Naoki Hamaguchi on How Zelda Influenced Rebirth’s World and Gameplay Philosophy
- ⚡Xe⚡
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
In an interview with Nintendo Life, Naoki Hamaguchi discussed the influence of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the development of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, particularly in how the team approached open-world gameplay:
"If you talk about Nintendo games that have influenced me and I've taken a lot from – and you might think this is a bit of a cop out – then it'll be Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It's such an inspirational game and I've learned so much from that. Looking at how its affected the Remake series, moving from Remake to Rebirth and that switch to more open-world gameplay, Breath of the Wild was hugely influential there."
He then explained the difference in design philosophies between Final Fantasy and Zelda, and how that shaped Rebirth’s approach:
"If you compare the kinds of games we make in Final Fantasy with Zelda, in some ways the approach is slightly different. Our games very much start with the story, and then we kind of work out what kind of gameplay experience we want to add to create that story and that feeling of being in that story."
Hamaguchi described how the team specifically looked at Breath of the Wild’s method of starting with gameplay and building the world and story around it, and how this inspired Rebirth’s narrative integration:
"I think Zelda does it the other way around, they start with the gameplay experience and then the setting and world is kind of fitted around that. So telling a story around gameplay first, seeing how Zelda achieved this was definitely an inspiration for Rebirth."
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About FINAL FANTASY VII
First released in 1997 on the PlayStation® computer entertainment system, FINAL FANTASY VII celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2022. The game is universally regarded as a hallmark title of the RPG genre. The original title received high praise for its epic storyline, unique characters, and movie sequences that utilized the most cutting-edge technology of the time. Since then, the game revolving around iconic hero, Cloud Strife and his pursuit of the antagonist Sephiroth has sold over 15.3 million copies worldwide and continues to receive widespread acclaim from critics and fans around the world. The popular game has even expanded into spin-offs, films and merchandise.
Now, Square Enix’s FINAL FANTASY VII remake project created by a team of original and new developers, retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct, and standalone games. The first game of the trilogy, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is now available on the PC and the PS5® and PS4® consoles, will be available on Jan. 22, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Nintendo Switch™ 2 platforms. FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, the second game in the trilogy, has been praised by both players and critics across the globe, earning more than 125 perfect scores from media and 40 Game of the Year awards, and is available now for PC and the PS5® console.