The upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second part of the trilogy of remakes for the 1997 classic, has received new details in the cover story for the latest issue of Game Informer, which features interviews with the developers, including director Naoki Hamaguchi and producer Yoshinori Kitase, and a hands on preview of the game. Here are the most important things we learned.

A new focus on freedom

The developers of Rebirth wanted to reflect the original game’s transition from the linear Midgard section, which made up 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, to the more open world map. The world map makes its return here, with huge interconnected areas for players to explore. The game is much more focused on exploration than the previous title, which was more narrative-driven.

40-100 hours to complete

Hamaguchi estimated the game to be split between 20 percent main content and 80 percent side content. The story is still large, as completing only the main story objectives is likely to take around 40 hours. For players who do the main story and a decent amount of side content, the game should take around 60 hours. For completionists who want to see everything it has to offer, there is over 100 hours worth of content in the game.

Side quests build party affinity

Rebirth features an affinity system between characters that determines how some scenes will play out. Every side quest involves one other party member, and completing it will improve Cloud’s affinity with them. No side content is necessary if players do not want to complete it, however. Affinity can also be raised by performing a Synergy Ability, a unique team-up attack for a pair of any two characters.

Minigames include a deck-builder and piano-playing

Like the original Final Fantasy VII, Rebirth offers plenty of minigames to break up the gameplay. These include a deck-building card-based strategy game called Queen’s Blood that can be played against NPCs, a piano minigame involving collecting sheet music or free playing, and a modernized Chocobo racing.