Exploring possibilities: Part 1 ends with Jenova Birth

[Obsidian Fire]

It's also very different when you have a game that's supposed to be open-world vs point-and-click. Open-World games lend themselves to letting you screw around doing non-MSQ related stuff, which is the format FF games have always taken (for the most part). Point-and-click only focuses on the MSQ which is not what FF games are about.

 

[Clement Rage]

Even open world games tend to be limited. You can wander within a defined area, but very often even in Rockstar games you have to wait for the bridge to be built or the gates to be unlocked to advance to the next area. FFXII, probably the most open FF, still has blocks in place so that Vaan can't wander off to the Phon Coast looking for that Onion thing.

'Wander freely within this defined area, but you can't get through the Mythril Mine until episode 2' is very possible.

 

[Kain424]

It would make more sense to open the game up all the way through Junon then. Just have the tougher enemies in the Marshes, Mines, and closer to Junon. A sneaky player might make it past them, but that's kind of fine, too. Naturally, they'd have to pad the story a bit more throughout, but it's possible.

Hell, they could open it even further really. You could be crossing the sea and doing stuff in that direction. On through the Gold Saucer.