Director Naoki Hamaguchi Confirms Hard Mode in FFVII Revelation, Gives Us the Details! - Hardcore Gamer
It is, however, not going to be a carbon copy of the mode that veterans of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are used to. It’s available from the very start, and they can still enjoy Dynamic Mode if they want an experience closer to what’s already available in Final Fantasy Remake and Final Fantasy Rebirth. It shows in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth, it was shown in the Final Fantasy VII Revelation TGS 2026 demo, and will likely show again in the changes coming to Hard Mode and Final Fantasy VII Revelation’s post-game.
Even though Final Fantasy VII Revelation is looking like it’ll serve as a very satisfying conclusion to the Remake trilogy, concerns have been floating around that it won’t feature a hard mode along with new game plus. It’s certainly a valid concern to have for those who were looking forward to pushing the FITS system and new party members to their limits, and fortunately, Square Enix is very aware of this.
Square Enix rolled out three polished JRPGs at TGS, each seeking to deliver a next level JRPG experience.
See, at TGS 2026, Hardcore Gamer had the opportunity to speak with the director of Final Fantasy VII Revelation, Mr. Naoki Hamaguchi. Much of the conversation focused on the new FITS system and Hamaguchi’s thoughts on the Remake project as a whole, but he also took the opportunity to confirm something very important: Final Fantasy VII Revelation will have a hard mode, and it’ll be available from the moment players first boot the game up.
Jumping right into it, Hamaguchi told us, in no uncertain terms, that Hard Mode is indeed returning in Final Fantasy VII Revelation. It is, however, not going to be a carbon copy of the mode that veterans of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are used to.
“[...] Hard Mode does indeed exist in REVELATION, however, it won’t function in the exact same way as it did in REMAKE and REBIRTH. In REVELATION, we’ve reimagined the high-difficulty experience to align with the new game design.
Hard Mode is selectable from the very start of this game. Therefore, players who want to tackle challenging battles and high-difficulty gameplay right from the beginning can enjoy that experience from their very first playthrough. This is because, unlike REMAKE and REBIRTH, REVELATION offers a wide variety of end-game content even after you’ve beaten the game. Rather than relying solely on the traditional flow of challenging Hard Mode after beating the game, we aimed to create a game where players can enjoy various new content and challenges even after completing the main story.”
So, basically, with Final Fantasy Revelation, Hamaguchi and his team have crafted a very robust post-game for players to enjoy, which has led them to offer Hard Mode as an option immediately at the start instead of locking it behind additional playthroughs. That said, fans of the current version of how Hard Mode currently works have not been left out in the cold.
“On the other hand, for players seeking an experience similar to the Hard Mode in REMAKE or REBIRTH, we’ve retained the Dynamic Mode. Here, you can enjoy highly strategic battles with both enemies and your character fully leveled up. However, we haven’t adopted the traditional rules centered around no item usage. This is because, throughout the series, player options—such as cooperative abilities and FITS—have expanded significantly; we determined that simply banning items wouldn’t be enough to achieve the ideal high-difficulty experience we envisioned.
In REVELATION, we’ve created a challenging environment that will thoroughly satisfy those seeking high difficulty, while also expanding players’ freedom and strategic options. We hope the fans looking forward to that higher difficulty level content will feel reassured and excited to take on the challenge.”
So, there it is. Players hoping to challenge themselves in this final entry in the Remake trilogy can rest assured; Hard Mode is available. It’s available from the very start, and they can still enjoy Dynamic Mode if they want an experience closer to what’s already available in Final Fantasy Remake and Final Fantasy Rebirth.
Before Hamaguchi gave us his comments on Hard Mode, however, we had spent some time discussing FITS and his thoughts on the Remake project as a whole. Our main question regarding FITS was where Hamaguchi felt it fit into Revelation’s combat system and what inspired him and his team to include it. He answered us thusly:
“When we created the FITS system, our intention was to enhance the combat experience established in REMAKE and REBIRTH, instead of rebuilding the existing combat system. Throughout the Remake Series, we have continued refining a combat system that blends real-time action and command-based RPG elements. In doing so, our focus has never been on removing the elements that players have come to love, but on finding ways to evolve them.
As part of that process, we directed our attention to the customization of character roles. While each FINAL FANTASY VII character has a clear and distinct identity, players may have their own preferred way of approaching combat. To accommodate that, we introduced the FITS system as a way for players to expand and tailor a character’s role to their liking without compromising what makes that character unique.
Personally, I believe one of the great joys of RPGs is discovering and solidifying your own strategies and party compositions. With the FITS system, we hope to enable a much wider range of builds and tactical approaches than ever before, creating unique experiences for different players. So rather than a tool that’s designed to solve a single specific issue, I consider the FITS system as an evolution that expands upon the potential of our existing battle system, giving players greater freedom and more choices.”
It sounds like Hamaguchi and his team really wanted to give players more ways to both explore wider build variety and build more towards their preferred combat approach and/or style. Essentially, players will have more freedom than ever before when it comes to customizing their party and engaging enemies.
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The development of the FITS system, it seems, came about more or less as a natural outcome of the development team’s approach to the Remake trilogy as a whole. We actually asked Hamaguchi about the process and how it’s shaped the games he and his team have produced. He stated that while some things were, as one might expect, set from the very beginning, other developments, like the FITS system, developed out of their desire to keep evolving the gameplay. He also said that was something they took care to maintain throughout, however.
“That said, there was one principle that never changed throughout the entire series: the concept of combining the strategic depth of the ATB system with the intuitive excitement of action gameplay. We held this core philosophy from beginning to end, without ever changing its form or definition.”
Hamaguchi also took care to express that player feedback has been an “invaluable guide” throughout the life of the series. But, rather than simply taking suggestions and implementing them, he and his team considered them within the context of the kind of player experience they wanted to achieve in each game.
“I’ve always believed that the FINAL FANTASY VII Remake Series needed to present and follow a clear path of evolution between each installment. The goal was to not repeat the same experience, but to continuously offer new surprises and discoveries while never losing the essence of what makes FINAL FANTASY VII special. I believe this very mindset has been one of the foundations that have been supporting the entire series throughout the years.”
Lastly, we asked Hamaguchi about his thoughts on the Remake trilogy as a whole, especially now that the end is finally in sight. Did it develop in the way he expected? What did he enjoy about it? Is he looking forward to what’s next? He had plenty to say on each point and even offered further comments.
“Candidly speaking, thinking about this touches me very deeply. I’ve been involved with this series for more than 10 years now, but throughout development, I was so focused and occupied on putting these games together that my headspace wasn’t clear enough to reflect on how long this journey had become. Looking back now, I can reminisce about the years and years we spent working on this, but strangely enough, it also feels like everything just flew by.
Some of the visions we had for this series were something we had from the beginning, but we encountered many discoveries and surprises during development. Seeing how FINAL FANTASY VII is truly beloved by players around the world was particularly memorable to me. With each new release, I had more opportunities to feel their excitement and expectations firsthand, and that became a huge source of motivation for me.
Above all, I am incredibly grateful to the development team that has been on this journey with me, every step of the way. Over the course of such a long-running project, they never stopped striving for the highest quality, continually embracing new challenges and evolving the experience with each title. The fact that we can now see the journey’s end is entirely thanks to the dedication and passion of every individual on the team.
Right now, our highest priority is bringing the Remake series to the finish line. Through REMAKE and REBIRTH, we have built a story and followed these characters on a long journey, and we feel a responsibility to deliver our own answer to that journey in a way that does it justice. Seeing this series through to the very end is, in many ways, our commitment to the fans who have supported us for so many years.
As for what comes next, my focus is firmly on REVELATION. Rather than looking beyond it, I want to dedicate myself completely to making this final chapter everything it can be. My entire focus right now is on bringing this journey to the best possible conclusion. That's what matters most to me right now.”
It may be that the Final Fantasy Remake trilogy hasn’t turned out the way some fans wanted. It may be that it greatly exceeded the expectations of others. Regardless of one’s personal feelings about the games, it’s clear that Hamaguchi have been and are taking great care to make the very best game they can.
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It shows in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth, it was shown in the Final Fantasy VII Revelation TGS 2026 demo, and will likely show again in the changes coming to Hard Mode and Final Fantasy VII Revelation’s post-game. In other words, if past results and these comments are any indication, then fans both casual and hardcore have a lot to look forward to when the game launches in April.
Final Fantasy VII Revelation launches on April 8 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2.
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