10 Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth Moments That Are Utterly Completely different From The Unique

The unique Ultimate Fantasy VII is likely one of the most beloved video games of all time, one which has inspired hundreds of builders to rethink how video video games can inform a narrative, and have spiky-haired, belt-covered characters save the world.

It has been two years since Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth was launched, capturing the magic of the unique sport whereas making large modifications to its story and presentation. For that purpose, so many iconic areas within the sport really feel each acquainted but fully new, providing a very totally different expertise for followers who’ve performed by means of the unique numerous occasions.

Whether or not these come within the type of vital lore modifications, including new depth to beforehand small and insignificant areas, or fortunately bettering sure minigames, it is exhausting to disclaim that Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth isn’t solely its personal distinctive expertise. At occasions, I might go so far as to argue it is nearly a superior model of Ultimate Fantasy VII’s story, because the world and its characters lastly have the persona they have been all the time speculated to.

Listed here are 10 moments in Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth that really feel utterly totally different from the unique sport.

10

Visiting Gongaga

“Me? Gongaga”

What was as soon as an nearly elective part of the unique sport, Gongaga was revamped right into a central location for Ultimate Fantasy 7 Rebirth, offering pivotal scenes between Sephiroth and Aerith’s connection to the ancients, and naturally, a rooster assortment minigame.

It additionally reintroduced the previous Turk member Cissnei, giving us closure on the place her character ended up after the occasions of Ultimate Fantasy 7: Disaster Core.

Within the unique sport, Gongaga was an elective space that gamers might go to to amass the Titan materia and witness some attention-grabbing scenes with the Turks. However in the end, it was fully skippable until you have been aiming for a completionist playthrough. Rebirth noticed to repair this, ensuring that Aerith’s connection to Zack might be centered on extra right here. The sport would additionally concentrate on the ruins of the Mako Reactor discovered on the middle of the village, turning a small little bit of worldbuilding right into a full-blown set piece in its remake.

Irritating Chocobo navigation apart, it is a welcome change to the sport that makes its existence really feel important to Ultimate Fantasy 7’s story.

9

The Nibelheim Flashback

A Reimagining of Gaming’s Most Iconic Scenes

The Nibelheim flashback in Ultimate Fantasy VII is maybe one of the iconic moments in any online game. This seminal half within the story is the place Cloud recounts his supposed first-hand witnessing of Sephiroth’s flip to insanity, and the way the white-haired villain burned down Cloud and Tifa’s hometown.

Impressively, Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth opens on this flashback, charming you with a suspiciously upbeat model of Cloud and a sarcastic, wisecracking Sephiroth. Each characters listed below are additionally proven to be uncharacteristically sympathetic to these round them, caring concerning the lives of the accompanying Shinra grunts and the townsfolk. In fact, we do get a few of that neat ludo narrative dissonance this time round, as Sephiroth is light-years forward of Cloud’s weaker self (foreshadowing the long run reveal that it is not Cloud we’re following right here).

What makes Rebirth’s retelling of occasions much more distinctive from the unique is how a lot hotter Nibelheim comes throughout on this model. Within the unique, there’s this foreboding rigidity underlying your whole expertise within the city. In Rebirth, there is a playfulness with Cloud’s bubbly persona and your get together interjecting to ask questions concerning the occasions unfolding. There’s even mild humor upon assembly Tifa’s martial arts grasp, Zangan.

The additional encounters with the townsfolk and attending to discover the encompassing space go a great distance in making Sephiroth’s eventual fall all of the extra hard-hitting, and really make Shinra’s occupation in a while way more upsetting.

8

Staying on the Golden Saucer

A Theme Park Value Visiting

The Golden Saucer is an gratifying set piece within the unique Ultimate Fantasy 7, introducing Cloud and the get together to the suspicious Cait Sith, whereas additionally enjoying host to a number of enjoyable minigames you possibly can spend hours finishing. Rebirth captures the essence of this location, heightening its grandiosity and constructing on its spectacle.

Visiting iconic areas just like the Chocobo Races, the Musclehead Colosseum, and the Haunted Mansion really feel like their concepts have develop into correctly realized. In fact, your visits to the Golden Saucer all the time go awry. Rebirth introduces a extra graphic sequence showcasing Dyne’s homicide spree on the saucer. The brand new model additionally units up Barret’s innocence earlier on, in contrast to the unique the place it is ambiguous if Barret actually is the perpetrator behind the murders, eradicating some rigidity within the thriller.

In your second journey, you may get to expertise a extra fleshed-out first date expertise relying on which companion you may have probably the most affinity with. In most playthroughs of the unique, it is doubtless for many gamers to go on a date with Aerith. Within the Remake, it is a bit simpler to seek out methods to construct that affinity with out altering a whole playthrough. In fact, this night time goes awry with an prolonged sequence that sees the get together have an intense battle with Shinra forces following Cait Sith’s betrayal, which is concentrated on excess of it was within the unique as properly.

7

Corel Jail & Going through Off Towards Dyne

Giving Dyne & Barret’s Encounter A Coronary heart-Wrenching Finale

Corel Jail is an unlucky city situated beneath the Golden Saucer, riddled with poverty and the sick pervert, Solemn Gus. After a suspicious homicide thriller unfolds behind the scenes, inserting Barret as the principle suspect, the get together is given a day to uncover the actual perpetrator or be turned in to Shinra.

The sequence within the unique sport exhibits the awful price the Golden Saucer is having on the land, highlighting the juxtaposition between the thrills and highs of the theme park in comparison with the squalor individuals are struggling proper beneath it. Within the Remake, issues are nonetheless considerably bleak on this setting, however there’s some semblance of neighborhood shaped right here. We even have way more introductions with the seedy Solemn Gus, for higher or for worse.

Nonetheless, Rebirth makes a major change on this part with the way it handles Dyne. In some ways, the brand new model of Dyne redeems the character, as he chooses to die whereas saving the get together from Shinra. The sport additionally permits Dyne to seek out hope realizing his daughter Marlene is alive, giving him a far happier ending than the darker, extra upsetting story informed within the unique.

This complete chapter provides loads extra depth to the world and its characters, which fits on to make it one of many extra heart-wrenching sequences within the sport, and supplies a powerful bookend for Barret’s most emotional second in Ultimate Fantasy VII.

6

The Vacation Getaway of Costa Del Sol

A Resort Value Exploring

Costa Del Sol is the definition of a stopgap within the unique Ultimate Fantasy VII, providing little to nothing to the sport’s story and is successfully simply an space you move by means of after the occasions from Junon.

Fortunately, in Rebirth, you may get to spend a while basking within the solar, having fun with some distinctive minigames along with your companions, and serving to Johnny flip his lodge right into a one-of-a-kind retreat. There’s additionally the introduction of a boss combat in opposition to Hojo and Shinra goons, which makes your visiting the world really feel vital, and like the placement has a purpose to be included within the sport.

Whereas it nonetheless retains its operate as a breather earlier than future intense story moments in Corel, it is one which feels earned and helps flesh out Cloud’s connection to his get together organically. I will admit, not each minigame is a win right here (Crimson XIII’s miniball sport looks like a prank by the builders to make a worse Rocket League), but it surely’s an gratifying setpiece that permits the sport to breathe for a short time.

5

Cosmo Canyon / The Gi

A Revamp of Certainly one of Ultimate Fantasy 7’s Most Mysterious Factions

Picture Through Sq. Enix

The Gi are a mysterious supernatural group that usually threatens the folks of Cosmo Canyon. Within the unique Ultimate Fantasy 7, this group is a largely unimportant collective of ghosts whose impression is restricted to Crimson XIII’s backstory. Rebirth sought to appropriate this, selecting to attach the Gi to the Cetra and to make them the creators of the Black Materia.

As we come to study, the Gi are a bunch of undead spirits who cannot be part of the Lifestream as they weren’t born from it. As they cannot be part of the Lifestream, they’re without end cursed to dwell in stressed purgatory. Their answer to this was to show a materia black with their “ache and spite”, and use it to summon a meteor that may each destroy the planet and themselves. Aerith’s ancestors would steal this harmful materia and lock it away within the Temple of the Ancients, offering a much-appreciated rationalization for the materia’s existence and connection to the Ancients.

This complete part of the sport can also be impressively revamped to ascertain the Gi as a really demonic and paranormal entity that may wreak havoc on the land in the event that they have been capable of escape from their jail. In my view, it is among the finest modifications Rebirth makes in guaranteeing the whole lot within the sport exists for a purpose and is linked to our hero’s journey to defeat Sephiroth.

4

Dolphin Minigame (AKA Junon)

No Annoying CPR Minigame! (Have Fall Guys With Frogs As a substitute)

In my expertise, there isn’t any part I dread greater than the transient interval your get together spends in Junon. The city itself is pretty uneventful, however as you stumble onto the docks and combat off Bottomswell (Or Terror of the Deep in Rebirth), you may then be prompted to carry out CPR on a baby who nearly drowns throughout the encounter. No lie, this minigame is likely one of the most unbearable moments in all the Ultimate Fantasy franchise for me, and sits proper subsequent to Ultimate Fantasy X’s Chocobo Racing.

Fortunately, the builders weren’t too merciless like they have been in Remake by having us redo the change minigame, and as a substitute eliminated the CPR minigame from the sport. Even higher, the next dolphin minigame to climb to higher Junon has additionally been modified to a enjoyable racing sport, which is way extra gratifying than the earlier, extra convoluted strategy.

In saying that, the world does function a irritating Fall Guys-esque problem, which sees you changed into a frog that should survive falling off a platform. Fortunately, that is simply elective (until you are a completionist or wish to construct your connection to Tifa), however by simply eradicating these unique minigames makes Junon a far much less dreaded location on replays.

3

Tifa and Cloud’s Relationship

Silencing Transport Wars for Good

I have to admit, Rebirth has made me a Cloud x Tifa believer. Within the unique, Tifa comes throughout as a little bit of a pushover in the direction of Cloud, making her connection to him come throughout as pretty superficial and one-sided. It does not assist that the unique additionally locations an emphasis on his reference to Aerith, which makes Tifa seem to be an unlucky casualty of that relationship.

Fortunately, Rebirth goes to nice lengths to flesh out Tifa’s character, not solely including extra chemistry with Cloud, but additionally constructing a stronger friendship with Aerith. In Rebirth, the sport cleverly emphasizes Cloud and Tifa’s historical past extra, and provides some vital ethical ambiguity in the direction of her character and the way she withholds vital info from him concerning the Nibelheim incident.

We’re additionally proven a number of occasions that their relationship is strained, with Tifa making an attempt exhausting to rebuild their connection, whereas Cloud is sort of bodily unable to make it work. It makes dedicating time throughout your playthrough to work in your relationship together with her all of the extra rewarding and honest, proving that there’s a spark between them and that each are mutually keen on making it work.

It is a welcome change that makes Tifa’s involvement within the sport really feel all of the extra vital and provides extra weight to moments the place Cloud’s doubtful previous catches as much as him, inserting her within the uncomfortable place of mendacity to guard him from the traumatic fact.

2

Preventing the Midgar Zolom

Neutering A As soon as Terrifying Boss

The Midgar Zolom (Or Midgardsormr) is probably going a reputation that sends shivers down most of our spines, due to its terrifying presence within the unique sport. Sadly, its impression within the remake has largely been neutered because it’s now a compulsory boss on the finish of chapter 2, as a substitute of a tough encounter you must keep away from.

The boss in Rebirth is a bit robust for brand spanking new gamers, who should be determining the fight system, but it surely’s a far cry from its immense energy within the unique. Even worse, the combat ends with Sephiroth turning as much as kill the big snake, launching it into the air so it impales on the tree. Now, as a substitute of the dread of stumbling throughout this long-dead Midgar Zolom with the marvel of how Sephiroth probably killed it, you are instantly proven, in an nearly comical vogue, how he made mild work of it.

It is a tough defanging of a once-terrifying boss who terrified gamers lengthy into their playthrough, even when they have been greater than able to defeating it. The sheer nervousness of seeing its silhouette velocity in the direction of you as you cross the water remains to be etched in our brains, and it is a disgrace that the remake neuters the expertise to provide Sephiroth pointless fashion factors.

1

Temple of Ancients

A Climactic Finale

The Temple of Ancients part of Ultimate Fantasy VII has been majorly altered in Rebirth. Not solely does the temple function the ultimate location of the sport, but it surely’s additionally now beneath siege from Shinra as you make your means into the core to retrieve the Black Materia.

Exploring the Temple has additionally been modified from a largely desolate and empty expertise to a maze-like dungeon, crammed with convoluted, physics-defying structure. It is a largely welcome change, because the spectacle right here is in contrast to anything within the sport, and helps to intensify this descent into hell you are taking earlier than the epic showdown with Sephiroth ready for you.

Because the get together retrieves the Black Materia, Sephiroth as soon as once more takes management of Cloud in an effort to have him ship the world-ending orb of doom to him. Aerith, nonetheless, takes it and flees, forcing you to play by means of a gut-wrenching sequence when you pursue her for it.

The complete sequence right here has been remade to function the climactic set piece for the sport, bringing collectively Aerith’s connection to the Lifestream and the opposite multiverses as she prepares for her inevitable loss of life. It is also right here that Zack’s storyline collides with the principle story, as your whole get together fights off Jenova and Sephiroth by means of an intense multi-stage closing boss battle.

This complete spectacle ends as you anticipate, however Rebirth nonetheless takes you on an unbelievable journey that tugs at your coronary heart all the identical.

Methods

Launched

February 29, 2024

ESRB

T for Teen

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

PC Launch Date

January 23, 2025