Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director says original game is 'enshrined' in remake trilogy's story

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's director Naoki Hamaguchi has addressed a common question from players: whether they need to play the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7 before experiencing the Remake trilogy.

Hamaguchi confirmed that fans recommending newcomers play the original first aren't wrong. "The storyline of the original Final Fantasy 7 is very much enshrined within the story and the narrative of the Remake series as a thing in the world," he told GamesRadar+. Players familiar with the original will catch what's changing across the remakes' alternate timelines, adding depth to their experience.

However, the trilogy has been "designed very much so that even someone who's not played the original can jump in on any of them and still have a really great experience." Hamaguchi suggested some players might actually benefit from starting with the Remake games. The modern technology and graphical presentation could provide stronger emotional impact for first-time players experiencing the story in contemporary visuals rather than the 1997 version's presentation.

"So I guess really it's down to people's preferences," Hamaguchi said. "It's not as clear cut as one way or the other."

Separately, Hamaguchi addressed the upcoming DLC for Revelation. Two story expansions were announced following the Summer Game Fest reveal, with one focusing on Sephiroth and another on Vincent and the Turks, releasing in Winter 2027 and Spring 2028 respectively. Hamaguchi described these as "very recent developments" that arose from fan feedback asking whether the final trilogy installment would receive additional content.

"We originally didn't make that decision to have these two story DLCs for Revelation until only recently," he explained. The DLC won't be required to experience the complete story. "You don't need the DLC in order to fully experience the tale we're trying to tell here. The DLC is really about learning more about the characters of Vincent and Sephiroth." Final Fantasy 7 Revelation launches April 8, 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2.