Though Final Fantasy 7's Sephiroth is widely considered one of the greatest video game villains of all time, there's something to be said about the evils of Shinra itself. From the nefarious scientific dealings of Hojo to the exploitation of Mako energy, Shinra is the catalyst for FF7's conflict, rooted in the abuse of natural resources and the destruction of the environment. As Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth continues to redefine its source material, how it can expand upon these central themes becomes evident; once Cloud and company make their way through Kalm's air raid shelter and open its doors to the outside, meadows of green await them, showing that the Grasslands don't miss the forest for the trees.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Grasslands serve as the title's starting semi-open world area, teeming with wildlife as far as the eye can see. Via the help of Chadley, Cloud and the team can engage with intel spots to learn more about its terrain, relying on the land as both a fount of knowledge and nature. Gathering regional data not only allows the player to engage with FF7 Rebirth's mechanics, from combat to Chocobo exploration but also provides greater context to even the smallest of details.

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How Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Makes the Most Out of the Grasslands

Fiends as More Than Fodder

The Grasslands use intel spots to help build upon its regional context, extending to the lands' environmental design as well. Fiends are interspersed with real, natural wildlife; deers and rabbits traverse the plains just as mako-mutated wolves do. The conflict between nature and man is seen in the grasslands' creatures, made more apparent through MAI's analysis of Cloud's combat encounters. As Cloud and the team hurl fire and ice toward angry Elphadunks, assessing their data shows that their anger is born from losing their family to overhunting. Other fiends, like the Mu, are described as having an underground network to exchange information on food sources and predators, showing an innate sense of intelligence.

Pools of Mako energy formed as lifesprings throughout the Grasslands bear a striking contrast to the rubble between Midgar and Kalm's borders, as does FF7 Rebirth's use of music. Inching closer toward Midgar has FF7 Remake's beautiful 'Hollow' theme play, a melancholic reminder of the city and everything it encapsulates. Above the bridge between Midgar and Kalm, dilapidated rubble leads to a plateau of wildflowers, where Cloud and Aerith can collect yellow calendulas and foxtail flowers to help Chloe make flower crowns for herself and Billy. It's a great way to tie into FF7 Rebirth's side quests while bearing the message that despite everything, nature persists.

Trouble in the Calmest of Places

The same can be said for the quaint, bucolic town of Kalm, and though its streets are teeming with flowers, there are still reminders of trouble. A pipeline in need of patching shows the town's dependence on Mako energy, relying on Barret and Cloud's assistance along with the fickle Kyrie. Red XIII's side quest demonstrates the toll Shinra's experimentation has taken on his sense of smell, showing that humans and animals alike can fall to the company's destructive whims. Broden's side quest lets Cloud and company collect materials to help get the Grasslands' windmills running again, a hopeful achievement turned bittersweet when returning to see the man's sickness getting worse, showing the long-term effects of Mako exposure on SOLDIERs.

Though the intel mechanics of the Grasslands aren't exclusive to its area, the ways in which they are introduced make a compelling case for the lands being interwoven with Final Fantasy 7's primary themes and are thus a great way to both distinguish and showcase Shinra's influence on the outside world. The lands also help to demonstrate Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's ability to expand on its source material and provide greater knowledge of its world. In showing the relationship between man's reliance on nature and the effects of its exploitation, the Grasslands reinforce the larger goals of Avalanche and the honed-in goal of the party, as they work on stopping Sephiroth.