Final Fantasy 7 Revelation: Our Big Interview with Director Naoki Hamaguchi and Battle Director Teruki Endo

Get an exclusive inside look at Final Fantasy VII Revelation as Director Naoki Hamaguchi and Battle Director Teruki Endo share details on open world exploration, combat upgrades, physical disc decisions, and character gameplay.

The ambitious remake trilogy from Square Enix is reaching its epic climax. What began in 2020 with Final Fantasy VII Remake and expanded dramatically in 2024 with FFVII Rebirth will soon conclude with Final Fantasy VII Revelation. Crafting a three-part reimagining of one of the most celebrated RPGs in gaming history was a massive undertaking, but the final chapter is nearly here.

Following a two-hour hands-on play session, key creators sat down to discuss the development process behind bringing this story to a close. For additional hands-on impressions of the gameplay, check out Michael Higham's preview coverage for his in-depth thoughts. During the interview, Director Naoki Hamaguchi and Battle Director Teruki Endo offered fresh insights into how they are keeping the finale exciting for returning fans.

From fine-tuning the fast-paced combat system to reshaping familiar regions on the world map, Square Enix is pushing the boundaries of what players expect from this series. The team also revealed how modern multiplayer hits influenced map traversal, how they selected the official title, and why physical disc media presents unique challenges in today's landscape.

What Makes Final Fantasy VII Revelation the Ultimate Finale?

Revisiting locations that players already explored in FFVII Rebirth presented a unique creative challenge. Rather than simply recycling environment layouts, the development team worked hard to ensure that every returning region offers a fresh experience. A major factor in this transformation is the story itself, as the threat in the sky actively reshapes the landscape.

With the giant meteor looming overhead, massive seismic shifts have fundamentally altered the geography of the planet. Mountains, valleys, and existing landmarks feature noticeable environmental changes compared to their previous appearances. On top of these terrain changes, Square Enix created an entirely new set of side quests and optional side content, ensuring that players will not encounter repeated tasks from earlier games.

Beyond geographical updates, the core structure of exploration has undergone a major design overhaul. While FFVII Rebirth focused primarily on horizontal scale with vast open fields, Final Fantasy VII Revelation expands the environment vertically. Players gain access to new traversal options that completely alter how they navigate the planet.

Using iconic transportation options like the Highwind airship and high-jumping Chocobos, players can seamlessly soar through the skies and access elevated locations. This combination of horizontal expansiveness and vertical depth creates a far freer, more dynamic approach to world exploration than anything seen in the previous two installments.

Why Does the Highwind Feature Parachuting and Fortnite Mechanics?

Designing a fully open world where players can fly across the entire planet in the Highwind was one of the most complex development hurdles the team faced. In the original 1997 PlayStation release, the Highwind simply touched down directly on flat ground surfaces, allowing party members to step off the airship onto the overworld map.

However, replicating that landing process in a modern, high-fidelity graphics engine proved impractical. Creating flat, open surfaces suitable for landing an airship across every section of a massive world map would have severely restricted natural environmental design. The team needed a creative solution that felt realistic while preserving complete player freedom.

The solution came in the form of skydiving and parachuting directly from the Highwind down to the terrain below. Director Naoki Hamaguchi noted that modern gaming audiences are already very comfortable with this mechanic thanks to popular titles like Fortnite. Incorporating parachuting allowed the developers to create a smooth, seamless transition from high-altitude flying directly into ground exploration without disrupting gameplay pacing.

Players can dive out of the airship at almost any point, steer their fall through the air, and land precisely where they want to explore. This approach eliminated the need for artificial landing zones while giving players unprecedented control over how they tackle objectives across the planet.

How Does the Combat System Evolve in Final Fantasy VII Revelation?

When evaluating the action-oriented battle mechanics from FFVII Rebirth, Battle Director Teruki Endo felt the underlying system was already in a near-perfect state. Rather than overhauling mechanics that worked well, the team focused on expanding customization, player freedom, and tactical flexibility across every battle encounter.

To enhance combat depth without disrupting the core flow, the developers introduced several key innovations:

• The FITS System: A new battle mechanic that provides four flexible combat choices, allowing players to adapt their strategy dynamically during fights.
• Mounted Chocobo Combat: Party members can now engage in battles while actively riding Chocobos, offering fast positioning and specialized attacks.
• Expanded Class Flexibility: Enhanced role definitions give players greater control over party synergy and build customization.
• Character Choice Freedom: Players can freely switch control between Cloud and other party members to tailor battle encounters to their preferred playstyle.

This focus on tactical variety ensures that combat remains engaging for veteran players who mastered the previous games. By layering new options onto an established foundation, the combat system delivers greater personalization while maintaining its core real-time battle identity.

What Is the Meaning Behind the Subtitle for Final Fantasy VII Revelation?

Throughout development, the core concept guiding the design team was the word "resolve." This theme applies not only to the narrative choices made by Cloud and his companions, but also to the overall gameplay experience offered to the player. The developers wanted players to feel empowered to make meaningful choices at every stage of their journey.

Interestingly, the word "resolve" was never under official consideration as the game's actual subtitle. Because the primary development team is based in Japan, internal discussions relied on the Japanese term "ketsui." When preparing his presentation script for Summer Game Fest, Hamaguchi realized the English translation "resolve" happened to begin with the iconic "RE-" prefix, creating a funny coincidence alongside Remake and Rebirth.

The selection of "Revelation" was finalized long before those script discussions took place. Hamaguchi met with Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura to evaluate three final title candidates. After presenting the options to Square Enix teams in North America, everyone unanimously agreed that Final Fantasy VII Revelation was the ideal title for the concluding chapter.

We did decide to go with the title Revelation, but even before we made that decision, there were actually three final contenders.

This philosophy of resolve directly impacts narrative choices throughout side content as well. As demonstrated in official stream previews, certain side quests allow players to select which character handles a specific assignment, such as choosing between Vincent or Cid. Depending on who leads the quest, the story outcomes and quest conclusions can shift drastically, ensuring each player's playthrough feels unique.

How Does Vincent Valentine Combat Work in Final Fantasy VII Revelation?

Fan-favorite character Vincent Valentine joins the active playable roster, featuring a distinct combat style designed to stand out alongside existing party members. Battle Director Teruki Endo wanted Vincent to feel truly unique rather than mimicking established attack styles.

During a panel presentation at PAX West, Endo highlighted a key combat detail that sets Vincent apart: the ability to transform into the powerful Galian Beast at any moment during battle. By simply holding down the R1 button, players can transform into the Galian Beast and shift back to human form at will.

In the original game, Vincent's limit breaks forced him into beast transformations under specific, temporary conditions. For the remake trilogy, the developers wanted to give players total agency over his transformations during active combat encounters.

Because each form features completely distinct attack movements, animations, and skill sets, designing Vincent was essentially like building two full characters in one. The animation team invested substantial extra effort to ensure his rapid transitions feel fluid and responsive in mid-battle action.

Why Does the Physical Disc Version Require a Digital Download?

The release of Final Fantasy VII Revelation comes during a notable shift in the gaming industry, coinciding with Sony's final year of producing physical games? despite strong fan demand for physical media. Preorders launched immediately following a State of Play broadcast, prompting discussions regarding physical disc delivery formats.

While a physical edition is releasing, full installation requires downloading a portion of the game data via internet connection. Director Naoki Hamaguchi directly addressed fan inquiries regarding this decision, explaining the technical trade-offs involved behind the scenes.

I'm very happy that we are able to release a physical disc version of FFVII Revelation.

During development planning, the team evaluated using the exact same physical disc capacity as FFVII Rebirth. However, fitting the entire expanded finale onto that limited disc format would have forced severe visual and technical compromises, degrading overall game fidelity.

Refusing to compromise on graphic quality or scope, Square Enix opted to utilize the physical disc alongside a mandatory digital download segment. While acknowledging that digital downloads on physical media generate debate, Hamaguchi emphasized that this choice allowed the studio to preserve maximum quality without cutting content.

What Has Square Enix Learned From Building the FFVII Trilogy?

Releasing three massive, critically acclaimed AAA role-playing games over an eight-year span is an unusually fast timeline in modern game development. Game production cycles frequently stretch out across many years, making the consistent release cadence of this trilogy a rare success story in the industry.

Hamaguchi attributes this achievement to maintaining a stable, unified development team over the past 10 to 12 years. By keeping the core staff together across all three installments, the team accumulated invaluable shared experience, optimized production tools, and streamlined internal communication channels.

Despite completing this massive trilogy, the team is not yet planning their next project. Square Enix remains entirely focused on polishing Final Fantasy VII Revelation to ensure the final product hits the strict quality standards expected by fans worldwide before considering future titles.

Conclusion

As the final chapter approaches, Final Fantasy VII Revelation stands as a testament to ambitious game design, offering expanded open world freedom, deep combat systems, and player-driven choices. By combining vertical skydiving exploration with refined real-time action mechanics, Square Enix is delivering a fitting climax to an epic journey. Fans around the world can look forward to experiencing the ultimate fate of Cloud and his allies when Final Fantasy VII Revelation officially launches.

from IGN India
-via DynaSage