- Primary Subject: FFVII Revelation game design
- Key Update: Debate over the auto-leveling feature's impact on accessibility vs. game design principles.
- Status: analysis
- Last Verified: 2026-09-22
- Quick Answer: We analyze whether Final Fantasy VII Revelation's auto-leveling feature helps or harms the player experience and game design.
Final Fantasy VII Revelation game director Naoki Hamaguchi has been pretty open about wanting most players interested in the series to try it. However, that eagerness might be leading to game design decisions that cross the line from accessibility into sheer laziness.
If you missed recent interviews, Hamaguchi said Revelation will have an option to automatically level up your party if you don’t meet the requirements to progress the story. The implication is simple: if you don’t have time to sink dozens of hours into the vast, sprawling world Square Enix crafted, you can simply bypass everything to power straight through the narrative. The exact quote from the man himself reads:
“Whether you prefer to immerse yourself in exploration and character growth or focus primarily on the narrative, we wanted to provide options that allow each player to experience the journey in the way that best suits them and see the story through to its conclusion.”
I get it; I’ve been there before—swamped by work, with zero energy in reserve to spend on the hobby we love. From an accessibility standpoint, it kind of makes sense: it lets you experience a story over 10 years in the making for yourself as fast as possible. But part of me also believes that handing out freebies like that defeats the purpose of a video game as a primarily interactive medium.
Sure, a father of three working a full shift might only have two hours a day to play his favorite games, and it could take him months to see the ending of Revelation if it’s as big as Hamaguchi claims. But that doesn’t mean developers need to cater to that demographic by allowing them to simply ignore everything Final Fantasy has to offer from a gameplay perspective. At that point, what’s stopping them from simply booting up a cutscene compilation if they don’t want to engage with the actual game and call it a day? Is there even a difference between “playing” it by avoiding the nightmarish idea of—gasp—having to grind in an RPG, and watching it on YouTube, much like some Persona fans do with their favorite franchise?
I hear those who say, “Well, it’s completely optional,” but that’s not really the point. Video games should not be treated like a TV show or a movie. At the center of them is the idea that they should present challenges for you to overcome as a player. FromSoftware built its whole identity around that core philosophy. Imagine if you could do this exact same thing Square Enix is letting you do in a game like Elden Ring. Wouldn’t that defeat the entire purpose of it? Can you see how idiotic that is as a concept now?
Even relaxing games like farming simulators have some kind of friction—a hook to keep you coming back for that fix of cozy gameplay. Think about how much Stardew Valley would change if the time-management elements were stripped away. If you remove that barrier, you’re left with a husk that only resembles a video game, no different than watching a cheap CGI movie just so you can proceed to lambast it or spoil it for people on social media. But you didn’t really engage with it; at that point, you only care about the optics of being able to say, "I rolled credits on this already."
In the specific case of FFVII Revelation, the side content exists for a plethora of reasons. Assuming it’ll work the same as Rebirth, you’ll get to see side characters fleshed out, gain access to more skills, and familiarize yourself with core gameplay elements. For you as a player, this should all be satisfying; even if you can’t beeline the main story, the sense of progression should be your reward. But if you feel the need to cut to the chase, it speaks volumes about Square Enix and the studio’s lack of confidence in its own side content.
Gaming is a leisurely hobby that should be enjoyed at different paces. Yet, media consumption has shifted dramatically: instead of properly digesting what we consume, we want to chase the next big trend. Throw a couple of lines on your Letterboxd profile for the latest Ari Aster film and move on because Dune is coming out. We don’t allow ourselves the time to fully process what we spend our hard-earned money on because we’re already swiping our credit cards to buy into the next big topic of conversation.
The byproduct of catering to the binge-in-a-day-while-scrolling-TikTok generation is that developers like Square Enix make these decisions—removing every potential barrier or challenge that gets in the way of pretending to enjoy a video game rather than actually doing so. It’s the exact same reason why Revelation will allow you to play cutscenes at 2x speed. Games are fighting for your undivided attention, and it’s making them significantly worse in the process.
I won’t hold it against those who opt to skip the grind. For all we know, it could be extremely tedious. But doing so without even trying to give it a proper shot—simply because you want to quickly swallow the narrative and cross it off your checklist of consumed media—will likely deprive you of enjoying an incredible experience worth investing your time in.
And that’s it. Stick with us at Gfinityesports.com: your go-to source for all things Final Fantasy.