In the wake of the revelation that was Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, the eagerly awaited finale in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, director Naoki Hamaguchi offered tons of new details in an interview with Famitsu (translation via DeepL). With how much buzz the Highwind gathered, just how extensive will its use be? More importantly, why did the team implement the parachute function?
“The Highwind is on a massive scale. If you try to land it on the ground just like in the original version, you run into all sorts of problems—such as the Highwind looking ridiculously huge compared to the land, or the fact that it can only land on flat surfaces,” he said. It was a problem that emerged when development began, and thus led to him looking at “various ways to let players experience the game’s sense of scale.”
“Nowadays, in battle royale-style titles and the like, descending by parachute is something people are quite familiar with, isn’t it? I thought that if we had such an easily recognisable symbol, players would find it more accessible, so I decided on the current system of jumping out with a parachute. That was right at the very start of development. I told the team, ‘This is the way we’re going,’ and we’ve pushed forward without wavering ever since.”
Thankfully, returning to the Highwind is very straightforward – simply fast travel. After reaching a location, the choice is yours whether you want to use a Chocobo, walk or dive from the airship once more. The latter isn’t mandatory every time.
“It’s the same when crossing continents,” added Hamaguchi. “Whether it’s Kalm or Cosmo Canyon, if you’ve been there before, you can fly there, but if you haven’t, you’ll need to parachute down initially. The design is such that if there are unexplored areas within a region, you can parachute down nearby and then explore from there. We’ve prioritised high usability, but of course, if you want to use the parachute, that’s still an option.”
He also confirmed that the Highwind is unlocked early on, and that you’re free to travel with it from the start. Yes, the entire world is free to explore, including Midgar, though some areas (perhaps referring to the Northern Crater) are unreachable. The ship’s interior has also been lovingly recreated and will change as you explore more, with new decorations. You might even pick up some new requests from crew members. It’s like a hub in that sense and a decent way to decompress after major missions.
As for where Revelation begins, Hamaguchi is keeping those details close to his chest. “I imagine you’re all very keen to know where the game begins, and we’ve come up with an interesting opening that’s very much in keeping with the third instalment, so please look forward to that.” Hilariously, flying across the edge of the world will bring you right back around, just like in real life.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is out in Spring 2027 and will launch simultaneously on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.
