FF7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi and producer Yoshinori Kitase shared their vision and what hurdles they overcame in recently-launched-already-critically-acclaimed FF7 Rebirth, in an interview with The Verge.
FF7 Rebirth Creators Dish Out on Innovations and Paying Proper Homage
Modern Reinterpretation Meets Nostalgic Reverence
In an interview with The Verge to kick off the month of March, Naoki Hamaguchi, director of FF7 Rebirth, along with veteran producer Yoshinori Kitase, bared all on the development of FF7 Rebirth. They talked about the balance between paying homage to the 1997 original and introducing novel, innovative elements to the beloved franchise.
Unlike straightforward remakes or complete reboots, Rebirth was described as occupying a unique space where modern reinterpretation meets nostalgic reverence. Hamaguchi emphasized the importance of leveraging technological advancement to portray moments in the game that were previously constrained by limitations during its era.
This implementation of technology breathed new life into familiar scenes, offering players fresh perspectives without straying too far from the original vision. "So much more detail is possible in what we’re able to portray and express in much of these scenes," the director told The Verge.
He added that "Allowing players this sort of new discovery in experiencing these details was the first point we took care of." Another key consideration was the changes made to the original's storyline. "If the story that we follow for Rebirth is exactly the same, players’ overall excitement would decrease," Hamaguchi explained.
SPOILER UP AHEAD!!!
Hamaguchi and Kitase aimed to create a sense of unpredictability and suspense by introducing plot twists and surprises to keep players engaged. Resurrecting characters like Zack, although seemingly controversial, was not done as fan service. Bringing in characters from across the FF7 universe was always the plan, according to the producer.
Hamaguchi further explained, "Zack, for example, was a character who died in the original game. But by bringing him back in the Remake series, we’ve created this sense of wonder and excitement in players that believe perhaps this is something different."
"Everything you need to know will be addressed in Rebirth."
While the inclusion of multiple characters and plotlines may seem daunting to newcomers, Hamaguchi assured that Rebirth is accessible to all players, regardless of their level of knowledge of Final Fantasy lore. "There’s nothing that [a player] wouldn’t understand because they haven’t played the spinoff titles," he told The Verge. "Everything you need to know will be addressed in Rebirth."
Addressing past criticisms, Hamaguchi acknowledged the concerns about certain sections of the game feeling bloated or disconnected from the main storyline. The director explained that "he felt it wasn’t so much the side stories themselves that were the issue, rather that players weren’t able to decide whether to pursue them."
In FF7 Rebirth, players have more agency in choosing when to engage with side content. This, the creators explained, could address pacing issues that previous iterations were critiqued for. "For Rebirth, the volume of side contents is quite massive," Hamaguchi said. "But a key difference here is that players are now able to choose when they play the side contents."
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