After months of fans campaigning for them, Astro Bot has finally added FF7 protagonists Cloud and Sephiroth to the game. Players can now find the iconic Final Fantasy characters in the PlayStation platformer, following a free update.
‘FF7’ Cloud is Finally In ‘Astro Bot’
When Astro Bot launched in 2024, the platformer was praised for its clever celebration of PlayStation’s 30 years of gaming. However, one major title that was missing was Final Fantasy VII. In particular, players were surprised that FF7 protagonist Cloud was not represented in the game at all. This, of course, led players to petition both Square Enix and PlayStation to add him.
Thankfully, after a year of waiting, Cloud is finally available in Astro Bot. The FF7 character was silently added to the 2024 Game of the Year winner in a free update that went live on July 10. Players can now find both Cloud and his arch-nemesis Sephiroth by visiting Astro Bot’s new Vicious Void Galaxy levels. The wait was totally worth it, as developer Team Asobi went above and beyond to faithfully represent the beloved FF7 hero.
In a cool easter egg, Cloud will actually launch into his iconic Omnislasher attack if provoked. Japan enthusiast Genki demonstrated the neat feature in a video on X. After attacking the Astro Bot Cloud avatar, he eventually fights back using his signature Buster sword. I love how they included the 999 damage as well.
Other Square Enix characters also in the game now
As I mentioned earlier, the gaming community has been begging Team Asobi for the past year to add FF7’s Cloud to Astro Bot. So today’s update is a pretty big deal for RPG fans. However, players were also treated to additional Square Enix characters being included in the update as well.
First spotted by Genki on X, it appears that NieR: Automata protagonist 2B can also be found in the free update. As someone who loves the NieR franchise, this is one of the best surprises ever. Now if only we could get Emil in Astro Bot as well, then we’ll be really cooking!
It’s unclear why Cloud Strife wasn’t included in the original launch of Astro Bot. I mean, if you are going to celebrate PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, it’s criminal not to have FF7 represented. In fact, as a 90s kid, it was the first major game that got me into the PlayStation brand. So, if nothing else, this is a big win for Sony, as Astro Bot finally feels complete with the inclusion of Final Fantasy, which played a big role in their history.
The post ‘Astro Bot’ Finally Adds ‘FF7’ Cloud and Sephiroth In Free Update After Fans Begged For Them For Months appeared first on VICE.
