Speaking with IGN Japan at Tokyo Game Show 2026, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi said the game will contain an option to let players automatically level up their characters, allowing them to experience the story without needing to grind — but the broader gaming community is at odds with this idea.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, like every other game in the series, is very narrative-focused. Luckily, there’ll be a feature for those who want to breeze through tough battles and get to its major story beats, as told by Hamaguchi at TGS 2026.
During our conversation, he told us that he’d received feedback from players who claimed they had a hard time getting through the previous games’ main story due to being underleveled, saying they didn’t want to grind through the wealth of side quests to work their way up to a higher level.
"Naturally, because we've prepared so much side content, [a player's] level might not quite reach the requirement for the main story. There were voices [from players] saying, 'Even though you say I don't have to do the side content, if I don't do it and make my characters stronger, I end up struggling,’” he explained.
"For people who really just want to do the main story, we've included an option that asks, if your level is not high enough for the recommended level when you reach a part of the main story, 'Would you like to automatically raise [your level] to the recommended level?’”
This particular remark has sparked a heated debate within the gaming community. The broad sentiment from critics argues that adding such a feature makes the game far too ‘hand-holdy,’ and furthermore, presents a startling implication that young players are no longer being faced with challenges in games.
Veteran game artist TheCartelDel provided the most viral argument against adding this feature, writing on X/Twitter, “We need to have a serious discussion about how games used to be a unique method to teach kids and teens about patience, delayed gratification, and working hard to accomplish a goal — and now we're designing away the need to persevere at all. You will learn to overcome nothing.”
“I like the FF7 remakes. I really do. But every piece of news I’ve been seeing about Revelation feels like they’re accommodating this game for people who don’t like playing games and it’s embarrassing,” another user said.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-7-revelation-will-include-option-to-let-players-automatically-level-up-their-characters-but-not-everyone-is-happy-about-it
