Point of no return

The Point of No Return is a term used to describe the point, in game, that happens a little before the Final Boss. From this point, it's impossible to turn back, and, as such, the only way to go is toward the boss. Usually, a save station is right before it. Also, a message, usually a spoken monologue by the main player, will appear, questioning if the party should continue. In several Finest Fantasy for Advance remakes there is no Point of No Return because once the Final Boss is defeated, the player can save their game and then are returned to the World Map.

Final Fantasy
While entering the Chaos Shrine of the Past can be considered as the point of no return, as the player cannot simply walk out of the dungeon, the party can still return to the world map by casting Exit. The player passes the point of no return when they speak with Garland at the end of the dungeon.

Final Fantasy II
The player passes the point of no return once they speak with the Emperor on the highest floor of Castle Pandaemonium.

Final Fantasy III
The Point of No Return in Final Fantasy III is the top of the Crystal Tower right before fighting Xande. Following that battle the player cannot leave the room, and has no choice but to go forward into the World of Darkness to battle the Final Boss, the Cloud of Darkness.

Final Fantasy IV
In the original SNES and PlayStation versions of the game, the point of no return is found directly after running up the stairs and the confrontation with Zemus in the Lunar Subterrane. Straight after that the script, including two scripted battles, will take the player to the final confrontation with Zeromus.

Final Fantasy VII
The Point of No Return is within the Northern Crater right above the Planet's Core. The exact spot is the room where the party regroups together after splitting up.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
The Point of No Return here is a large door in the Banora Underground which requires seven Goddess Materia to open. Beyond that, there is only the Final Battles.

Also, since the game is completely linear, once a player completes a Chapter, they can never return to that location, save for Missions. Any sidequests, like those found in the non-linear Midgar levels, are missed completely once the goal is completed.

Final Fantasy VIII
The boss fight against Adel is considered a point of no return, as Time Compression happens after the battle and, while the player can still access the world map, nearly all locations are inaccessible. The official point of no return is when the party enter the Master's Room of Ultimecia Castle which is where they battle Ultimecia.

Final Fantasy IX
The passage to Terra can be considered a point of no return, as many areas will be inaccessible once the party returns to Gaia. The official point of no return is when the party confronts Kuja in the Crystal World.

Final Fantasy X
The player passes the point of no return when they approach the Tower of the Dead and enter the Nucleus Inside Sin.

Final Fantasy XII
The point of no return is when the party enters the Sky Fortress Bahamut. The game also helpfully warns the player while Saving in locations they cannot leave before defeating a boss, like the Dreadnought Leviathan.