There’s a lot to love about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and its open world setting is surely high on that list. On top of being massive and incredibly varied across its many different regions, the entire map is also entirely seamless, which means you’re never hit with a loading screen when traveling from one area to the next (unless, of course, you’re fast traveling). Interestingly, however, according to producer Yoshinori Kitase, the game’s open world design wouldn’t have been quite so impressive if it hadn’t been developed as a platform-exclusive title.
Speaking in an interview with The Washington Post, Kitase explained developing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for just a single platform – the PS5 – was what allowed the development team to pull off a seamless world, and that having to split focus across multiple platforms would have “significantly” impacted the game design.
“Had it not been on a single platform, the world map would not be seamless, and game design may have had to regress significantly,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to Christian Svensson – vice president of second and third-party content at PlayStation – PS5 exclusivity for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was “mutually desired” by Sony and Square Enix.
“Final Fantasy has always been one of the primary franchise pillars on PlayStation consoles,” he added. “[Square Enix is] one of the best in the business at pushing beyond their fans’ lofty expectations and showing off what can be done with PlayStation hardware.”
In our review of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, we awarded it a score of 10/10, saying, “Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time. It’s nothing short of a spectacle, an epic journey full of bombastic action, heartfelt emotion, and unforgettable moments- a celebration both of itself and the legendary game it is based on, one that brazenly and loudly demands your attention, and actually manages to hold on to it, because all of its flash is backed by just as much substance. From storytelling to world design, from exploration to combat, from visuals to music, from the amount of content it offers to how much meaningful variety that content exhibits, in nearly every way that matters, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth surpasses expectations.” Read the full review through here.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is available on PS5.
