Highlights

  • Chadley plays a crucial role in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, serving as an NPC guide for intel gathering and Materia crafting.
  • The open-world design in Rebirth integrates Chadley into every facet of gameplay, emphasizing the importance of not rushing through the story.
  • Players need to engage with Chadley's missions to obtain powerful summon Materia, making him an unofficial member of Cloud's party.

In addition to providing some surprising and unexpected wrinkles to the source material, Final Fantasy 7 Remake introduced some new characters that take on important roles in the context of the title's gameplay. One of the more significant additions to the character roster was Chadley, the polarizing android created by Shinra scientist and villain Professor Hojo. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sees everyone's favorite/least-favorite Materia-developing automaton show back up again, only this time his presence looms large over the entire game. Thanks to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's implementation of open-world game design, Chadley is now more important than ever.

Chadley's presence in Final Fantasy 7 Remake was mostly as the go-between for the title's Combat Simulator, which was both an entertaining distraction from the main quest and a necessary component toward acquiring all the game's summon Materia. Now that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gives the player their first taste of the larger world of Gaia and introduces 7 distinct open-world zones, Chadley becomes something like a "Fifth Beatle" to Final Fantasy 7's main cast. Though he doesn't ever join Cloud and his allies directly, he is a constant source of updates and info on the regions the player explores and continually provides bonuses in exchange for gathering valuable World Intel.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Cover
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Chadley's Reminders Underscore a Key Fact About Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Just like in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Chadley follows the player around throughout their journey in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Only now, Chadley's intel gathering and requests for Cloud and his companions spill over into nearly every facet of gameplay thanks to the title's incorporation of an open-world. Entering any of Gaia's various regions in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sees Chadley inadvertently show up to request that Cloud not give up on his promise to continue gathering valuable data about the world these characters inhabit. In the process, he relays an important lesson to the player, which is to not rush through the game in hopes of seeing the story.

Rebirth's open-world components are all inextricably tied to Chadley's intel-gathering mission, and the NPC is always quick to remind Cloud when it seems like progress on that mission has stalled. While these reminders serve the primary purpose of keeping the player on-track, they carry the secondary effect of making sure players don't miss Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's proverbial "forest for the trees." Rebirth's open-world is a joy to explore, and each of the various activities players can accomplish have the cumulative effect of making the party better, stronger, and more connected with one another. It's possible to rush through the game's critical path, but to do so means missing out on some of its best content.

Players Need Chadley to Craft Some of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Best Materia

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sees Chadley serve a similar role to his appearance in Final Fantasy 7 Remake , developing exclusive and powerful Materia in exchange for a special currency earned by completing tasks for the NPC. Just like in Remake , most of the summon Materia in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth require defeating the creatures in Chadley's Combat Simulator.

Restricting the best and most powerful summon Materia in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth behind collecting World Intel for Chadley means that players need to at least partially engage with the title's open-world content in order to obtain these game-changing items. Summons have traditionally held a significant amount of power in Final Fantasy games, and in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, activating summon Materia at the right time can turn the tide of a losing battle.

Essentially, Chadley is the player's connection to getting the most out of playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. His place as the party's resident guide to the world of Gaia and in-house researcher makes gathering Intel for him a worthwhile and rewarding experience. He may be an NPC, but Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's core gameplay loop transforms Chadley into an unofficial member of Cloud's party.