Beloved minigame Queen's Blood isn't just back for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3, it's bigger and better than ever

Queen's Blood. As we sail towards Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3, those two words have long been on the lips of every salivating JRPG fan. Introduced in FF7 Rebirth, the card-battling minigame earned a rightful spot alongside the likes of The Witcher 3's Gwent and Yakuza 0's cabaret management as a side activity so good it could support its own weight. While the team at Square Enix had previously suggested that it wanted the mode to return for the threequel, game director Naoki Hamaguchi now reveals that it's not just being tossed in as a bonus.

Queen's Blood was the easy winner among the myriad minigames stuffed into Rebirth - arguably too many, although Hamaguchi insists that the concluding act in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy won't be cut down to a shorter runtime. Indeed, speaking to Polygon, Hamaguchi stresses that we can expect plenty of side activities in the new entry, and that the tactical tabletop time-waster will be at the forefront. "Queen's Blood is a very popular and beloved minigame, and I believe a lot of people are still wanting something like that."

While it'd be simple enough to port it over largely as-is, Hamaguchi says the team wants to deal something a little more special. "I want to expand on Queen's Blood," he explains, "so we are enhancing it and giving you a more powered-up version of it when you see that third installment." Personally, I'm very excited - in fact, there's a quiet part of me that's hoping it's popularity could see it one day land Final Fantasy 14 to live in online perpetuity.

Hamaguchi notes that the third act of the FF7 trilogy is "coming along very smoothly" and that the team is "tracking on time for the milestones we have set." He adds, "I'm really thankful for the development team and I have so much respect for them working on this project. I believe that at this point the game is playable, technically, but we are still trying to polish it so it is at a quality where we can deliver it to our players."

If you're a fan of the original FF7, there's at least one more notable minigame you'll be wondering about - snowboarding. "This is something fans have really deep memories about," Hamaguchi acknowledges. "I'm afraid I can't delve too much into the details, but we understand that it's not going to be just a simple snowboarding minigame. We want to make sure that it's incorporated into the story to have that sort of connection with the theming of it." Given that it's been over a decade since we last had a new SSX game, I'll take what I can get.

Planning a replay of Rebirth ahead of FF7 Remake Part 3? Or preparing to go through for the first time? You might want to check out the massive upgrade that's arrived alongside its Switch 2 launch, which includes options for streamlined progression and assists that let you experience the story however you want, with plenty of ways to lower the barriers to entry.