Final Fantasy VII fans were jazzed to see Red XIII make his appearance towards the end of part one of the remake, though the disappointment of not being able to play as him hit quick. Players could direct him in the first part of the game but couldn’t assume total control like with other party members, and while that will change in the next entry in the Remake saga, there is a workaround that lets players play as Red XIII in Final Fantasy VII Remake part 1! Here’s what you need to know. 

How to play as Red XIII in Final Fantasy VII Remake 

The trick? A save game file editor! For this one, there is a save game file editor by Xeeynamao that is an updated version of his Kingdom Hearts one. This program will let players change and alter decrypted saves from the game, which makes tampering with Materia, character levels, and much more now an easy possibility. 

Yep Red XIII is playable via save editing pic.twitter.com/9eoacm2VsA

— James (@MP1stLara) April 22, 2020

But it’s not just inventory adjustments that can be made with this save editor, it’s also party loadouts and capabilities! While Red XIII isn’t a playable character organically for the first part, this program makes him a playable character to the delight of many. By using this save editor, players can edit Red into their party but be warned, it’s not going to go the way you want him to go.

Since him being a playable character won’t happen until the next part in the more traditional sense, he doesn’t work quite the way he would if he were created to be playable. As seen in the video above, he doesn’t have a special moveset assigned to him and his animations are clunky at best. Still, there are some hardcore Red XIII fans out there, for good reason, so the chance to play as him before his time might be too good to pass up over technical limitations. Even if he does miraculously disappear during cut scenes because … well, he’s not supposed to be there. 

For those aching for more Red memories, the team over at Square Enix previously mentioned that they didn’t want to make him playable in the first part due to the fact that he wasn’t introduced into the game until super late, therefore it didn’t make a lot of sense to the devs to make him a fully fleshed out playable party member. That being said, he’s now fully introduced and he’ll be ready to party when the second game releases sometime in the future, though we don’t have a release window at this time. 

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What do you think about Red XIII being a playable member in Final Fantasy VII Remake part I? Do you agree with Square’s decision to wait until his full participation until the next part of the game? Sound off with your thoughts over on Twitter @PrimaGames, and be sure to also check out our game hub here for tons of guides, tips, news, and even some incredible cosplay!