It was only a matter of time until Final Fantasy VII: Remake happened in this era of dragging past successes into the modern age - but how long is the remake compared to the original?
Changes in Final Fantasy VII: Remake
One of the most surprising changes in the Remake is that it only adapts the Midgar portion of the 1997 original. While definitely the most well-known section, only the relatively brief opening of the game takes place in Midgar where Cloud and his friends battle the Shinra Corporation and encountered Sepiroth. In the Remake, Square Enix took this and stretched it out across an over 30-hour runtime with a veritable smorgasbord of entirely new content and characters. All the familiar plot beats are there, but a lot of extra has been added to make the Midgar section worthy of being its own game alone.
How Many Chapters Are There In Final Fantasy VII: Remake?
The total number of chapters in the Final Fantasy VII: Remake is 18, but their lengths aren’t uniform and most of the optional sidequests and additional content isn’t beholden to the chapter format - however, keep in mind that some activities or characters may become unavailable if you progress with the main storyline. Similarly, some side activities will only be unlocked if you have reached a particular chapter in your playthrough. The first chapter especially is pretty short, while some of the later chapters can last for hours on end. If you mostly ignore side activities, you can finish the entire game in around 25 hours, but most playthroughs last a good 35-40 hours if you are keen on seeing everything there is to see. The complete list of chapters is as follows:
Chapter 1: The Destruction of Mako Reactor 1 Chapter 2: Fateful Encounters Chapter 3: Home Sweet Slum Chapter 4: Mad Dash Chapter 5: Dogged Pursuit Chapter 6: Light the Way Chapter 7: A Trap is Sprung Chapter 8: Budding Bodyguard Chapter 9: The Town That Never Sleeps Chapter 10: Rough Waters Chapter 11: Haunted Chapter 12: Fight for Survival Chapter 13: A Broken World Chapter 14: In Search of Hope Chapter 15: The Day Midgar Stood Still Chapter 16: The Belly of the Beast Chapter 17: Deliverance from Chaos Chapter 18: Destiny’s Crossroads
The Final Fantasy VII story is set to continue in the Remake’s high fidelity… sometime with Remake Part 2. Unfortunately, the follow up to this remake is apparently stuck in development hell, and Square Enix to very tight-lipped about progress and projected release windows. We wouldn’t count on it being released anytime soon, however.
