Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was a game of excess (in the best possible way). Square Enix proudly filled its massive world full of things to do, and that included a large and varied collection of minigames, and though those minigames were a highlight of the experience for many, the game also did receive criticism from some for having maybe a few too many minigames. That’s something that the development team is looking to remedy with the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy’s final instalment.
The same was confirmed by Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi in a recent interview with Daily Star. When asked if there was anything from Rebirth that he would change for its sequel, Hamaguchi stated that though he wouldn’t make too many changes to the overall structure, following feedback from players, the roster of minigames in the next game will be “a bit more manageable size”.
“I think that what we did with Rebirth, the structure of the game, the balance of everything in it, was very good and it was received very well by the fans,” he said. “So I don’t think there’s any need for major changes there really.
“One thing perhaps that maybe needs looking at, is that there was a certain number of people who said there were too many minigames in Rebirth, and ultimately I can see their point of view – but I do think we made the right decision in terms of the breadth and the volume of content for the minigames in Rebirth.
“Obviously, the more different types of content, the more minigames you put into a title, the more likely it is that people will like some and not others.
“Obviously, it comes down to personal taste in a lot of ways. Everyone’s going to have some of the minigames that they really liked and really enjoyed, and maybe some they didn’t get on with so much, and that will depend on the player, and it’ll be different for different players.
“So I don’t think we failed at all in that decision of having such a broad amount of content there. It was what was needed for the game, but certainly looking forward to the third game and to other games, if you asked me ‘would I do the same number of minigames’, I don’t think I would.
“We’ll work out how maybe we can cut it down to maybe a bit more manageable size for the group of players who quite rightly said that maybe there was too much there for them.”
Though it looks like the remake trilogy’s final instalment will be going relatively easier on the minigames, Hamaguchi has previously stated that the game as a whole will be “even bigger” than Rebirth. Meanwhile, specifically where minigames are concerned, we also know that the fan-favourite card game Queen’s Blood will be returning with a “revamped” and “better” version, as per Hamaguchi.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 – or whatever Square Enix ends up calling it – is currently in development, and recently exited the pre-production stage. Its development team is targeting a 2027 release.