Square Enix released the iOS port of its classic genre-defining RPG, Final Fantasy VII, in August last year.
The port, which was released with new features not found in the original version of the game, appeared on Apple's App Store with a price tag of $15.99.
Final Fantasy VII fans on Android devices have been clamoring for Square Enix to release the port on Google's mobile platform. Almost a year after its iOS release, the wait is over, as the game can now be downloaded on the Google Play Store for the same price of $15.99.
Final Fantasy VII for Android will feature the same story and gameplay from the original game, which was released in 1997. The port, however, has been modified to work better with the touch controls of today's smartphones with an onscreen controller.
The new features found in the iOS port are also present in the Android version. One new feature gives gamers the option to turn off random encounters, which could be useful in dire situations but could also be geared for those who would just like to relive Final Fantasy VII's story.
Another new feature instantly maxes out the stats of all the player's characters, which is a cheat that will allow gamers to breeze through the game. Gamers should be careful in activating the cheat, however, as once it is turned on, there is no way to revert to the original stats of the characters.
Along with the Android port, Square Enix released a list of Android devices wherein the game has been tested to work properly. If a smartphone is not on the list, that does not necessarily mean that Final Fantasy VII will not work on it though.
However, Square Enix noted that there are still a couple of bugs that have not been solved, so that's something to keep in mind even when using one of the tested devices. The first bug prevents modes of transportation such as the buggy, the submarine and the airship from moving upon the player getting on or getting off them.
The bug depends on the timing of the action and the terrain wherein the action was made, but Square Enix said that the solution is to restart the game and load a saved file that was made before the bug happened. As such, frequent saving is recommended, and saving once the bug has happened should not be done.
A second bug is the fact that no automatic save will be made when the player decides to escape from a battle on the world map, even if the Auto Save feature is activated.
Final Fantasy VII for Android will require 4 GB of free space to initiate the download, and will take up 2 GB of space after installation. That is a lot of space, so gamers might have to delete or transfer files before starting the process.
Despite the massive space required and the bugs, gamers will still likely download the game for the nostalgia of once again playing one of the best titles the video game industry has ever seen.
