Is Final Fantasy 7 Remake Open-World?

Remember the sprawling, immersive world of Final Fantasy 15? Fans who fondly recall the action-packed road trip have questioned whether the newest Final Fantasy title will also offer an open-world experience. The answer lies somewhere between yes and no. Final Fantasy 7 Remake will not be open-world: it's just big enough that it seems like it is.

Technology limited the scope of the original game. Gamers have developed an appetite for exploration in the ensuing decades, an itch developers weren't prepared to scratch when Final Fantasy 7 released in 1997. Square Enix now has a chance to do it all over again with the new and improved version of the game. 

The designers have seen fit to make Midgar into a proper city with winding side streets, dozens of sights to see, and hundreds of NPCs. That said, you'll have to stick to the city limits in the first game. There's enough action and adventure there to keep you from missing the wide open spaces of Final Fantasy 15, but ultimately, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is not an open-world game.

Cloud and his crew won't actually leave the city until the second part release. Square Enix went big, splitting Final Fantasy 7 Remake into three episodes that will each release as full-fledged, AAA titles. Talk about pulling out all the stops. This doesn't mean the first of these three games is abbreviated or stymied in any way. In contrast, director and concept designer Tetsuya Nomura stated he had to consider cutting content to keep things from getting bogged down in Midgar.

"Opportunities for discussing our true intentions are few, but with regard to the size of the game that many are asking about – there's no reason at all to worry," Nomura said in an interview last year. "Even in this Midgar portion alone, the density and volume are so great that I had to give directions to lighten them." 

In short, the first title in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake lineup isn't open-world, but it's huge. You'll have plenty of room to spread your wings and swing your Buster Sword.