The very final scene of Remake sees Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Aerith, and Red XIII walking away from Midgar into the world of Gaia, with plans to stop Sephiroth from destroying the planet. It’s almost exactly as it was at the end of the Midgar section of the original game.
That means that you don’t get to see the town of Kalm or anywhere from the original game’s open world, but you do get to play through iconic moments like the fight with Rufus on top of the Shinra building, the escape down the highway on Cloud’s bike, and the big battle with the Motor Ball tank.
That’s not to say everything in the finale of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is the same as it was in the original, though. This is, after all, a reimagining and heavily expanded version of the story, and so there are new surprises to experience. If you want to see the finale with fresh eyes, then turn away now, because spoilers are coming.
Warning: more detailed spoilers follow for the finale of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.The final chapter of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is around an hour of entirely new story beats, involving two major boss battles and the introduction of a key new plot thread. The final boss is Sephiroth, which is understandable considering his status as the story’s big bad, but the boss preceding him directly ties into Remake’s new and expanded narrative. So while the final scene may be taken from the original game, almost everything else in the last chapter of Remake is brand new.
By concluding just after the party escapes Midgar, it leaves a sequel to pick up as they proceed to Kalm, Fort Condor, Junon Harbour, the glittering domes of the Gold Saucer, and beyond. Don’t expect that journey to be exactly as you remember it, though; Remake’s new narrative additions mean we’ll likely be seeing all of this in a brand new light.
So that’s where Final Fantasy 7 Remake ends, and it’ll take you anywhere between 30 and 40 hours to get there. That’s a far cry from the five or so hours it takes when playing the original game. If you’re looking for more Final Fantasy 7 Remake, then why not check out our review, or see why Final Fantasy is the biggest RPG of all time. Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter.