Naoki Hamaguchi, director of the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, has acknowledged the pervasive issue of "open world fatigue" within the gaming industry. He stated that Square Enix is taking careful measures to ensure players have "all the guidance they need" in the final chapter of the remake trilogy, despite the world being larger than its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Speaking with Eurogamer, Hamaguchi discussed the development of Revelation, intended to conclude Cloud Strife's journey against Sephiroth. He recognized that the expansive nature of open-world games can sometimes lead to players feeling lost or unsure of their objectives, an experience he personally understands. "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 remarked.
However, Hamaguchi also highlighted the allure of becoming immersed in a vast, detailed world. To balance these aspects, he believes it is crucial for developers to "offer proper guidance" in open-world titles. "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 explained, noting that this design philosophy extends 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."
An example of this guidance involves players needing to recall specific locations when disembarking from the Highwind airship. "That's another example of the guidance we're giving players, without directing them too much," Hamaguchi stated. He emphasized that as the world of Revelation is even larger than Rebirth's, providing sufficient guidance is paramount to ensuring players can fully enjoy the game's offerings.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is slated for a spring 2027 release on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch 2. Further details on the director's thoughts regarding feedback on Remake and Rebirth's mini-games, as well as potential DLC development, have also been discussed.