The big Final Fantasy 7 Revelation interview: director Naoki Hamaguchi on iterating Rebirth's "perfect" combat, avoiding "stale" RPG systems, and rethinking fast travel for the sake of player agency

Director Naoki Hamaguchi has detailed the developmental direction for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, focusing on expanding the scope and mechanics of the experience. According to coverage from Eurogamer.net, Hamaguchi is working to iterate upon the combat system used in Rebirth, which he characterized as "perfect," while simultaneously attempting to avoid the implementation of stale RPG systems. The project aims to prioritize player agency, which has led the team to rethink the existing fast travel mechanics to ensure the world remains engaging. These changes are designed to prevent the gameplay experience from becoming repetitive or stagnant as the series progresses. Significant emphasis is placed on the scale of the game world and the inclusion of legacy characters.

My Nintendo News reports that the open world in Revelation will be much bigger than the one featured in Rebirth. This expansion of scale is further detailed by IGN and GoNintendo, both of which highlight Hamaguchi's reflections on open world fatigue and the challenges of managing a larger map. Additionally, Yahoo Tech reports that characters from both Crisis Core and Advent Children are set to appear in Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, integrating elements from different parts of the expanded universe into this specific title. Contextually, these updates address the evolving nature of open world design. GoNintendo reports that the director is specifically discussing FITS, the Highwind's role in travel, and the general size of the world, alongside the necessity of player guidance.

The move to expand the world beyond the boundaries of Rebirth suggests a goal of increasing immersion, though the mentions of open world fatigue in IGN coverage indicate that the developers are conscious of the risks associated with oversized maps. By focusing on agency and rethinking how players move through the environment, the team intends to maintain a balance between exploration and efficiency. Future developments to watch include the specific implementation of the Highwind for travel and the integration of the mentioned characters from Crisis Core and Advent Children. According to the reports from Eurogamer.net and GoNintendo, the focus will remain on how the team iterates on the combat system and addresses the potential for open world fatigue. The coverage does not yet specify the exact release date or the specific gameplay roles of the returning characters, but the overarching objective remains the avoidance of stale systems in favor of a more dynamic and expanded open world experience.