Summary
WithFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthnow behind it, theFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogy presses on toward its third and last entry, which will undoubtedly result in an epic conclusion as Cloud Strife and his friends eventually square off against Sephiroth in a final confrontation. So far, theFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogy has already done a number on the original game, and not just in visuals alone. WhileFinal Fantasy 7 Remakelargely kept players within some tight boundaries, for example,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthopened up the world in an unprecedented way with multiple open areas to explore, leaving questions about what the third game might look like in that regard.
As for whereFinal Fantasy 7 RemakePart 3might land in terms of its world design and exploration, it’s somewhat possible to predict that based on what is still left of the original game for the third entry in the remade trilogy to explore. That being said,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthis proof that Square Enix is more than willing to throw a curveball at players if given the opportunity, and the long-term reception of its open-world zones may also be an indicator of where the third entry might go.
Where Final Fantasy 7’s Remake Trilogy Might Land Next
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3’s World Will Be Built Around the Highwind
According to director Naoki Hamaguchi in aninterview with The Washington Post, Square Enix is buildingFinal Fantasy 7 RemakePart 3’s world around the Highwind, though that doesn’t necessarily narrow anything down to specifics. What it does present, however, are some weighty implications for what the world will be like in terms of its scope and design. Apparently, most of the work for the third game’s world is already done, thanks to whatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthoffered in that arena, but with the Highwind now involved, that doesn’t automatically mean that Part 3’s world will resembleRebirth’s in scope.
In the originalFinal Fantasy 7, players would use the Highwind to explore and traverse the game’s overworld map, making it easier to revisit towns or hunt for side content like materia caves, weapons, and Chocobo breeding. It’s possibleFinal Fantasy 7 RemakePart 3 could implement an overworld map of sorts and repeat this design, and it would make sense in light of Hamaguchi’s comments about Part 3 taking a cue fromFinal Fantasy 7Rebirth’s world design.
Apparently, most of the work for the third game’s world is already done, thanks to whatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthoffered in that arena, but with the Highwind now involved, that doesn’t automatically mean that Part 3’s world will resembleRebirth’s in scope.
SinceRebirthis made up of multiple open-world zones, it seems likely that Part 3 will keep this structure and simply allow players to travel between each zone using the Highwind. In essence, it could potentially end up looking like something comparable toClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s overworld map, which allows players to travel between the game’s smaller locations either on foot or on Esquie’s back. This would be a natural progression ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s world design, and it would keep Part 3 from going fully open world.
Why Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Likely Won’t Be Fully Open World
While it might make sense from one perspective forFinal Fantasy 7 RemakePart 3 to be fully open world, it probably wouldn’t be the best route for Square Enix to go.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s expansive environmentswere praised by some, but long-term reception was largely mixed. After the second or third zone, things start to feel a bit repetitive and time-consuming due to each area being too similar in its design. As such, ifFinal Fantasy 7 RemakePart 3 were to go fully open world, it would likely be subjecting itself to more criticism than praise, sinceRebirth’s design alone was already met with a mixed reception.
In other words, it’s likely Square Enix has considered this moving forward, and will instead keep the world design for the final entry of theFinal Fantasy 7 RemaketrilogywithinRebirth’s borders — only with a different context now that the Highwind is involved. Not only would it be a bold move for Part 3 to be even more open thanRebirth, but Hamaguchi has already intimated that the third entry is already mostly done, thanks toRebirth’s design. In light of that,Final Fantasy 7 RemakePart 3 will more than likely be a larger version of whatRebirthoffered in terms of its world design.
