In the closing chapter of a beloved trilogy, the architects of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation have returned to one of the series' oldest ideas — the job system — and asked what it might mean to give players true freedom over who their characters can become. Director Naoki Hamaguchi's FITS system dissolves the rigid roles that once defined each hero, inviting players to author not just a story but a way of fighting through it. It is a design philosophy that trusts the player, and in doing so, reflects something the original game always quietly promised: that identity, even in crisis, is something y
FF7 Revelation's combat reaches 'perfected state' with modernized job system
The job system has reached its perfected state
Mark
So the job system is back, but it sounds like it works completely differently than it did in the original FF7. What's actually changing?
Mimi
In the original, each character had a fixed class—Cloud was a warrior, Aerith was a healer, that kind of thing. Revelation lets you assign any job to any character. Cloud can be a Black Mage now. Tifa could be a Ranger. It's about breaking those constraints.
Luke
But wait—if you can make anyone anything, doesn't that risk flattening the characters? What stops you from just making everyone the same optimal build?
Mimi
That's exactly why they limited job-swapping to between battles, not during them. The real combat is still about switching between three characters mid-fight and making tactical calls. FITS adds customization without breaking that layer.
Mark
So the open world is bigger, and you can explore freely without level gates. How does that work with the story?
Mimi
You get the airship about five to six hours in, and then you can drop into any area you want. Zones have recommended levels, but nothing physically stops you. You can struggle through a harder area early if you want.
Luke
That's interesting, but I'm curious—does "recommended level" actually mean anything if there's no enforcement? Are we talking about a game that scales, or one where you just get crushed if you go the wrong way?
Mimi
Hamaguchi didn't specify that. He just said there won't be physical barriers. The implication is you can try, but the difficulty will be real.
Mark
And the story branches based on choices. How much does that actually change?
Mimi
Different choices unlock different character moments as they face the final battle. Your decisions shape how each person's resolve plays out. It's not branching endings—there's one ending—but the emotional journey shifts.
Luke
So it's more about flavor than structure. The ending is the same, but the moments leading into it change.
Mimi
Right. It's about making your path through the world feel like your own.
Mark
What about Zack? He was playable in Rebirth but separate from the main party.
Mimi
Hamaguchi teased that they're taking it further in Revelation, but wouldn't say how. The menu hints at room for one more party member, though.
Luke
So that's speculation based on a menu screenshot, not confirmation.
Mimi
Correct. But it's a pretty strong hint.
El Pulso
- A trilogy's final chapter carries enormous weight, and Revelation is betting its legacy on a combat system its director calls 'perfected' — a bold claim for one of gaming's most scrutinized franchises.
- The FITS job system shatters decades of character role-locking, letting Cloud become a Black Mage or any character inhabit any archetype, threatening to upend the strategic logic players have spent two games mastering.
- To prevent the system from collapsing under its own ambition, job swapping is locked to the space between battles — a deliberate constraint that keeps the real-time tactical hybrid from becoming chaos.
- An open world larger than Rebirth's opens freely after five to six hours, with no hard level walls, only pockets of difficulty that reward boldness and punish impatience.
- Vincent and Cid step into full party roles, Zack Fair's story expands with conspicuous mystery, and a suspiciously empty menu slot quietly raises the question of who might yet join Cloud's side.
In the closing chapter of a beloved trilogy, the architects of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation have returned to one of the series' oldest ideas — the job system — and asked what it might mean to give players true freedom over who their characters can become. Director Naoki Hamaguchi's FITS system dissolves the rigid roles that once defined each hero, inviting players to author not just a story but a way of fighting through it. It is a design philosophy that trusts the player, and in doing so, reflects something the original game always quietly promised: that identity, even in crisis, is something you choose.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is the conclusion of a remake trilogy that has spent years rebuilding one of gaming's most sacred stories, and director Naoki Hamaguchi is closing it with a combat system he believes has finally reached its fullest form. At the center of that system is FITS — Function Integrated Tactical Suitwear — a modernized job mechanic that allows players to assign any role to any character, dissolving the fixed class identities that defined the original game.
The job system is ancient Final Fantasy tradition, stretching back to the series' earliest entries and becoming a strategic cornerstone by Final Fantasy 3. Revelation takes the concept further than any predecessor: Cloud, the brooding front-line warrior, can now be built as a Black Mage, retaining his melee presence while gaining access to long-range magic. The entire roster becomes similarly malleable, letting players construct parties around preference rather than prescription.
Hamaguchi and combat director Teruki Endo were careful not to let this freedom destabilize the game's existing hybrid system, which already balances real-time action against tactical command pauses. The solution was elegant in its restraint — job swapping is only permitted between battles, never during them. The constraint keeps the mid-fight decision-making sharp and meaningful, adding depth without overwhelming the system that already makes the remake's combat distinctive.
Beyond combat, Revelation opens into an expansive world — larger than Rebirth's — roughly five to six hours in, once players acquire the airship Highwind. Rather than hard level gates, the world uses scattered pockets of recommended difficulty, leaving exploration genuinely open. Ambitious players can push into dangerous territory early; the game simply won't protect them from the consequences.
The narrative, too, branches. While Revelation converges on a single ending, the choices made along the way shape which character moments accompany the finale, making each playthrough feel like a distinct emotional journey. Vincent and Cid step into full party integration — Vincent with a close-and-long-range style, Cid with aerial spear combat — while Zack Fair's role expands in ways Hamaguchi declined to fully detail. A suggestive gap in the party menu has left many wondering whether Zack might finally cross from his own narrative thread into Cloud's main story.
"We're pretty confident that the hybrid battle system has reached its perfected state," Hamaguchi said — and with FITS, the team appears to have found a way to honor both the tactical soul of classic RPGs and the kinetic energy of modern action games, pulling in both directions without tearing apart.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is closing out the remake trilogy with a combat system that director Naoki Hamaguchi believes has reached its fullest expression. At the heart of this evolution is FITS—Function Integrated Tactical Suitwear—a modernized job system that lets players assign any role to any character, fundamentally reshaping how the game's three-person parties operate in battle.
The job system itself is ancient in Final Fantasy terms, dating back to the original game and becoming strategically central by Final Fantasy 3. Final Fantasy X-2 literalized job switching through costume changes, but Revelation takes the concept further. Where the original FF7 locked each party member into a fixed class, Revelation breaks those constraints entirely. Cloud, traditionally a warrior fighting at close range on the front lines, can now become a Black Mage, keeping his melee capabilities while gaining access to long-range magic attacks. This flexibility extends across the entire roster, allowing players to build parties that match their preferences rather than conform to predetermined roles.
Hamaguchi and combat director Teruki Endo designed FITS carefully to avoid overwhelming the game's hybrid system, which already blends real-time action with tactical pause for command selection. Players can only swap jobs between battles, not during them. "If players were able to switch the FITS mid-combat, that might make it too complicated," Hamaguchi explained. The constraint preserves the strategic layer that makes the remake's combat sing—the constant mid-fight decisions about which character to control, when to pause for magic, how to chain synergy attacks. FITS adds depth without collapsing the system under its own weight.
The customization philosophy extends beyond combat roles. Revelation features an expanded open world significantly larger than Rebirth's, accessible roughly five to six hours in once players obtain the airship Highwind. Unlike many open-world games that wall off high-level zones, Revelation uses smaller pockets of recommended difficulty scattered throughout seamless environments. Nothing physically blocks exploration; a determined player can push into harder areas early if they're willing to struggle. This design choice reflects a broader commitment to player agency—the game wants each person's journey to feel distinct.
That individuality carries into the narrative itself. While Revelation has a singular ending, the path to reach it branches based on player choices. Different decisions unlock different character moments as each party member faces the final battle, allowing the story's emotional resolution to shift between playthroughs. Hamaguchi framed this as the journey mattering as much as the destination, with your route through the world shaping an experience that feels genuinely yours.
Vincent and Cid, both introduced as playable characters in Rebirth, become fully integrated into the main party this time. Vincent fights with a style that echoes Yuffie's blend of close and long-range attacks, while Cid uses his iconic spear in an aerial combat style reminiscent of Red XIII but with abilities that let him shine in the air. Zack Fair, the SOLDIER whose backstory anchors FF7, received expanded sequences in Rebirth and will go further still in Revelation, though Hamaguchi remained coy about specifics. The menu hints at room for one more party member, raising the possibility that Zack might finally join Cloud's main squad rather than existing in his own narrative thread.
Hamaguchi's confidence in the system is unguarded. "We're pretty confident that the hybrid battle system has reached its perfected state," he said. The FITS job system achieves what the development team set out to do: offer deeper customization while expanding each character's individuality, moving away from rigid tank-and-healer archetypes toward genuine flexibility. For players who love both the tactical depth of turn-based RPGs and the kinetic satisfaction of character action games, the remake's combat has always occupied rare ground. With FITS, it's reaching further into both directions at once.
Citas Notables
If players were able to switch the FITS mid-combat, that might make it too complicated.— Director Naoki Hamaguchi on why job-swapping is restricted to between battles
We're pretty confident that the hybrid battle system has reached its perfected state.— Director Naoki Hamaguchi on the FITS system's role in the game's combat evolution
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en GamesRadar+ ↗
Culture & Arts