Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth battle director says combining everything he learned on Monster Hunter: World with Square Enix’s technology and unique skills created a “chemical reaction”

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Teruki Endo is a highly esteemed figure in the annals of Capcom, having made his mark with Monster Hunter Tri. He then carried on his work within the series during its golden age, contributing significantly to Monster Hunter 4, and later ushering it into a new era through Monster Hunter World. However, instead of persisting in monster hunting, his subsequent assignment took him to Square Enix as the combat director for Final Fantasy 7: Remake and its follow-up, Rebirth. Interestingly, the battle system for Final Fantasy 16 is being developed by another former Capcom employee, Ryota Suzuki.

In a conversation with Inverse, Endo mentioned that while many thought the combat in Final Fantasy 7 Remake resembled Final Fantasy 13, this wasn’t the case. Instead, he approached the game development without relying too heavily on previous Final Fantasy titles, as doing so might have hindered his ability to innovate. He aimed to capture the enjoyable aspect of a command-based battle system, not the system itself. As a result, he designed a new system from scratch, and it may have been coincidental that certain elements resembled other games.

When Endo came aboard the Final Fantasy 7 Remake development team, they had already made the decision to move away from the traditional turn-based gameplay. However, the specifics of combat were still undecided. According to Inverse, Endo’s extensive experience in designing action elements for Monster Hunter World was a valuable asset that complemented Square’s technology and unique abilities, resulting in a ‘reaction’ or synergy reminiscent of a chemical reaction.

In response to being queried about how the structure of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which was split into multiple parts at the time, affected his combat design strategy, Endo stated, “I don’t typically plan too far ahead, but I throw my full energy into whatever task is at hand. If I focus too much on what’s to come next, I become overwhelmed and feel as though the current work isn’t complete.” He went on to express, “I prefer to concentrate fully on a project, then expand upon it and develop from there. I believe this approach will ultimately lead to a more satisfying conclusion.” Given that the combat in Final Fantasy 7 Remake is highly regarded within the series (as a Devil May Cry enthusiast, my pick for best combat would be Final Fantasy 16), I’d say his method proved incredibly successful.

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2025-03-30 19:09