Final Fantasy 7 Remake lead knows even us hardened JRPG fans are time-poor, but thinks certain time-saving features could help players finish the game in just one day

1. Games
2. JRPGs
3. Final Fantasy
4. Final Fantasy 7: Remake

Final Fantasy 7 Remake lead knows even us hardened JRPG fans are time-poor, but thinks certain time-saving features could help players finish the game in just one day News By Anthony McGlynn published 23 January 2026

A whole other level of speedrunning is available

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I love JRPGs - and RPGs generally - but they're hard to fit into my life, and I know there are many in a similar position. The director of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy is aware of this plight and made sure the latest release of the first installment of the redux of Cloud’s grand adventure had some features to help ease the pressure.

On Twitter, Naoki Hamaguchi, the co-director on Final Fantasy 7 Remake and now development lead on the remaining entries, thanked players for picking up the recent Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2 versions. Coming out almost five years after the game landed on PlayStation 4 and PC, these ports contain a number of improvements and tweaks.

Among them are additional options to streamline the gameplay. There's a veritable god mode, for instance, that gives you full HP and MP, and allows you to spam special moves as much as you like. Suddenly, those frustrating boss fights and bigger encounters are just fancy light shows.

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FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE – Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch 2 - YouTube Watch On

Cut-scenes can be fast–forwarded as well, to maximize the amount of actual playing you can do in a limited timeframe. Updates went out on PlayStation 4, 5, and PC to make sure those fans have access to these changes too, compounding additions that came with the PS5 release. Hamaguchi comments that this is all to allow people play the game at their own pace. He even jokes some might actually be able to finish Remake in one day now.

If you push hard enough, I think he could be right. Having your ATB on max throughout, as well as being able to constantly use your most powerful abilities with zero concern for mana or damage, is basically turning the adventure into a sprint through Midgar.

I'm half-tempted to try a speedrun, while my backlog glares at me menacingly. What matters here is giving people the opportunity to become engrossed in an excellent game more conveniently than before. There's no greater materia to be found than that.

As Final Fantasy 7 Remake arrives on Switch 2, lead encourages Smash Bros fans who were "drawn" to Cloud and Sephiroth to play his game "just to experience these really cool characters"

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES PC Gaming PS5 PS4 Xbox Series X Nintendo Switch 2 Platforms PlayStation Xbox Nintendo Anthony McGlynnSocial Links NavigationContributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

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