Square Enix’s Satoru Koyama is hoping to create more nuanced and intricate companion AI for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy got off to an excellent start with its first instalment in 2020, so expectations are naturally going to be high for its sequel. There’s very little that we know about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth so far, but with developers promising that it’ll be making improvements over its predecessor in a number of key ways, there’s no shortage of questions over the same.

For instance, what sort of improvements can we expect when it comes to the combat? Well, as per Satoru Koyama, who was lead battle programmer on Final Fantasy 7 Remake, its sequel will feature companions who will be much more involved in combat. That’s as per interviews in the game’s official companion book, Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania, which has been translated by fans.

As shared by @ShinraArch on Twitter, Koyama says that he wants to enable AI companions in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to “juggle a variety of techniques and magic in addition to simply attacking and guarding” when players are not in control of them. Interestingly, he says his ultimate goal is to “surpass” the Gambit System of Final Fantasy 12– which allowed players to set specific behaviours for their party members and govern how they would act in combat encounters.

Of course, Square Enix’s full focus when it comes to Final Fantasy is currently on Final Fantasy 16, but one would assume that more concrete details on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will start being shared as we get deeper into this year, especially with the game set to launch for PS5 this coming Winter.