Final Fantasy 7 Remake was the first in what is to be a series of games to retell the story of Cloud and his friends on their journey to stop Sephiroth and save the planet. The first part of the remake took the city of Midgar, just the first chapter in the original game, and expanded the city and narrative to create a full game. With the rest of Final Fantasy 7 Remake's world still left to be explored, many players are wondering how far into the world of Gaia they'll be able to explore in the next chapter of the remake.
As many fans wonder what developers' intentions are for the world in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2, it's worth taking a moment to look at the original game's world map and consider how far into the game's world it would be possible to reach. With the impressive level of detail given to the city of Midgar, applying that same touch to the rest of the world could mean players don't make it as far into the original narrative as they might think. While this wouldn't inherently be a bad thing, it's worth tempering expectations ahead of time. SPOILERS AHEAD for those who never played the original game.
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Having defeated the Whispers and defied their fates, Cloud and Avalanche's journey may end up looking very different from the original game, but even with the changes that are likely coming to FF7 Remake Part 2, it seems safe to assume the first leg of the journey will follow a similar path. In the original game, the party travels to the nearby town of Kalm to catch their breath, and it's there that Cloud tells the rest of his group the story of his relationship to Sephiroth. Though a minor town, it's likely that Kalm itself will be a larger and more expansive experience this time around, and is likely to still contain some treasure for later in the game (namely Vincent's Peacemaker weapon). And the flashback sequence is likely to eat up the first several hours of the game if Square Enix applies the same level of polish.
From Kalm, the group travels southwest towards a small cave that allows passage to the other side of the continent. They are planning to reach the port city of Junon to find a way across to the other continent. This is where the iconic encounter with the Midgar Zolom happens in the original, forcing the player back to the nearby Chocobo Farm in order to procure a fast enough way to avoid the giant serpent. This may open up one of the biggest side features in the original FF7, chocobo breeding. Many are wondering how Square Enix is going to handle the actual travel in the open world from the outset, and providing access to chocobos early on might be one way that is accomplished.
It's likely that the Chocobo Farm will still be a feature and that the party will still use one of the swift birds to elude the Zolom. After making their way through the small cave, and seeing that Sephiroth was able to dispatch one of the enormous serpents with ease, they make their way towards the city of Junon. If the remake stays true in this location, it will be both the first time players can encounter Yuffie and a chance to explore Fort Condor. Both of these are completely optional in the original game, but are likely (hopefully) going to be integrated into the FF7 Remake Part 2 game in a more prominent way.
After Cloud and the rest of Avalanche make their way to Junon, they find themselves wrapped up in another fan-favorite segment of the original as they attempt to sneak aboard a transport ship making its way across the ocean to Costa Del Sol. How faithful Square Enix stays to this segment will also determine how much time the players might spend in Junon.
Many things about FF7 Remake and the members of Avalanche are different from the original, but it's easy to imagine that disguising themselves as Shinra employees and soldiers and participating in a full-blown military parade will likely be a big chunk of playtime. Many are speculating the game will at least make it through the story of the original's first disc, culminating at the Temple of the Ancients. And if that stays true, Cloud and the group will at least make it to Costa Del Sol.
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After an encounter with Sephiroth and what would actually be the second encounter with Jenova this time around, the party disembarks in Costa Del Sol. Some of the game's most comical moments take place here, like Red XIII playing soccer and the evil scientist Hojo sunbathing, but after encountering Sephiroth, Red XIII urges the group to travel to his home in Cosmo Canyon which is to the far south.
The group travels by foot until eventually receiving the buggy after being mistakenly imprisoned in the Gold Saucer. The buggy allows for more exploration and can be used to reach some optional scenarios in the town of Gongaga. Otherwise, players won't reach those locations until later in the game. Seeing the differences in design in FF7 Remake for all of these locations will be interesting to say the least.
Whether or not Square Enix fleshes out each of these areas to the level that they are in the first part of FF7 Remake will be the deciding factor in how far players will eventually get in the second part. Again, it's unlikely that the next game won't at least reach the Temple of the Ancients ,so players are likely to be treated to updated versions of Cosmo Canyon, Gongaga, Junon, Gold Saucer, Rocket Town, and Nibelheim.
With the new fidelity possible with FF7 Remake Part 2 coming to PS5 it's likely that the next game's cities and towns will be even more impressive this time around. And with the changing of fate, it's more than possible that the route the group ends up taking towards the Temple of the Ancients could be completely different. For now, fans are left to speculate about how much of the rest of the map they'll be able to explore in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 is in development for the PS5.