Final Fantasy VII Remake is great for so many reasons (with some room for improvement). The character and monster designs are detailed and creative, the combat is strategic and fast-paced, and each character within the game plays very differently.
What highlights these features the most is the boss fights in Final Fantasy VII Remake, which were one of the best parts of this new iteration.
Although the remake is just a small part of the original, it’s still filled to the brim with excellent boss fights.
But which boss fights are the best of the best? Well, we have just the list for you. These boss fights are ranked on creativity, how fun they were to fight, and originality.
Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers about the Final Fantasy VII Remake story. Although nothing about the plot will be spoken of, the boss fights can give some indication of where the story goes. Click away if you don’t want anything spoiled.
10. Scorpion Sentinel
There honestly isn’t anything too remarkable about Scorpion Sentinel, but it is a fantastic introductory boss as to what to expect from Final Fantasy VII Remake.
The fight teaches you how to use the environment to your advantage, how Barret’s ranged attacks can be more useful than Cloud’s melee attacks, and how destroying body parts will help you gain an edge.
Putting this boss fight in the demo was a great idea, as it shows how suspenseful and strategic boss fights would be in the final product.
9. Abzu
Although the first fight with Abzu can be enjoyable, the second fight is even better. Abzu is one of the only bosses you fight more than once and it’s because he has some fascinating mechanics.
Since you encounter him in the sewers, Abzu uses his surroundings and abilities to his advantage since he can manipulate water, which is rather handy considering where you do battle.
Abzu uses things like puddles and sewer drains to make you think about your place on the battlefield. This is interesting because some of the other bosses on this list make you use the environment to defend yourself.
Abzu instead uses the environment against you, meaning you have to be precise as to where you’re standing/blocking. It’s a shame more bosses didn’t use this mechanic.
8. Malboro
There’s nothing like fighting a classic Final Fantasy enemy, especially one as scary as a Malboro. Although it doesn’t move around a lot, Malboro has a ton of range so it doesn’t need to move around as much.
To be honest, Malboro can be a very easy fight if you just spam Aerith’s tempest attack since he doesn’t move around much, but this is only possible if you dodge his bad breath attack.
Its use of status effects is what makes this fight quite unique because if you’re not careful, Malboro will turn your entire party into frogs as well as put you to sleep. Even though it’s easy to move around, getting all your party members out of range is near impossible.
It was a very fun post-game boss fight, and Malboro might be higher on this list if he wasn’t so easy to fight, but it was still a welcome addition to the remake and this list.
7. Fat Chocobo
Fat just isn’t the right word to describe this Chocobo because he is one big boy. He earns a spot on this list just for the fact that this fight is so ridiculous, especially when he starts to use some of his unconventional attacks.
It’s basically just a battle against a Chocobo that weights a couple of metric tons and sits there and throws traffic cones at you.
Things get truly serious when he starts rolling around though as his enormous size makes him difficult to avoid. This fight doesn’t earn the top spot though due to the fact that it’s probably the easiest boss in the game considering it doesn’t really move much.
If you ever want to earn the Staggering Feat trophy, Fat Chocobo is a great enemy to get to three hundred percent stagger. Seeing him being summoned to the battlefield during other important boss fights can sometimes be hilarious.
6. Sephiroth
While some people don’t like what the final boss fight in Final Fantasy VII Remake means for the overall continuity, it was still a fun boss fight nevertheless.
Not only is this boss fight the crescendo of the game, but it feels like the start of something incredibly epic. There’s lots of foreshadowing to future events that anyone who has played the original might understand, and it’s exciting to get that glimpse.
As for the fight itself, it starts off as an epic one on one with Cloud and Sephiroth, as your teammates slowly join you to even the odds.
Sephiroth’s relentless attack forces you to constantly switch characters and play defensively while also trying to deal as much damage while you can.
While there is sure to be more epic fights with this main antagonist, your first battle with Sephiroth is pretty memorable.
5. Pride & Joy
Pride & Joy is, well, the pride and joy of Final Fantasy VII Remake’s endgame content. He is the secret hidden boss that is a staple in Final Fantasy games and just getting to this boss fight in itself is difficult.
In order to reach Pride & Joy, you have to battle against every other summon in the game, including Shiva, Fat Chocobo, Leviathan, and then Bahamut and Ifrit.
You can’t use items, have to have the correct materia and equipment equipped, and have enough MP saved for the final fight. It requires careful planning and will without a doubt take you many attempts.
As for the fight itself, Pride & Joy isn’t the hardest endgame boss, but it’s still difficult. It has some moves that will almost, or most definitely kill your party members if you’re not careful.
With a wide variety of binding, AOE, and ranged attacks, Pride & Joy is definitely one of the most difficult bosses, but if you stay behind it and stay out of its line of fire, you should be good.
4. Roche
Roche is a newcomer to Final Fantasy VII Remake that people either seem to hate or love. Nevertheless, his one-on-one fight is pretty fun (his bike fight, on the other hand, is not which is probably why they give you an option to skip it when you replay the game).
While most bosses in Final Fantasy VII Remake are monsters and creatures who do nothing but attack, Roche is full of personality and panache. He’s constantly making backhanded compliments and egging you on.
Again, you can’t just throw your strongest attacks and spells against Roche, you’ll have to bide your time and defend appropriately. It does get a tad bit repetitious, but it’s still a very classic, fun, one-on-one.
It may not be the flashiest fight, but it has tons of personality.
3. Rude & Reno
These two chaotic Turks show just how personality can drip into fighting style. Even though they are quite different from one and other, they go together very well.
Rude is more laid back and calculating, choosing his words carefully, while Reno is more prone to act first without thinking. In battle, Rude is very slow and hard-hitting, while Reno is lightning fast and very in your face.
Even though one on one fights really highlight Final Fantasy VII Remake’s combat, this two-on-three fight is still fantastic since you’ll have to keep your wits about you in order to keep track of these two.
Rude might be ax kicking you one second and then all of a sudden, Reno is in your face with fast electric attacks. Rude’s new pyramid attack is also very unique since it’s kind of like the stop spell, but you have to break it with another character to get it to end.
It’s not the most exciting fight since you are just facing two bosses you’ve already fought, but the stress as to what is going on in the story will make your pulse quicken.
They’re a dynamic duo that makes for an engaging fight.
2. Rufus Shinra
The combat in Final Fantasy VII Remake is so good because you have to use good timing and quick reflexes if you want to take down some of the more formidable foes.
Rufus Shinra is the best example of this because if you attack him at the wrong moment, you’ll immediately get countered and land on your face. If you attack him while he is reloading his gun though, you might knock him off balance and pressure him.
One-on-one fights are really the best fights in Final Fantasy VII Remake when it comes to just plain old battling. There’s nothing more poetic than crossing swords (or in this case, sword and gun) with a dangerous foe.
The build of suspense to the fight is electric since you finally get to unload some of the hatred you have for Shinra that has been building up the entire game. This fight would have been grander if there was a bit more context to Rufus as a character.
He kind of just shows up in the final act and even though he is quite imposing and it another figurehead for Shinra that you’re supposed to hate, it would be nice to see a bit more of his before we do fisticuffs. We look forward to seeing more of Rufus.
1. Hell House
In a game filled with fun and challenging boss fights, Hell House outshines everything by far. The final fight in Coreno’s Coliseum is the most enjoyable battle in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
The Hell House is a difficult fight since its weakness changes constantly, so you’ll have to use a variety of elemental materia to chip away at its health.
Its combination of area of effect attacks, charging attacks, and even a move that sucks you into the house itself, means you really have to stay on your toes to win this battle.
What’s weirder than fighting a live house though? What about a house that spits out Tonberries, has a god mode where it can barely be touched, and eventually starts flying?
Hell House is number one because of how unique the actual enemy is. It will probably be one of the most memorable fights in modern JRPG history. Its mix of fun, difficulty, and creativity makes it the best boss fight in the game.
It’s an incredibly entertaining and challenging fight that highlights how Final Fantasy VII Remake really embraces its strange nature.
Published: Apr 29, 2020 11:30 am