New details on Part 3 of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy will arrive “soon”, and minigames are set to remain a core focus for the development team.
During an interview with Sean Lim from GamerBraves, Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy director Naoki Hamaguchi was asked for his view the role of minigames and lighter activities, and the mixed sentiment surrounding their impact on pacing in Rebirth. In response, he said clarified that many games include minigames alongside their core gameplay. According to him, if players keep engaging with the same mechanics for too long, the experience can start to feel less fresh. He added that minigames offer a completely different type of interaction, which helps players re-engage with the world from a new perspective.
That said, Hamaguchi understands that reactions vary. He acknowledged that some players enjoy the change of pace, while others just want to continue with the main story and feel that interruptions can be frustrating, and is very aware of that balance. Because of this, he believes that creators must always be careful about when minigames appear, their difficulty, and their quantity. He said that these are things him and his team are constantly thinking about during development.
He further clarified that the original Final Fantasy VII was known for having many minigames. As such, he wants to carry that spirit forward in the Remake series. He hopes that players will enjoy an even richer variety of minigames across all entries in the trilogy, including Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3.
As for lessons learned from the development of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, Hamaguchi mentioned he’s learned that when remaking a title with a large fanbase, it simply isn’t possible to reuse characters or world details from the original and tell a completely different story without strong justification. According to him, fans need a sense of trust and continuity. For him and his team, every expansion or reinterpretation had to grow organically. That meant expanding on ideas the original couldn’t fully express at the time, rather than replacing them.
Lastly, the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy director shared that the development team will have new information to share on Part 3 sometime soon.
