Final Fantasy VII Remake will finally launch on Xbox Series S and X and Nintendo Switch 2 on January 22, 2026. These versions of the game will include, from day one, a new feature called Streamlined Progression that essentially lets players enjoy the narrative without having to worry about difficulty, thanks to the ability to keep health and/or mana constantly full, to max out damage dealt, etc.
Streamlined Progression (which will also be added to the existing PC and PlayStation 5 versions of Final Fantasy VII Remake with an update) was recently discussed once again by Game Director Naoki Hamaguchi in an interview with AUTOMATON Japan. Hamaguchi claimed that players should have the choice in how they wish to interact with game content.
The biggest reason was that we were finally able to announce the FFVII Remake trilogy’s multiplatform expansion. That timing was what really led to the decision to include Streamlined Progression. 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.
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. But unless someone takes the initiative, it doesn’t happen. I personally believe that, with digital entertainment today, the player should have the choice in how they interact with content. That’s why I pushed for it.
Hamaguchi added that Square Enix wouldn't add such a feature at launch for the third installment of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. In this context, though, with the game out for more than five years, they felt like it was an option they could provide. With Streamlined Progression, the game should be much quicker to complete: the developers estimate around 10 hours or even less for a playthrough, whereas a standard Final Fantasy VII Remake playthrough lasts between 40 and 50 hours.
What do you think about this addition? Let us know in the comments below.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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