Final Fantasy VII Remake series director Naoki Hamaguchi has recently addressed fan concerns about the pacing of the series, particularly in response to feedback on Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3. He reassured players that while the upcoming installment aims to be more concise, there are no plans to alter the pacing of Rebirth.
Director’s Perspective on Pacing
Reports suggest that Hamaguchi has reflected on the pacing and length of the series. When asked about whether certain parts of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth were unnecessarily long, he disagreed, stating, “Regarding time management in certain sections, especially in FF7 Rebirth, I honestly don’t believe that they were longer than necessary. I feel like nowadays, players just have too much to do and too much to play; so they often feel the urge that something has to be concluded quickly.”
In an interview with VGC, Hamaguchi elaborated on this, saying: “Just to explain, the original question I was asked there was, they said that there are some people who played Rebirth, the second game in the series, and they felt that because we’ve added in new story content, which wasn’t in the original Final Fantasy 7, to them it felt like the story was being stretched out,” he explained. “So they asked whether we were considering doing anything related to that in the third game.
“I feel that the pacing, the content, and the balance in Rebirth is exactly as I wanted it. I personally don’t feel it’s been stretched out; it doesn’t feel unnecessarily long. To me, I think I got that right, and I think a lot of people would agree with me.”
Clarifying Misinterpretations
Hamaguchi emphasized that while ensuring the story’s progression is smooth and engaging, his comments about being “more concise” were misinterpreted by some. “I think that may have been misconstrued by people; they may have said, ‘Okay, that means they’re going to cut down on the volume and they’re going to remove story content, it’s going to be a shorter game, they’re going to cut it down’, and that’s not what I’m saying at all,” he added.
“It’s about making sure the pacing feels right, it’s not about cutting out content, it’s making sure that it feels right, the speed that the story progresses at feels right, and it is fairly quick and feels like you can get through it at a reasonable pace. But it has to feel right, so that’s what I mainly intended to say there.”
Anticipation for the Trilogy’s Conclusion
RPG enthusiasts have eagerly awaited updates on the next part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy since the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in early 2024. Development reportedly began as early as June 2022, with Square Enix targeting a release by 2027. Excitement grew further when the team announced the completion of its story earlier this year.
While fans wait, more insights are available on why the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 team vows not to compromise on features like the iconic airship. As for the game’s combat style, whether it will feature turn-based combat remains undecided despite the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which celebrates traditional JRPG-inspired gameplay and recently hit 5 million copies sold in just five months.