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The Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy finale will have a new gameplay experience, director Naoki Hamaguchi has stated.

Speaking to German outlet NTower, Hamaguchi stated “development is going very well”, and while no specifics were provided, he did compare the gameplay of the third part back to the progression from Remake to Rebirth.

“As you’re very much aware, the first game in the series, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, was a more story driven linear gaming experience and then that evolved and changed into a more open world adventure for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second game,” Hamaguchi explained. “And that seems to be very well regarded. People seem to like that change a lot and they like the new gameplay direction. So, we’re very happy with that.”

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE – Release Date Announcement – Nintendo Switch 2Watch on YouTube

“But moving forward to the third game in the series,” he continued, “obviously I can’t say exactly what it is, but I don’t want to deliver just exactly the same style of gameplay experience as we had with Rebirth again. We’re going to evolve it and change it again to give another different and fresh take on the Final Fantasy 7 gameplay. Again, that will be revealed in the not too distant future. I can say we’re working on it and we’re trying to change that because we’ve actually got a build up and running in the development team right now where you can experience that new style of gameplay.”

So what exactly does he mean here?

While “gameplay experience” is a broad term, part three will likely still use the same battle system that’s been developed across Remake and Rebirth, though presumably with some twists for additional characters Cid and Vincent.

Hamaguchi really seems to be discussing structure here. Remake was a more linear affair, owing to the tight focus on a single location (the city of Midgar), while Rebirth was open world as Cloud and friends explore expansive environments in pursuit of Sephiroth – just as players moved to the world map in the original PS1 game.

It’s understandable Square Enix would need a change in structure for the trilogy finale. In part, the presumed inclusion of Cid’s Tiny Bronco to fly over the world would diminish the sense of exploration from Rebirth, but also re-using much of Rebirth’s world would feel like repetition.

I wonder, then, if the trilogy’s multiverse storyline might lend itself to a more unique structure. Square Enix has toyed with narrative changes from the original game with this remake trilogy and, as the scope has gradually (and confusingly) widened, perhaps a conventional linear or open world won’t be the best method to tie up its loose threads. I’d rather the development team went all-in on something new than a half-hearted midway approach in an attempt to appease a vast spectrum of fans.

Still, Hamaguchi added more will be announced “in the near future” and the game “really will be a fitting climax to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series”.

Of course, the other key question is what will the game’s subtitle be, following Remake and Rebirth. Speaking with JPGames.de, Hamaguchi explained “reunion” was the key word for Remake, while “bonds” was the key word for Rebirth (emphasising the relationships between characters).

“And in the same vein, we have got a new key word for the third game in the series,” he said. “Can’t tell you what it is yet. It’s very much there, though, and influencing and informing how the gameplay and the game experience is shaped, in exactly the same way as the first two games were by their key word.”

What are your best guesses for part three?

Until then, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is heading to Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S next year, plus the progression boosts will be retroactively added to the PS5 and PC versions.

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