In almost a decade, Square Enix has learned how to design an open world properly.

The Final Fantasy VII Remake took place mostly in the city of Midgar and therefore had a limited area. In comparison, the sequel, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, opens up in this sense, as the world of Gaia can be explored much more freely, and this has become a positive aspect of the game. It is an improvement over the previous, similarly designed main episode, Final Fantasy XV.

In 2015’s Final Fantasy XV, there was plenty of space for Noctis and his team, but there wasn’t much to do, and interaction was extremely limited. Because of this, Square Enix’s game felt unfinished (perhaps because the project began as Final Fantasy Versus XIII on the PlayStation 3…). The development of the world was criticized, and Square Enix decided to use partially open zones in Final Fantasy XVI.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth sometimes guides the player’s exploration, sometimes not, and the combination has led to useful results. The world map is detailed, and in any case it feels rewarding to take your mind off the main and side missions. The combat system has also been significantly modified, combining real-time action with turn-based commands, so that combat doesn’t feel like an annoyance, but can be treated as a pleasant surprise.

All of this means that the environments in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are more interactive, whereas in Final Fantasy XV we spent a lot of time wandering around, wondering where to go and what to do, despite the beautiful areas. However, Square Enix is also setting a big challenge for the third part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake project (which we think will be called Reunion).

Still, you can experience how much improvement a change in game design can bring.

Source: GameRant