Skip to main content

Long read: How TikTok's most intriguing geolocator makes a story out of a game

Where in the world is Josemonkey?

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Midgar feels R.E.A.L. thanks to this new VR mod for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

Sink your Tifa into over 30 minutes of gameplay footage.

A FF7 cat in VR
Image credit: Forget Tifa, I'm at my happiest in VR when I get to meet a cat.

Flat screen to VR mods are easily the most exciting thing happening in the virtual reality gaming sphere right now and, thanks to a host of talented modders, they just keep on coming!

On this week's VR Corner, you can watch me try out Luke Ross' new R.E.A.L. VR mod for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and it's an absolute treat for the eyes! Honestly, if you though this game looked beautiful in 2D, just you wait until you see it in glorious 6DoF VR. It'll take your breath away!

In the video below, I make my way from the very start of the game, all the way through to the Shinra Reactor boss fight, the ruins of Sector 1, and finally to a meeting with Tifa in the Seventh Heaven bar.

Watch on YouTube

If you want to try out this mod for yourself, you can download it from Luke Ross' Patreon page right now and, if you're a fan of either VR or FF7, it's well worth the membership fee.

As with all of Luke's R.E.A.L. VR mods, this one uses Alternate Eye Rendering in order to produce the 3D image. This can sometimes result in a visual flicker, but this mod runs really well (a steady 80fps for me) and the action remained smooth for the majority of the time I played it.

The gameplay itself is experienced from a third person perspective, just like in flat, and there are no motion controls so you'll need to use keyboard and mouse or a controller if you want to play. This should be no problem for anyone who has played the Final Fantasy 7 Remake in the past and is familiar with the combat mechanics but the visuals can get rather busy and confusing during big battles and this may confuse newcomers.

If you have played the game before, I'd recommend crusing through it on Easy mode, just so you can spend the majority of time admiring the environments. Familiar sights like the train at the beginning and the towering Mako Reactor 1 look super impressive in VR but my favourite moment was when I entered the Sector 7 slums and was able to look up at the city plates hanging above me. It's no exaggeration to say that my jaw literally dropped at the sight of it all.

One thing I didn't do, but saw suggested on the Flatscreen to VR Modding Community Discord was to add the 4k texture pack mod to the game as well. I have no idea if this will affect the performance of the mod but according to the Discord, it makes the game look even better in VR than it already does!

Read this next