http://nerdist.com/final-fantasy-vii-ride-universal-studios-japan/

While the long-awaited remake of Final Fantasy VII is still on the horizon, fans of the franchise have something to look forward to in the near future. Universal Studios Japan has revealed that it is temporarily bringing a Final Fantasy ride to its theme park in early 2018. The first look at the attraction appears to be heavily inspired by the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children film, as Cloud Strife and his deadly rival, Sephiroth, engage in an aerial duel. But the female fan in this video doesn’t seem to be suitably freaked out by her face-to-face encounter with the iconic villain who inspired the “One-Winged Angel” theme.



Via Kotaku, the Final Fantasy XR Ride is essentially a redress of the VR-enabled roller coaster called Space Fantasy: The Ride. Final Fantasy XR Ride will make its debut on January 19, 2018 as part of Universal Studios Japan’s annual Cool Japan event. However, it will only be in the park until June 24, 2018, which is just a short six-month window for fans to experience the ride. The video offers a brief teaser of what gamers can expect, from the expanded world of Gaia to the beloved Chocobo birds. It’s not clear if the ride will only draw from Final Fantasy VII or if the other games and characters from the franchise will be used as well.

While this attraction will only be temporary, Universal Studios Japan is currently building a Nintendo-themed expansion that includes experiences based upon Super Mario and other iconic video game characters. Perhaps that may eventually lead to more games like Final Fantasy becoming fixtures of future theme park expansions in Japan. That’s certainly something we’d like to see in the U.S. as well!

What do you think about the first look at the Final Fantasy ride? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Universal Studios Japan/Square Enix