Final Fantasy VII Revelation gives story-focused players a way past the grind

According to director Naoki Hamaguchi, Final Fantasy VII Revelation is giving players a way around one of Rebirth's more annoying side effects of skipping optional content. Fall too far behind and the game can bring the party up to the recommended level instead of sending you back out to grind.

For anyone mainly interested in seeing how Cloud's story ends, that could make a big difference. There will still be plenty to disappear into, from the Highwind and side quests to playable Vincent and Cid and story scenes that can change between playthroughs. This time, leaving some of it untouched should be much easier.

Hamaguchi has said recently that the level boost came directly from feedback on Rebirth. Some players wanted to stick closely to the main story, only to find themselves underleveled because so much experience sat behind optional content.

Revelation will occasionally offer to fix that for you. Accept the boost and the party jumps to the recommended level. Decline it and nothing changes. It is a small but useful option for anyone who has no interest in clearing another batch of map icons before returning to Cloud, Sephiroth and the main story.

Square Enix is also being clearer about why you might want to tackle those activities in the first place. Combat progression will be tied more closely to combat content, while minigames are expected to lean toward cosmetics and similar rewards.

Players should no longer have to spend time on an activity they do not enjoy just because an important piece of equipment or character upgrade is locked behind it. Revelation will also show rewards more clearly before you start, so you can tell whether an activity offers something useful for the party or something you are happy to skip.

Then there is the 100-hour figure, which sounds intimidating until you look at what Hamaguchi was actually describing.

Those longer runs come from his own development checks, where he goes through the game from beginning to end while reviewing assets, quests and other content. He also does very different runs where combat is skipped so he can focus entirely on the story.

For a normal playthrough, Hamaguchi has compared Revelation much more closely with Rebirth in terms of size. So the 100-hour figure tells us more about how much content Square Enix has built than how long it will take most players to reach the ending.

A game roughly the size of Rebirth also needs a better way to get around, and Revelation has the Highwind for exactly that. The party can fly across the planet and parachute toward destinations below instead of making every return trip from the ground.

Story progress still keeps some areas off limits, but revisiting old regions should be much quicker. That becomes especially useful for quests that continue across several parts of the world, with objectives sending you back to places you may have left hours earlier.

Hamaguchi has also said rewards and map markers will be clearer before you set off. If a quest sends you across the planet for a cosmetic item, a combat reward or another character scene, you should have a better idea of what is waiting at the other end before making the trip.

Vincent is finally playable in Revelation, switching between gunfire at range and a beast form that sends him straight into close combat. Consecutive shots strengthen his unique attacks, while transforming lets him move quickly between enemies and tear into them with claws.

He can stay in beast form as long as you want, but his Chaos level keeps rising and gradually cuts into his maximum HP. Stay transformed too long and Vincent becomes increasingly fragile, so there is a real decision in how far you push the form before switching back.

Cid is built around a very different kind of timing. Brief blue flashes appear during his spear combos, and hitting the attack button at the right moment extends them into additional moves. His Target Spear ability can lodge up to five spears in an enemy, which then strengthen attacks such as Skydive and Burst Spiral.

Vincent rewards knowing when to back off. Cid is more about getting the timing right and setting up stronger follow-ups. Both bring something the returning Rebirth party did not already have.

The new Function-Integrated Tactical Suitwear system, thankfully shortened to FITS, adds another layer on top of those individual fighting styles.

Four roles have been announced so far: Warrior, Knight, Black Mage and Summoner. Equipping one changes a character's outfit and gives them additional combat abilities. Square Enix has already shown Cid using Knight and Vincent using Summoner.

All of those options become available when FITS unlocks, rather than being scattered across quests or collectibles. With eight party members and only three active slots, that means you can start trying different combinations straight away instead of hunting down the outfit needed for a particular build.

Those choices carry into the Weapon battles too. Hamaguchi says the enormous encounters still use the regular combat system even when they introduce their own mechanics, so the party setups you spend time learning should still matter when the biggest fights arrive.

For all the talk about multiple playthroughs, Revelation is not turning the end of the remake trilogy into a branching finale. Hamaguchi has confirmed there is still only one ending.

What changes is how you get there. Choosing different companions for certain quests can alter scenes and events, giving a second run material you may never have seen the first time.

Two larger story expansions will also spend more time with Sephiroth and Vincent alongside the Turks.

The bigger concern is getting back to those alternate scenes. A quest changing because you brought someone else along sounds interesting. Replaying another 40 or 50 hours just to reach that choice again sounds much less appealing.

For a game already making it easier to skip side content, some convenient way to revisit those moments would make a lot of sense.

Some of Final Fantasy VII Revelation's best changes are the quiet ones. Vincent turning into a monster and Cid fighting through the air will make the flashier trailers, but the level boost may end up helping far more players.

Rebirth was enormous, and some of its best side stories sat alongside activities you could happily ignore until falling behind made that harder. Revelation looks more comfortable letting you choose.

Stick to the main story and the game can keep the party at the right level. Wander off and there are new quests, alternate scenes, FITS combinations and a world you can cross in the Highwind.

For a finale this large, that freedom may matter more than another hundred hours of content ever could. Final Fantasy VII Revelation launches April 8, 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.