Final Fantasy VII Remake dev addresses streamlined progression backlash: "even our dev team was divided"

In the lead-up to Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade’s release on the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series S|X, director Naoki Hamaguchi has addressed online debate surrounding the Streamlined Progression feature, which some have called “cheat mode” or “God mode.”

In an interview with Automaton, Hamaguchi talked about the feature, which allows players to toggle options like “HP is always full,” or “MP is always full,” or “damage dealt is always 9999,” allowing players to breeze through what is essentially an RPG game designed to level up characters, boost attributes, and unlock abilities as they progress through the game. 

Hamaguchi said:

“Naturally, when we announce features like these, we get responses like, 'This is sacrilegious!’ Even within the dev team, there are people who feel that way,” Hamaguchi further added, “Personally, I like to try many different games just to keep myself up to date, but I don’t really have the time, so I only get so far. Sometimes it makes me wish I had access to debug functions so I could cover more.”

Hamaguchi’s response does bear weight, considering many third-party applications or “cheat trainers” can be downloaded online. Cheat trainers use code injection when inputting hotkeys, injecting a custom script that the game’s own process executes. While they tend to work for the most part, they come with the added risk of malware or viruses.

Therefore, the addition of an in-house Streamlined Progression mode by the devs gives players a choice to play the game however they deem fit. The mode was added as a part of Final Fantasy VII Remake’s multi-platform expansion, including a future update for PS5 players, so that newcomers can ease themselves into the trilogy without feeling the need to give up.

Final Fantasy VII Remake launched in 2020 on the PS4, followed by a PC release in December 2021, and is finally arriving on the Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2, where portable and quick sessions are the norm.

Trying to tackle the game with 42 hours' worth of story content with a total of 82 hours for completionists isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you intend to play the game on a portable console like the Nintendo Switch 2.

Hamaguchi was careful to consider veteran fans of the series who have been tagging along since the original’s release in 1997. Introducing Streamlined Progression, coinciding with the release of the trilogy’s finale, would have hypothetically invited unnecessary friction. Hence, the decision was made to introduce the feature now. Hamaguchi stated:

“If we were to add it to the third installment at launch, it would probably spark controversy. We’d risk disrupting the experience for fans who have been waiting the longest and deserve to enjoy it the most.”