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What are the gameplay and technical differences from the original, in the new online release of FF7 on Square's site?

  • I read that it uses cloud saves - are they compulsory, and does it need a net connection in that case? (if so, does it need to be always on?)
  • What about popular glitches or tricks in the game itself, do they still work the exact same as earlier, or have some of them been fixed (e.g. afk farming Midgard Zolom, one-time activation of Pandora's Box)
  • Any engine changes to allow higher resolution or AA for the graphics, or other cosmetic upgrades? (yes, I'm aware this is a re-release not a remaster)
  • Aeris or Aerith spelling in-game?
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The game requires Internet connection during the initial setup because of its DRM. After that, you can play offline if you wish. However, the way the game is programmed is that it always checks for connection and attempts to sync the save files to the cloud servers first. If it cannot find the connection, then it gives you the option to save locally.

It is a pain sometimes since a lot of times it would have problems connecting to their cloud server even though there is an internet connection. Many people have reported the "fail to sync" problem in game forums. Their cloud server is not very reliable for some reason.

The game still has a few bugs, but at least it does not crash on modern computers like the old one does (the old one runs on directx 5). The 3D graphics is cleaned up a bit and looks nice.

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  • The game does NOT require an internet connection. It has nothing to do with DRM, either. You can enter a completely bogus email address if you want to. You can also disable all online features (like cloud saving) in the options.
    – Django Reinhardt
    Mar 5, 2017 at 13:52
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I was thinking of buying this just to try the new features (since I still have my original PS discs). From what I can tell, the new things that are added are achievements, cloud saves, some kind of character editor, and some fixes to old bugs/glitches.

While looking on the forums earlier, someone did find a old bug inside the game involving the Save Crystal and the North Crater: Stuck in the Northern Crater on FF7 for PC

Here is a article passage involving the new features:

The Final Fantasy VII PC website teases several new features. The game will get unlockable achievements, "cloud" saves (hopefully the pun is intended) as well as something called Character Booster.

Character Booster will allow players to automatically max out their in-game health, experience and Gil (Final Fantasy cash, to the uninitiated) in order to cruise more easily through the game's legendary story. It's not clear if that will involve micropayments or not.

Cloud saves will let players save their games to Square Enix servers, so it can be continued on more than one home PC or laptop. This is not dissimilar to Valve's Steam Cloud on the Steam digital distribution platform, and comparable features on Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus.

Source: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-07/04/final-fantasy-vii-pc

Where to download(since I see people asking in other threads): Square-Enix Store - Final Fantasy 7 PC

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  • Heh I was reading about the North Crater question before I asked about the differences :). I know about the cloud saves, but want more info as I mentioned - like if its optional, or requires always-on net etc.
    – Alok
    Sep 14, 2012 at 19:54
  • I wish I could confirm on those :/ Sadly I don't have the game. I was just going off of articles and other stories I have seen about it. I would guess that the achievements save offline. I know you can share/showoff via Twitter/Facebook etc.
    – leety
    Sep 14, 2012 at 19:55
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There is NO DRM. It's frustrating to hear this nonsense repeated again and again. The online function is only used for cloud saves (and the "boost" cheat feature), and you can enter any email address you like, or just disable that feature.

The 2012 version features:

  • Original PSX music (much better than the terrible MIDI music of the 1998 release)
  • Higher quality FMVs (even higher than the original PSX version)
  • 36 Achievements are added to the game.
  • Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 are now supported.
  • Screen resolution options up to 1080p can be used.
  • Windowed mode is available.
  • A launcher is implemented that serves as a main menu before accessing the game. Here settings can be changed and data not stored in save files viewed (such as achievements).
  • Controls can be set from the launcher as well as in-game. The ability to change controls from the launcher means minigames and menus that use different control setups will still function with the user's chosen controls.
  • The translation remains the same as the original PC version, but a few corrections are made. These include correcting the list of Greens items in the Chocobo Farm to match the item names, and correcting controls.
  • A cloud saving feature allows files to be saved to the internet and synced to the web. This does not replace local saves.
  • A Character Booster available from the game's website allows the player to "boost" their save files.
  • Shaders are added to increase the quality and looks of models.
  • The Magic Defense bug is fixed.
  • Vincent's Water Altar bug is fixed.
  • The Secret Cow Level easter egg is added.
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