The Story of Final Fantasy VII Remake

The story of Final Fantasy VII Remake follows the same general storyline as the original Final Fantasy VII, but deviates in several critical areas, as well as fleshing out many of the areas, storylines and characters from the original game. In addition, the game mechanics of the Remake are completely different to the original game.

Changes in Game Mechanics

 * The difficulty of the game can be adjusted initially between "Classic", "Easy" and "Normal" options.
 * Save points no longer exist. The player may now save anywhere. However, there are various vending machines and "rest benches" scattered throughout the world. Vending machines sell potions and other consumables, and can also sell equipment and materia (some even sell Music Discs for the Music Collection). Items can also be sold at these vending machines. Next to most vending machines are rest benches; these restore HP and MP.
 * Enemies use the Stagger system that determine how easily they can be defeated.
 * Crates that can be opened for items still exist, but there are now also destroyable crates that can yield items, mako shards (that restore a small amount of MP for each person in the party), or Moogle Medals, used to obtain items at a store in Sector 5.
 * Final Fantasy VII Remake is divided into eighteen chapters, with some chapters having side-quests that provide rewards and help explain more details of the lore.
 * Final Fantasy VII Remake is action-orientated, while Final Fantasy VII used a turn-based battle system. This also means in the remake, encounters are scripted and not random. To use spells or abilities, players must expend ATB segments. These are accrued by using the character's main attack.
 * In addition to the player's normal attack using, an alternate attack or attack routine can be used by pressing.
 * Players can now learn abilities through using them in battle; each weapon has its own unique ability available while the weapon is equipped, and when used often enough, is added the player list of available abilities on a permanent basis. Abilities cost 1 or 2 ATB segments.
 * Each weapon can now be enhanced using Skill Points. Enhancements can add HP or MP, enhance attack or defense, add new materia slots or link an existing pair of unlinked slots. Skill Points are gained when a character levels up, and are also added from Manuscripts.
 * The materia system uses the same system of being able to be slotted into weapons and armor as per the original game, but has been vastly expanded in scope; materia can now provide limit breaks, change ATB behaviour, or provide new abilities. Materia does not produce a copy when it is mastered.
 * Magic Materia remains mostly unchanged. There are twelve Magic Materia implemented in the game.
 * Support Materia also remains mostly unchanged. There are six Support Materia implemented in the game.
 * Command Materia remains unchanged, but the scope of usefulness has been increased. There are six Command Materia implemented in the game. The Enemy Skill Materia is present, and there are four Enemy Skills that can be learned in the game. These skills, once learned, are added to that character's ability roster.
 * Summon Materia has been drastically changed. Summon Materia cannot be levelled, and each player can only carry one Summon Materia at a time in a special slot that is always present on their weapon. Summon Materia can only be used if a battle has been in progress for a determined period of time, and once the summon has been completed, the summoned creature acts as a non-controllable party member, although commands can still be issued to the summoned creature to use a specific attack. Once a summon has been made, a countdown begins; at the end of that countdown, the summoned creature unleashes an ultimate attack. Nine Summon Materia are implemented in the game, three of them only available as DLC.
 * Independent Materia have been renamed to Complete Materia, and are also relatively unchanged in function, although the scope of their usefulness have been increased. There are seventeen Complete Materia in total.
 * Each player has only one unique limit break ability, some of them based on previous limit breaks in the original game.
 * Cloud's first limit break in the original game, Braver, is now an ability, while Cross-Slash is his limit break.
 * Tifa's limit break in the remake is Somersault, which is one of her limit breaks from the original game.
 * Aeris' limit break in the rename is Healing Wind, which was her first limit break in the original game.
 * Barrett's limit break is Fire in the Hole, which was not present in the original game.
 * A Bestiary has been added.
 * A Music Collection of remixed versions of previous music pieces from the original game have been added.
 * Manuscripts can be obtained which increase the number of Skill Points you can use to upgrade weapons.
 * Once the game is beaten, a New Game+ system opens that allows the player to revisit and replay any chapter with all of their stats, levels, materia and items carrying over.
 * A Hard difficulty mode has also been implemented; in this mode, enemies are harder to defeat, the player cannot use items during battle, and MP is not restored at rest benches.

Chapter 1
Final Fantasy VII Remake starts the exact same way as Final Fantasy VII, with Cloud helping Avalanche as a mercenary to destroy Mako Reactor 1. The player can now choose the length of time before detonation (either twenty or thirty minutes). As soon as the bomb is set, the boss makes its appearance. Clearly based on the original Guard Scorpion, this boss is called Scorpion Sentinel, and while it keeps many moves from the original game (including Tail Laser), it also has other mechanics, such as a defense field that effectively stops all damage, and the ability for the player to cripple the boss by taking out its legs. After defeating the Scorpion Sentinel, Avalanche escapes the reactor, and the bomb explodes. However, unlike in the first game where the bomb leads directly to the Reactor 1 explosion, the bomb in the Remake is rather underwhelming, and it is Heidegger that actually commands the reactor to self-destruct.