Final Fantasy VII Revelation preview: Diving into the Whirlwind Maze to face Sephiroth

The road to the trilogy's end

The Remake Project that began with Final Fantasy VII Remake and continued through Final Fantasy VII Rebirth reaches its conclusion with Final Fantasy VII Revelation, which launches exclusively on PlayStation 5 on April 8, 2027.

At Tokyo Game Show 2026, attendees got the first playable look at the PS5 title through a combat-focused demo drawn from the main story. Set in the Whirlwind Maze, the demo opened with airship pilot Cid joining Cloud and the party — eight members in total — as they head toward the maze where Sephiroth awaits. (Note for newcomers: the section below covers late-game story beats from the original 1997 game and this demo's boss encounter.)

The Whirlwind Maze: parkour and black robes

Traversal in the maze leans on the trilogy's established movement systems: Cloud shimmies along cliff faces and vaults over ledges with parkour-style movement. The field itself carries an eerie mood — winds howl across the cliffs, aurora-like ribbons of light cut through the darkness, and black-robed figures linger along the path. Deeper inside, tougher enemies like Dragon Riders and Gigas block the way.

Vincent: human gunman, beast brawler

Vincent is one of two newly playable characters, and he fights with two distinct modes:

• Human form: Gunfire via the Square button (no manual aiming needed) paired with Triangle-button abilities. Landing consecutive firearm attacks evolves his unique abilities in a chain — Blood Moon, then Execration, then Retribution — with power scaling to hit count.
• Monster form: Hold R1 to transform. Vincent moves on all fours, slashing with claws, and holding Triangle while transformed staggers enemies faster.

The transformation has no time limit, but a Chaos level rises the longer he stays in beast form, cutting into his maximum HP. Timing switches between forms against different enemy types is where his depth lies.

Cid: spear combat in the air

Cid excels at airborne combat. Chaining Square-button attacks and pressing Square again at the exact moment he's cloaked in a blue aura triggers derivative attacks like Dragon Spin, Hyper Dive, and Ground Pound. His long spear's reach makes him effective at sweeping groups.

His Triangle button fires Target Spear, chargeable to launch up to five spears at once. Pinning enemies with spears then empowers abilities like Skydive and Burst Spiral — a pin-then-punish loop that adds a tactical layer.

The FITS System: four outfits, four playstyles

New to Revelation is the FITS (Function-Integrated Tactical Suitwear) system. Choosing among four FITS — Warrior, Knight, Black Mage, and Summoner — unlocks different capabilities based on the equipped uniform.

In the demo, Cloud started with the Summoner FITS. Selecting a FITS from the command menu during combat summons Ifrit, Shiva, Titan, and other beings to fight alongside the party for a limited duration. Selecting the FITS again while a summon is active unleashes Pledge Roar, a high-damage attack that drains HP — major power, but with real risk attached.

The Jenova Death boss fight

Toward the end of the demo, Sephiroth appears, leading into a battle against Jenova Death. The creature debuted in the original Final Fantasy VII and returns here with a sinister redesign built around an unsettling spiky body.

The fight has two distinct phases. Jenova Death opens with wide-area Fire attacks — fireballs and scorching gusts — that demand dodges or guards to avoid heavy party damage. Midway through, tentacles sprout and shield the main body until each is destroyed; as the fight drags on, the tentacles begin spewing fire like flamethrowers. In our session, combining Synergy Abilities with Limit Breaks was what finally brought the colossal boss down.

Where things stand

With the trilogy's final chapter now playable in public demo form, the remaining question is how the full game expands beyond this slice — but the pieces shown at TGS 2026, from Vincent and Cid's contrasting kits to the FITS system, suggest a noticeably different combat identity from its two predecessors. Final Fantasy VII Revelation arrives on PS5 on April 8, 2027.