Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Open World Or Not?

Hey guys! Let's dive into a question that's been buzzing around the gaming world: Is Final Fantasy 7 Remake an open-world game? It's a valid question, especially considering the massive scale of the original Final Fantasy 7. That OG game let you roam a huge world map, explore various locations, and discover secrets galore. So, when the remake dropped, everyone was curious about how Square Enix would handle that sense of freedom and exploration. Would we get a sprawling, open-world experience, or something different? The answer, as it turns out, is a bit more nuanced than a simple yes or no. The Final Fantasy 7 Remake isn't exactly an open-world game, in the traditional sense, but it still offers a lot to explore and enjoy. Let's break it down and explore the details to understand what the game has to offer. I'm sure that after reading this you guys will be more clear.

The Structure of Final Fantasy 7 Remake

First off, Final Fantasy 7 Remake adopts a more linear, chapter-based structure. Think of it like this: you progress through the story, chapter by chapter, with each chapter focusing on a specific area or event. Within each chapter, you'll encounter a series of interconnected environments that you can explore. These areas aren't quite as vast as a full-blown open world, but they're still packed with detail, secrets, and side quests. The game's structure is designed to guide you through the narrative, focusing on the story and character development. However, It provides a focused and curated experience. You'll typically have a main objective to complete, with various side activities and optional content to discover along the way. The game features many well-designed and detailed environments, such as the slums of Midgar, the Shinra Electric Power Company headquarters, and many other diverse and engaging locations. Each of these locations offers its own unique atmosphere, challenges, and secrets to uncover. While you won't be able to freely roam a massive world, the game allows for a good amount of exploration and discovery within each chapter. This approach creates a sense of immersion and allows for a more focused and cinematic gaming experience, with a greater emphasis on storytelling and character development. Moreover, this approach allows for a greater focus on graphical fidelity and environmental detail, enhancing the overall visual experience. You're not just running across vast landscapes; you're experiencing carefully crafted environments with many details to explore and admire. So, if you're looking for a straight open-world experience, Final Fantasy 7 Remake might not fit the bill. But if you value a well-crafted, story-driven adventure with plenty of exploration within its chapters, you're in for a treat.

The Open-World Elements in Remake

While Final Fantasy 7 Remake isn't fully open world, it certainly includes open-world elements. In many of the chapters, especially the ones set in the slums of Midgar, you have a degree of freedom to explore. You can wander around the neighborhoods, interact with NPCs, complete side quests, and search for hidden items and secrets. These areas are designed to feel alive and dynamic, with plenty of things to discover and people to meet. Moreover, the side quests often involve exploring different parts of the environment, encouraging you to go off the beaten path and see what's out there. The game's developers did a fantastic job of populating the world with interesting details, like environmental storytelling, hidden collectibles, and unique encounters. This makes exploration feel rewarding and engaging, even though the overall structure is more linear than a traditional open-world game. Also, the inclusion of various mini-games, such as the darts game in the Seventh Heaven bar or the squat challenge in the training gym, adds to the diversity of activities that you can enjoy as you explore the environment. The environments are densely packed with content, ensuring that there's always something to do or discover. In addition to exploration, these open-world elements contribute to the game's overall immersion and replayability. This gives you a more immersive experience. The game encourages you to interact with the world and learn more about its characters and the situations they find themselves in. So, even though it's not a complete open-world experience, the remake incorporates many elements that make it feel alive and worth exploring. The open-world elements enrich the experience and make it fun. This makes the game more dynamic.

Chapter Structure and Exploration

Let's get into the nitty-gritty of how exploration works in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. As I mentioned earlier, the game is divided into chapters. Each chapter typically takes you through a specific area or set of interconnected environments. Within these chapters, the levels are more or less linear, but they often have branching paths, hidden areas, and side quests that encourage you to explore. For instance, in the slums, you might have to complete a mission for someone, which will require you to explore a different part of the environment. While the game's structure is chapter-based, there's still a good amount of freedom within each chapter to explore, discover secrets, and complete various activities. The game’s design emphasizes environmental storytelling. This means that the environment itself tells a story, with details and clues scattered around. This is a very immersive experience. Furthermore, each chapter offers a carefully curated experience, designed to keep you engaged with the story and characters. The level design is a highlight of the game, with each location meticulously crafted and brimming with detail. From the bustling streets to the dark and gritty industrial areas, the environments are a treat to explore. As you progress, you'll encounter a variety of environments that are visually stunning and full of secrets to uncover. The level design encourages you to revisit areas and discover new things. The game also incorporates various gameplay mechanics that enhance exploration, such as environmental puzzles, hidden items, and optional combat encounters. These elements add depth to the exploration experience and keep things exciting. Although you're not roaming a vast, open world, you get a sense of freedom and discovery. So, it's not a sprawling open world, but the level of detail is excellent. It is still a very enjoyable experience.

Side Quests and Activities

One of the best parts about Final Fantasy 7 Remake is the wealth of side quests and activities that you can enjoy. These optional objectives add depth and replayability. They also provide opportunities to explore different areas, meet new characters, and learn more about the world. Side quests are a great way to experience new content. Each side quest usually has its own mini-story, complete with unique characters and rewards. These quests range from simple fetch missions to more complex investigations and battles. They offer a good variety of gameplay experiences. As you explore the environments within each chapter, you'll encounter NPCs who offer side quests. These quests range from finding missing items to helping characters with their problems. Each of these quests adds depth to the overall experience. The side quests also reveal a lot of the history and the culture of the world. They give you a chance to interact with the people of Midgar. They’re a fun way to get to know the world. Aside from side quests, there are many other activities to keep you engaged. You can play mini-games, such as darts, or participate in the squat challenges at the training gym. These activities add diversity. They also contribute to the replayability. Furthermore, the game is full of secrets to find, such as hidden chests, rare items, and powerful weapons. These secrets encourage you to explore every nook and cranny. They reward you for your curiosity and attention to detail. So, even though the main story is linear, the side quests, activities, and secrets ensure that you have plenty to do and discover. The game is designed to keep you busy and entertained. It's safe to say that there are a lot of extra things you can do to make it worth the experience.

Is It a True Open-World Experience?

So, back to the big question: Is Final Fantasy 7 Remake an open-world game? The short answer is no, not in the traditional sense. It doesn't have a massive, seamless world that you can freely explore from start to finish. However, the game has open-world elements within its chapter-based structure. While the game doesn't give you the same level of freedom as a game like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or Red Dead Redemption 2, it does offer plenty of exploration opportunities. The chapter-based structure allows for a more focused and curated gaming experience, designed to guide you through the story while still providing opportunities for exploration and discovery. The developers have emphasized storytelling, character development, and carefully designed environments. If you're expecting a huge, seamless world, you might be disappointed. But if you appreciate a well-crafted, story-driven adventure with plenty of exploration within a more structured format, you're going to love it. Moreover, the developers have put a lot of work into making the environments feel alive and dynamic, with plenty of details, secrets, and side quests to discover. This makes exploration feel rewarding. It's a trade-off: a more linear structure for a more focused and cinematic experience. The game gives you a lot to explore within each chapter. It’s also important to remember that Final Fantasy 7 Remake is just the first part of a larger story. It is a very immersive experience, and it is a good introduction to the story. The later installments might expand the open-world elements further. So, while it's not a fully open-world game, it provides a very enjoyable experience. It's worth playing, especially if you like a story driven experience.

Comparing Remake to the Original

It's also interesting to compare Final Fantasy 7 Remake to the original game. The original Final Fantasy 7 on the PlayStation was famous for its vast world map. You could roam freely across Gaia, visiting various towns, dungeons, and hidden locations. The remake, on the other hand, takes a different approach. The remake focuses on a more linear structure. It prioritizes a curated experience. This means the remake offers a lot of story and character development within its chapters. It emphasizes combat and other gameplay mechanics. The remake provides a more immersive experience within a more structured format. In the original, the world map served as a way to travel between different locations. You could wander aimlessly, discover secrets, and explore at your own pace. In the remake, the journey is more directed. It is guided by the narrative. It emphasizes the story and the characters. The remake has a lot of content within its chapters. You get to interact with many characters, experience great combat, and explore detailed environments. The remake offers a more modern and cinematic experience. This lets you experience the story in a new way. Each game has its strengths. The original offered a lot of freedom and discovery. The remake offers a more immersive and detailed experience. Ultimately, both games are incredible. However, the remake offers a more modern approach. The original game is also excellent and a classic. Both games deliver an amazing experience. They both provide unforgettable adventures. While different, the games capture the spirit of Final Fantasy 7 in their own unique ways.

Conclusion: Exploration in Final Fantasy 7 Remake

In conclusion, Final Fantasy 7 Remake isn't a traditional open-world game. However, it incorporates open-world elements within its chapter-based structure. You'll find plenty to explore. You'll also discover a lot of hidden areas within each chapter. This makes for a great gaming experience. The game encourages you to interact with the world and learn more about its characters. The side quests, activities, and secrets ensure that you have plenty to do and discover. The remake provides a focused and curated experience. The level design encourages you to revisit areas and discover new things. The overall experience is still fantastic. It provides a unique gaming experience. While it doesn't give you complete freedom to roam a vast world, it gives you a lot to explore. The chapter-based structure allows for a more focused and cinematic experience. If you appreciate a well-crafted, story-driven adventure with plenty of exploration within its chapters, you're going to have a great time with Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It's a game that blends linear storytelling with open-world elements. It's a fun and engaging gaming experience.