Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 may hint that JRPGs are “back,” but Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 co-director focuses on “what fans will enjoy”

Although Sandfall's RPG “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” has received a huge response, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Co-director Naoki Hamaguchi said that decisions regarding the third installment's gameplay will be “based on the director's own decisions” and have not been “predetermined.”

Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33, Inspired by traditional Japanese role-playing games, the game features turn-based combat and was recently confirmed for sale Sales of 5 million copies in five monthsmaking it one of the hottest songs of the year. But Hamaguchi doesn't seem to be swayed by current trends, instead focusing on “what kind of gaming experience fans will enjoy.”

“Essentially, for the Final Fantasy numbered series, the game design was based on the director's own decisions,” Hamaguchi told us. player. “For the new game, whether it’s action or turn-based, that’s not confirmed yet.

“If you ask me, 'Will (my next game) be an RPG?', yes, it's definitely possible. But will it be a turn-based RPG? In addition to the good response to Expedition 33, we've been getting a lot of 'JRPGs are back' comments. For me, I'm thinking about what kind of experience the fans will enjoy. That's the most important thing.”

In July, Naoki Yoshida, director/producer of Final Fantasy 14 and producer of Final Fantasy 16, was asked in an interview Anime News Network After the success of Clair Obscur, could the mainline Final Fantasy games return to the turn-based format.

“As for the issue of turn-based versus action, it tends to isolate the gameplay from the combat system,” Yoshida said. “It doesn't take into account what kind of game the creators want to deliver to the player. For example, based on a certain quality of graphics that we want to present to the player, or the narrative that we want to deliver to the player, it has to do with how we set up the game systems around it. That includes the combat system, the game design, the feel of the game. It's not a clear answer as to whether it's going to become completely turn-based, or whether it's going to become more action-based.

“[I'm]not necessarily going to be involved in Final Fantasy 17, so we also don't want to hinder or limit our future directors or anyone who's going to be making games like Final Fantasy 17 or even Final Fantasy 18,” Yoshida continued. “We don't want to put them on the tracks.”

Best Mainline Final Fantasy Game

Best Mainline Final Fantasy Game

It was later revealed that several members of the Clair Obscur team had recently visited Square Enix's offices and met with a number of development executives, including Hamaguchi and “Vision of Mana” director Ryosuke Yoshida.

Clair Obscur: “Expedition 33” game director Guillaume Broche, producer Francois Meurisse, technical director Tom Guillermin and publisher Kepler Interactive CEO Alexis Garavaryan made a special trip to visit the offices of the publisher of “Final Fantasy”. in social postsHamaguchi describes it as “a creatively rich exchange of visions and ideas.”

Meanwhile, Hamaguchi also assured fans that the team working on the highly-anticipated final product is “striking a balance” Keep the story moving and pick up the pace. Although he disagreed that some parts of FF7 Reborn were “longer than necessary,” he said: “As we work on the conclusion of the trilogy, we are striking a balance in the telling and unfolding of the storyline to ensure the game feels more concise.”

Every IGN Final Fantasy game review