Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi is once again championing the infamous “yellow paint” to guide players, saying “there is definitely a need” for it.
Using yellow paint on ledges and walls to indicates a traversable area in a video game has been a hot topic among players ever since its rise in popularity in the likes of Uncharted on PlayStation 3. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth uses this tactic too, with players sharing their thoughts on it and leaving Hamaguchi himself surprised about the debate it stirred at the time.
In a new interview with GamesRadar+, Hamaguchi said he understood there are some people who don’t want or need the yellow paint, but insisted that it was necessary.
“I get there is a debate about that, whether that fits with that world or not, whether some people want it, some people don’t,” Hamaguchi said. “I think as a game, there is definitely a need for that kind of thing in a lot of ways. I think obviously different developers experiment, try different things about what works best, what fits best, the right way of doing that in their game.”
“The need to guide players around from from a gameplay perspective and show them what can be done, what they need to do, there is definitely times where that is needed,” he added. “So I think obviously there is more of a debate about how it’s done, what level and what works. And there’ll still be people who say, ‘No, that doesn’t fit at all. We don’t like that.’ That’s fine, but I think there is definitely a need there, and it’s something that is definitely worth looking at.”
When the yellow paint debate kicked off with Rebirth last year, some said they didn’t like how in-your-face the hand-holding was not just in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but modern video games. Others, however, pointed out that it could be helpful, and was an important accessibility feature. Developers, too, weighed in, with some highlighting how in playtests and focus groups, players sometimes struggle to work out where to go, get frustrated, and quit playing altogether. Because of this, somewhat obvious and sometimes unrealistic visual clues are needed to help point players in the right direction. And some have pointed out that video games have featured visual clues for exploration and progression for decades now.
With discussion around the yellow paint in FF7R, who remembers the options red/green arrows plus giant pointer available in the original FF7? pic.twitter.com/qMLnKh3rGw
— John Linneman @dark1x.bsky.social (@dark1x) February 11, 2024
Based on Hamaguchi’s comments, perhaps fans can expect the yellow paint to return for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3. Speaking of which, Square Enix said last year that its goal was to see the finale launch by 2027. Excitement for the third and final chapter in the trilogy grew even more when the team revealed that it had completed its story earlier this year.
Most recently, Hamaguchi clarified comments that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 would “strike a balance” when it came to pacing and be “more concise,” insisting didn’t mean he would cut any content from the game.
While we wait, find out why the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 team “will not cheat” when it comes to Final Fantasy 7’s iconic airship. And as for if Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 will have turn-based combat? Hamaguchi said it had not been “pre-determined yet” despite the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which boasts traditional JRPG-inspired turn-based combat and recently confirmed sales of 5 million copies in five months.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.