What happened at the end of Final Fantasy 7?

The ending of Final Fantasy 7 is something of a mystery. After hours of turn-based battles, PlayStation players were left in a dire situation: though Cloud and the gang had done all they could, the world remained on the brink of destruction. All they could do was wait and hope they survived. The ending of Final Fantasy 7 came as a shock, and players continue to speculate about what happened.

By the final portion of the sprawling game, Sephiroth, the big bad, has cast Meteor, summoning a giant space rock that threatens to rip a hole into the planet, destroying the city of Midgar and unleashing all the planet’s power. Sephiroth wants this power for himself, and plans to use it to seize control of the world. 

Just when all seems lost, Holy, a powerful spell cast by the dearly departed Aeris, manifests. It tries to push back Meteor, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. Rallied by Aeris’ spirit, the planet fights back, sending forth the power of the lifestream to preserve itself.

Cue the black screen. That’s it. The last thing you see is a blinding light followed by the image of Aeris bathed in green. The credits roll and you have no idea if Cloud survived, or if this is even the real ending of the game. It is, technically. 

There’s one last “secret ending” if you stick around past the credits. This epilogue takes place 500 years (yes, 500) later. You see Red 13 running around with some cubs and they come upon a stunning view: the industrious metropolis of Midgar is now a lush, green ruin. 

Are humans still around? What happened after Meteor? Square Enix left fans to speculate. Will Square Enix be just as inexplicably abrupt with the end of the game when the third and final part of the remake is released in the (hopefully near) future? You’ll have to wait and see.