FF7 Remake & FF7 Rebirth's Endings Have One Major Problem Ahead Of Part 3

Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth are impressive reimaginings of the original game, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some problems. One of the biggest problems in both games is how the original Final Fantasy 7 was divided. While this has allowed Remake and Rebirth to explore their characters and locations more deeply, it has also created a unique narrative issue surrounding each game's endings.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Remake & Rebirth.]

The endings for both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth take place at major turning points in the original game’s story. While these are natural stopping points, they also didn’t feature one thing that most RPGs end on: a major boss battle against the game’s main antagonist. Because of this, Remake and Rebirth both added new battles against Sephiroth that didn’t exist in the original narrative. Although these fights give the games a more traditional RPG ending, they take away a bit from the story of both games.

Both Game's Final Boss Battles Hurt Their Story

Final Fantasy 7 Remake And Rebirth Added Battles To Have A Final Fight

Throughout Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Sephiroth is barely present. While he does show up occasionally, and players can tell he’s a big deal from Cloud’s reaction to him, Shinra is a much more present antagonist in the first game. This makes it somewhat strange when players get to the end of Remake, and they suddenly fight Sephiroth as the final boss instead of an antagonist, so they have more of an emotional connection at that point in the story. It feels like the game is banking on players already knowing who Sephiroth is to add narrative weight.

In contrast, Sephiroth has much more screen time in Rebirth. The game’s opening also gives players the background of Cloud and Sephiroth’s relationship. This is the perfect setup to get players pumped to fight Sephiroth, but it’s something that would have been more impactful if players were forced to wait.

As the second part of a three-part game, Rebirth should serve as the game’s second act, which typically ends at the protagonists’ lowest point. That means ending Rebirth with Aerith’s death was the perfect decision, but how the aftermath was handled wasn’t. Having players immediately vent their frustration about her death by fighting Sephiroth took away the tension that could have built up while waiting for the third game. It also somewhat cheapened Aerith’s death by having her step through an Endgame-style portal partway through the battle and fight alongside Cloud.

Both game’s narratives are handled well up until these final confrontations. It’s unfortunate at these moments that the conflict between video game conventions and good storytelling seems to come into conflict. What’s more of a shame is that both games could still have had a final boss without sacrificing their story structure.

FF7 Remake And Rebirth Had Better Options For A Final Boss

Sephiroth Wasn't A Narratively Satisfying Final Boss

Final Fantasy 7 Remake ends directly after Cloud, Tifa, and Barret liberate Aerith and Red XII from Shinra headquarters. The (tacked-on) fight against Sephiroth takes place after the escape, but by moving the final boss battle up in the game’s story, there wouldn’t have been a need for it. Instead of pitting players against Sephiroth, Final Fantasy 7 Remake should have simply upped the difficulty of the Rufus Shinra and mech battles that happened just before the escape from Shinra building.

If Rufus and his pet Darkstar had been made more powerful and their fighting style tweaked, they could have served as a proto-Sephiroth. This could have given players an idea of what the fight against Sephiroth might be like in a future game while still keeping the focus on Shinra for Remake. This would allow the final boss battle to be against a character more directly related to the main conflict of the first game. This could have been the game’s climax, with the motorcycle chase later serving as the resolution before leading into the next game.

Final Fantasy Rebirth, on the other hand, could have taken a page from the original FF7’s book and had players fight Jenova. If the fight had been moved to before Aerith’s death, the game could have ended on Final Fantasy 7’s biggest downbeat before leading into the third act with the third game. Delaying the satisfaction of fighting Sephiroth would force players to experience the same frustration at Sephiroth’s escape and the drive to avenge Aerith that the main party would be feeling. Having Aerith’s death be the last scene in the game would also give it more emotional weight.

Players Will Have Already Defeated Sephiroth Twice Before The Final FF7 Game

Beating Sephiroth In Earlier Games Will Make Him Less Intimidating

The impulse to have players fight Sephiroth before the third Final Fantasy 7 remake is understandable. Without the Sephiroth fights in Remake and Rebirth, players would be playing for over 100 hours and waiting quite a few years before they faced off against the game’s main antagonist. This could risk players losing interest in Sephiroth as an enemy, even if he occasionally shows up to significantly impact the story, like killing President Shinra or Aerith. However, having players fight Sephiroth at the end of each game arguably takes more away from the final fight than waiting.

When players eventually squared off against Sephiroth in the original Final Fantasy 7, it was at the game’s climax. Facing him was intimidating, and players weren’t really sure what to expect. However, when players go into this final battle in the third part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, they will have already defeated Sephiroth in battle twice. This takes away some of the mystique and also the intimidation factor. Yes, Sephiroth will surely be more powerful during the trilogy’s final confrontation, but knowing they’ve already beaten him a few times will make players far less afraid.

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  Final Fantasy 7 Remake

  Released April 10, 2020

  Developer(s) Square Enix Business Division 1

  Publisher(s) Square Enix

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  Released February 29, 2024

  Developer(s) Square Enix

  Publisher(s) Square Enix