We’re now seven months out from the discharge of the ultimate sport within the Remaining Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, Remaining Fantasy VII Revelation. This week, I used to be capable of meet up with the sport’s director, Naoki Hamaguchi, at Tokyo Sport Present 2026. There, we talked at size in regards to the classes discovered from the earlier two titles, how issues will change in Revelation, and the fragile dance of placing a brand new twist on one of the crucial beloved video games of all time. We even touched on the selection to include points of the Compilation of Remaining Fantasy VII into the trilogy and what’s subsequent for Remaining Fantasy VII past Revelation.
What do you’re feeling was the largest drawback with Remake and/or Rebirth and the way do you repair that drawback with Revelation?
Naoki Hamaguchi: So simply to make clear, there weren’t actually “issues” with Remake or Rebirth, however we’re undoubtedly scaling issues up from Rebirth and Remake [for Revelation]. For Remake, it was extra story-driven than anything, much like earlier Remaining Fantasy titles. With Rebirth, it was a story-focus-meets-open-world type of framework. That is what we have been going for with Rebirth.
However with Rebirth there have been feedback that there was presumably an excessive amount of to do within the open world—that with the size of this world, we did not must fill it with content material and issues to do. So for [Revelation], the size remains to be very massive and there is nonetheless plenty of issues to do, however now we have made it simpler to play.
Primarily based on what you’ve got heard from followers, what’s the most hated mini-game throughout Remake and Rebirth?
Hamaguchi: There are plenty of mini-games—and many alternative kinds of mini-games—and I believe each participant has their very own private desire. It is an RPG, so the characters are transferring across the atmosphere in a very particular manner—they don’t seem to be strolling round in action-combaty methods.
For instance, there was the Moogle Home mini-game. However individuals who needed to concentrate on the motion, did not actually wish to step away from the motion components and do this.
Nevertheless, for people who find themselves , the Moogle Homes are returning for Revelation. However, as for the Moogles, they’ve since give up their jobs as Moogle retailers they usually’re now making an attempt their hand at being on stage—making a little bit idol group.
Anyway, since lots of people did not actually like that Moogle mini-game, that was undoubtedly one factor we needed to vary and so we have made it extra accessible—and hopefully extra folks just like the Moogles!
Regardless of Rebirth‘s reputation, solely 2.6% of PS5 gamers have the platinum trophy. As one of many gamers who has it, I do know precisely why that is: the ultimate three VR boss gauntlets that require you to not solely play completely for practically half-hour but additionally get very fortunate to beat them. Why did you make this so time consuming and unforgiving (particularly in comparison with Remake and INTERmission)? Have you ever eased up on this for Revelation?
Hamaguchi: For Rebirth‘s platinum trophy—properly, for Rebirth usually—there’s a lot to do. There’s a lot content material. We needed to make folks undergo all this content material and ideal it. It is type of by design that that might make it troublesome.
So I do not wish to name it a mistake in judgment or something however we additionally did not anticipate so many individuals to need the platinum trophy. I believe that was what we underestimated right here. Battle director Teruki Endo additionally noticed [the fan reaction] and was like, “Oh, no! I really feel dangerous—I’ve regrets.”
As compared, for Revelation, the platinum trophy will probably be simpler to get. When it comes to how troublesome will probably be, we’re anticipating twenty p.c of gamers or perhaps much more than that to have the ability to get hold of it.
Now we have plenty of attention-grabbing stuff for [the brutal and legendary VR Combat Simulator] battles as properly. For instance, clearly there are three individual battles, however in every set of fights you may solely be capable of use every character as soon as—so it will be attention-grabbing to see how folks go about that. It isn’t simply in regards to the quantity of battles that there are however the battles themselves which can be going to be pleasing. I believe that is one factor that we have discovered from Rebirth: to make the battles themselves pleasing moderately than simply difficult.
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The Remaining Fantasy VII Remake trilogy has at all times gave the impression to be about combating destiny—combating again towards the story of the unique Remaining Fantasy VII—as a lot as combating Sephiroth. How did this concept come about and the way has it advanced over the course of constructing the three video games?
Hamaguchi: The fan base is admittedly entrenched on this collection. And so we needed to be very cautious about how we approached the story. We knew we needed to be very respectful of the unique model, which is so beloved by so many individuals. That is the idea the place we began from.
So there is a component of combating towards what was already perceived, however the core remains to be there that might make people who find themselves followers of the unique see, “Oh, this is similar story. The identical beats are taking place right here.”
I believe with all of those video games, it is about permitting the gamers to think about what is going on to occur subsequent. There are refined adjustments which can be taking place like with Zack and all these different components. It is at all times about getting followers to think about what’s coming subsequent.
Had been there ever any severe discussions about having Aerith dwell past Rebirth—or was the plan at all times to have Cloud and the others lose to destiny?
Hamaguchi:After all, there are lots of methods to take a look at the ending of Rebirth, and I believe that’s as much as each fan [which way they look at it], so I am not going to talk on the reality of what really occurs.
For Revelation—for all the titles—the story was determined way back that we’ve not determined to vary something actually. Nevertheless, for that one particular scene, we determined to take a unique observe from the unique by offering totally different digital camera angles, totally different approaches, other ways the characters noticed that scene—and permit followers to attract their very own conclusions about it.
Zack’s story at all times felt full to me with Disaster Core. It is the story of a person who dreamed of turning into a hero, turns into disillusioned with heroes over his journey, however really turns into one in dying by saving Cloud. What’s the theme or message you wish to convey to gamers by Zack’s new story within the Remake trilogy?
Hamaguchi: There are two causes actually that we’re including extra Zack and fleshing him out extra. Zack clearly appeared within the authentic however he wasn’t actually fleshed out as a personality. However within the Remake collection, he is integral to who Cloud is as a personality—as an individual—and so we knew that individuals who did not play Disaster Core wanted to grasp who Zack was to be able to totally perceive who Cloud is. Due to this, we knew he wanted a much bigger position—to have an vital position—within the video games.
His different position within the Remake collection is to assist gamers perceive the place the unique and the Remake collection diverge. He type of shepherds the gamers understanding of that idea—of how issues are altering. We knew that we wanted somebody to instruct gamers about how issues are altering and so we did that by gameplay components with Zack.
How did the choice to incorporate components from Dirge of Cerberus come about and can these proceed all through Revelation as properly?
Hamaguchi: We needed to include not simply Dirge of Cerberus, however all the [Compilation of Final Fantasy VII] titles actually. We began that with Yuffie and the Deep Floor Troopers [in Episode INTERmission].
In all three titles, we actually tried to include as a lot as potential. However with Revelation particularly, we undoubtedly added connections to Advent Children, Earlier than Disaster, Disaster Core, Dirge of Cerberus—all of the elements of the Compilation of Remaining Fantasy VII. This was one thing we undoubtedly needed to incorporate in Revelation, and I believe it is going to be attention-grabbing for gamers to expertise this.
Should you needed to do a fourth Remake sport, you may simply cowl the occasions of Creation Youngsters and/or Dirge of Cerberus. After which there’s the truth that Dirge of Cerberus ends on a cliffhanger (that we have been ready 20 years to be resolved) in case you needed to do a fifth. What are your ideas on the longer term for the Remaining Fantasy VII remakes? Do you’re feeling that it may possibly proceed on or do you’re feeling that it ought to simply type of cease with the conclusion of this sport?
Hamaguchi: Presently, Revelation is the conclusion of the collection—and there is a cause for that.
In the meanwhile we do not actually have plans for the way forward for Remaining Fantasy VII essentially, however we’re not leaving something on the desk for this remaining installment. We do not need any of the builders considering, like, “Oh, I want I’d’ve achieved that,” after which, “Oh, shoot, ought to’ve achieved that too,” and put it aside for the subsequent title or something like that. We wish to do all of it right here and now.
With that in thoughts, perhaps after the sport comes out, relying on fan response, perhaps there will probably be one thing, however for the time being we’re actually aiming to only full the collection with a satisfying ending that followers will love.
A Vincent DLC and a Sephiroth DLC have been introduced for Revelation. If Revelation ends so conclusively, do neither of those DLC happen after the primary story?
Hamaguchi: So for the DLCs, it is not essentially going to switch any a part of the unique story or the ending of Revelation. The DLCs are like Episode INTERmission—how we dove deeper into Yuffie and her character. That DLC reveals a portion of the story that you do not see within the authentic sport or within the remake collection, however you get to be taught extra in regards to the characters.
So there’s clearly been plenty of fan theories with the Remaining Fantasy Remake trilogy. My favourite fan concept surrounds Sephiroth on the Fringe of Creation. As a result of he makes use of “Ore” as an alternative of “Watashi” as his private pronoun, there are people who find themselves sure that which means Sephiroth on the Fringe of Creation and regular Sephiroth are totally different characters. Was this an intentional factor, the distinction in pronouns? Or was this an accident that has type of spun off into one thing uncontrolled?
Hamaguchi: To be completely trustworthy, I do not suppose I ought to talk about that right here. Nevertheless, in Revelation, we’re undoubtedly going to dive deeper into who Sephiroth is and about his character. We would like you to type of really feel it out and see what is going on on with him. I believe you’ll determine it out.