From the jump, Final Fantasy VII Remake signaled to fans that it was more than just a modern stroll down memory lane. The game played all the hits of the original 1997 PS1 RPG while re-envisioning substantial aspects of it and adding a meta layer to toy with fans’ expectations. The big question is whether Final Fantasy VII Revelation will wrap up the trilogy in a faithful manner or with some earth-shattering twist. Maybe it will be something in the middle. Whichever Square Enix has planned, the developers want fans to experience the journey for themselves and not have it spoiled by explanations from an outsider.
Game director Naoki Hamaguchi and battle director Teruki Endo shared some insights about new gameplay elements in the upcoming conclusion during a panel at PAX West 2026 this weekend. As pointed out by Polygon, the panel ended with a slide that told fans, “We hope you experience the climax as something that’s not explained to you by someone else, but rather, as something that belongs to you.”
Hamaguchi explained:
And that’s why, at the very end, rather than having us as developers explain the answers, we would love for players to receive them on their own as their own personal experience. The reunions we’ve built up throughout the trilogy, the bonds with our companions, and the final resolve. All of this leads to this moment—the third title. We truly hope that you all experience these final moments while carrying in your hearts the journey and the feelings that you’ve built up along the way.
Should fans prepare for fewer answers to their questions than they originally hoped, or at least ones that are left more vague and up for interpretation than the internet likes to abide these days? We know how Final Fantasy VII ended 30 years ago. Why do I feel like Final Fantasy VII Revelation is going to try to have its cake and eat it too by both being faithful to that original conclusion while also hinting at a ton of wild new possibilities?
“To be completely honest, I think we’re pretty confident and happy with how it’s turned out,” Hamaguchi told VGC earlier this year. “We’re very much excited to see how fans will react to the ending of the story.”
Square Enix has released several spin-offs since the original game, including Dirge of Cerberus for the PS2, Crisis Core for the PSP, and the movie Advent Children. Some fans think the company is hinting at tying in all those disparate parts of the franchise into something semi-coherent.
“We’re not denying the possibility of the ending tying into FFVII AC, but rather, we’re saying that FFVII AC has just been incorporated into the overarching FFVII remake series, including the ending. However, I won’t comment on whether the ending is positioned to lead into it,” the director told Automaton last month.
This would certainly make sense within the context of another one of Hamaguchi’s goals mentioned during the panel: “to pass Final Fantasy VII onto the next generation.” He suggested one of the aims of the remake trilogy is to “expand FFVII‘s future” and “move beyond being a classic of the past and shape it into an IP with an ever-evolving future.” I’m getting the sneaking suspicion Revelation might not be the last Final Fantasy VII game we get.
