Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's Revelation is shaping up to play like the third act of a JRPG, offering a freedom and scope usually reserved for a game's final hours. This approach, while potentially enormous in scale, raises questions about whether it can avoid the bloat that affected the experience of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
The preview build for Revelation dropped players into Chapter 4, where Yuffie, Barrett, Nanaki, and newcomers Cid and Vincent explore the continent via Cid's airship, the Highwind. This free traversal of the world map is a significant departure, placing players in a position typically seen at the end of a role-playing game. The developers at Square Enix are leaning heavily into this "act three" structure, allowing players to revisit areas from Rebirth with noticeable changes.
For example, areas like the Grasslands, once a relatively tame starting zone, are now populated by formidable beasts, reflecting the seismic shifts caused by the approaching meteor. Director Naoki Hamaguchi explained that these geographical differences and new side quests aim to make revisiting familiar locations feel fresh. However, this abundance of side content may echo the "checklist-y" feel and mandatory minigames that some found bloated in Rebirth. Revelation's approach to exploration, including the ability to skydive from the Highwind and land directly in specific regions, offers a sense of freedom and verticality that could make managing the extensive content more palatable.
The parachute mechanic itself was inspired by games like Fortnite, aiming for a seamless transition from air to ground that modern audiences would welcome. This system allows players to pinpoint their landing spots, facilitating a more focused approach to exploration and objectives.
Grappling Around Wutai
In contrast to the open-world freedom, Wutai offers a more guided experience. Yuffie's hometown is fully realized and features tall buildings that showcase the new grapple gun mechanic. While limited to specific grapple points, the tool enhances traversal within the dense town and even features in a grapple gun race challenge.
Revelation's combat system builds upon Rebirth's foundation, with combat director Teruki Endo stating the team felt they had perfected the mechanics in the previous installment and are now focusing on polish and player freedom. A new FITS system allows for class assignments to party members, though the preview focused heavily on the newcomer Vincent Valentine. Vincent's ability to transform into the Galian Beast at will, coupled with his ranged human form attacks, makes him a standout playable character. The freedom to swap between forms, balanced by a potential HP reduction for extended transformation, offers a dynamic combat experience.
With six characters available early in the game, each with a distinct playstyle, Revelation offers significant flexibility from the outset. This includes Cloud and Tifa, who are absent from the party for story reasons. The game appears poised to provide a rich and open conclusion to the Final Fantasy VII trilogy, with the hope that its expansive content will feel as engaging and free as it did in the preview session.