Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi has acknowledged the “open world fatigue” affecting the industry but says Square Enix was “very careful” to make sure fans would have “all the guidance they need” in the new remake chapter – even if it’s bigger than the last.
The developer helping lead the finale to its 2027 launch spoke about its size during a conversation with Eurogamer. In the interview, he teased how the team has done its best to tie a bow on the trilogy with one final adventure for Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and the rest of the gang in their fight against Sephiroth.
The two previous installments in the remake trilogy – Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth – have been lumped into online conversations about enormous open worlds that sometimes overstay their welcome. Hamaguchi said the concept of open world fatigue is “very important” to him, but it sounds like players won’t need to worry about feeling too lost.
“There are a lot of open world games out in the world right now, and [the idea of ‘open world fatigue’] is a very important concept to me,” he replied when Eurogamer asked about feedback to Rebirth. “It depends on personal preference and different perceptions, but for me personally, I know I’ve had the experience where I’ve been thrown out into an open world game and not known where to go, not known where to begin, and not known what to do. But at the same time, the concept of being thrown into this wondrous world where anything goes is amazing.”
There are certainly players who would prefer to get lost in a vibrant fantasy universe. In a world promising to be as packed as Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, that idea might be especially enticing. Hamaguchi said that, as a creator, he believes it’s important to “offer proper guidance” in open-world games so that players “know what to do, and know where to go.”
“In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, we made sure to make it easy for the players to understand how much content there is, and how difficult that content is,” he added. “That design philosophy is applied to Revelation: players have all the guidance that they need. This is something that both myself and the development team were very careful about when we designed the game.”
It seems Hamaguchi and the rest of the development team wanted to strike a balance when it came to guidance in Final Fantasy 7 Revelation. One example he mentioned involved asking players to rely on their memory to make sure they land in their desired location when dropping from the Highwind airship.
“That’s another example of the guidance we’re giving players, without directing them too much,” Hamaguchi continued. “The world is even bigger than it was in Rebirth, so it is more important than ever for us to ensure there’s enough guidance here, so people have no issues enjoying what this game has to offer.”
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation currently has no firm release date but is expected to launch for PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S in spring 2027. While we wait for updates, you can read about what Hamaguchi had to say about the feedback to Remake and Rebirth’s vast pool of mini-games. You can also learn about the leak that suggests DLC may be in development.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).