Earlier this week, modder dddd5 released the Shader Injector mod for the PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, addressing the flat lighting issues the game has had since its release and that remain one of the biggest visual issues of the second entry in the Remake series by Square Enix. Not content with having already competently addressed one of the biggest issues of the game, the Shader Injector mod is set to receive some significant improvements in the future, including bringing cutscene-like visual quality into regular gameplay via runtime API call interception.
"I am working on a major new update to the injector fortunately," the modder said on the OpenFF7R Discord server, clarifying how the tool bypasses standard limitations. "The shader searching steps will be eliminated completely. Literally drop in the mod (minus the fact you still need to delete shader cache) and it just works."
While by itself this is great news, especially for those less tech-savvy users who may have trouble installing and using the mod in its current state, it's the experimentation the modder is planning on conducting that holds the most promise. Using a modified experimental global illumination shader, the modder has essentially achieved cutscene-level quality for gameplay, which looks significantly better than even the current modified shaders.
Although some may not consider the development of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Shader Injector mod all that exciting even with the massive visual improvements it brings, as all eyes are on Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the simple existence of this mod is relevant for the third and final entry in the series as well. As we haven't seen much of the new entry in the series launching during Spring 2027, we do not know if Square Enix will bring some much needed lighting improvements to the game. As such, considering Final Fantasy VII Revelation will be powered by Unreal Engine 4 again, this mod could be easily ported over with much of the work done for the returning regions.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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