Naoki Hamaguchi On FF7 Rebirth's World Map, Character Synergies, & Huge Side Quest Content

screenrant.com:

will arrive early next year, continuing the three-part reimagining of the original 1997 game. The Square Enix project began in 2020 with the release of, which offered a modernized and expanded take on the first part of the overall storyline. picks up where its predecessor left off, with Cloud and his party leaving Midgar for the Forgotten City.

The scope of is much larger than that of, with a huge open world filled with side content for players to explore. Changes include new playable characters like Sephiroth, a deepening of the Synergy system, and significantly larger map. Though the retelling of the original story still won't be complete after, it's clear that there will be a lot more for fans to do this time around even more than in the already-expanded that will provide a greater depth to the characters and narrative that have been beloved for decades.

Related: «An Experience Far More Grand» — Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Preview

sat down with director Naoki Hamaguchi and translator Hinano Akiyama to discuss the biggest changes to the game, taking creative leeway with the series, and keeping the heart of the game intact.

Screen Rant: First I would love to hear what you think the most important things are that have changed in this new version of the game.

Naoki Hamaguchi: Thank you for this question. So regarding Rebirth, I do believe that one of the key aspects that a lot of the users are wondering about is the world map experience. What is it going to be like when we go out into this bigger world? And so that's an aspect that we really focused on considering. With the original title, we had this world map in which by acquiring a Chocobo or various different vehicles, you were then able to venture on and seek out more