Easy modes in games have long been a controversial topic, and an upcoming update for Final Fantasy 7 Remake — which will be released simultaneously with the Switch 2 and Xbox ports in January, as well as the PS5 and PC versions — will allow players to breeze through the game without restrictions.The new feature, called "Streamline Upgrade," has sparked controversy even within Square Enix, but co-director Naoki Hamaguchi believes that the choice of whether to use the feature should be left to players.
Players can turn on the "Streamlined Progress" function in the settings menu. After turning it on, they can choose options such as "Continuous Maximization of HP" and "Continuous Maximization of Damage", which can even increase the rate of gaining experience points.In fact, this is equivalent to an "invincible mode." Naoki Hamaguchi said in an interview that he personally advocated adding this feature.
Hamaguchi Naoki said frankly: "It's natural that when we announce such a feature, we will receive feedback like 'This is blaspheming the original!' There are people in the development team who also hold this view. But if no one takes the initiative to promote it, such a feature will not be possible. I personally believe that in today's digital entertainment products, players should have the right to choose how to interact with the content - which is why I advocated the addition of this feature."
Hamaguchi Naoki mentioned that if the "streamlined upgrade" is turned on and all cutscenes are skipped, players "can complete the game in less than 10 hours, or even 7 to 8 hours if you move quickly"; however, he still hopes that players can fully experience the game.But he also gave a very practical reason to justify the model's existence.
"Personally, I like to try various games to understand the latest trends in the industry, but I really don't have enough time, so I can only try a lot of games," Hamaguchi Naoki said. "Sometimes I think it would be great if I could use the debugging function so that I can experience more content." Considering how dense the game release list is in October, I feel the same way.
