I hate the yellow paint debate. Maybe I'm just getting old, but colored guidance markers are among the many minuscule aspects of game design that I just can't be bothered to harbor a strong opinion about. Sure, if it's overly blatant, it can be slightly immersion-breaking, but for me, it would have to be glowing rainbow tape to bother me enough that I engage in this interminable back-and-forth.
The yellow markers in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth reignited this age-old discussion last year, and now the game's director is fanning the flames again. Although, to be fair to Naoki Hamaguchi, we asked him.
Talking to GamesRadar+ through a translator, Hamaguchi says it with his whole chest: yellow paint is 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," says Hamaguchi. "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."
Hamaguchi really isn't saying anything controversial here. Sign-posting interactive environments has been something of a necessary evil from the beginning. The only truly valid debate is about how it's implemented, and yet, I have a feeling Hamaguchi's comments will spark spirited arguments online. This is why I hate the yellow paint debate.
"The need to guide players around from a gameplay perspective and show them what can be done, what they need to do, there are definitely times where that is needed," continues Hamaguchi. "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."
It's a pipe dream, but I would love it if Hamaguchi's comments, as an authority on game design, finally put an end to this whole miserable affair, but alas, comments sections beckon.
