No one kind of knew what to expect when Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched in 2020. Everything in the trailers made it seem like it was just going to take place in Midgar, but Square Enix could have been hiding the true scope of the game.
The final game was indeed just about Midgar, but it was more than that. It turned out that the game was kind of like a sequel and not a remake. There were a lot of story changes, with a big old cliffhanger at the end. What, then, has Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth changed with the story, if anything? Let’s examine the big drops with spoilers on.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Beginner Tips
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth can be confusing for new players. In this guide, they will find useful tips that will help them in their adventure.
8 The Grasslands Area
Chapters 2-3
After Cloud’s backstory involving his younger self teaming up with Sephiroth, players will be taken to the present, wherein they can run around Kalm. This town has a bigger significance now, as it gets attacked by Shinra after Aerith and Cloud go to the top of a clock tower. The inn’s keeper, Broden, will sneak the heroes out through a secret tunnel.
After Kalm, players will once again have to catch a Chocobo to cross the marsh, just like they did in the original. However, the Midgardsormr has to be fought regardless, and a vision of Sephiroth is the one that kills it. Finally, in the Mythril Mines, Barret and Red 13 eventually get separated from the group. They have to make it through most of the way on their own.
7 Junon
Chapter 4
In the original game, Yuffie was an optional character who could be recruited in any of the forests surrounding the Junon area. In Rebirth, she makes friends with Priscilla, the girl on the beach with a dolphin, and that’s how players meet Yuffie. Also, Yuffie sells out Cloud and the others to get a bounty on Avalanche, and then proceeds to try and assassinate Rufus.
The parade marching mini-game is still present, but the awards are more involved. Rufus confesses that he knows who Cloud is, and in this mini-game, Aerith and Tifa join the parade, unlike in the original. Finally, outside Junon, Fort Condor is no longer accessible as part of the mainland.
6 The Cruise and Costa Del Sol
Chapters 5-6
After Junon, there was a brief episode in the original game on a cargo ship. This ship led to Costa del Sol, which also didn’t have a lot of story stuff. These two places received significant changes in this new game. First, the cargo ship is now a cruise liner called the Shinra-8, piloted by a captain that looks and sounds like a knock-off Liam Neeson. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a Queen’s Blood tournament on the ship followed by an outbreak of Jenova-based monsters, which did happen in the original.
In Costa del Sol, the team meets up with Johnny from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, who has bought a hotel. Also, Hojo causes some mischief on the beach with a robot boss battle. He was shown in the original version sunbathing, but he didn’t do anything before. The chapter ends with Yuffie joining the team, which is not optional.
5 Gold Saucer And Dyne
Chapters 7-8
The Corel region outside of Costa del Sol is massive, featuring everything from mountainous terrain to sandy deserts. The hike up to Barret’s hometown is more or less the same, even though there are splits in the group followed by mine cart rides and a boss battle involving The Turks. The biggest lore change though is a doctor, Sheiran, who resides in North Corel and is responsible for putting Barret back together and Tifa. It should also be mentioned that the heroes will encounter a Weapon on the hike up to North Corel and don’t get unleashed until the Northern Crater section in the original game.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: 6 Common Mistakes To Avoid
Players will ultimately have an easier time in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth by avoiding these common mistakes.
In Gold Saucer, there are some tweaks to the overall narrative, like how Cait Sith approaches Cloud. To get the team a room, he hacks into Palmer’s account and steals a reservation. Also, in the original game, it’s a revelation when Reeve is revealed to be the one controlling Cait Sith later in the game. Rebirth, on the other hand, shows him in a cutscene, making the connection obvious.
4 Tifa And Gongaga
Chapter 9
Gongaga was a small town that players could skip altogether in the original game. It had an impact if players visited, because Aerith would reveal she knew someone who lived in town which would turn out to be Zack’s parents. Gongaga in Rebirth is mandatory, and it’s the biggest glow-up of the adventure because the region is massive. It’s a jungle complete with one of the most interesting towns.
Cissnei, of The Turks who plays a big role in both Before Crisis: Final Fantasy 7 and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7, is the leader of Gongaga. She was not a character in the original, and her fate was left to the wind after those prequels. Even bigger than Cissnei, Cloud almost kills Tifa at the Gongaga reactor because he starts believing Sephiroth. She goes into the Lifestream with a Weapon, sees some of her past, and Sephiroth almost finishes the job before eventually escaping.
3 Cosmo Canyon Changes
Chapter 10
Cid gets introduced in Rocket Town as a grumpy old man who seemingly hates everything except space. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, he’s an entrepreneur and a seemingly happy-go-lucky guy who gives people plane rides in the Tiny Bronco, which is significantly bigger in this version. Cloud and the others have to call him from Gongaga airspace to get a lift to the Cosmo Canyon region.
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The biggest change after that happened during the trial, which originally allowed a normal party of three. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Red 13 is joined by Barret. That’s it, besides Bugenhagen residing in the background. After the boss battle with Gi Nattak, a Gi warrior takes everyone to a spiritual realm and expands upon the Gi lore along with the Cetra. They want the Black Materia, which sets up the MacGuffin for the rest of the game.
2 Nibelheim Changes
Chapter 11
Nibelheim was rebuilt by Shinra, who took it over to treat patients with Mako poisoning. Also, the party splits up to go to the reactor after arriving in town. Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie head up the mountain to find dead Wutai soldiers and an experimental monster gone array.
Back in town, Cait Sith, Aerith, and Barret head into the Shinra Mansion, where they get trapped in a maze by Hojo’s AI. By the end, both parties reunite to find Vincent sleeping in a coffin, which then turns into a boss battle. After this, the team heads to the airport to leave with Cid back to Gold Saucer, with Vincent joining at the last second. Pretty much all of this section is new, albeit in a remixed fashion.
1 Zack And The Other Worlds
Chapter 14
Zack is the very first playable character in the game, upon his arrival in Midgar with Cloud. He then proceeds to see other party members injured, including Aertih, so he runs to the scene to save her from Shinra. Snippets of Zack's life in Midgar are played throughout the game, making players wonder how he ties into everything. Is he in another world?
This all comes to a head in the final chapter. It turned out he was, but it wasn't just one Zack along with one new version of Biggs. It was multiple versions. The idea of the multiverse existing is perhaps the biggest change from the original story, and Zack is just the spiky-haired tip of the iceberg.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
- Released
- February 29, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
