Final Fantasy 7 takes place in an absolutely fantastic world filled with monsters, magic and all sorts of mythical things. But ever since the 1997 original, it has always tried to feel real and grounded in the context of its bold story. Just like our own world, most normal people are simply trying to get by while greedy corporations suck the life out of our planet with an unrelenting thirst for dominance.
Square Enix always intended this to be a conscious political reflection of how unchecked powers would sacrifice millions of lives and let our planet burn if it meant endless profits, and now more relevant than ever, the Remake Trilogy puts this part of the story at the forefront. But it also tries to portray people, relationships and everyday life in a more honest and realistic way.
To mark the recent launch of Rebirth on Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox consoles alongside the reveal of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, I caught up with game director Naoki Hamaguchi to dig deep into the diversity, Easter eggs and fan service of this ambitious RPG experience.
The world of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation wants to feel diverse and authentic
One part of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth that I keep coming back to during every playthrough is a same-sex couple that travels across the open world much like Cloud and company do. It begins with an aggressive fight in the streets of Kalm, before developing into a Sapphic relationship as these two women leave the men in their lives behind before falling into each other's arms. None of these characters have names, but watching their romance unfold during my own adventure was an unexpected delight.
When I asked Hamaguchi about this specific part of the game, he was equally surprised and happy to hear about the reception it had among players: “For us, the important thing is the feeling of a diverse group of people living in this world in an authentic way. Rebirth is a game where you encounter many cities, cultures and relationships throughout your journey. In my opinion, the authentic presence of different relationships in the world enhances realism.
“As such, it feels closer to say that even for these two characters, our goal was not to add a same-sex couple just for the sake of adding it, but to portray the stories of those who live in this world with sincerity and care. In truth, it made us incredibly happy as a development team to see players paying close attention to even these subtle interactions and changes.”
We've seen more games move in this inclusive direction, so I ask if Hamaguchi thinks LGBTQ+ representation in Japanese video games in particular has become more authentic in recent years, using Rebirth's brief but welcome character moments as small examples:
“Rebirth is a game where you encounter many cities, cultures and relationships throughout your journey. That's why I think that the atmosphere of the world – where such individuals simply exist and live their lives – ultimately enhances its realism. In truth, my impression is that players also pay attention not only to whether these depictions are there, but also to their detailed spacing between characters and conversations.”
You also stumble upon a woman in the game world who talks about being tired of dating men and decides to give women a try instead. There are a lot of lesbians in Final Fantasy 7…
Hamaguchi continues, “Especially after the transition to open world, we were keen to convey the sense of a truly diverse group of people inhabiting this world, through the details of the cities and the everyday dialogue that takes place outside of the main story. As such, it feels closer to say that the presence of these relationships didn't feel like a distinct depiction of world building in a true FF way to us.”
But it also wants to delight and surprise in equal measure
Although they represent a completely different kind of realism, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy allowed Hamaguchi and his team to fill the world with subtle details and easter eggs that aren't just simple opportunities for fan service, but make the world feel more alive. I ask how the developers decide what things to include, and how tasteful it must be for the fans to appreciate them.
“The FF7 series really has a long history, including not only the original game but also the various spin-offs. Within these, there are fans who feel attached to different entries. For some, Crisis Core is special; for others, Advent Children was memorable. There are even those who have never forgotten small moments from the original game,” explains Hamaguchi.
“Because of this, when we do easter eggs and small details, there is an abundance of options for which memory from which game can please players. I see this as one of the unique strengths of the series. What is also interesting is how many members of the current development team are simply fans of FF7 themselves. “Someone will definitely notice this”, or “I want to include the easter egg.”
That said, Hamaguchi also notes that he doesn't want to fill the trilogy with tons of hidden details or deep-cut Easter eggs just for the sake of it — instead incorporating them as part of each game's overall world-building. There are familiar characters, images or even sounds that die-hard players will recognize and stick with, so making sure all of these are placed in the right place is paramount.
I'll bring up a few specific examples, namely posters depicting the weapons that will be featured in Final Fantasy 7 Revelation and NPCs celebrating Tifa and Scarlet's now infamous slapfight, which Hamaguchi confirmed will be in the third game.
“This remake series was designed to be a single, cohesive work that spanned the overall trilogy from the beginning, so we've put a lot of thought into how much we should show right now versus what we shouldn't show right now. I especially think that the more familiar a player is with the original game, the more likely they are to infer the future based on small details, which is why we leave room for people to respawn. Why do we leave room for people to respawn. 'Does this mean maybe?'
It was also confirmed to us that outfits from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth should make a return in Revelation, while many additional costumes will also be made available. But you won't be able to express your eccentric fashion during key story moments.
Hamaguchi is right on the money, especially with a trilogy that has gone out of its way to subvert expectations and play with the original story. No matter how small the details may be, players will read into them and likely expect them to pay off in small or big ways. As for the battle and weapons, however, these will both play a significant role in the Book of Revelation.
“The Weapons poster is one such example of this. From the early stages of development, our goal with Weapons was to leave a lingering presence of disruptive entities in the world itself. That said, we didn't want it to be blunt, ominous foreboding either. If anything, because this was a world that has lost its reverence for the planet, consuming images of one's culture instead of one's culture. wanted to capture that subtle air of irony.
“On the other hand, I'm sure the interaction between Tifa and Scarlet probably made those familiar with the original game think, 'This is definitely leading up to that moment.' Of course, that showdown is portrayed with the care it deserves in the third installment. We hope you look forward to seeing how these elements scattered as tributes will ultimately tie together.”
I also had to ask if the scene where Elena from The Turks enjoys a Sea Salt ice cream was a deliberate reference to Kingdom Hearts. Bad news: it isn't.
“It may be disappointing to hear this, but Elena's ice cream is not an homage to Kingdom Hearts,” laughs Hamaguchi. “In Japan, there's a very popular soda-flavored ice cream called Garigari-kun, which we actually referenced a lot during development. As such, it's closer to saying that we envisioned a somewhat nostalgic ice cream, reminiscent of summer.”
How much content is too much content in Final Fantasy 7?
One of the most common criticisms of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was how much content it had to offer. Don't get me wrong, most of its minigames were great fun and its open world regions weren't as big and empty as the worst triple-A villains, but I wouldn't blame anyone for skipping over certain distractions because they just didn't have time.
It turned out that this was actually part of the overall design philosophy and became a consistent conversation throughout the team throughout development. Many felt that this sense of total exuberance was part of what made the original Final Fantasy 7 so special. However, there may have been a bit of a setback.
“For FF7 Rebirth, we were particularly keen to not only follow the main story, but also create a sense of living in this world. For example, you can invest in advancing the main story but end up playing multiple rounds of Queen's Blood, dressing up your Chocobos, or exploring the world map instead. I consider this a typical experience of getting the FF7 experience itself.
“However, in truth, the overwhelming feeling was also felt by the development team, not just the players. Especially with the transition to an open world, an unreasonable number of elements were developed at the same time, such as mini-games, side missions, Easter eggs, exploration and dialogue events. I'm sure many staff members felt worried during the early development stage that we could really complete the development stage. this…?'
“That's why I made it a point to strengthen the overall game design very early in development: where and when to place each mini-game, where to leave room for side content pacing, and where to include easter eggs. This game plan was something we laid out very clearly from the beginning.”
When I ask if there are any hidden secrets or easter eggs that players haven't seemingly discussed on social media yet, Hamaguchi mentions the Komainu (lion-dog statues) at the entrance to Gilgamesh and how they're actually modeled after Enkidu, Gilgamesh's canine companion who appears in many other Final Fantasy titles.
When all of these elements come together—whether it's the diversity and realism of its fantasy world or the frequency of Easter eggs and hidden discoveries—Hamaguchi is hopeful that once we reach the end of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, it will feel like we've also completed a pilgrimage that's been decades in the making.
“By having this complete picture, the team was able to share the feeling that this game will come together if we build things up to this point. As such, it feels closer to saying that this is not a game that just contains a large amount of content, but rather one where we challenged ourselves with how to turn this huge scale of gameplay into a single, cohesive journey.”
This interview is part of our Final Fantasy 7 Day coverage. Be sure to check out the rest of our articles that dive deep into the beloved classic here.
