Changes and updates recently announced for FF7 Rebirth will correct FF7 Remake's mistakes and make good on its missed opportunities, the developers' recent announcement that FF7 Rebirth will draw on a controversial Final Fantasy mechanic has divided players once again.

FF7 Rebirth Will Bring Back Something Like FF12's Gambit System

Balthier, Fran, and Penelo fight a pair of giant, spiked Bagoly enemies in Final Fantasy 12

As translated by Twitter Shinra Archaeology Department (via Game Rant), lead battle programmer Satoru Koyama announced in an interview for the art book Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Material Ultimania Plus that he intends for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's combat AI to sur that of the Gambit System. First introduced in Final Fantasy 12, Gambits essentially allowed players to reprogram party ' AI by giving them a series of if-then commands in order of priority - for example, directing one character to target enemy weaknesses until another character needs healing. The Gambit System was highly divisive on release: many appreciated the total customizability of allies' behavior, while others disliked the possibility of complete automation in battle.

A Gambit-Like System Could Work Well With FF7 Rebirth's Combat

Aerith, Cloud, and Tifa face a one-eyed, two-horned, chained purple enemy in an underground arena in Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Although flawed, the Gambit System could be improved with a little upgrading. A common criticism of FF12 was that Gambits could be used to make the game effectively play itself - players are encouraged to assign Gambits to all four party , even the fully controllable leader. Things will probably be different in FF7 Rebirth, since programming Gambits for the party leader only works in command-based combat, like in FF12. FF7 Remake's combos couldn't accommodate the constant interruption this system would cause. If Gambits are limited only to the secondary party not under the player's direct control, they could even further decrease interruptions to combat, doing away with the need to scroll through menus every time a character needs healing.

While the Gambit System does away with the ability to give each character direct commands, it keeps control in the player's hands - and it could do the same for FF7 Rebirth. Whatever this Gambit-like system turns out to be, it'll likely improve on its predecessor's flaws - after all, the developers have stated they want to "sur" the Gambit System, not just bring it back. Still, with Square Enix focused on Final Fantasy 16, FF7 Rebirth news probably won't be forthcoming soon. The full extent of this new AI system will only become clear closer to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's winter 2023 release date.

Source: Shinra Archaeology Department/Twitter (via Game Rant)