FF7 Remake Trilogy Director: Each Game Must Feel Complete, No Exceptions

Naoki Hamaguchi reveals his non-negotiable rule for the FF7 Remake trilogy: every entry must stand alone as a complete experience, even as part of a larger story.

Ever played a game that felt like it was just biding time until the sequel? Final Fantasy 7 Remake director Naoki Hamaguchi was determined to avoid that trap. In an interview with Edge magazine (issue 429), he explained that making each chapter of the trilogy feel like a complete, standalone experience was a "non-negotiable premise from the very beginning."

Hamaguchi's biggest fear? Creators thinking, "There's more to come, so it's fine to stop here for now." That mindset, he says, is the biggest thing to avoid in a multi-part series. So he made sure each game ends on a climactic note. 2020's Final Fantasy 7 Remake wrapped with Cloud and his crew escaping Midgar, standing on the cusp of a much bigger world. And 2024's Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth? It closes right after one of gaming's most famous and tragic moments, setting the stage dramatically for the finale.

But staying faithful to the original while making each part self-contained wasn't easy. The developers took some big liberties, too. In Rebirth, longtime fans noticed a couple of locations and towns from the original game were entirely absent. Hamaguchi explained why: "When we looked at the overall plot and gameplay experience of Rebirth, we determined that depicting those elements [Rocket Town and Wutai] at the same time would have made the game too dense with information, disrupting the story's pacing and the focus of the second game." In other words, Rebirth was already massive, and cramming in more would have hurt the experience.

Looking ahead to the third and final chapter, Hamaguchi teased a different side of Cloud. "In the footage we unveiled at SGF, people noted that the way Cloud speaks had become gentler than before," he said. "While I'd prefer not to go into detail, I can say that players will experience a side of Cloud that hasn't been seen in previous titles." He added that fans should pay attention not just to how Cloud confronts the crisis in Revelation's story, but also to his relationships with his companions and the answer he ultimately arrives at as an individual.

Hamaguchi also revealed that he pushed Square Enix for a physical version of the JRPG, though he believes physical media will eventually be "essentially disc-less." That's a concern for collectors, but for now, it seems the director is fighting to keep discs alive as long as possible.

With the final chapter on the horizon, it's clear the team is committed to delivering a satisfying conclusion that honors both the original and the trilogy's own identity. Each game has stood on its own, and that's no accident.

What do you think about Hamaguchi's approach to the trilogy? Will you be picking up the final chapter when it launches? Let us know in the comments!