Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's new patch, out today, takes another stab at improving the graphical and frame rate aspects of the game.
Freshly announced, patch 1.020 improves the RPG sequel's frame rate and overall graphical stability while also improving overall game stability for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
The 'Sharp' and 'Soft' options have also been added to Rebirth's Performance Mode. Without further details on what these two new settings actually do in the Performance Mode, we're left guessing as to how they improve the game. It sounds as though it could have something to do with Rebirth's individual textures, which have been the subject of some criticism from players.
Graphics and performance complaints have dogged Rebirth since its demo launched early last month in February. Rebirth's demo had some fans in particular worrying about the game's graphics, as some images appeared blurry and a little muddy. Players were positive about the game's performance, though, from the demo.
Game director Naoki Hamaguchi even addressed players' criticisms of Rebirth's performance mode not long after launch. "We hear you and we are currently working on an update," Hamaguchi said at the time, speaking about Rebirth's muddy textures in the Performance Mode. This would be the patch that we're now seeing today.
This isn't the first time Rebirth's Performance Mode has been patched. Back in February, Square Enix announced that Rebirth's demo would receive a patch to improve the Performance Mode and that the improvements would be available in the full game at launch. The patch was specifically targeting improvements for the graphics quality in the performance mode, which is what we're seeing being patched here again today.