While hard mode does provide an extra layer of difficulty to the game, Final Fantasy VII Remake comes up a little short in terms of truly challenging content. Well, at least when compared to some of the other entries in the series, that is. The best that it has to offer are the Shinra Combat Simulator challenges, the hardest of which is the vs. Top Secret challenge which is unlocked after completing all of the other Simulator challenges as well as those found at the Corneo Colosseum.

The six enemies that players will need to defeat to complete the vs. Top Secrets challenge in Final Fantasy VII Remake

It pits players against six of the game's toughest enemies with the final one being the Pride and Joy Prototype. Bizarrely, the battle against Bahamut and Ifrit just before it is considerably more difficult although a lack of MP can cause problems if players overuse their magic during the first four battles. It's definitely worth your time though as the Gotterdammerung you'll get as a reward is easily the best accessory in the game and can make your hard mode playthrough considerably easier.

Setup

Aerith, Cloud and Barret prepare to battle the Pride and Joy prototype in Final Fantasy VII Remake

There are a number of viable strategies for completing the challenge, although the majority of them include having Aerith in the party due to her high magic stats and useful abilities. Whoever you take with her is up to you, although Barret can be incredibly useful when it comes to dealing with Leviathan so benching either Cloud or Tifa is your best bet for a successful run. If your playstyle centers around building the stagger percentage, Tifa will probably prove to be more useful than Cloud, although cautious players may prefer to take him instead.

It can be very tempting to pair an orb of Elemental materia with an orb of Ice materia in Cloud or Tifa's armor to completely nullify Shiva, although this is a bit of a waste as none of the other enemies attack using ice. It's better to instead pair it with Fire as this will not only be useful in the battle with Ifrit and Bahamut but also the one with the Pride and Joy Prototype immediately after it. If you have already gotten your hands on the second orb of elemental materia you could defend against both elements to make life a little easier.

Recommended weapons for the vs. Top Secrets challenge in Final Fantasy VII Remake

You're going to want to use weapons with the Reprieve ability as a precaution, so that means the Twin Stinger for Cloud, the Light Machine Gun for Barret, Purple Pain for Tifa and the Reinforced Staff for Aerith. It's also worth equipping your party with Revival Earrings as an extra safety net as you'll potentially be facing multiple attacks that can one-hit KO your entire party if you're unable to stagger enemies fast enough. Just remember that these earrings break after being used and so will need to be replaced if you end up requiring more than one attempt at the challenge.

As far as materia goes, use HP Up materia to get everybody's HP above 6,500 and be sure to give everybody orbs of Revive, Cure, Fire and Ice materia. Pair Aerith's Cure materia with Magnify so that you can fully heal the whole party with one cast and give her an orb or two of Magic Up and a Lightning materia as well. If you opt to take Tifa instead of Cloud, consider giving her Time and Barrier materia instead of Fire and Ice as she's incapable of dishing out too much magic damage anyway. Pair Fire and Elemental materia in Cloud or Tifa's armor and if you have a second set consider defending against Ice as well.

Strategy

Shiva

Shiva in Final Fantasy VII Remake

If you opted to go with an Ice/Elemental combo on your physical attacker and you've taken the time to max out the Elemental materia you can take Shiva down very easily. All of her attacks will heal you meaning that you can punch/slash away while periodically casting Fire attacks with Aerith and Barret. Try not to do so too often though as you'll need your MP later on.

If you don't have resistance to Ice attacks, you'll need to rely mainly on magic, so use Aerith's Arcane Ward ability and rotate through your party double casting Firaga to build Shiva's stagger bar. You'll want to go at a fairly brisk pace here as after she casts Diamond Dust she'll start to hit you with some powerful magic and you won't last too much longer. With that in mind, if you gave Tifa Time materia, use it here to speed up the other two party members.

Fat Chocobo

Fat Chocobo in Final Fantasy VII Remake

This battle should be fairly straightforward for those who know what they're doing but be sure to take out the additional enemies as soon as they spawn in. If you're using him, Cloud's Triple Slash ability can be particularly useful in this regard although they don't have a lot of HP meaning anyone can take them down fairly easily. Hit Fat Chocobo hard while he's staggered and try to get behind him as often as possible to avoid taking unnecessary damage.

Leviathan 

Leviathan in Final Fantasy VII Remake

This is perhaps the most frustrating enemy in the challenge as there's a point where she flies up into the air for around five minutes. This is where Barret really comes into his own as he'll be able to do some fairly decent damage while you're waiting for her to come down. Alternatively, you can use your Summon here and its final attack will force Leviathan back to the ground for the duration of the battle. Just be sure to keep your HP up as Tidal Wave will deal around 6,000 damage.

Bahamut and Ifrit

Bahamut in Final Fantasy VII Remake

If you allow Bahamut to reach the end of his countdown he will cast Mega Flare which will more than likely wipe out your entire party, so you're going to want to stagger him before he reaches zero to reset the count. As with Shiva, use Aerith's Arcane Ward to repeatedly double cast Firaga to increase his stagger gauge and then hit him hard once he's down. If you're unable to stagger in time and Aerith's gauge happen's to be full, use her Planet's Protection limit break right before Bahamut casts Mega Flare to keep everyone alive.

Ifrit in Final Fantasy VII Remake

Once he's down to half health, Bahamut will summon Ifrit who can cause some serious problems if you don't have a Fire/Elemental materia combo in your armor. Assuming that you do, have your physical attacker get near Bahamut and Ifrit should follow, healing any damage dealt by Bahamut by attacking you with fire. Switch from casting Firaga to Blizaga but continue to target Bahamut as he'll once again cast Mega Flare if you're not quick. Ifrit will likely end up getting caught in the crossfire, but if not you can deal with him after Bahamut goes down.

Pride & Joy Prototype

The Pride and Joy Prototype in Final Fantasy VII Remake

This is a fairly straightforward battle providing you don't run out of MP before it ends. Get behind him with your physical attacker and start chipping away at his health. You can also use Aerith to periodically cast Thundaga while standing on one of her Arcane Wards to speed things up a little. If the enemy grabs one of your party, focus everything you have on his arm but be prepared to revive the party member who's been grabbed in the event that you're unable to deal enough damage to free them.

The Gotterdamerung accessory in Final Fantasy VII Remake

Stay out of the way of his laser attack and use his fire attacks to heal your physical attacker as and when you need to. After around ten minutes, the Pride and Joy Prototype will fall and you'll unlock the Ultimate Weapon trophy. You'll also receive the Gotterdammerung accessory which allows the wearer to enter battles with a full limit gauge while also increasing the speed with which the gauge recharges.

NEXT: Final Fantasy VII Remake: How To Unlock All Of The Dresses For Cloud, Tifa, And Aerith