With video games, sometimes it’s the little things. I love when games include a playtime clock in-game so you can see how much time you’ve spent playing. When I was reviewing Final Fantasy VII Remake, to ensure that my playtime was accurate, I would pause the game and then hit the PS button, which would stop the clock. I know, I tested it thoroughly because I didn’t want the clock running if I had to step away or stop playing for any reason. But I discovered that I didn’t actually need to do that. The Final Fantasy VII Remake playtime clock pauses itself when you are idle, at least in the menu
I discovered this while checking the game’s menus for a different article. While going back and forth between the game and writing, I noticed at one point that the playtime clock in the lower-left corner of the menu screen was greyed out and frozen. The moment I touched the thumbstick, the timer lit up again and started counting again. After some testing, I found that the clock will pause after three minutes of idle time if you don’t touch any inputs on the controller.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t carry over outside of the game’s menu. If you set down your controller to leave Cloud standing around idly with his hands on his hips and folding his arms, waiting for you to get back to help save the planet, the in-game timer keeps right on counting. If you want your playtime to be correct, make sure you tap the options button before setting down your controller.
A precise in-game playtime clock may be a small feature, but I know a lot of people that like to see that stat represented as accurately as possible, and it’s nice to know that your Final Fantasy VII Remake playtime is correct even if you have to rush away to deal with kids, pets, bring in groceries, or are otherwise distracted from the adventure. Games in the past have been notoriously bad about letting playtime clocks run even when you clearly aren’t playing the game. For those of us who want to know how much time we’ve spent actually playing Final Fantasy VII Remake—especially in the monumental task of 100% completion—this tiny detail gives us peace of mind.
