Various bits and pieces regarding Final Fantasy VII Remake have been dropped over the past few weeks as rabid fans are increasingly eager to get their hands on the remastered content of the most famous and beloved entry into the Final Fantasy world, but we finally have big news.  Final Fantasy VII Remake now has a playable demo that everyone can dive into immediately.

It’s only available on the PlayStation 4 (unlucky for everyone else) and can be found on the PlayStation Store for an immediate and free download.  The demo sees players charging through the first chapter of content, as it currently stands; blowing up the Mako Reactor 1 in the now legendary introductory sequence.

Progress can’t be saved from the demo over to the actual game, so feel free to do precisely what you’d like to.  Grind for as long as the demo will allow, level everyone up to ridiculous levels, and see how many times you can get a character killed.

It’s the first time as well that players will be able to experience the modernized combat which has finally gone away from the menu-based system that, while necessary when the system came out due to hardware limitations, has frankly grown a bit archaic in formula and delivery.

The demo isn’t a small size; it weighs in at 7.6GB (for a demo, what a time we live in), and more than scratches the itch to get your hands on precisely what Square Enix have been doing to Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockheart behind closed doors.

If you download the demo prior to May 11th, you will receive an exclusive theme for your PlayStation 4 from Square Enix; the theme will unlock on April 10th.

The demo itself will take players a little less than an hour to work their way through if they’re exploring every nook and cranny at the first Mako Reactor, and will introduce players not only to the reworked Cloud, but also franchise favorites Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie.  Plus there’s the matter of a man with a gun arm, the indomitable Barret Wallace.

While the vast majority of the demo is walking around and experiencing some battles during the mission, fans that have been paying close attention to the content trailers will know what boss they can expect to give them a run for their money at the close of the title: the frightening Scorpion Sentinel.  The Scorpion Sentinel has already been giving some players a run for their money based on various social media postings, so make sure you go into it well prepared for a gruesome battle.

It’s a first look for the remastered title and a beautiful one at that.  Anyone who bears concern in regards to the remaster would do well to poke their head in and explore the Mako Reactor just a bit before coming to their own decision.