One of the key writers in the Final Fantasy series has asked fans to stop demanding that he kill off characters they don’t like.
23.10.2023 - 15:29 / gameranx.com / Fantasy Vii / Naoki Hamaguchi
When it comes to games coming out in 2024, it will be hard to top the hype for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It took quite a while for the original remake title to be released on PS4, but once it did, it was rather legendary. Square Enix put everything they could into this remake saga so that it would stand out visually, have advanced gameplay mechanics, and still feel like the original, but be expanded in ways they couldn’t do before. The result was one of the system’s best titles, and now, the sequel has the same hype attached to it.
Typically, that kind of hype would be hard for certain teams to overcome without lots of hard work. But according to the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director, Naoki Hamaguchi, in a chat with Bloomberg, the team was able to come together in various ways to solve problems and make the game great:
“It was quite clear who to go to if we had a certain question or problem we were trying to solve. We were able to work together as a team, achieve this great flow and tempo of game development.”
The irony of his role as director is that he was just a teenager when the original game arrived on the PlayStation 1. But he worked to be a great game developer and was a co-director on the first remake title. He said he wants to “put his best foot forward” to not only lead the team but also help those of a younger generation who didn’t play the original PS1 title to come to enjoy the remake saga, even stating that his youth might be a way of helping that happen.
Some small clips were posted over the weekend, showing that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will bring back Chocobo Races! Fans might even recognize one of the racers in the clip:
short clip of FF7 Rebirth Chocobo racing minigame from Thailand game show https://t.co/7JHfZA2h4m pic.twitter.com/F14XoZ4rTW
As for the game’s plot, Cloud and the Avalanche crew have finally left Midgar and are on the hunt for Sephiroth. But that won’t be easy as the One-Winged Angel is aiming to not only destroy the planet in his own way to “save it,” but he’s trying to rewrite the destiny that the planet has set for him. Making matters more complicated is Shinra, who are still trying to get to the “promised land” through Aerith, and the fact that Zack Fair is still alive somehow.
All of this, and more, will come to a head when the game arrives on February 29th on PS5.
One of the key writers in the Final Fantasy series has asked fans to stop demanding that he kill off characters they don’t like.
Nobody better lay a finger on Cloud's Butterfinger...or is it Zack's?
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has two versions of each quest due to Square Enix's desire to include a story detail from the original JRPG.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is stuffed with cats in every corner of Midgar’s dark and desolate slums, but one adorable street cat actually belongs to the game’s director.
New Final Fantasy VII Rebirth footage was shared online, showcasing some secrets found in the demo the media played last month and advanced combat mechanics, also analyzing some of the changes made to combat over the first entry in the series.
Square Enix revealed that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth won’t start players back at level 1. Still, they won’t have all of their powers & gear from FF7 Remake either.
One of the biggest questions of Square Enix’s “remake saga” with Cloud and friends was, “how much are they going to change things?” At first, it seemed like the changes would merely be cosmetic in the gameplay space. After all, the company had moved past turn-based combat for their mainline titles, and the remake took that and ran with it in a good way. But as players actually went through the title, they noticed not just a focus on the Midgar saga but fleshed-out characters and big changes. All this makes Final Fantasy VII Rebirth even more anticipated because of the changes that could come.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director, Naoki Hamaguchi, has confirmed in a recent interview that there's a "big surprise" planned for the original game's most iconic death scene. You know the one.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will reportedly take you around 40 hours to beat if you're just focused on the main story content.
The anticipation for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth grows with every week that goes by and every piece of news that gets put out for it. In the game, we’ll finally get to set foot outside of Midgar and see the world of Gaia for the most part. Square Enix has already highlighted certain cities and areas we’ll visit, including the final “fateful” location that will end the game. But there are still many mysteries surrounding the title that we won’t get answered until we play it. For example, there’s the issue with Zack Fair and his role in the remake saga.
Watch out for falling Sephiroths before praying to the planet.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director, Naoki Hamaguchi, says there's a "big surprise" planned for the original JRPG's most iconic twist, and it's far from the first time fans – myself included – have been given reason to sweat over what's to come.