FF7 Remake Director Talks Progression “Cheats” And Why He’s For Them

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Square Enix is bringing Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox consoles. Along with the game, they’re adding new features that will help players progress more easily – think of them as optional shortcuts to skip repetitive parts and finish the game faster. This is designed to make the game more enjoyable, especially for those new to it.

Game director Naoki Hamaguchi was the driving force behind adding these features. He told Automaton (in a translated interview) that he strongly advocated for them because he wants players to be able to experience the game in a way that suits their preferences – whether they prefer a relaxed pace or want to rush through the story.

Whenever we share news about changes like these, we often hear strong reactions – people saying it’s a betrayal of what made the product special,” Hamaguchi explained. “Even some of our own developers feel that way at first. But progress requires someone to step up and make it happen.

He explained that offering players choices is crucial in today’s digital entertainment landscape. He felt strongly that players should be able to engage with content in the way they prefer, and that’s why he championed this approach.

As a big fan, I was really interested to hear Hamaguchi explain the decision to add those progression features to the Remake now. He said it’s actually a way to make the game more accessible for newer players, especially since it’s been out for a few years and the final part of the trilogy is coming up. Apparently, without these features, the game could take 40-50 hours to finish, but with them, it’s closer to 10! He also made a good point – adding them to the final game at launch could upset longtime fans who’ve been waiting for years and deserve the original experience. It makes sense to get everyone caught up now!

Players on PS5 will also get these new progression features. Square Enix has announced they’ll be added in a future update.

I’m really excited to hear that they’re still working on the third part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake! Even though Rebirth didn’t sell as well as they hoped, the producer, Hamaguchi, promised us they’re planning a really great, high-quality ending to the story. Tetsuya Nomura even hinted that Square Enix already knows *when* they’re going to announce it, which is awesome! I’m just eagerly waiting for more news.

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2025-10-07 20:40