At a time when debates around the best gameplay for an RPG are growing, the director of the FF7 Remake trilogy shares the common opinion he has with the developers of Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
Chiaroscuro Expedition 33 has undeniably marked the year 2025. The French RPG has fueled discussions throughout the last few months, to the point of finding itself, almost in spite of itself, at the heart of numerous debates. The most recurring of these concerns the legacy he could leave. For some nostalgic players, the direction taken by the title represents exactly that which Final Fantasy 17 should follow. Others now find it impossible to do without the dynamic combat system of FF7 Rebirth. Opinions differ, but the creators of the games have agreed.
Final Fantasy 17, turn-based and action. The director of FF7 Remake returns to the debate
During an interview with the GamerBraves channel, Naoki Hamaguchi, director of the FF7 Remake trilogy, returned to the eternal question of the best gameplay for an RPG: action or turn-based? Two schools are opposed more than ever since the release of Clair Obscur Expedition 33, a real tidal wave of 2025, already perceived as one of the major developments in the turn-based RPG of recent years. Many people believe that Square Enix would benefit from taking inspiration from Expedition 33’s approach for Final Fantasy 17, or even for other episodes in the saga. A debate that Hamaguchi and Guillaume Broche, director of the French game, looked into. And, on this precise point, the two creators display a common front: AA and AAA, action and turn-by-turn, all are equal.
« The games are supposed to be different, varied. Rather than putting Clair Obscur and Final Fantasy in competition, why not enjoy both? “, he explains. According to him, some fans still adopt an excessively compartmentalized vision of the medium: an AA game would necessarily be superior to an AAA, turn-based would take precedence over Action-RPG, or the opposite. In reality, nothing should be so categorical. The strength of video games lies precisely in its plurality. Naoki Hamaguchi thus reminds us that action games must continue to evolve, just like turn-based RPGs. “ This is a message we really need to get across to the fans. It is not a question of choosing between one or the other, but of accepting both at the same time. »
For Sandfall Interactive, the best way to defend this vision is not through public debate, but through creation itself: “ make these games so that the audience understands that the answer is not simply A or B “. Square Enix seems, in any case, to already be surveying the waters for Final Fantasy 17. The publisher recently released a free questionnaire of around thirty questions, intended to collect players’ expectations regarding the future of the franchise. It remains to be seen what choice he will make.
Source : GamerBraves
