Highlights

  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth stays true to the original's story structure, taking players on a familiar journey to iconic locations like Nibelheim.
  • Nibelheim in Rebirth faithfully recreates the town center with minor tweaks to the color palette, maintaining the nostalgic feel of the original.
  • While Shinra Manor in Rebirth has some linear changes, the underground library still plays a pivotal role in Cloud's quest to find Sephiroth.

Though Cloud's path may have strayed into unknown territory, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth still follows the same general story structure of the 1997 original. After leaving Midgar, Cloud and the rest of the gang set off to find Sephiroth. Their journey in both Rebirth and the original Final Fantasy 7 takes them to a number of iconic locations, some of which hold an incredible amount of importance for the entire Final Fantasy 7 saga.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Nibelheim is one such location, directly tied to some of the game's most important characters and events. First visited in a flashback, Nibelheim is Cloud and Tifa's hometown, the site of the very first Shinra Mako reactor, and where Sephiroth makes his dramatic turn to evil after uncovering secrets that shatter his entire worldview. While Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth takes some creative liberties with some iconic locations, Nibelheim has essentially been recreated one-for-one, albeit with a handful of new additions.

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Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Nibelheim Town Center to the 1997 Original

One of the most iconic background screens in the original Final Fantasy 7, Nibelheim's town center has been largely unchanged in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. In both games, after passing through the town's gateway, players will be met with a fairly compact town square: an inn on the left, a water tower in the center, a locked manor on the right, and Cloud and Tifa's childhood homes directly in front of the player.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's version of Nibelheim is incredibly faithful, pretty much remaking the town exactly and each building boasts the same architectural design as the original. Even the placement of certain lampposts and road signs are nearly identical. One of the few significant changes made to Nibelheim's town center in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is its general color palette, with the original using a more muted, green-colored tone, while Rebirth gives the town a warmer brown hue.

Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Nibelheim Shinra Manor to the 1997 Original

While Nibelheim's town center is very similar across its two versions, Shinra Manor features a few more significant changes. Located in the same spot in both games, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Shinra Manor is a much more linear experience than its original counterpart. In the original Final Fantasy 7, Cloud can explore the entirety of Shinra Manor during the Nibelheim flashback, including its side wings and its upper floors.

In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth , Shinra Manor's upper levels have been blocked off, as have its lower-level wings, meaning that the only path Cloud can take is the one that takes him straight to Sephiroth.

In both versions, players will find Sephiroth in Shinra Manor's underground library, and while the look of the library itself is very similar across the two games, the visual design of the underground area leading up to it looks and feels very different. In the 1997 original, the library is located in Shinra Manor's secret dungeon, hidden behind a false wall. This area is dim and eerie, with skeletal remains strewn on the ground. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, this area doesn't resemble a dungeon at all, but rather an excavated cave, with high ceilings and bright lighting, which does make the manor lose some of its creepy atmosphere.

Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Mt. Nibel to the 1997 Original

Probably the area of Nibelheim that's changed the most in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Mt. Nibel has been greatly expanded upon and has been given a completely different visual design. In the original Final Fantasy 7, Mt. Nibel is just a few short screens of underground caverns and an overground area that leads to the Mako reactor. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Mt. Nibel has been expanded upon greatly, featuring far more underground caverns and far more preamble before players make it up to the reactor.