Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Director Didn't Expect Yellow Paint Debate

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi was surprised the remake once again spurred a debate around the use of yellow paint in video games.

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 voicing their opinions on it since the first demo for the role-playing game was released.

Speaking to Red Bull, Hamaguchi said he “didn’t think that the yellow paint [debate would be] discussed on social media” following the demo’s release, and said he and the development team at Square Enix have heard players load and clear.

“For things like camera options, where people have a wide variety of preferences and there’s no one right answer, our basic approach is to offer various accessibility options,” Hamaguchi said. “So I would like to take on board the valuable feedback we have received towards this for future games.”

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is just the middle part of an entire remake trilogy, so this comment perhaps suggests Square Enix may make the yellow paint an optional accessibility feature in the third and final game, or perhaps allow players to adjust the intensity of it themselves.

In our 9/10 review of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, IGN said: “Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth impressively builds off of what Remake set in motion, both as a best-in-class action-RPG full of exciting challenges and an awe-inspiring recreation of a world that has meant so much to so many for so long.”

Those playing can check out IGN’s extensive guide on the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and see how long it takes to beat, our PlayStation 5 performance review, and how Square Enix caused havoc by mislabeling its discs in Japan.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.