Final Fantasy VII Revelation Gives Players the Highwind Early and Opens the Entire World With Breath of the Wild Style Freedom

Final Fantasy VII Revelation is shaping up to become one of the most important releases in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, not only because it will conclude the story, but because it is taking the series into a new level of player freedom. In a new interview with Denfaminico Gamer, director Naoki Hamaguchi explained how the Highwind airship will redefine exploration in the final chapter, giving players access to a fully explorable world much earlier than many expected.

According to Hamaguchi, players will acquire the Highwind relatively early in the game. This is a major design shift for the trilogy, especially after Final Fantasy VII Rebirth expanded the world but still structured exploration around specific regions and story progression. In Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the Highwind will allow Cloud and the party to fly freely across the world, visit islands, explore previous locations, and even return to areas such as Midgar.

"I can't go into too much detail, but you do acquire it relatively early in the game. I think everyone is really looking forward to seeing how the game starts, and it has a fun beginning that's typical of the third installment, so please look forward to that as well. You can fly freely everywhere. You can go to various islands, jump off from them, and explore freely. Of course, there are areas you can't go to, but basically you can fly freely anywhere with Highwind."
— Naoki Hamaguchi

This approach could make Final Fantasy VII Revelation feel closer to a large scale open world adventure, giving players a level of freedom that has rarely been seen in modern Final Fantasy. While the main story will still follow a predetermined order, side content will be much more flexible. Players will be able to challenge optional content at their own pace, including dangerous enemies that may be far beyond their current level.

That design philosophy immediately brings comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where players are free to enter areas filled with enemies they may not yet be ready to defeat. Hamaguchi explained that Revelation will allow a similar sense of risk and discovery, letting players test themselves against powerful optional threats and decide when to return stronger.

"The main story follows a predetermined order. However, this is not the case for side content. For example, the weapons that appear in the story have a somewhat fixed order in which they must be defeated, but weapons that are not involved in the story can be challenged at any time. It's okay if you jump straight into the game early on, get beaten badly, and think, 'This is impossible!' This time, we've prepared a lot of side content that's almost as good as the main story, so we want users to be able to choose when to play it while keeping the main story in mind."
— Naoki Hamaguchi

One of the most exciting details is that previous locations from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will return, but they will not simply be reused without changes. Hamaguchi said these areas will receive light design adjustments to make exploration more engaging. One example is the Grasslands region, which players will eventually be able to explore by flying over it as the Chocobo Piko grows.

This matters because Final Fantasy VII Rebirth already established a massive world filled with regions, quests, exploration activities, and character driven moments. Revelation now appears ready to connect those regions into a more unified global experience through the Highwind. Instead of treating the world as separate adventure zones, Square Enix is moving toward a broader structure where players can move across the planet with far more freedom.

Midgar will also return as an explorable area, which is a major moment for fans who started the trilogy with Final Fantasy VII Remake. The city remains one of the most iconic locations in the entire franchise, and its return in Revelation could give players a powerful sense of narrative closure.

"This time, the Midgar area will also be featured, and you'll be able to explore it, so I hope we can meet your expectations."
— Naoki Hamaguchi

Hamaguchi also teased that characters connected to Deepground, including Nero and Weiss, may appear within Midgar. This suggests Revelation will continue drawing from the wider Final Fantasy VII universe, not only the original 1997 game, but also later expanded lore such as Dirge of Cerberus and related Compilation material.

Another important detail is the return of underwater exploration. Hamaguchi confirmed that the underwater world will appear in the story, although he did not provide specific details on how it will work. This could become another major layer of exploration if Square Enix expands it beyond a simple story sequence.

"The underwater world will also appear in the story. I can't give you any specific details, but I hope you'll look forward to seeing how it's depicted in this work."
— Naoki Hamaguchi

The interview also includes several additional details about story and combat. Guest characters will reportedly join the party at certain points and may even become controllable, adding more variety to the final chapter’s combat system. Fans looking for a full breakdown of the interview can read the detailed summary on the ResetERA forums.

Final Fantasy VII Revelation has the difficult task of closing one of the most ambitious remake projects in gaming history. The original Final Fantasy VII remains one of the most influential RPGs ever made, and Square Enix has used the Remake trilogy to both honor and reinterpret that legacy. Giving players the Highwind early feels like a strong statement of intent for Part 3. This is not simply the final chapter of the story. It is being designed as the moment where the world fully opens.

If Square Enix can deliver on this promise, Final Fantasy VII Revelation could become the most expansive and player driven entry in the trilogy. With early Highwind access, free world exploration, optional high level threats, the return of Midgar, underwater areas, Deepground connections, and side content designed to rival the main story, Revelation is positioning itself as a major finale for Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and the rest of the party.

The final chapter is no longer just about reaching the end of the story. It is about giving players the freedom to explore the world of Final Fantasy VII on their own terms.

Are you more excited to explore the full world with the Highwind, return to Midgar, or challenge optional enemies before you are fully ready?