Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Director Responds to Criticism of Rebirth’s Mini-Games

Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, has responded to criticism of the mini-games in the remake series. In an interview with Edge magazine, he said that debates over whether a game should have more or fewer mini-games miss the point.

After Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launched in 2024, some players criticized the game for having too many mini-games, which they felt distracted from the main story. Hamaguchi admitted that he sees these discussions but doesn’t think they are particularly relevant:

I often see debates about whether it’s better to have more minigames or fewer. However, I don’t think that discussion really gets to the heart of the matter. What I consider first is what kind of gaming experience is best suited to a particular title.

According to the director, the decision to fill the remakes with lots of mini-games was a deliberate one, since the original Final Fantasy 7 also had plenty of them. Hamaguchi stressed that he takes responsibility for this choice:

In that sense, the overarching policy that ‘the FF7 remakes would offer a gaming experience as rich in minigames as the original’ was my decision as director, and I believe that responsibility is mine to bear.

At the same time, Hamaguchi acknowledged that the team still has room for improvement, particularly in how easy it is for players to engage with the mini-games. The main goal for the developers is for players to take on mini-games because they want to, not because they are forced to:

We prioritised ensuring that players engage with the minigames because they want to. I believe that how we can deliver that gaming experience is more important than whether to increase or reduce the number of minigames

If you want to find out whether the previous Final Fantasy VII really has that many mini-games, we recommend buying the game on Eneba, where you’ll also be able to pre-order the upcoming FF7 Revelation once it becomes available. Plus, with promo code EGW5, you’ll get a 5% discount on the entire range available on the platform.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will be the final part of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy. A release date has not been announced yet. Also, as a reminder, he recently explained why Final Fantasy 7 Revelation won’t get a full physical release.