Closing Fantasy VII Revelation is the finale of Sq. Enix’s bold challenge that started with FFVII Remake in 2020 and continued with FFVII Rebirth in 2024. A full trilogy that retells and remixes the story and world of probably the most beloved video video games of all time is a loopy thought on paper, however in lower than a 12 months, it is going to be full. IGN lately went hands-on with Revelation — you may learn Michael Higham’s preview protection for his in-depth ideas — and after enjoying for roughly two hours for myself, I sat down with two of the creators answerable for bringing this saga to a satisfying conclusion: Director Naoki Hamaguchi and Battle Director Teruki Endo.
I requested the pair (by way of an interpreter) about how they’re holding the third entry contemporary, each with small changes to the fight system and new occasions in areas we already visited in Rebirth. However I used to be most fascinated to find out about Sq. Enix’s strategy to wrapping up this saga: How did they select a subtitle for this all-important finale? What has this crew realized from releasing three AAA RPGs within the span of eight years? And, how does Hamaguchi really feel about Revelation releasing on a PlayStation 5 disc in Sony’s closing 12 months of manufacturing bodily video games? Learn on to find out about all of this and extra, together with how Fortnite of all issues impressed Revelation in a single key means.
IGN: Thanks each a lot for assembly with me. I recognize the time. I performed about two hours of Closing Fantasy VII Revelation yesterday, and I actually appreciated it. And one thing I am most fascinated with is that there are new areas in Revelation, however plenty of it’s the identical map as Rebirth. I am curious concerning the crew’s course of for revisiting outdated areas and including attention-grabbing content material to distinguish them from how they appeared in Rebirth.
Hamaguchi: So I’ll say that every one the varied facet quests and facet contents which can be going to be showing in FFVII Revelation, these are going to be utterly new. And with the meteor looming within the sky over the planet, there are plenty of, I suppose, seismic shifts which have occurred due to the meteor approaching. So there are numerous geographical modifications that you’ll see within the current areas from Rebirth. So though they’re repeatedly showing from varied video games, it’s going to look somewhat bit totally different from the earlier sport.
However when it comes to how the precise gameplay and the exploration would possibly really feel totally different from Rebirth is that once we had been making Rebirth, the main focus was on the open world side of the sport. So we wished to introduce plenty of massive, huge areas that supplied the horizontal width when it comes to how huge the realm goes to appear like. With FFVII Revelation, we need to take it a step above. So along with the horizontal width, we’re now including a vertical depth that enables gamers to discover utilizing the Highwind or the Chocobo. So each of those modes of transportation let you fly and soar excessive within the air and issues like that. So it does offer you a extra expanded really feel of how the open world goes to appear like on the earth of the FFVII Remake sequence. So in that sense, even with the preexisting areas showing in FFVII Revelation, the best way you would possibly strategy, the best way you would possibly discover, and the best way it feels if you discover these areas would possibly really feel totally different from FFVII Rebirth.
IGN: I did just like the Highwind so much, and with the ability to skydive down into totally different areas and steer the place I landed. It signifies there will likely be plenty of freedom in the way you re-explore areas. And I am questioning if there have been challenges in creating what seems to be a sport that is possibly extra freeform than Rebirth in how one can sort out goals.
Hamaguchi: So this sort of ties into the primary query that you just had, however one of many targets that we had as a growth crew is to type of increase as we step into the subsequent installment. So from Remake to Rebirth and from Rebirth to Revelation, we wished to take a step above. So from the evolution from going from Rebirth and then heading into Revelation was that once more, “how can we increase the open world?” And the best way we achieved that’s to attain this planetary exploration, the open world map scale the place gamers can simply actually simply discover the whole planet utilizing the Highwind. So taking over that problem was one of many slightly troublesome elements of the event for certain.
So the concept of the get together parachuting down from the Highwind was one thing that we had fairly early on within the growth of FFVII revelation. Once you take a look at the unique launch of FFVII, the best way it labored was that the Highwind would simply land immediately onto the bottom and the characters would simply exit out of the ship. But when we had been to do this on this very excessive constancy open world, we’d want to consider how the geography would work out within the map. So we would have liked designed surfaces the place it will make sense for the Highwind to have the ability to easily land, if that is smart. However that wasn’t actually sensible for us to contemplate. In order that’s why we had this parachuting thought. And if you take a look at different video games, particularly like Fortnite, it did appear that gamers, fashionable audiences, had been fairly acquainted or welcome to this concept of characters flying down the air utilizing parachutes. So I assumed it will be a enjoyable technique to additionally introduce a seamless transition from the air to the bottom. And I believe the tip outcome turned out nicely for us. I am actually comfortable with how that’s within the sport.
IGN: As exploration has developed, fight has developed in every new entry as nicely. In Revelation, there is a model of lessons, preventing on Chocobos, and different tweaks. How did you resolve what components to stack on the fight system beforehand established in Remake and developed in Rebirth?
Endo: We as a crew felt that the fight system was in an ideal state with FFVII Rebirth. So whereas we did take into consideration, “what can we do so as to add extra?”, we could not actually discover any areas that wanted to be improved, if that is smart. I really feel prefer it was in fairly good state already. So due to that, slightly than developing with concepts of how we will change one thing, it was extra about increasing what we already had, as a result of once more, we felt that the fight system we had in Rebirth was already actually good and in a perfected, full state. So the concept was extra about, “how can we provide extra flexibility for personalization and freedom to gamers?” In order that’s type of the strategy that we had, and how we got here with the concepts of the FITS system and the Chocobos participating in fight.
IGN: Would it not be truthful to say one of many themes of Revelation from a gameplay perspective is freedom? I take into consideration the Highwind’s exploration, and then what you simply mentioned concerning the fight. Was that type of a core thought of this sport?
Hamaguchi: I believe sure, however one of many very huge ideas that we had for this sport is resolve. So resolve being the core theme of the sport, that does not solely simply apply to the story or the characters, it additionally applies to the general sport expertise that the gamers could have after they play FFVII Revelation. So the concept is that we wish the gamers to make the selection themselves. We’ll supply them plenty of totally different choices and selections and they’ll select to manage or play as Cloud, however they’ll additionally select to play because the totally different get together members on this sport as nicely. In order that’s one instance. The opposite instance if you take a look at fight is that we’re giving them the FITS system. So that they have 4 selections there as nicely. So once more, it isn’t simply concerning the story, it isn’t simply concerning the fight system, it is concerning the total sport expertise. We’re providing them a big selection or a various vary of choices that the gamers will be capable to select from. And that is one thing that was additionally supplied within the authentic FFVII as nicely. So one of many targets positively was to recreate that have by way of FFVII Revelation.
And we type of confirmed a glimpse of this within the State of Play stream, however in sure facet quests gamers could have the selection of which character they might play as. So within the State of Play stream, it confirmed that gamers can both select to play as Vincent or select to play as Cid. In eventualities like that, relying on the character you go with, the conclusion of the facet quest or the best way the story performs out may change drastically. So once more, that is additionally one other instance of the participant selections that we’re providing for the sport expertise. All in all, gamers will likely be confronted with these probabilities, alternatives the place they get to make these selections so that every and each participant may need a really distinctive expertise relying on the alternatives that they made all through the sport.
IGN: So, resolve is a spotlight of the sport. I can not assist however discover that phrase begins with R-E. Was Resolve significantly thought-about as a subtitle for this sport, or had been there some other phrases that begin with RE that you just had been contemplating?
Hamaguchi: [Laughs] So to reply the primary query, “Resolve” was really not thought-about as one of many contenders for the title, and there really is a cause for that. The event crew that we’ve for this sport is in Japan and consists of Japanese workers. So once we had been having inside discussions about what the core idea or the philosophy of this sport was going to be, we did use the time period “resolve”, however in Japanese. So in Japanese, the phrase is named “ketsui”, which as you may inform, would not have that RE sound. After which once we had been planning for our first main reveal at Summer season Recreation Fest earlier this 12 months, I really wrote a script for myself on stage, and I did need to use the time period for ketsui, resolve. So after I was wanting on the English equal of that, I discovered that resolve really began with RE, so I assumed, “oh, that is really an ideal match!”
I can discuss extra about how we ended up with the title Revelation. So means earlier than this entire resolve dialogue that we had, we did resolve to go with the title Revelation, however even earlier than we made that call, there have been really three closing contenders and I had a dialogue with the artistic director of the sequence, Tetsuya Nomura.
By way of the opposite two contenders that we had apart from Revelation, I would share it someday sooner or later, however I do not suppose now’s the precise time for us to share it as a result of the sport isn’t out but. If we do share the opposite two contenders, I do not need individuals to be like, “Oh, the opposite one was higher than Revelation.” And it feels prefer it’s simply going to create some pointless dialogue and debates on-line. So I really feel like now’s not the precise time. Perhaps someday down the road we would be capable to revisit this dialogue once more and share what the title may have been. However I’ll say that after I mentioned with the North American Sq. Enix crew, I did share the opposite two choices that we had as the ultimate contenders, and we unanimously agreed that Revelation was your best option. So I believe we made the precise determination on that.
IGN: Okay, I will ask you once more in a few years what the opposite two had been.
Hamaguchi: [Laughs]
IGN: I would like to speak somewhat bit extra concerning the fight as a result of Vincent rapidly grew to become my go-to character throughout the preview. And I do know you’ve got talked about Vincent somewhat bit earlier than, however what’s possibly your favourite element that’s gone unnoticed about Vincent’s fight type to date?
Endo: I do not suppose that is one thing that I can say as one thing that was unnoticed as a result of I really addressed this myself throughout the PAX West stage panel that we had yesterday. However one in every of my private favourite capabilities of Vincent’s fight design is that I used to be in a position to implement this function of him with the ability to flip into the Galian Beast anytime throughout fight. Simply to carry R1 and be capable to revert again to human kind and return to the Galian Beast kind anytime throughout fight. Having that within the sport, I believe that is really my private favourite. I am actually glad I used to be in a position to do this.
And one of many huge explanation why I wished to implement that was as a result of if you take a look at the present get together of playable characters, we have already got plenty of totally different choices, plenty of totally different characters that every has its personal distinctive fight expertise. So individuals who have already performed Remake and Rebirth would possibly have already got their very own favourite character to play in fight. So to ensure that us to ship a really impactful gameplay expertise for these new characters, we would have liked to be sure that there’s one thing very distinctive and totally different about them. So contemplating that, if we had been to observe go well with with the unique and have this perform the place Vincent is just in a position to flip into the Galian Beast solely underneath a selected situation, I do not suppose that might’ve been one of the simplest ways to go about it with the FFVII Remake sequence. So I believe I made the precise alternative to do this.
So when you consider it, Vincent with the ability to swap again and forth between his human kind and the Galian Beast kind, it is basically two characters packed into one as a result of every kind has its personal distinctive movesets and motions as nicely. So the animation artist had a little bit of an additional onerous time in comparison with the opposite characters making an attempt to implement all these motions into the fight. So in that sense, I believe we spent much more effort and time creating Vincent’s fight system.
IGN: I do need to ask, Revelation is popping out within the final 12 months that Sony is producing bodily PlayStation discs, and it’s launching with a bodily version. And Closing Fantasy VII has this wealthy historical past with PlayStation. Was it essential to you to have this sport launch on a bodily disc?
Hamaguchi: Final week with the State of Play announcement, we tied it to the preorder as nicely. So proper after the State of Play, the preorders launched. However earlier than we arrived at that call, there have been plenty of inside discussions and again and forth amongst myself and different inside workers members when it comes to how we must always deal with or deal with the bodily editions. And this entire disc dialogue, it’s a slightly delicate subject, and I do not suppose plenty of the media has requested us about this to date. So I want to focus on how we approached it.
First and foremost, personally, I am very comfortable that we’re in a position to launch a bodily disc model of FFVII Revelation contemplating how the whole gaming market, or the panorama, is veering in the direction of the disc-less route. And after we launched preorders, we did see some followers voicing their issues and elevating questions concerning the bodily discs requiring some web obtain. So I want to tackle that.
After we had an inside dialogue with the event crew about how we wished to strategy the bodily discs and the bodily releases of FFVII Revelation, initially there have been conversations about utilizing the identical disc dimension as we did for, say, FFVII Rebirth. But when we had been to do this, it will imply that we must make a compromise when it comes to the constancy and the standard of the sport. In order a growth crew, we did not need to do this. We did not need to make any compromises for the sport. So realistically, the one alternative that we had was to launch this bodily disc, however with sure sections of the sport being a digital obtain format by way of the bodily disc. With that being mentioned, I utterly perceive that not all gamers is perhaps comfortable with this determination, however on the identical time, I’m comfortable that we had been nonetheless in a position to launch a bodily format of the sport. So I’m fairly glad with the tip outcomes as nicely. I might hope that our followers and gamers would be capable to share that as nicely.
IGN: I believe it is spectacular that you have launched a complete trilogy within the span of roughly eight years. That is uncommon within the online game trade as of late. So I am questioning if there are any learnings from this main challenge and its growth that you would be able to take with you as you progress on to no matter’s subsequent.
Hamaguchi: I’ll say that the highest precedence for us as a crew proper now’s to place a full concentrate on finishing the event of FFVII Revelation. So when it comes to what we’d do as the subsequent work or the subsequent sport, we have not actually put that a lot of a thought into it proper now. That mentioned, wanting on the total panorama and atmosphere of sport growth, it does look like creating and creating these AAA titles, it simply takes longer and longer because it goes by. So contemplating that, having this constant crew that is caught collectively all through the final 10 to 12 years, creating the whole trilogy, and with the ability to collect all this information and expertise that may be utilized to future growth, I believe we had been in a really fortunate place to have the ability to do this.
However yeah, we’re very a lot wanting to make the most of and leverage the experiences that we’ve made all through these years of growth of the FFVII Remake sequence. I might say it is undecided when it comes to the route that we will after the completion of the Remake sequence, however we hope the followers and gamers will stay up for what we work on subsequent. However to reiterate our prime precedence, our full focus is on FFVII Revelation proper now. So till we really full it and guarantee that it is the supposed high quality that the sport ought to be, I do not suppose we could have any precise concepts of what we will work on subsequent.
IGN: Thanks each a lot in your time, and good luck the remainder of the best way with Revelation. We’re wanting ahead to it.
Hamaguchi and Endo: Thanks.
Components of this interview had been edited for readability.
Logan Plant
Logan Plant is the host of Nintendo Voice Chat and IGN’s Senior Editor, Playlist and DB. The Legend of Zelda is his favourite online game franchise of all time, and he’s patiently awaiting the day Nintendo broadcasts a model new F-Zero.
Logan Plant is the host of Nintendo Voice Chat and IGN’s Senior Editor, Playlist and DB. The Legend of Zelda is his favourite online game franchise of all time, and he’s patiently awaiting the day Nintendo broadcasts a model new F-Zero. Yow will discover new episodes of NVC each Friday on the IGN Video games YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.