Final Fantasy VII Remake feels like a gift from heaven. Never would fans have dreamed of receiving such a comprehensive recreation of the classic 1997 game's Midgar section. Like any great RPG worth its weight in Materia, it is jam-packed with hidden items for players to uncover.
The ten most elusive of these are detailed below. Some are tied to story events, so be careful not to miss them during the long journey through the ramshackle slums. Fortunately, the game comes with a chapter select after the credits roll, so completionists and those looking to build up a powerful party will not have a hard time cleaning up loose ends.
Updated on December 28th, 2021, by Jason Wojnar: More than a year after release and Final Fantasy 7 Remake still feels unreal. Square was not done with the product after its April 2020 release, either. In June 2021, an expansion came out featuring a new DLC episode starring Yuffie Kisaragi and more recently the game finally made its way to PC, though its quality has been a product of intense scrutiny.
With the game still in the spotlight, it only feels right to revisit this list with two entries featuring some items from Yuffie's Intermission DLC to help players more easily make it through the expansion.
12 *AP Up Materia In Intermission
Players want the AP Up Materia to make grinding Materia significantly quicker. No one likes grinding for too long, after all. To earn it, players simply need to complete all the Fort Condor mini-game battles.
It is not a brutally difficult challenge, but some of the later bouts need a sound strategy in order to best them. Once one works their way through the ranks and defeats the champion at Fort Condor, the AP Up Materia is Yuffie's to keep. All of this is done in the first chapter before heading off to attack Shinra with Sonon.
11 *Magnify Materia For INTERmission DLC
The Magnify Materia helps extend magic range with whatever Materia pairs to. There are only a couple available in the INTERmission DLC and they are both related to side quests and mini-games. The first one players get early one for simply finding all the Happy Turtle posters in Midgar's Sector 7.
The second one is earned from the Box Busting mini-game inside the Shinra Building. It is recommended to get both of these to ensure a significant boost on magic abilities.
10 AP Up Materia
Ap Up is invaluable for quickly upgrading Materia. Outside of Aerith's house in Chapter Fourteen is a Pedometer Materia. While seemingly useless, equip it anyway and get to work accumulating five thousand steps, which should be easy to do while completing some side quests.
After the final necessary step, it will transform into AP Up. Note, however, that it only doubles the AP of the Materia to which it is linked.
9 Bladed Staff
Aerith's Bladed Staff passes most gamers by, especially if they do not often steal or use Assess. Eligor, a chariot-themed boss in Chapter Eleven's Train Graveyard, is the only enemy who holds this weapon.
Using Assess hints at it carrying something special, and there is no other way to learn this save for the ability. Missing it is not too detrimental, but the Lustrous Shield ability certainly comes in handy.
8 Chocobo And Moogle Summon
Most of the summons are either found in story beats or fought in Chadley's VR simulations. Curiously enough, the Chocobo and Moogle summon is only available in Chapter Six behind a large utility fan.
Players see it early on, but they can only backtrack and reach it near the end of the sequence. One has to shut off the fan and reach another terminal within a minute. While the time limit is unappealing, one can retry as many times as they'd like.
7 Elemental Materia
The first of two Elemental Materia is in Chapter Six on the other side of a collapsed passageway. The characters comment on how perhaps they can find a way to the other side later, which is true. The second one is awarded in Chapter Fourteen if they complete all of the side quests.
It should be on the ground in the player's way with a note attached from the Angel of the Slums. With the ability to attach elemental damage to basic attacks or defense to armor, these Materia are vital to making certain encounters a piece of cake.
6 EKG Cannon
In the Shinra Building, a character will offer a trade of information for ten thousand Gil. It seems like a high price for a hint, and it is, but pay anyway.
After giving a less than helpful clue, the man will give this weapon to Barret. At this point in the game, one should have more than enough Gil to fork over, especially if they have been doing all the side quests.
5 EXP Up Materia
Players want every chance to net additional experience points. While the side quests help beef up the party, the EXP Up Materia accelerates training even further.
This particular Materia is a reward for completing the "Three-Person Team vs. Team Ragbag" match in the Shinra Combat Simulator, first found in Chapter Sixteen. After beating the game, the arena shows up shortly into Chapter Seventeen.
4 Luck Up Materia
Several Luck Up Materia exist within the game, and can even be purchased from a shop. However, there is an easy way to net a free one early in the game, which is especially useful since Gil is hard to come by in the opening hours.
All one needs to do is nab the highest score in the darts minigame in the Seventh Heaven bar. It may take a couple of tries, but the game is easy for anyone with a solid sense of timing and steady thumbs.
3 Bahamut Materia
The ultimate summon is no slouch. In order to unlock the ability to fight Bahamut, one must first complete every Battle Intel Report. The most annoying one is maxing out all magic Materia, which is not as difficult as it is time-consuming.
The actual fight is also a challenge. Bahamut has no elemental weakness and its Megaflare ability can easily wipe out the party. Try to stagger it as soon as possible, and enter the fight with Revival Earrings, in case the beast KO's the party.
2 Magnify Materia
Acting similarly to All Materia from the original game, Magnify only exists in one location of the remake.
When helping Aerith along the way with the mechanical hands in Chapter Nine, one can easily spot it on the right side of the screen. However, one must help Aerith reach it with the curiously shaped construction vehicles. Be sure to nab it, since it is especially useful at quickly healing the whole party in combat.
1 Gotterdammerung Accessory
With Gotterdammerung equipped, the player starts every battle with a full Limit Break gauge, and it refills gradually faster during combat. It is just a shame that to earn it one has to beat the game's hardest boss, the Pride and Joy Prototype.
This ultimate bout is the last round of the Top Secret Match in the Shinra Combat Simulator. Being the game's last challenge, the accessory cannot be used to overcome some insurmountable feat.