Highlights

  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth brings iconic creatures like Moogles and Chocobos to life in a more prominent way.
  • While Cactuars may have taken a backseat in Rebirth, there is hope that the final FF7 Remake game will give them the spotlight they deserve.
  • The potential for Cactuars in the last Remake entry is limitless, with possibilities for new quests and appearances.

Players have been exploring every inch of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s semi-open world, and it's proven to be a treasure trove of fan service. Back in 2020, Final Fantasy 7 Remake sparked some concerns over its padded, linear design approach extending to its sequels. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has thankfully put those fears to rest, as it has not only adapted a much larger chunk of FF7 than Remake did with Midgar but populated its world with plenty of Final Fantasy icons and hijinx that Remake kept subdued.

The Remake was not devoid of recognizable Final Fantasy staples, including the usual summons like Ifrit, Shiva, and Leviathan, and various enemies like Bombs, Tonberries, and Behemoths. Moogles, Chocobos, and Cactuars served as both optional bosses and summons, but “optional” was unfortunately the key word there. FF7 Remake often marginalized FF7’s more cartoony monsters, with appearances exclusive to its quirkier content, like Corneo’s Colosseum. To the delight of many, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has not shied away from granting these iconic creatures much larger roles, and the third and final FF7 Remake title could elevate one of them higher than ever before.

Gilgamesh and Playing Gears and Gambits in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Related
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: 8 Best Side Quests

Players shouldn't ignore some of the brilliant side activities in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Here are the game's best side quests.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Puts Final Fantasy’s Icons To Work

Chocobos, Moogles, and Cactuars were given extra love in FF7 Rebirth, but not all equally. Moogles graduated from ambiguously-canon summons, and fictional characters from the original FF7's Mog House mini-game, into beings present in FF7 Rebirth’s world. They collectively run the Moogle Emporium side quest and shop chain, which has become a regular sight in many playthroughs. Chocobos are even more prominent in Rebirth, operating as the player’s custom mounts and evolving across FF7 Rebirth’s journey, on top of their expected role in Chocobo Racing.

Cactuars Pulled Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s Short Straw

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Cactuars. They have also graduated from being DLC summons and VR opponents, but instead of popping up everywhere, they only appear in Rebirth as Costa del Sol’s hidden stickers and as part of the Corel Protorelic quest.

This does mean they occupy three chapters of FF7 Rebirth’s runtime thanks to Corel’s quest requiring two visits, but it still leaves the cactus folk as a side note next to Moogles and Chocobos. Once the last Final Fantasy 7 Remake game arrives, Cactuars should be rescued from their brief Cactuar Crush mini-game and given a job more fitting for a long-time Final Fantasy staple.

The Last FF7 Remake Game Could Give Cactuars Its Side Content Spotlight

Chocobos are here to stay in the third game, especially with the promise of a Golden Chocobo unfulfilled, but a Cactuar quest could replace FF7R Part 3’s Moogle Emporium. There's still a chunk of Final Fantasy 7’s world left to cover in the last Remake entry, including Wutai and most of the northern continent, so there will be places to put Cactuars even with their expected desert territory already used up.

Wutai’s many beaches could introduce Ninjactuars, Bone Village’s archeology quest could unearth more of Corel’s Cactuar statues, and the original FF7 ’s Cactus Island has yet to be remade.

Final Fantasy’s Cactuars Still Have Plenty of Untapped Potential

As for what the Cactuars will be doing, the sky’s the limit. They could be the justification for the Shinra Middle Manager’s final appearance in the third FF7 Remake entry, as Cactuars don’t speak enough to give their own quests and rewards.

Players can grab fleeing Cactuars similar to FF7 Rebirth’s Moogle mini-games, with elements of the Corel Protorelic quest present in them being hidden around the world map. With even crazier Final Fantasy fan service options like Cactuar ruins leading to an appearance by the UFO-riding PuPu aliens from Final Fantasy 8, the last FF7 Remake entry could more than makeup for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s lackluster Cactuar showing.