A Let's Play Walking Through FF7 Remake's Boss Fights in Order: From Guard Scorpion to Sephiroth

The story begins with the infiltration of Mako Reactor 1. The protagonist, Cloud, is a former SOLDIER turned mercenary who is hired by Barret, the leader of a terrorist group, and joins an operation to blow up a mako reactor that sucks the life out of the planet. The narrator first explains that the game's combat is a unique system combining commands and action.

The basic controls are introduced during the first boss, the Guard Scorpion. Switch between controlled characters and move so as to avoid taking enemy attacks. Build the ATB gauge with regular attacks to use abilities and spells. Staggering an enemy makes attacks more effective, letting you rack up damage quickly with powerful magic. Those are the three points.

The fight is split into four phases. In Phase 2 the enemy puts up a barrier, so you first destroy the barrier's core with magic. When the enemy fires beams and Cloud can't get close, Barret, with his ranged attacks, shines. In Phase 3 it fires missiles nonstop and a huge number of steel beams fall from the roof. The narrator says "it's total chaos" while hiding behind cover to wait it out. Once the Limit gauge fills, you can unleash a special move. In Phase 4, the left leg was destroyed with magic, Barret landed Thunder, and Cloud's Limit Break "Braver" finished it off.

After it's defeated, one of the Guard Scorpion's attacks hits near the bomb, and the impact sets the timer off on its own. The Guard Scorpion sinks into the mako while giving a thumbs-up, and the narrator picks up on this touch.

Ahead of the operation to blow up Mako Reactor 5, the group rides motorcycles into enemy territory to steal explosives. Along the way, they catch the attention of Roche, a motorcycle-loving SOLDIER, who challenges Cloud to a one-on-one duel. The narrator says that since Roche is only Third Class yet quite a capable fighter, it gives a sense of how strong First Class must be.

The strategy is a repeated cycle of buffing to raise damage and then casting Fire. Dodge the enemy's attacks, attack in Punisher mode, and land Fire. Phase 2 is handled almost the same way. The buffs wear off after roughly two turns, so when they expire, you reapply them in Punisher mode. The narrator explains that being able to weave this status management smoothly into the action is a strength unique to Cloud among the characters, and praises the combat as being very fun right from the start. While Cloud and the others were causing a commotion, other members of the group stole the explosives.

On the way to Mako Reactor 5, Shinra's large weapon, the Crab Warden, attacks. First, destroy the left and right front legs. Pile on attacks while your allies draw its attention, build ATB, break the front legs, and stagger it. In Phase 2, move to dodge the missiles and deal with three minor enemies. Here the narrator divided the roles: since Cloud had the highest magic stat, the minor enemies were left to the allies while Cloud targeted the boss's legs with Thunder. Destroy the remaining legs to stagger it, restore gauges with ATB Boost, reapply buffs, and then move on to Phase 3. In Phase 3, hide behind cover to weather its attacks, and shoot out the exposed core with your allies' Thunder.

At Mako Reactor 5, Shinra had seen through the plan. President Shinra decries Avalanche's outrage in a broadcast to all citizens, using it as propaganda material. Under that live broadcast, the fight against the giant weapon Air Buster begins. The basics are to pound it with attacks in Punisher mode and move slightly to dodge the objects it throws. There are moments when the enemy rises into the air, but the narrator says even regular attacks alone deal quite a lot of damage. In the end it was defeated in coordination with the allies.

Cloud falls into a church in the Sector 5 slums because of the explosion and meets Aerith. Shinra's organization, the Turks, then show up, and Aerith asks Cloud to be her bodyguard. The reward is "one date."

The Reno fight starts in the church's flower bed. The narrator moved a little away before fighting so as not to drag the flowers into it. In the Reno fight, guarding in time with the enemy's attacks lets you get behind Reno and put him into a Pressured state. You then pound him with attacks and move on to Phase 2. By diverting his attacks a bit, they apparently managed to avoid fighting on top of the flower bed. In Phase 2, the projectiles were dodged by moving left and right, and he was staggered and defeated using the same steps as in Phase 1.

Just as Cloud tries to finish Reno off, mysterious floating beings appear and interfere. According to the narrator, these are apparently said to be "guardians of the planet's destiny," but at this point in the game they are portrayed as beings shrouded in mystery.

Rude of the Turks lies in wait where they flee. Here too, the basic approach in each phase is to dodge attacks by moving sideways, and he is defeated by putting him into a Pressured state and then piling on attacks. After the fight, Reno summons him to Sector 7, and Rude withdraws.

Cloud and Aerith see Tifa trying to infiltrate Don Corneo's mansion, and enter the underground colosseum so they can infiltrate it themselves. The last to appear is Corneo's "secret weapon," Hell House. The announcer hypes it up in exaggerated fashion, and while it looks like an ordinary house, as the narrator puts it, "it's not just a house."

Hell House switches between four elements with its barrier change, which changes its weakness. The color of its windows shows the current element, so you watch that and pick the corresponding magic. In Phase 2 it sprouts arms, legs and a head, and charges at you with the boosters on its back. Use ATB Boost, then start attacking with Cloud and stagger it. When it enters invincible mode, have the two cast magic to destroy its parts and cancel that state. With all the staggers up to this point, Cloud's Limit gauge filled completely.

In Phase 3 it flies up into the sky, becomes invincible, and drops a huge number of chairs. The narrator runs around avoiding the chairs, leaving Aerith to herself in the meantime with the comment, "She's probably managing somehow." In the end, fire magic was landed to match the barrier's element, and it was finished off in Punisher mode.

Although they get Corneo to reveal Shinra's plan, the group is dropped into the sewers by a trap and has to fight Abzu. This first fight is short, and it is defeated with everyone casting magic. The narrator previews that Abzu survives and will appear again later.

Leaving the sewers brings them to the train graveyard. It is apparently a well-known haunted spot among locals, and ghosts merge to become Ghoul. When it fires small projectiles, move everyone behind cover, and when it throws desks, have them dodge behind as well. Attacking it quickly puts it into a Pressured state, so everyone keeps hitting it. Use ATB Boost before Phase 2, and in Phase 2 hide behind cover when projectiles come flying.

With Sector 7 just ahead, a horse monster, Eligor, appears next. The narrator speculates that it might be something that wandered into the train graveyard and became a ghost. First, get around to its front, attack, and stagger it. Here you can steal a staff from Eligor, and the narrator recommends stealing it for Aerith. In Phase 2, Eligor flies up and, for some reason, drops walls for you to hide behind. The narrator laughs that this might be a farce, and hides behind a container to wait out the attacks. Wait until it circles the sky and comes back down, then have everyone stagger it while watching out for its laser attack. When its HP drops to about 40%, Phase 3 begins, and it was finished off with Cloud's "Infinite End."

In Sector 7, Avalanche is fighting to defend the support pillar. Shinra's plan was to lure Avalanche to the pillar and drop the Sector 7 plate, wiping out the slums along with them. In the rematch against the Turks, Phase 1 is ended with Barret's attacks and Cloud's abilities. A helicopter that mercilessly bombs the area even with its allies on the ground also joins in. After scenes where Reno picks up the sunglasses of his downed partner and where Rude puts on a spare pair of sunglasses, Phase 3 focuses attacks on Rude, and he was defeated with Barret's Overdrive and other moves.

What the narrator points out is the difference from the original. In this game there is an effort to stop the collapse, but the "guardians of destiny," the Whispers, still steer events toward the fated collapse. Cloud and the others use a wire to escape from the falling plate. A section of Midgar is wiped out, and Shinra reports it as Avalanche's doing.

While searching for survivors in the ruins of Sector 7, they find a Shinra underground experimental facility and reunite with comrades who had fled there. However, the collapse has caused Shinra's test subjects to spill out, and a battle begins. This fight is initially fought by Tifa and Barret alone.

In the first wave, against a large number of test subjects, they push forward with Tifa's area attacks and the like while Barret keeps shooting. Because they staggered enemies many times here, Barret's Limit gauge filled. In the second wave, including the enemies in the second-floor corridor, they attack by targeting spots where enemies overlap. In the third wave, climbing the stairs brings out the boss, the Failed Experiment. First roll forward to dodge the attack from behind, then move to the final phase with Barret's Limit Break. In the final phase you want to destroy its hands, but they apparently have enough durability that a single spell can't break them, so one additional attack is added to destroy them. Just as it was finished off with a Limit Break, Cloud arrives belatedly.

Aerith is taken away by Shinra, and the group looks for a way to the upper level. There Abzu appears again, this time bringing its young with it. As before, they attack with fire and wind magic. The narrator explains that the young can't be killed but apparently can be staggered. In Phase 2, one of its parts is destroyed and attacks are piled on while it's defenseless. In Phase 3 it was defeated by making good use of Aero spells.

Corneo got away, but they obtain a wire gun in Corneo's room and climb the wall to the upper level. There, Shinra's security weapon, Heli Gunner, attacks. In the cutscene portion along the way you take damage, but running on the left side apparently lowers the hit rate a little. Seeing how much care went into scenes like this, the narrator says the minigames from the original can probably be looked forward to as well. In the fight, Aero was fired at it and combined with allies' magic attacks to advance through the phases, and in Phase 3 it was defeated by, among other things, luring the enemy's attacks so they hit it.

Arriving at the Shinra Building, the group learns about Aerith's origins. She is a descendant of the Ancients, who carry the blood of this planet's original inhabitants, and she is being held by Shinra so they can study the race known for its skill with mako. Just as they have the mad scientist Hojo nearly cornered, they fall into a trap and have to fight a test subject.

Specimen H0512 is, according to the narrator, a cute-looking test subject. At first, put its subordinate monsters to sleep with the status ailment "Sleep" and clear out the minor enemies while being careful not to wake the main body. Begin the attack from the main body's left hand and make it flinch with heavy damage. However, because the narrator took things slowly, the boss woke up. So between attacks, Firaga was fired into the left hand to destroy it and stagger the boss. Since you want to stagger it in the next phase as well, end Phase 2 with a little of the gauge left. In Phase 3 attacks come at the front and the surrounding area, so all three are moved to a corner of the room to cast magic. The narrator also talks about a mistake: having used too much magic in Phase 2, Cloud didn't have enough MP and had to be put on healing duty for a while.

When they rescue Aerith and try to escape, Swordipede, a monster resembling a fish with legs, attacks. In Phase 1, build ATB and attack with Firaga and Thunder. Phase 2 is fought by the remaining two. Red XIII, a beast that speaks human language, also joins the group and takes part in the attack as an NPC. In the end it was defeated with Red XIII's bite and Aerith's magic.

On the top floor of the Shinra Building, the group runs into President Shinra, and it becomes a tense standoff with guns pointed at each other. Then Sephiroth appears and, as in the original, kills the President. Unlike the original, however, Barret is also stabbed. And then the Whispers begin healing Barret.

After that comes the fight against Jenova Dreamweaver, which takes the form of Sephiroth. In Phase 2, cancel the attack in which the enemy puts you into a barrier state, have your allies cast Raise-type spells, and destroy the part you left intact to stagger it. In Phase 3, a mass of tentacles sprouts from the floor. Place the light shield that Aerith has learned, and when fire projectiles come, wait them out inside the shield. Then deal with the tentacles. Since it takes time in Operator mode, switch to Punisher mode here. Once all the tentacles are removed, the enemy becomes defenseless, so the allies and Cloud attack in sync to stagger it. In Phase 4, dodge the projectiles behind a pillar, then close in all at once, and after the stagger, finish it with a Limit Break. The narrator jokes that Sephiroth seems busy these days, showing up everywhere including Smash Bros.

As an Avalanche helicopter comes to the rescue, Cloud stays behind in the building to buy time for his comrades to escape, and fights Vice President Rufus one-on-one. Rufus has a dog with him, so first cast Sleep on the dog to put it to sleep. Phase 1 is ended with combos in Punisher mode. The narrator also notices and points out that the back of Rufus's coin is engraved with an image of his beloved dog. In Phase 2, attacks were timed to his approaches to stagger him, and he was whittled down in Punisher mode.

As Aerith and the others attempt to escape, the giant weapon Arsenal appears. The narrator describes the design of this game's boss weapons as having "the lively bustle of a festival," and says they quite like this enemy's design. What they praise even more is the presentation. They say the flow of showing off the enemy's mechanisms first and only then entering combat is consistent throughout, creating the enjoyment of solving the gimmick to win.

In the fight, first destroy the device that puts up the barrier. Wait for Red XIII to bite it to destroy the second one, stop the turret that fell and started moving, and destroy the third one behind it to end Phase 1. From then on, in each phase, dodge its attacks while wearing it down with magic. In Phase 4, use the path of fire to get above the enemy, and it was defeated by inputting Thunder twice.

During the escape, they are surrounded by troops led by Heidegger, but Cloud and the others break through. According to the narrator, they were originally supposed to escape after this following the same course of events as the original. But Sephiroth appears near the exit. As the narrator explains it, Sephiroth, unhappy with the planet's destiny of eventually coming to an end, uses a mysterious power to tear a hole in space, creating a singularity leading to a destiny different from the established course so far. Once they go ahead, there's no returning to the original destiny, but Cloud and the others leap in to stop Sephiroth.

Beyond the singularity, the Whispers that protect destiny attack in full force. This battle lasts more than 10 minutes. As the three Whispers in the three colors of a traffic light are whittled down bit by bit, the three come together and, for some reason, become Bahamut. The narrator describes this chapter as "anything goes." Before it fires Megaflare, respond with magic prepared in advance using ATB Boost and the like. It then splits back into three, so deal with them one at a time using a counter stance and so on. They are connected to the giant Whisper in the center, and defeating a smaller one apparently damages the main body.

Between bouts of fighting, scenes from the original FF7 flood in, such as the final scene of Disc 1—footage of "a future that might have been." Here the narrator also mentions that FF7 at the time came on three CD-ROMs of roughly 700 MB each, comparing that with the size of the remake. They also explain that, since it apparently works so that allies who performed well in this battle take part in the next and final battle, they deliberately adjusted things, such as staggering with Aerith, whom they wanted to prioritize.

The opponent in the final battle is Sephiroth. Because taking off too much HP advances the phase, the narrator explains that they held back from attacking during the first stagger. Aerith joins in Phase 2. Right before moving to the next phase with Infinite End, Aerith activated ATB Boost and Cloud activated Skill Master, restoring one bar of gauge each. Tifa joins in Phase 3, and Sephiroth uses barrier change to shift to one of four elements. First break it with holy magic, then attack with his weakness, Aero, and follow up while he is down on one knee in a Pressured state. After the stagger, Cloud attacks with Infinite End and Tifa with Overdrive, and the built-up Limit gauge is used to deliver the final Limit Break. Barret also comes back during this final stretch.

During the ending, the narrator chooses to watch in silence until the staff credits. Sephiroth invites Cloud to defy destiny together, but Cloud refuses. The companions decide to set out to pursue Sephiroth, and the story ends in a way that leads into the sequel.

The narrator's final impressions are as mentioned at the beginning. Modern entertainment unfolds throughout while building on the fun parts of the original, making it as enjoyable an experience as a remake could possibly be. They conclude that it was also great that each boss fight has a story with a beginning, development, twist and conclusion, giving it a fun that goes beyond simply defeating them.