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CultureQuiet 4d · day 7

FF7 Revelation adds auto-leveling to sidestep Rebirth's open-world bloat

Director Naoki Hamaguchi reveals the trilogy's finale will let players skip grinding and optional content to focus on the main story.

newest coverage 3d agosummary written 3d ago3 pieces1 likes & upvotes Google NewsNewswiresMastodon

What to know

  • FF7 Revelation adds an optional auto-leveling system allowing players to skip grinding and side content to focus on the main story, addressing criticism of Rebirth's bloated open world.
  • The game releases April 8, 2027, at 200 GB total—requiring a mandatory download despite a single physical disc—exceeding the storage capacity of current-gen consoles.
  • Players dispute whether open-world bloat was actually a design flaw or a player choice issue, with some arguing auto-leveling doesn't solve the underlying problem of optional content feeling mandatory.
some voices

Auto-leveling misses the point; players engage with bloat because it's there, not because they have to.

  • “This...is a terrible solution. Players don't engage with open-world bloat because they need to, they do it because the game presents them with it. If a large portion of your game is check-list activities involving repetitive open-world…”

    commenter · Polygon ↗
some voices

Grinding and bloat were not a significant problem in Rebirth; players could progress without it.

  • “Huh was that a complaint from the last game? I never really felt you had to grind outside of just normal battling as you went places, except for some of the optional bosses and stuff.”

    commenter · Polygon ↗

“The team at Square Enix came up with the feature in response to fan feedback about Rebirth's open-world and lengthy playtime.”

Polygon, reporting · Polygon ↗

Naoki HamaguchiNaoki Hamaguchi FF7 Remake trilogy directorSquare Enix Developer and publisher

FF7 Revelation adds auto-leveling to sidestep Rebirth's open-world bloat
polygon.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in two hours at Sep 21, 12 PM; 3 pieces over 7 days (2 articles · 1 post) Sep 18, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 23, 12 AM — quietSep 23, 2 AM — quietSep 23, 4 AM — quietSep 23, 6 AM — quietSep 23, 8 AM — quietSep 23, 10 AM — quietSep 23, 12 PM — quietSep 23, 2 PM — quietSep 23, 4 PM — quietSep 23, 6 PM — quietSep 23, 8 PM — quietSep 23, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quiet 12
Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23yesterdaynow · 7:08 AM ET
  1. 2

    Commenter argues auto-leveling is design problem, not solution

    A player critic contended that the auto-leveling feature misses the fundamental issue: if a game presents optional content, players will engage with it regardless of necessity, so the problem is design rather than player choice.

    “This...is a terrible solution. Players don't engage with open-world bloat because they need to, they do it because the game presents them with it.”
    — commenter

    • Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will fix one of Rebirth's worst features https://www. polygon.com/ff7-final-fantasy- 7-revelation-auto-level/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Gaming @ gaming-polygon

      polygon@flipboard.comMastodon3d ago1▲view on Mastodon ↗
  2. background

    Player questions severity of Rebirth's grinding problem — A commenter on the Polygon article questioned whether grinding was actually a widespread complaint in Rebirth, noting they were able to progress without excessive grinding by engaging in normal combat while traveling.

  3. background

    Revelation announced for April 8, 2027 with single-disc physical release — Square Enix confirmed Revelation's release date as April 8, 2027, across all platforms. The game will ship on a single disc containing only partial data, requiring a mandatory download of the remaining files. At approximately 200 GB total, the game exceeds the 100 GB capacity of PS5 and Xbox Series X discs.

  4. background

    Polygon reports auto-leveling system designed to reduce open-world bloat — Polygon detailed Hamaguchi's announcement that Revelation will introduce an optional auto-leveling feature allowing players to automatically raise party levels to recommended mission requirements. The system addresses fan criticism of Rebirth's bloated open world and lengthy playtime by letting players focus on the main story without grinding or side activities.

  5. 2 days quiet
  6. 1

    Hamaguchi discusses FF7 Revelation features in IGN Japan interview

    Director Naoki Hamaguchi revealed details about Final Fantasy VII Revelation in an interview with IGN Japan, which was translated by X user Genki. The interview covered the game's new systems and approach to addressing player feedback.

    1. 1 outlet FF7 Revelation Will Fix One of Rebirth’s Worst Features

      first by Polygon, 3d ago

    2. 1 outlet Final Fantasy VII Revelation and Beyond: An Interview with Director Naoki Hamaguchi

      first by Anime News Network, 6d ago

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 1 · verbatim