Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Could Risk Being Too Big For Its Own Good

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Needs To Remember That Bigger Isn't Always Better Published Jul 31, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT Jade King is Lead Features Editor at The Gamer and University of Sussex journalism graduate with 10+ years covering the video game industry. She has been seen in outlets such as Trusted Reviews, Kotaku UK, VICE, and more over the years covering everything from the latest releases to major events to in-depth interviews. She loves nothing more than speaking with devs, creatives, voice actors, and so many others about the passion behind their craft and bringing that into the hearts of readers everywhere. I’m replaying Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth right now for the first time since I binged it for review a couple of years ago. I loved it back then, even if the entire experience was played within just two weeks in order to meet a strict embargo. This time, I'm slowing down, appreciating all the sights, and making sure I’m well on my way to 100 percent completion. But one thing has been abundantly clear about Square Enix’s open world JRPG, and that is how much content it has to offer. Not only is the main story an absolute beast, but it also boasts a nuanced battle system, countless combat trials to conquer, myriad side quests, and a huge open world ripe with unique discoveries that all lead to a more cohesive feeling of progress. I haven’t even mentioned any of the minigames, lengthy optional quest lines, and other things that emerge as you play. If you’re aiming to see everything, I can easily see your playthrough surpassing 100 hours when all is said and done. I’m 40 hours into my replay and have just reached Cosmo Canyon after not doing that much side content in Gongaga as I promised to return to it later. When I’m ready, I will have dozens of hours of goodness waiting for me, but I’d be lying if it didn’t feel overwhelming. That's why one detail about Final Fantasy 7 Revelation has me both excited and concerned. How Big Is The Open World In Final Fantasy 7 Revelation? Square Enix confirmed following the reveal of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation that it will feature the largest open world this series has ever seen. Previously, I believe that honour belonged to Rebirth, so it’s simply one-upping itself with the sequel. Game director Naoki Hamaguchi also confirmed to TheGamer that all the locations previously featured in Rebirth will also be present in Revelation, but to what extent remains unclear. Screenshots already show us Cloud and friends parachuting into what appears to be the Grasslands, so I have to assume that the Highwind can be used to reach other regions throughout the world as well. There are also going to be new quests, activities, and worthwhile reasons to return to these places, so you aren’t just dropping in, getting nostalgic for a few seconds, and then heading off. I can’t wait to see if familiar characters return or if actions we took previously have had an impact. I’m also curious how big the download size for Revelation is going to be. Remake and Rebirth are both north of 100GBs now, so surely combining all of their existing locations and an entirely new game is going to push things to a new limit? It’s not confirmed whether we’ll return to Midgar at all, or if it will be depicted the same way it is in Remake. But I bet this will come to pass, especially since in the original you can dig up a key at Bone Village to get back into the dystopian cityscape. However, it’s been confirmed that Bone Village won’t be visitable in Revelation, so perhaps we’ll gain access through other means, or it will be worked into the main narrative. Either way, I’d love to revisit Midgar to see how it has changed since our absence, and now the end of the world is coming. There is lots of potential to tell us excellent character-based stories here through quests or otherwise. But the main narrative and existing locations already feel like a lot of game to get through, especially when Hamaguchi has said in multiple interviews he is keenly aware of the open world fatigue that plagued Rebirth in its later hours. On top of that, we have two regions in Mideel and Wutai, and perhaps even a third we don’t know about yet. I bet all of these are packing their own unique quests, characters, and secrets for us to discover. They’ll also be larger to accommodate the presence of the Highwind. I wonder how large much of the ground surrounding the Northern Crater will be as well, since surely we can explore there? I have so many questions, but all of them confirm that Revelation is going to be an incredibly big game. Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Should Be Quality Over Quantity One thing I love about the open world in Rebirth is how so many of the little activities are things you can do naturally while on a longer, more important journey. Lifestream springs, small combat encounters, and summon shrines can be completed in a couple of minutes, and all of them are satisfying while leading to new unlockables that broaden the scope of your potential. Some side quests take much longer, while there are entire lines of optional missions later on you can completely miss if you don’t fancy them. But can small excursions like this scale to an open world that is potentially two or even three times the size when all is said and done? I’m not so sure, or most people are going to reach a natural point where they just don’t care anymore and will focus entirely on the main story. That’s why I hope most of the quests are deeper and more story-driven rather than tiny little distractions that eventually bleed into a singular, bland whole. I love them in Rebirth, but it’s hard to deny they don’t start to wear thin after the fourth region or so. Pico will be your one and only Chocobo companion in Revelation, meaning you won’t have to catch a new bird in each region with its own unique abilities. Those stealth sections kinda sucked, so I consider this a win. I have a feeling that regions present in Rebirth might have their own individual questlines, or there will be smaller Weapons present in each one that give Cloud and company an excuse to catch up with old friends and kick some butt. This could also be a reason to transform bits of the landscape or perhaps introduce entirely new buildings and geometry. I want locations to seem familiar, but not entirely identical. I don’t want things to be overly simplistic and too broad in scope; I want them to be action-packed, emotionally compelling, and have a good reason to exist beyond bloating the runtime. Only time will tell, and I know I’m too much of a fangirl to not enjoy Revelation when it comes along anyway, but I hope it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Sometimes, knowing what to leave out is just as important as deciding what to put in.