Naoki Hamaguchi says the divisiveness of FF7 Rebirth’s ending is exactly what he wanted

FF7 Rebirth’s ending left fans divided over whether it was a bold retelling, a convoluted mess, or just a disappointment, and that’s exactly what director Naoki Hamaguchi wanted

Square Enix

FF7 Rebirth’s ending left fans divided over whether it was a bold retelling, a convoluted mess, or just a disappointment, and that’s exactly the reaction director Naoki Hamaguchi wanted. Hamaguchi made the comments in a recent interview with Eurogamer, where he discussed the planning that went into that big moment with Sephiroth in the finale.

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“There was a danger [with Aerith’s fate], there was definitely a trap,” Hamaguchi said. “Mr [Yoshinori] Kitase often says that he really wanted to create that kind of debate and speculation after the game and moving through to the third game, that people keep talking about it up until they do see the final conclusion. In that sense I think we probably have achieved exactly what he wanted to do there and I'm very satisfied with that, because people are still talking about it."

Rebirth ends not just with a variation on Aerith’s fate, but with a confusing montage that teases much about the multiple timelines FF7 Remake is, apparently, operating in, all without giving anything away about what’s actually going on. It’s an unexpected cliffhanger ending, and Hamaguchi said that was part of his plan as well.

"The important thing is that the player will wonder whether it's going to change or not," he said. "So if it was all exactly as it was in the original storyline, you'd know exactly what was coming: there'd be no anticipation, there'd be no excitement. For people who played the game, they'd know exactly what's coming next. It wouldn't really be a fun experience. It might be nostalgic, but it wouldn't be a fun experience."

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In the spirit of keeping people guessing, Hamaguchi gave nothing away about what to expect from FF7 Remake Part 3. We do know Queen’s Blood will be back and that, despite Square Enix’s desire to keep everyone guessing, Remake Part 3 “won’t betray fans of the original,” though that’s vague enough to mean pretty much nothing. It might not take four years to create, either, as Square Enix said the team has the experience to make developing Remake Part 3 a faster process and a smoother one.