Remaining 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 concept on paper, however in lower than a yr, it is going to be full. IGN just lately went hands-on with Revelation — you’ll be able to 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 an interpreter) about how they’re preserving 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 workforce discovered 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 remaining yr 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 approach.
IGN: Thanks each a lot for assembly with me. I respect the time. I performed about two hours of Remaining Fantasy VII Revelation yesterday, and I actually favored it. And one thing I am most enthusiastic about is that there are new areas in Revelation, however quite a lot of it’s the similar map as Rebirth. I am curious concerning the workforce’s course of for revisiting previous areas and including fascinating content material to distinguish them from how they appeared in Rebirth.
Hamaguchi: So I’ll say that each one the varied aspect quests and aspect contents which are 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 quite a lot of, I assume, seismic shifts which have occurred due to the meteor approaching. So there are numerous geographical adjustments that you’ll see within the current areas from Rebirth. So although they’re constantly showing from numerous video games, it’s going to look slightly bit totally different from the earlier recreation.
However by way of how the precise gameplay and the exploration may really feel totally different from Rebirth is that after we have been making Rebirth, the main focus was on the open world facet of the sport. So we wished to introduce quite a lot of massive, huge areas that provided the horizontal width by way of how massive the realm goes to appear to be. With FFVII Revelation, we wish to take it a step above. So along with the horizontal width, we’re now including a vertical depth that permits gamers to discover utilizing the Highwind or the Chocobo. So each of those modes of transportation will let you fly and leap 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 to be on this planet of the FFVII Remake sequence. So in that sense, even with the preexisting areas showing in FFVII Revelation, the way in which you may strategy, the way in which you may discover, and the way in which it feels while you discover these areas may really feel totally different from FFVII Rebirth.
IGN: I did just like the Highwind so much, and having the ability to skydive down into totally different areas and steer the place I landed. It signifies there will probably be quite a lot of freedom in the way you re-explore areas. And I am questioning if there have been challenges in growing what seems to be a recreation that is possibly extra freeform than Rebirth in how one can deal with targets.
Hamaguchi: So this type of ties into the primary query that you simply had, however one of many targets that we had as a improvement workforce is to sort of broaden 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 after which heading into Revelation was that once more, “how can we broaden the open world?” And the way in which we achieved that’s to realize this planetary exploration, the open world map scale the place gamers can simply actually simply discover your entire planet utilizing the Highwind. So taking up that problem was one of many moderately tough elements of the event for positive.
So the concept of the celebration parachuting down from the Highwind was one thing that we had fairly early on within the improvement of FFVII revelation. Once you have a look at the unique launch of FFVII, the way in which it labored was that the Highwind would simply land instantly onto the bottom and the characters would simply exit out of the ship. But when we have been to do this on this very excessive constancy open world, we’d want to think about 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 sensible. However that wasn’t actually real looking for us to contemplate. In order that’s why we had this parachuting concept. And while you have a look at different video games, particularly like Fortnite, it did appear that gamers, trendy audiences, have been fairly acquainted or welcome to this concept of characters flying down the air utilizing parachutes. So I believed it will be a enjoyable strategy to additionally introduce a seamless transition from the air to the bottom. And I believe the top outcome turned out effectively for us. I am actually pleased with how that’s within the recreation.
IGN: As exploration has advanced, fight has advanced in every new entry as effectively. In Revelation, there is a model of lessons, preventing on Chocobos, and different tweaks. How did you determine what components to stack on the fight system beforehand established in Remake and advanced in Rebirth?
Endo: We as a workforce 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 sensible. I really feel prefer it was in fairly good state already. So due to that, moderately 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 sort of the strategy that we had, and the way we got here with the concepts of the FITS system and the Chocobos partaking in fight.
IGN: Wouldn’t it be honest to say one of many themes of Revelation from a gameplay perspective is freedom? I take into consideration the Highwind’s exploration, after which what you simply stated concerning the fight. Was that sort of a core concept of this recreation?
Hamaguchi: I believe sure, however one of many very massive ideas that we had for this recreation 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 recreation expertise that the gamers may have once they play FFVII Revelation. So the concept is that we wish the gamers to make the selection themselves. We’ll provide them quite a lot of totally different choices and selections and so they can select to manage or play as Cloud, however they’ll additionally select to play because the totally different celebration members on this recreation as effectively. In order that’s one instance. The opposite instance while you have a look at fight is that we’re giving them the FITS system. In order that they have 4 selections there as effectively. So once more, it is not simply concerning the story, it is not simply concerning the fight system, it is concerning the total recreation expertise. We’re providing them a wide selection or a various vary of choices that the gamers will be capable of select from. And that is one thing that was additionally provided within the authentic FFVII as effectively. So one of many targets positively was to recreate that have by FFVII Revelation.
And we sort of confirmed a glimpse of this within the State of Play stream, however in sure aspect quests gamers may 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 situations like that, relying on the character you go along with, the conclusion of the aspect quest or the way in which the story performs out might 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 probably be confronted with these probabilities, alternatives the place they get to make these selections in order that every participant might 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 of as a subtitle for this recreation, or have been there every other phrases that begin with RE that you simply have been contemplating?
Hamaguchi: [Laughs] So to reply the primary query, “Resolve” was truly not thought of as one of many contenders for the title, and there truly is a cause for that. The event workforce that we have now for this recreation is in Japan and consists of Japanese employees. So after we have been having inner discussions about what the core idea or the philosophy of this recreation was going to be, we did use the time period “resolve”, however in Japanese. So in Japanese, the phrase known as “ketsui”, which as you’ll be able to inform, would not have that RE sound. After which after we have been planning for our first main reveal at Summer season Sport Fest earlier this yr, I truly wrote a script for myself on stage, and I did wish to use the time period for ketsui, resolve. So after I was trying on the English equal of that, I discovered that resolve truly began with RE, so I believed, “oh, that is truly an ideal match!”
I can speak extra about how we ended up with the title Revelation. So approach earlier than this complete resolve dialogue that we had, we did determine to go along with the title Revelation, however even earlier than we made that call, there have been truly three remaining contenders and I had a dialogue with the inventive director of the sequence, Tetsuya Nomura.
When it comes to the opposite two contenders that we had except for Revelation, I’d 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 folks 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. Possibly someday down the road we’d be capable of revisit this dialogue once more and share what the title might have been. However I’ll say that after I mentioned with the North American Sq. Enix workforce, I did share the opposite two choices that we had as the ultimate contenders, and we unanimously agreed that Revelation was the only option. So I believe we made the precise resolution on that.
IGN: Okay, I will ask you once more in a few years what the opposite two have been.
Hamaguchi: [Laughs]
IGN: I might like to speak slightly bit extra concerning the fight as a result of Vincent shortly turned my go-to character in the course of the preview. And I do know you have talked about Vincent slightly 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 truly addressed this myself in the course of the PAX West stage panel that we had yesterday. However one among my private favourite features of Vincent’s fight design is that I used to be capable of implement this function of him having the ability to flip into the Galian Beast anytime throughout fight. Simply to carry R1 and be capable of revert again to human kind and return to the Galian Beast kind anytime throughout fight. Having that within the recreation, I believe that is truly my private favourite. I am actually glad I used to be ready to do this.
And one of many massive explanation why I wished to implement that was as a result of while you have a look at the present celebration of playable characters, we have already got quite a lot of totally different choices, quite a lot of totally different characters that every has its personal distinctive fight expertise. So individuals who have already performed Remake and Rebirth may 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 make it possible for there’s one thing very distinctive and totally different about them. So contemplating that, if we have been to comply with go well with with the unique and have this perform the place Vincent is barely capable of flip into the Galian Beast solely underneath a selected situation, I do not suppose that might’ve been the easiest way to go about it with the FFVII Remake sequence. So I believe I made the precise alternative to do this.
So when you concentrate on it, Vincent having the ability to swap backwards and forwards 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 effectively. So the animation artist had a little bit of an additional laborious time in comparison with the opposite characters attempting to implement all these motions into the fight. So in that sense, I believe we spent much more time and effort growing Vincent’s fight system.
IGN: I do wish to ask, Revelation is popping out within the final yr that Sony is producing bodily PlayStation discs, and it’s launching with a bodily version. And Remaining Fantasy VII has this wealthy historical past with PlayStation. Was it vital to you to have this recreation launch on a bodily disc?
Hamaguchi: Final week with the State of Play announcement, we tied it to the preorder as effectively. So proper after the State of Play, the preorders launched. However earlier than we arrived at that call, there have been quite a lot of inner discussions and backwards and forwards amongst myself and different inner employees members by way of how we must always deal with or deal with the bodily editions. And this complete disc dialogue, it’s a moderately delicate problem, and I do not suppose quite a lot of the media has requested us about this to date. So I wish to focus on how we approached it.
Before everything, personally, I am very completely satisfied that we’re capable of launch a bodily disc model of FFVII Revelation contemplating how your entire gaming market, or the panorama, is veering in 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 wish to tackle that.
After we had an inner dialogue with the event workforce 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 have been to do this, it will imply that we must make a compromise by way of the constancy and the standard of the sport. In order a improvement workforce, we did not wish to try this. We did not wish 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 the bodily disc. With that being stated, I utterly perceive that not all gamers is perhaps pleased with this resolution, however on the similar time, I’m completely satisfied that we have been nonetheless capable of launch a bodily format of the sport. So I’m fairly happy with the top outcomes as effectively. I’d hope that our followers and gamers would be capable of share that as effectively.
IGN: I believe it is spectacular that you have launched an entire trilogy within the span of roughly eight years. That is uncommon within the online game business as of late. So I am questioning if there are any learnings from this main challenge and its improvement that you could take with you as you progress on to no matter’s subsequent.
Hamaguchi: I’ll say that the highest precedence for us as a workforce proper now’s to place a full give attention to finishing the event of FFVII Revelation. So by way of what we might do as the subsequent work or the subsequent recreation, we have not actually put that a lot of a thought into it proper now. That stated, trying on the total panorama and setting of recreation improvement, it does appear to be creating and growing these AAA titles, it simply takes longer and longer because it goes by. So contemplating that, having this constant workforce that is caught collectively all through the final 10 to 12 years, creating your entire trilogy, and having the ability to collect all this information and expertise that may be utilized to future improvement, I believe we have been in a really fortunate place to have the ability to try this.
However yeah, we’re very a lot desirous to make the most of and leverage the experiences that we have now made all through these years of improvement of the FFVII Remake sequence. I’d say it is undecided by way of the route that we’ll after the completion of the Remake sequence, however we hope the followers and gamers will sit up for what we work on subsequent. However to reiterate our high precedence, our full focus is on FFVII Revelation proper now. So till we truly full it and guarantee that it is the supposed high quality that the sport needs to be, I do not suppose we may have any precise concepts of what we’ll work on subsequent.
IGN: Thanks each a lot in your time, and good luck the remainder of the way in which with Revelation. We’re trying ahead to it.
Hamaguchi and Endo: Thanks.
Components of this interview have been edited for readability.