The long-awaitedFinal Fantasy 7 Remakehas lived up to its hype, bringing players back to the high tech, mako-energy fueled city of Midgar. To celebrate its successful release, Sony honored the title with its own modernized take on a classic piece of retro technology.
For many gamers, Square Enix’s originalFinal Fantasy7was an unforgettable introduction to the world’s most famous JRPG franchise. Upon its release for the original PlayStation in 1997, the title took the world by storm with its then-cutting edge graphics, novel materia-slotting magic system, and the epic scope of its story, which spanned three CDs at a time when most games fit on a single disc.
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The first part of theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakereleased for the PlayStation 4 this spring, modernized the game’s graphics, incorporated a new combat system, andadded many substantial narrative changes to theFF7formulato bring Cloud’s story to a new generation.
It is an apt tribute then, that Sony would honor the title with a modernized special edition of their classic portable media player, the Walkman. Originally a portable audio cassette player, the Walkman has been in continuous production since its release in 1979 in various incarnations, playing CDs, MP3s, and now, a fully digital model that accommodates both streaming services and music files. It is even more fitting given the fame ofFinal Fantasy 7’s musical score, andtheFF7 Remake’s emphasis on remixing those tracks, for better and worse.
Unfortunately for eager collectors, there is no word of a western release for this special edition Walkman. The media player also sold out almost immediately upon its release in Japan, and there is no word of a follow-up at this time. The demand is unsurprising given the game’s popularity, however.TheFinal Fantasy 7 Remakejust passed 5 million sales worldwide, giving Square Enix a financially successful year after a long rough patch.
Those who have never experienced aFinal Fantasy,or evenFinal Fantasy 7specifically, may find the hype curious.Xbox Game Pass recently released the original Final Fantasy 7 on the service, giving gamers a chance to see what the fuss is about. One may still wonder about the need for a digital media player in the age of smartphones, however. Nostalgic allure and the desire for limited collectibles are likely stronger pulls than raw utility.
Players who already started their adventures in Midgar may want to take advantage of another promotional deal that recently became free to all users.Butterfingers’Final Fantasy 7Remake DLC is now freely availablefor all players to download, featuring equipment that should make the fight against the evil Shinra Corporation a little easier.
TheFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis available now on PlayStation 4.
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