The Final Fantasy series has a long history and its developers have worked hard to create unique yet strangely interconnected universes. These differing universes in each mainline entry are designed to be both welcoming to newcomers and to raise a smile in long time fans of the franchise.
This is never been more true than with Square-Enix’s biggest hit Final Fantasy VII which has expanded to include books, feature films, spin-off games, and now a remake in this year’s Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Naturally, the Final Fantasy VII Remake is packed with Easter Eggs/references to the original game, other entries in the mainline series, and even niche pop culture. Here are ten of the best that only the most eagle-eyed fans may have found.
10 Lucky Number 7
The original Final Fantasy VII has lots of references to the number seven, and considering how well-received the classic 1997 game and the remake are, it’s certainly a lucky number for Square-Enix.
The allusions to the number 7 continue in the remake too. Cloud immediately levels up to 7 after his first battle, characters can have up to 7 materia slots in their weapon, the bar is called the Seventh Heaven, and to beat Wedge’s darts score the player has to win in 7 throws or less. There are many more references to the number 7 that players can find in the game.
9 Retro 7th Heaven
The Seventh Heaven bar is one of the most iconic places in the Final Fantasy VII universe and it has been recreated with love and care for the remake. It’s the local hangout for the workers and residents of the slums and secret base of anti-Shinra rebels Avalanche.
Eagle-eyed fans of the original game will notice that there are framed pictures hanging up in a dimly-lit corner of the bar. The pictures feature fantastic allusions to the 1997 classic using the pre-rendered isometric designs from that game.
8 The Gold Saucer Play
Players of the original Final Fantasy VII may remember participating in a play at the Gold Saucer amusement park. During the game’s storyline, Cloud will take a date to watch a play and as the 100th couple, they are asked to take part.
In Chapter 4 of the remake, the player can take a little look around Jessie’s childhood home and find a letter to her parents. The letter explains how she has been cast as the Princess in a play at the Gold Saucer which is a nice little allusion to the original game.
7 Final Fantasy X Reference
One of the best allusions to the Final Fantasy universe can be found in the Shinra Headquarters. This Easter Egg makes an allusion to confirmation that Final Fantasy X canonically serves as a prequel to Final Fantasy VII.
In Final Fantasy X-2, there is a young Al Bhed boy-genius named Shinra that talks about harnessing the power of the Farplane as an energy source. The Final Fantasy VIIUltimania Omega makes reference to the young Shinra’s descendants establishing a company that supplies power to the planet. In the Shinra Headquarters, there is an old framed picture that appears to show the Al Bhed boy as an adult.
6 The Victory Poses Are Still There
One of the most noticeable omissions from the Final Fantasy VII Remake is due to the game being in real-time is that the victory poses and the music are missing. However, those that participate in the Corneo Colosseum will see that Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and Aerith’s iconic post-victory sword-swinging, stretches, fist pumps, and dress adjustments are still there.
Furthermore, Barret will occasionally hum the victory music during or after a battle in a similar manner to Prompto from Final Fantasy XV.
5 Banora White Apples
The Final Fantasy VII Remake is as much about gaining new fans for Square-Enix’s most successful entry as it is about paying tribute to the already established Final Fantasy universe for fans. One of the most well-received games in the expanded Final Fantasy universe was the prequel starring Zack as the lead protagonist Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
The Final Fantasy VII Remake makes reference to this with several posters that are advertising Banora White apple juice dotted around the game’s world. The Banora apple (also known as the dumb apple) only grows exclusively in the village of Banora, which is an important village in Crisis Core.
4 The Cat Cam – Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV, while not the greatest game in the franchise in terms of the story, did go a long way to reestablish the franchise as a quality JRPG adventure that's worth exploring. In addition, being the most recent game in the franchise it makes sense to hide little Easter Eggs in the Final Fantasy VII Remake to find.
One of the more elusive references comes in the form of the “Cat Cam” posters which come with the tagline “See the world through her eye.” This is an allusion to the cat cam content which was displayed at the Taipei Game Show but was ultimately was removed from the final game in Final Fantasy XV.
3 Real Life Bodybuilders
One of the amusing and most memorable moments in the original Final Fantasy VII was the squatting competitions in the Wall Market Gym. The gym naturally makes a return in the remake and has been reimagined for new audiences.
This time the bodybuilders working out at the gym are based on real-life famous bodybuilding champions. The head trainer Jules is likely based on the legendary Mr. America Jules Bacon, while Ronnie and Jay are definitely based on former bodybuilding rivals Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler.
2 Biggs and Wedge
This is an allusion that long time Final Fantasy fans will recognize for two reasons. The first is that there has often been a pair of minor characters called Biggs and Wedge that make appearances in several Final Fantasy games.
The second is that they are a reference to Rebel pilots and friends of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars saga. So many of the mainline Final Fantasy games' stories and characters have been heavily influenced by the Star Wars franchise, so to say it's fitting is an understatement.
1 Cloud’s Fighting Styles
This is an allusion that only the most seasoned Final Fantasy fans will notice if they have played the Compilation of Final Fantasy games. Players of the remake will obviously notice that Cloud has two fighting stances that give way to two significantly different styles.
The Operator Mode adopts a two-handed style that looks like it was influenced by Zack (and Zack’s mentor Angeal) and the Punisher Mode which is used to attack staggered enemies resembles Sephiroth’s fighting style. Without spoiling anything, there is a historical and significant reason as to why Cloud has adopted these fighting styles that ties into the lore of Cloud's backstory.