FF7 Rebirth’s Greatest Second Isn’t The One You’re Anticipating

What if the true “closing fantasy” was the chums we made alongside the way in which? Ultimate Fantasy VII has probably the most memorable and adored RPG solid of all time, with followers even falling in love with the optionally available characters that had been a ache to recruit within the authentic 1997 recreation. If there’s one factor Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth will get proper, it’s doubling down on these iconic characters and punctiliously crafting the relationships between each celebration member. These dynamic bonds are on the coronary heart of the whole lot in Rebirth, from facet quests to the fight system. And all this further time attending to know everybody culminates in an enormous payoff late within the recreation, as Rebirth’s most unforgettable sequence explores how previous trauma brings the celebration collectively.

The unique FF7 typically feels gaudy and wacky, nevertheless it balances these parts with some surprisingly darkish storytelling, like Barret’s hometown of Corel being worn out to cowl Shinra’s negligence, or the dying of Tifa’s father. Each celebration member has some form of heartbreak and loss of their previous that shapes the form of particular person—or canine creature—they’re now. Whereas each member will get their second within the solar, the unique FF7 typically dropped these plotlines afterward, opting as a substitute to maintain the deal with the massive image.

That’s not the case in Rebirth, which intentionally fleshes out every character’s backstory over the course of the sport’s 14 chapters, and gives a transparent throughline that connects the complete celebration collectively. These are all damaged people who have suffered in a technique or one other, however that mutual struggling brings everybody nearer, and permits them to create significant bonds. Cloud can perceive Barrett’s grief over Dyne as a result of he’s additionally misplaced mates. Tifa understands Aerith’s loneliness as a result of everybody she’s cherished has been stripped away from her, too. Even Yuffie and Purple XIII have rather a lot in frequent, as each are adolescents who’ve had weighty expectations—and the destiny of their communities—all of a sudden thrust upon them.

All of it involves a head within the closing hours of the story as Cloud and his companions discover the Temple of Ancients. There, every celebration member is pressured to confront what’s basically the worst second of their lives. It’s a harrowing section—and simply the simplest storytelling beat in all of Rebirth.

Quick playable segments dive into the psyche of every character, utilizing gameplay mechanics as an example their biggest worry. Purple XIII is captured by Shinra troopers and dragged to an working desk for Hojo’s ghastly experiments, unable to flee regardless of how a lot you hit the triggers. Tifa sees Cloud ripped out of her life, similar to her father was years in the past. Yuffie is tormented by a shadow of her subordinate and big-brother determine, Sonon, whose life she merely can’t save, it doesn’t matter what she does. Barret is haunted by visions of an idyllic life that’s all stripped away right away, leaving him cradling his spouse Myrna’s physique.

However none are fairly as shifting as Aerith’s trial. When you had been ever misplaced as a toddler, even for only a few minutes, this part is sort of a dagger to the guts. Controlling a seven-year-old Aerith, you’ll wander the world close to the prepare station in Midgar’s Sector 7 slums, desperately begging everybody you see for assist taking your mother to a health care provider. However everybody both ignores you or straight up tells you to beat it. It’s a gut-wrenching second that completely encapsulates how chilly and uncaring the world can appear to a small baby, illustrated via each story and gameplay mechanics.

By this level, Rebirth has spent dozens of hours making you like these characters, solely to power them via probably the most arduous duties possible. It units a somber tone as every member leaves their respective trial and meets again up, fully silent and stone-faced. The silence is deafening, however there’s additionally an understanding in that second. Everybody is aware of that their mates possible simply confronted one thing as horrific as they did, and there’s an air of acceptance. They aren’t as alone as they felt in these terrible moments, and so they have others to assist “take the load off their shoulders,” as Barret says.

This sequence drives dwelling the thought of “discovered household” that’s on the core of FF7. It’s a startling change of tempo from the absurd lore and goofy antics of earlier stretches of Rebirth, and a standout second in a recreation chock-full of them. It’s additionally a robust reminder that though your private trauma by no means leaves you, it doesn’t need to outline you.