Squad Expansion Pre-Purchase, Now $9.20

This XCOM 2 expansion normally sells for $19.99 but you can save 54% off by pre-purchasing it through Green Man Gaming. It installs from the Steam client. XCOM Chimera Squad is a big DLC with a new storyline that takes place years after the end of the year. You also get new races with unique abilities at your disposal and new gameplay mechanics like interleaved turns, revamped tactical combat system, coordinated breach mode, and more.

New Alienware Aurora R9 AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT Gaming Desktop PC for $1044

Use code “LCS10OFF”

For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with the Intel vs AMD CPU war, AMD has been giving Intel a run for its money with its flagship processors. The new AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-core processor is comparable to the Intel Core i7-9700, both in terms of gaming and workstation performance. It’s paired with an RX 5700 XT video card, which is on par with the RTX 2070. If you want to upgrade the RAM or hard drive, I’d suggest doing it on your own. You’ll save money, and the Aurora R9 allows for toolless access without voiding your warranty.

Alienware Aurora R8 Intel Core i7-9700 RTX 2080 SUPER Gaming PC for $1359

Use code “LCS10OFF”

Use code “LCS10OFF”

This gaming PC boasts a 9th gen Intel Core i7 processor and the newest RTX 2080 SUPER video card. It’s about 10% more powerful than the non-SUPER model and considerably more powerful than the GTX 1080 Ti. If you want to upgrade the RAM and hard drive, I’d suggest doing it on your own to save money. Like the new R9 chassis, the R8 features easy toolless entry. Swapping components doesn’t void the warranty.

Alienware Aurora R8 Intel Core i7-9700 RTX 2080 SUPER Gaming PC with 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and 2TB HDD for $1503

Use code “LCS10OFF”

For those of you who would rather have a PC preinstalled with all the RAM and storage you’ll ever need, this model has 16GB RAM and dual drive storage for only $144 more.

Alienware m15 R2 15″ 1080p Intel Core i7-9750H RTX 2060 Gaming Laptop for $1349.99

Use code “LCS10OFF”

The “R2” is the latest redesign of the very well rated m15 laptop. It still weighs under 5 pounds (4.8lbs) and is a vast improvement over the older bulkier Alienware laptops of the past. The RTX 2060 is slightly faster than the previous GTX 1070 video card. This laptop is outfitted with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. I’d also recommend upgrading the monitor to a 144Hz 9ms capable panel if you plan to play FPS games.

Alienware m17 R1 17″ 1080p Intel Core i7-9750H RTX 2060 Gaming Laptop for $1349.99

Use code “LCS10OFF”

The m17 was the first Alienware 17″ laptop to weigh in at under 6 pounds (it’s about 5.8lbs). It’s already fully equipped out of the box with a 9th gen Intel Core i7 6-core processor, RTX 2060 graphics, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD.

Alienware m17 R1 17″ 1080p Intel Core i7-9750H RTX 2070 Gaming Laptop for $1619.99

Use code “LCS10OFF”

The model has been upgraded with dual 512GB of SSD storage (1TB total) and a more powerful RTX 2070 Max-Q video card. The RTX 2070 is almost as powerful as last year’s GTX 1080 (the previous mobile GPU champ) and will crush any game at 1080p. This is a good laptop to get if you plan on using it for VR or gaming on a higher res external monitor.

Dell Inspiron 15 5000 15″ 1080p Intel Core i7-1065G7 Intel Iris Plus Laptop for $675

Use code “50OFF699”

If gaming isn’t your primary reason for getting a PC then check this excellent deal out. This Iaptop weighs only 4 pounds (identical to the MacBook 15″) and is equipped with the newest 10 generation Intel Core i7 processor. You also get the Iris Plus onboard GPU, which is leagues better than the Intel UHD graphics and finally on par with the AMD Vega graphics. Rounding out the specs are 8GB of RAM and a generous 512GB SSD.

Free Sling Blue from 5pm to Midnight (Includes CNN, MSNBC, Food Network, HGTV, Cartoon Network)

The Sling Happy Hour promotion starts today! Sling Blue normally costs $30/month but everyone can enjoy it for free from 5pm to midnight. Keep up with live news from CNN, MSNBC, HLN, and Fox News. You’ll also get access to HGTV, Food Network, A&E, Bravo, TNT, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, The Discovery Channel, Nick Jr, and more.

The First IPS Monitor With 1ms and 240Hz and G-SYNC: Alienware AW2521HF 25″ 1080p Gaming Monitor for $384.99

This is a new monitor from Dell. The major upgrade for this one compared to last year’s model is the switch over from a TN panel to an IPS panel. In fact, this is the only IPS monitor that Dell makes that has 1ms response time and 240Hz refresh rate, specs that are normally reserved for TN panels. An IPS monitor is superior because it has wider viewing angles and better color.

This AMD FreeSync monitor is also certified NVIDIA “G-Sync Compatible”. That basically means people with GeForce cards can take advantage of the built-in adaptive sync capabilities of the monitor without paying an arm and a leg for a G-Sync monitor. it also futureproofs you, in case you want to swap over to an AMD video card.

Online Learning Course Bundles from Stack Social

Want to be more productive at home? Stack Social has plenty of practical courses that can kick start your career. For under $40 per bundle you get dozens of hours of online instruction in programming, game creation, video production, ethical hacking, and more… all from the safety of your home.

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey for PS4 are Free Starting 8pm PDT Tonight

Starting tonight at 8pm PDT and running through May 5, the PlayStation Store is offering The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey for free. The Nathan Drake Collection includes Uncharted 1, 2, and 3. Both games scored an “Amazing” 9/10 at IGN.

New Free PC Games at the Epic Games Store

ComiXology Free Trial Extended to 60 Days

This sponsored deal is brought to you by ComiXology

The ComiXology trial period is normally 30 days.  ComiXology is Amazon’s digital comic platform and is the largest digital retailer of American comics. The site hosts 20,000 digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and more. Here’s your chance to access all of it, totally free, for 30 60 days. If you’re an avid comic reader, you might want to consider continuing on afterwards, since it’s only $5.99/month. You can even sign in with your Amazon account.

3 Months of Amazon Music Unlimited for Free

This deal only works for new Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers, but you don’t have to be a Prime member. Normally you’d be paying $9.99/month for this service (or $7.99/mo for Prime members). Amazon Music Unlimited works alot like the paid ad-free versions of Spotify or Pandora. Get access to millions of songs and playlists that you can stream anywhere.

40% Off 3 Months of Audible Membership

Or 30-Day Free Trial for New Subscribers

An Audible membership normally costs $15 per month. With this deal you’re only paying $8.95 per month for the first 3 months The Audible membership gives you access to an extended audiobook library whenever and wherever you want (includes all Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Witcher books). Every month you also get one free audiobook of your choice and two free Audible Originals (which you keep forever even when your subscripion ends), and 30% off additional audiobook purchases.

If you have never signed up for Audible before, you can instead get a free 30-day trial and you’ll still get a free audiobook and Audible Originals to keep indefinitely.

New Licensed Castlevania Apparel at the IGN Store

Do you enjoy Netflix’s original Castlevania animated series? If so, the IGN Store has added a host of officially licensed Castlevania apparel. Sign up for our newsletter and get a 20% off coupon code. Alternatively, save 10% off using coupon code “igndeals10“.

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Best Materia You Can Easily Miss

Materia is one of the most important elements of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. These magical orbs of condensed mako are vital for making your characters stronger. Each one allows you to perform new attacks, improve your defences, or even summon mythical creatures to aid you in battle. All materia is useful, but some are more useful than others, and there’s plenty of good materia that’s not so easy to acquire. So let us be your guide to seven of the best materia you could easily miss in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

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Elemental

Elemental is one of the most useful support materia in the entire game. Linking it to a magic materia will cause your attacks to deal damage of that type, as well as protect you from that element. For example, if you’re battling enemies weak to fire, then slotting Elemental with Fire materia will make each of your regular attacks deal extra fire damage, and you’ll take less fire damage yourself. Leveling up the materia buffs the amount of damage you deal, and even prevents or absorbs that element when it’s used against you. If you need to know what an enemy is weak to, be sure to use Assess materia to scan them and discover what you should slot with Elemental.

There are two Elemental materia orbs in the entire game, and you’ll definitely want both. The first can be found in Chapter 6 when the party is turning off the Sun Lamps above the slums. If you’re not sure how to get there, be sure to check out our Final Fantasy 7 Remake walkthrough. In Section H of the Plate Interior you’ll find a ladder near some containers. Climb down it to reach an area with two Queen Grashstrikes. Defeat them and then use the control panel to lower a walkway which allows you to cross the gap to the next area. This is where you’ll find your first piece of Elemental materia, indicated by a purple Discovery marker.

The second piece of Elemental can be found at the end of Chapter 14, just before you go over the wall and ascend to the Shinra HQ. It’s attached to a letter from the Guardian Angel, found in the Urban Advancement District of Wall Market, but you need to have completed every single side quest in the game for the letter to appear.

Magnify

Magnify turns a linked magic materia into an area-of-effect spell, and may be better known to Final Fantasy 7 veterans as All materia. Linking it to cure, for example, allows a single cast of the spell to affect all party members in range, allowing for a mass heal. Magnify inflicts a penalty on the effectiveness of the linked materia, but leveling it up reduces the restriction. If you’re struggling with a boss and need regular mass cures, then linking Magnify with Healing materia on a character that also has ATB Boost materia can ensure heals come much faster.

There is just one piece of Magnify materia in the whole game, and it can be found in the Collapsed Expressway. It’s located in the area of the third mechanical arms puzzle, just in the rim of a large pipe. It’s actually easy to spot, but unless you take the time to rearrange the crates to allow Aerith to cross to it, it’s easy to speed on past it. Yes, the arms are a rubbish puzzle, but it’s worth doing a little extra work to get this materia.

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EXP Up

Levelling up is the foundation of making your characters stronger, and you need to earn experience points to do it. As such, you’ll definitely want to get hold of EXP Up, a materia orb that increases a character’s earned experience by 100%. That’s double XP!

This materia can be earned as a reward for completing the Three-Person Team vs Team Ragbar fight in the Shinra HQ Combat Simulator. This can be accessed during Chapter 16, or if you miss it, you can use the Simulator in Chapter 17 after you get the Chapter Select option.

Pedometer / AP Up

At the start of Chapter 14 you will basically trip over a piece of purple materia by the steps as you leave Aerith’s house. This is Pedometer materia, which at first glance seems entirely useless. However, you should slot it to a character immediately, as after you have taken 5,000 steps it will transform into the incredibly useful AP Up materia.

Linking AP Up to any other materia will double the rate at which it gains Ability Points, which are used to level materia up. This is incredibly useful for fast tracking Chadley’s 18th Battle Intel Report, which requires you to max out every piece of magic materia in the game. We also recommend using it to boost your Auto-Cure materia, as when levelled up this will allow ten healing spells to be automatically cast per battle, something that’s super useful in long boss fights.

Warding

Status effects can be a big problem in battles; getting poisoned, slowed, or silenced can entirely ruin your strategy. Warding materia helps reduce or even nullify these debuffs. Just slot it with poison, time, binding, or subversion materia for extra protection from that magic.

There are two orbs of Warding to be found in Midgar. The first is in the Aquaduct area of the Sector 7 sewers, which you explore during Chapter 10. Just before you exit the stone tunnels of Aqueduct 1 to get to the Inter-Aqueduct Passage, if you head south you’ll find an area with some metal bars and assorted junk. On top of a crate you’ll see an orb of blue Warding materia.

The second piece can be found in Chapter 13, while exploring the Underground Test Site. After reuniting with Tifa you’ll soon find a room full of cages. Head up some stairs and use Barret’s gun to blow the door off the cage on your right. Inside you’ll find a Warding materia orb.

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Chocobo & Moogle

Chocobo & Moogle is a summon materia, which calls in powerful creatures to help you turn the tide of boss battles. In this case, that creature is literally a Chocobo with a Moogle on its back. If you’re a veteran of the original game, you’ll know this better as Chocomog.

You almost certainly won’t miss seeing this materia, as Tifa literally points it out to you in Chapter 6. Getting to it, however, is trickier, as it is stuck behind a fan vent in the mid-level of the Underplate. Remember this location, as you’ll need to come back when you’ve reactivated the power by turning off the Sun Lamps.

With the power on, you can activate a platform to travel west towards a ladder, which will take you up to a room containing a rest bench and vending machine. A panel here will activate a one-minute timer. In just 60 seconds you’ll need to go into the next room, kill the Grashstrike enemies, and then activate the next terminal. This unlocks a door to the maintenance tunnel, where you can pick up the red summoning Materia.

Bahamut

The strongest summon in the game is Bahamut; a huge dragon that casts the powerful Megaflare ability to decimate your enemies. As you’d imagine for something so powerful, you’ll need to put in a lot of work to get it. Unlocking Bahamut requires you to complete 19 of Chadley’s Battle Intel Reports, which unlocks the final, 20th challenge: a fight against the dragon itself. Defeat Bahamut, and the summon materia is yours.

Bahamut is a tough fight, so you’ll want to make sure you use your strongest characters. If your characters are too weak, the Megaflare attack will KO your entire team. You can get around this by equipping Revival Earrings, which will automatically resurrect your characters. They break after one use, so you’ll need to defeat him before he casts Megaflare a second time. Bahamut prepares a countdown before it casts Megaflare, which gives you time to use every ability and Limit Break you have. Stagger it, and you’ll stop it from casting its most devastating attack.

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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

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Call Of Duty Mobile Isn’t Joking Around With Cheaters

Call of Duty Mobile has continued to evolve and morph since it launched last year, and in its latest community update, the development team addressed free-for-all mode’s removal and took aim at cheaters who could ruin the experience for everyone else. The team’s policy is clear: If you cheat, you will be banned.

Writing in the game’s official Reddit community page, the development team said it has received several reports of cheating over the past few weeks and they have resulted in “enforcement.”

“We don’t want cheaters in our game, and we don’t want them ruining your experience, manipulating our systems, and destroying the balance of the game,” the team said. “If we see cheating we will enforce on it with our [Call of Duty Mobile] Security & Enforcement Policy in mind.”

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Best Venom Comics and Graphic Novels on ComiXology Unlimited

If you’re looking to read the greatest stories featuring Spider-Man nemesis Venom that are available on ComiXology Unlimited, then you’re in the right place. The digital comics subscription service offers over 25,000 comics for a monthly fee (and as of this writing, you get the first 60 days free when you sign up for ComiXology Unlimited), so we’ve combed through the offerings to find the very best Venom comics and graphic novels for you to sink your eyeballs into.

Venom is a tricky character to get right, which is why there are not as many top tier Venom stories as there are for characters like Batman. (Speaking of Batman, here are the best comics on ComiXology Unlimited featuring the Dark Knight.) But when a creative team truly cracks what makes the duality of the man/symbiote relationship so fascinating, and pits them against villains that provide both a physical and philosophical challenge, all while maintaining the character’s anti-hero vibe, the result is always something unforgettable… and a little disturbing, in just the right way.

These are those stories.

Spider-Man: Birth of Venom

1

By various artists and writers

This is the one to read for the classic origin story of the symbiote, Spider-Man in his black costume, and the first appearance of Venom proper. The story began in the Secret Wars crossover event, where Spider-Man found a strange new black costume, and spread across several different Spidey titles, eventually leading to the creation of what would become a toothy, slobbering Marvel Comics icon. The various plot threads are all collected here to tell one singular story. Take yourself back to a time when nobody knew what the black costume would become and enjoy watching the characters explore its mysteries and dangers for the first time.

Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 6: Venom

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By Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley

Venom has been around so long that we’ve seen many takes on his origin. The one in Ultimate Spider-Man is especially interesting because it throws out the whole alien host aspect in favor of creating a more personal tale between Peter Parker and Eddie Brock. In this modern reboot known as the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the symbiote was a cure for cancer created by Peter and Eddie’s fathers. As they discover the shared work of their parents, the story shows the two young men form a bond, only for the experimental symbiote to create a rift between them when it becomes a waking nightmare. It’s an emotionally rich tale that mines the symbiote for all the horror and drama it’s worth.

Marvel Knights Spider-Man Vol. 2: Venomous

3

By Mark Millar, Frank Cho and Terry Dodson

While this is the middle chapter in a three-part Marvel Knights Spider-Man arc, it’s something any dedicated Venom reader will want to pick up. (Although, Mark Millar’s full Marvel Knights Spider-Man story is available on ComiXology Unlimited if you want to read it.) This story is notable for doing something a little different with the symbiote, including starting the trend of the symbiote switching hosts to someone other than Eddie Brock, so if you feel like you already know the Venom basics and want to be kept on your toes, this one’s for you.

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Venom By Rick Remender

4

By Rick Remender and various artists

Speaking of swapping hosts, Rick Remender’s saga starring Flash Thompson in the symbiote is hands down the best Venom story ever told. ComiXology Unlimited offers the complete run spread across two volumes for your reading pleasure, and they’re some of the hardest hitting comics around. The US government is in control of the symbiote and they offer disabled veteran (and old pal of Peter Parker) Flash Thompson the chance to get back in action by bonding with it to become Agent Venom. It may sound like a cheesy ‘90s gimmick, and in a way it kind of is, but watching Flash battle his personal demons while dealing with an actual space-demon that encourages his worst behavior makes for one hell of a comic book.

Venom by Donny Cates Vol. 1 and 2

5

By Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman

While Remender’s Venom is more grounded with its espionage angle, Donny Cates goes in the opposite direction. His Venom run embraces the cosmic aspect of the character to weave a new mythology for the symbiote that is grand in scale… and actually pretty confusing if you think about it too much. But the story moves from one bonkers beat to another so fast that it’s best to enjoy it like you would a wild roller coaster ride.

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To get even more out of your ComiXology Unlimited account, check out these longer comics perfect for binging:

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Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

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Final Fantasy 13 Staggered So FF7 Remake Could Run

Final Fantasy VII Remake is getting some deserved praise and attention, both as a recreation of a beloved classic and as a finely constructed series entry on its own. It stays true to the source, yet boldly diverges from the 1997 original to enrich what was just a portion of the overall story. Since I suspect FFVII Remake is wrangling many folks who were either lapsed fans or are newcomers, you may not be aware that its influences in gameplay flow and systems can be traced back to another Final Fantasy that dared to be radically different.

So, let me tell you all about Final Fantasy XIII. It’s one of the more divisive entries for sure, but I’ve found good reason to give it a closer look and put my current playthrough to good use–in playing both games side-by-side, the parallels between the two become quite clear. From the stagger mechanic that makes combat click to the controlled pace of linear sections, FFVII Remake borrows from FFXIII when it needs to most.

Staggering Similarity

Staggering enemies was introduced to the series in FFXIII as a way to incentivize tactical considerations outside of simply hitting elemental weaknesses and managing party roles. As you pile attacks onto an enemy, their “chain Bonus” bar fills (also a multiplier for damage). Once it’s filled, the enemy is then staggered and takes on significantly more damage for as long as the stagger state is active. Some attacks, or combination thereof, contribute more to the chain bonus bar, but once the stagger is in effect, the game encourages you to command the party to take advantage and lay an increasingly hefty smackdown. However, enemies don’t freeze or stun when staggered, they continue attacking. So while sheer aggression might be best, you can’t completely forget about party preservation. This system gives you something to strive for and exploit in battle, and it’s imperative to learn, otherwise you’ll struggle to defeat mid-to-high-tier enemies.

Continue Reading at GameSpot