Naoki Hamaguchi, co-director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, recently discussed the game in detail in an interview with Everyeye. In the interview, he expressed the team’s desire for players to “feel more empathy with Sephiroth” during his playable segments. This decision to allow players to control Sephiroth, the game’s antagonist, during a specific sequence came from wanting to deepen the player’s understanding of his character and motivations.
Hamaguchi explained, “The choice to allow the player to control Sephiroth was made after creating the flashback sequence with Cloud and the Soldier. We asked ourselves how we could add a sort of ‘surprise effect’ at that moment. Controlling only Cloud, with Sephiroth managed by artificial intelligence, would not have returned the emotional impact we were trying to achieve. We wanted the player to feel more empathy with Sephiroth, and that’s why we believed that making him playable was the best way to create a bond with the user.”
He emphasized that having Sephiroth as a playable character adds an emotional layer to all future encounters with the character. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is set to launch on February 29, 2024, exclusively for PlayStation 5. It’s essentially part two of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which launched in 2020, picking up where the previous game left off.
According to Hamaguchi, the RPG will feature “nearly 100 hours of adventure,” but creative director Tetsuya Nomura has confirmed that Rebirth won’t be getting any DLC. If you’re looking for gaming deals, be sure to check out our Black Friday gaming deals and Black Friday video game deals guides for some fantastic early offers.
