While Final Fantasy VII Remake formally introduced us (and subsequently blew us away) to the complete reimagining of the franchise’s most iconic game, the trilogy’s next installment ‘Rebirth’ is what will truly set the stage for the most dramatic and thrilling moments to come.
Cloud Strife and his allies are prepared to set forth into the massive and beautiful world of Gaia, explore numerous unique locations, and encounter an even wider array of characters that all play an important role in the journey to come. Of course, as we’re already seeing dimensional changes to key events and characters in the game, those roles may change in some way.
Final Fantasy VII’s story is full of so many incredible moments from start to finish that have lived on for over two decades, and the chance to see them all again in stunning, modern visuals makes us all the more anxious for the release of Rebirth later this month. With that in mind, here are the top 15 moments we can’t wait to relive in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Side Note: The following list contains some spoilers for the middle portion of Final Fantasy VII, so read ahead with discretion.
The Junon City Parade
Anyone who has played the original FF7 remembers the forever iconic parade scene in Junon City, and the mini-game that comes with it. We finally got to see a glimpse of this in the most recent, final trailer for Rebirth, and it looks like it won’t disappoint in the least. Cloud and his friends will pay a visit to Junon a number of times throughout the game, but the first one is probably still the most eccentric and beloved among fans.
The newly coronated president of Shinra Company, Rufus Shinra, is set to have a celebration in his honor at none other than Junon City. Once a peaceful fishing town, the location was converted by Shinra into a major military installation that now features one of its crowning achievements — the Mako Cannon. Not at all compensating for anything, this grandiose display is the main reason for Junon being chosen for Rufus Shinra’s welcoming parade. That, and he was once headquartered there as Vice President.
Cloud and his allies travel to Junon and once there seek passage on one of Shinra’s cargo ships in order to continue pursuing Sephiroth. To do that, however, a disguise is required. This leads to Cloud ending up in the marching lines of Shinra’s infantry, where he needs to keep up the ruse by following the performance perfectly. It all makes for an insanely comical and entertaining sequence, with appearances by Rufus and the horse-laughing Heidegger.
All in all, we sincerely hope that the entire scene will play out much like the original, with a spectacular rendition of the iconic parade music to boot. As impressive as the soundtrack for Remake was, we have every ounce of faith.
The Cruise to Costa del Sol, Sailor Suits and Jenova Included
Not long after the events at Junon City, Cloud and his comrades wind up on a Shinra cargo ship, just as planned. What ensues thereafter is yet more hilarity, with the group then having to switch out one disguise for another, this time as Shinra sailors. Those who played the original game will distinctly recall even Red XIII doing his part, right down to trying to act like a human. The results are…well, we’re definitely anxious to see how it looks this time around. The final trailer for Rebirth teases us with Barret in his sailor suit fresh off the boat in their destination of Costa del Sol.
Of course, the cruise there will also feature some dramatic moments as well, including more hallucinations on behalf of Sephiroth and an epic fight that caught many of us off-guard back in the day.
Barret Confronts Dyne in Corel City
On their way to the Gold Saucer, Cloud and the group come across a depressing-looking desert town on the Western Continent known as Corel. As it turns out, this was the former home of Barret Wallace, where he lived with his wife Myrna and worked in the local coal mines with his best friend Dyne.
As with many other places in Gaia, Shinra sought to take over Corel years before, though primarily for its land in order to build a new mako reactor. Knowing that their town was falling into extreme poverty due to a worldwide preference for mako over coal, Barret agreed to the proposal brought forth by Scarlet of Shinra. Dyne however disagreed, and this was the seed planted that would ultimately cause a rift between them.
Eventually, after Avalanche invades and destroys the reactor that’s still under construction, Shinra burns down Corel in retaliation and an internment prison takes its place. Both Barret and Dyne lose their wives to the fire, and they get caught by Scarlet and a horde of infantrymen on a mountainside nearby. When Barret tries to save Dyne from falling off a cliff, Shinra gunfire causes them both to lose an arm, and Dyne to fall into the abyss, seemingly dead. After that, Barret takes custody of his daughter Marlene.
It turns out, however, that Dyne is not dead, which leads to a dramatic confrontation between him and Barret years after the catastrophe. It’s one of the most emotional and harrowing moments in the entire game and leaves many players with a newfound affinity for Barret. Seeing it play out once more through a brand new, modern lens is going to be one of the game’s most riveting moments for sure.
The Date Scene at the Gold Saucer
The Gold Saucer is an eccentrically vibrant hub of frivolity, gambling, Chocobo racing and much more that has stood the test of time, to the point that the gold-plated locale later made its way into Final Fantasy XIV. Cloud and the party travel via carousel to the theme park in the sky, where they have a brief chance to decompress, have a good time and explore the attractions. It’s also where a very odd, mysterious character named Cait Sith makes its acquaintance.
It turns out though that players can act on a different kind of attraction at the Gold Saucer, depending on which character they’ve grown closest to throughout the game so far. In the original game this extended to Tifa, Aerith, Yuffie, and even Barret. Rebirth has promised the inclusion of romancing mechanics specifically to lead up to this monumental moment at the Gold Saucer, where Cloud will choose whom he wants to go on a romantic ferris wheel ride with. In essence, whomever has the most ‘points’ via the right interactions will be the one you’ll end up sitting opposite of for some affectionate banter.
As to whether this moment will extend beyond ferris wheel banter in Rebirth remains to be seen, but we can be sure that people will be replaying the story over and over, if just to see what the different interactions with each character are like.
Visiting Gongaga and Cissnei’s New Inclusion
One of the biggest surprises seen in Rebirth’s final trailer was the appearance of Cissnei, a familiar face from FFVII: Crisis Core Reunion. She never appeared in the original FF7 game, only debuting in the original version of Crisis Core years later. Throughout the retelling of Zack Fair’s story as a SOLDIER with Shinra Company, she was portrayed as a reserved yet caring member of the Turks who developed a friendly affinity with Zack in particular.
Seeing her appear in the main story of FF7 years later is both surprising and exciting, but clearly the game will help continue where her story last left off in Crisis Core. Zack had entrusted the care of his parents in his hometown of Gongaga to her before he left to confront Shinra for the last, fateful time. She apparently took that role to heart, as after his death she left the Turks and remained in Gongaga, even starting a new organization called the Gongaga Youth Coalition.
Given that her inclusion here is entirely new terrain, there’s no telling where her particular storyline will lead. Not only that, Zack being mysteriously alive in Rebirth will likely play into this as well. Needless to say, we’re a bit on the edge of our seats for this new twist.
Vincent Valentine’s Tragic Past
Out of nearly all of the obtainable party members in FF7, the most fascinating of them is probably Vincent Valentine. His character is enigmatic, pivotal, and absolutely one of the most tragic in the game due to his twisted past with Shinra, so it’s only fitting really that Cloud and the group first stumble upon him sleeping in an actual coffin in the dreary basement of Shinra Mansion. Unlike the countless other corpses that Shinra Company has left in its wake, Vincent remains very much alive and full of vengeance.
As revealed in the original FF7 game and more so later in his solo spin-off game Dirge of Cerberus, Vincent’s past is strongly tied to three other important characters — Sephiroth, Professor Hojo, and another Shinra scientist named Lucrecia Crescent. We’ll cut off the spoilers there, but a sequence of terrible events between them leads to Vincent shutting himself away for decades as penance for his sins. However, when he’s later awakened by Cloud and the others and learns of their journey to find and defeat Sephiroth, he feels obligated to join them, albeit for his own reasons he doesn’t share.
How his past and subsequently his path forward will play out in Rebirth is one of our most highly-anticipated moments, particularly because of its significance to Sephiroth. It could also very well clarify a long-debated parentage rumor amongst the fanbase, in terms of Sephiroth’s true biological origins. We’ll leave it at that.
Finding Lucrecia Crescent in the Waterfall Cave
We chose to have this next on our list, due to its symbolic connection with Vincent Valentine. Her backstory is more fleshed out in Dirge of Cerberus, but upon visiting the optional area known as the Waterfall Cave on the Western Continent, Cloud and the others learn about Lucrecia’s ties to Sephiroth and Vincent.
Not only that, but her self-imposed fate was ironically much like that of Vincent’s. While he chose perpetual sleep in a coffin in Shinra Manor, she chose to meet her end for her sins within this cave. However, due to her condition from Project S, she was unable to die and elected to become crystallized in eternal slumber.
In the original game, due to her still being alive, if you visit her cave with Vincent in your party, she will acknowledge your presence and reveal some critical information about her ties to Sephiroth as well as Vincent. Should you return there later, she’s mysteriously vanished and Vincent instead finds some powerful items for his arsenal.
While an optional area in the original game, we’re anxious to see if this location, and Lucrecia herself, will play a stronger role in Rebirth.
Red XIII’s Backstory in Cosmo Canyon
Rebirth will pull the curtain way back on many characters’ stories, and another among them is Red XIII, the sentient and mysterious feline that escapes from Shinra Building in Midgar with Cloud and his allies. He partakes in their journey to defeat Sephiroth, knowing full well that the planet is on the verge of collapse as it is because of Shinra, and that Sephiroth will be the nail in the coffin.
On top of his ability to speak like a human, his seemingly deep knowledge of the planet is perplexing to the rest of the group, along with his true origins. He grew up in an area of the world called Cosmo Canyon, adopted and raised for the most part by his surrogate grandfather, Bugenhagen. His real parents of his own species both passed away during an invasion by the Gi Tribe, though a misunderstanding of his father Seto’s sacrifice made him harbor resentment for some time.
Other information, including Red XIII’s real name, is also eventually revealed. While he’s one of the last of his kind, deeper lore infers that his species possibly dwelled among the Cetra long ago, and Professor Hojo even refers to them as so-called “protectors”. This could help explain their human-like sentience and long life spans, at the very least.
Cloud and the others help Red XIII through an important mission at Cosmo Canyon, and it’s one that leads to an incredibly emotional revelation about his father. This moment came to be one of the most memorable among fans, and seeing it play out once more in Rebirth will surely be even more riveting.
Bugenhagen’s Revelations About the Planet
Another pivotal moment that takes place while at Cosmo Canyon is Bugenhagen’s dramatic presentation in the observatory about the planet and the Lifestream. A wise elder and expert on planetology, he provides a vividly surreal insight into how spirit energy (essentially what allows life to thrive and continue its cycle) is crucial to keeping the planet healthy.
However, Shinra’s reactors relentlessly drain that spirit energy in several regions of the planet and compress it to create mako energy, giving nothing natural back. This constant purging of the planet’s most precious resource will seal its doom, and the projection shows the planet literally breaking into pieces, lost forever. Sephiroth’s manipulation of the Lifestream via Jenova is also a severe detriment that will spell disaster for all life. This only further drives Cloud and the others to stop both of their biggest adversaries.
The unexpected visual presentation in the Shinra Building about the Cetra and Shinra’s plans to construct Neo-Midgar in the Promised Land was a mind-blowing experience, and we’re expecting much of the same with this important moment in the game.
Cid Highwind’s Introduction and Palmer’s Hilarious Showdown
The final ally to join Cloud’s party, at least in the original game, is none other than Cid Highwind. After a strange amount of secrecy behind his character’s inclusion in Rebirth was finally clarified in the last couple of trailers, we now know that he will be playing a sizable (though non-playable) role in the second installment of the trilogy.
Cloud and the others first meet Cid in the small city on the Western Continent called Rocket Town. So named for being the hub of Shinra’s Space Program, the town was once full of scientists all eagerly working to get the rocket known as Shinra No. 26 into space for the first time, which sat on a launch pad on the town outskirts.
Cid was chosen to be its pilot, and he was equally anxious to fulfill his dream. However, an unforeseen catastrophe caused the rocket to fail its launch, and Cid thereafter became resentful and abrasive, particularly toward engineer Shera. The town largely dispersed, save for a few who still hope to see the rocket fly one day.
While the rocket plays a key role in events to come, Cloud and the others remain steadfast in their pursuit of Sephiroth. To throw a humorous twist in an otherwise emotional scene is an appearance by, of all people, Palmer. The sycophantic and entirely unintimidating head of Shinra’s now-defunct Space Program makes his return after only being briefly seen in Remake. He aims to take Cid’s airplane at Rufus Shinra’s request, and one of the most goofy battles in the entire game ensues.
While we get the slightest tease of this fight in the final trailer, we definitely can’t wait to see this hilarious battle in its entirety, right up to the surprise ending that had many players back in the day laughing in disbelief.
Tifa and Cloud Piece the Puzzle Together in His Subconscious
One of the most surreal and introspective sections of Final Fantasy 7 takes place while Cloud and Tifa are in Mideel later on in the story, and Cloud is succumbing to the crippling effects of the Jenova cells in his body. Tifa vows to remain beside him and help him recover, however that plan is thrown up in the air when Ultima WEAPON swoops in out of nowhere and mercilessly attacks the town. The damage opens a huge rift in the ground beneath them, revealing what appears to be a densely concentrated pool of the Lifestream.
Tifa and Cloud, who is still incapacitated in his wheelchair, both get caught in the collapse and fall into the Lifestream. Normally this would be fatal, but instead the two of them wind up in a very strange place — Cloud’s subconscious. It takes a maze-like form with many crucial moments in Cloud’s life on display.
Multiple versions of himself wander in and out of these events, and Tifa realizes what’s happening, having noticed the strange behavior from Cloud for some time, recalling things that don’t make sense. She knows he’s on a dangerous precipice psychologically, stuck between losing himself entirely and figuring out the truth.
Using the effects of the Lifestream, Tifa helps him find that truth amidst all his confusion and mistaken identity, walking him subconsciously through each major event and coming to terms with the physical and mental trauma that’s caused him to forget who he actually is. This moment acts as one of the biggest plot twists in the story, as Cloud’s world literally unravels to its core before it can be put back together.
How Rebirth will handle this, given its now multi-dimensional take on the story as a whole, is something we absolutely can’t wait to witness. We already got a brief glimpse of Cloud’s subconscious in Remake, after he plummets down into Aerith’s home in the Sector 5 church in Midgar, and how Jenova has twisted his mind. However, this moment later on in Mideel will be on an entirely different level.
The Nibelheim Incident
It’s only natural that this timeless scene would make it onto our list, and we’ve already been teased with it a number of times by now. The first was early on in Remake, when Cloud sees buildings aflame in Midgar and has a brief hallucination of none other than his hometown of Nibelheim, also on fire. Of course, Sephiroth takes the opportune moment to appear before him, sending Cloud into utter confusion and post-traumatic panic. He envisions himself crawling toward his mother’s house engulfed in flames, and the whole scene feels way too real, until Sephiroth disappears and the illusion vanishes.
We also witnessed the catastrophe through Zack Fair’s eyes in Crisis Core Reunion, as well as the recently released demo for Rebirth. Nibelheim is perhaps the most crucial location in the entire story of FF7, given its ties to not only Cloud and Tifa, but to the pivotal moment in Sephiroth’s own life where he himself starts to mentally unravel.
After making a disturbing discovery at the Nibelheim mako reactor, Sephiroth later uncovers a distorted version of the truth of his birth from the Shinra Mansion. This sends him into a downward spiral and causes him to lash out at the alleged culprit behind everything — humankind. Tragically, he starts with Nibelheim, burning it to the ground and everyone in it.
This is where perhaps the most iconic moment in all of FF7 is derived from, with Sephiroth smirking amidst the destructive flames before walking off to retrieve something he feels belongs to him. The moment even transcended the game to become one of the most famous scenes in video game history, synonymous with Sephiroth’s character. The chance to relive it in exquisite detail is something we’re beyond anxious to see for ourselves.
The Planet’s WEAPONs Awaken Once Again
As it turns out, perhaps the most dangerous entities in all of FF7 are the ones designated to protect the most important life of all — that of the planet itself. When Sephiroth receives what he needs in order to orchestrate the demise of the planet, this causes the awakening of what are dubbed simply as WEAPONs (capitalized as such in the original game).
In essence, they are gigantic, otherworldly powerful creatures that were bioengineered by the planet in order to destroy the alien entity known as Jenova, after it crash landed into the Northern Continent two thousand years prior. However, the Cetra who lived on the planet at the time managed to use their power to safely seal Jenova away inside what then became known as the Northern Crater. With the threat mitigated (for the time being), the WEAPONs then went into a sort of hibernation.
However, Sephiroth’s actions which are actually instigated by Jenova cause them to arise once again and set their sights on every target deemed an ecological threat. This includes not only Sephiroth and Jenova at the Northern Crater, but every mako reactor causing irreparable harm to the Lifestream, and finally Midgar itself where the most damage has been done.
We only got a very small glimpse of the WEAPONs in one of the trailers for Rebirth (as seen above), but it’s safe to say that they likely will be just as menacing as they were in the original game, and the chance to see their updated versions is terrifying, to say the least. The main question we have is whether all five WEAPONs will be featured in Rebirth, or if perhaps they’ll be stretched over the course of the second and third installments of the trilogy. We’ll simply have to wait and see.
Aerith’s Fate in the City of the Ancients
The storytelling in Final Fantasy VII is inarguably one of the greatest ever experienced in video games, as the emotions behind all of it seldom ever stop. Just when you think you’ve witnessed the highest or deepest moment and that the narrative couldn’t possibly get any more compelling, the threshold somehow gets pushed even further.
A prime example of that is the fateful events that transpire within the City of the Ancients, also known as the Forgotten City. Once the capital of the Cetra civilization, it was all but lost to time after the demise of the Cetra by Jenova itself. Found deep inside the ruins of the Corel Valley on the Northern Continent, only thorough knowledge of the Cetra (or Ancients) will allow entry. We finally got a firsthand look at the location in the final trailer (as seen above), and it looks every bit as ominously beautiful and fascinating as it did in the original version.
After finding out that Aerith has traveled to the City of the Ancients to help stop Sephiroth, Cloud and his allies venture to find her there. What transpires is perhaps the most emotionally impactful sequence in the entire game, and it shook the entire industry to its core in the late 90s. Those who have played the original game know full well the consequences of what occurs there, and it’s remained perhaps the most highly debated question ahead of Rebirth’s release. Will the now multi-dimensional story stick to the original outcome of Aerith’s actions in the Forgotten City, or does it have something different planned?
Sephiroth Summons Meteor
The final entry on our list goes to what will likely be the climactic moment of Rebirth — Sephiroth wielding his weapon of ultimate planetary destruction. Without giving too much away, after the dramatic events in the City of the Ancients, the threat level of Sephiroth essentially gets turned all the way up with his ruthless summoning of Meteor.
The planet is now far more in peril than ever before, and Sephiroth is determined to use it in order to achieve his ultimate goal — godhood. With the power of Jenova (or rather its power over him), he has managed to bring the planet to its proverbial knees, and Cloud and his allies must figure out how to defeat him and Jenova’s parasitic influence once and for all.
At the very end of the final trailer, we see Sephiroth hovering above what looks like the City of the Ancients, and possibly commencing his most fatal attack against the planet. We only saw a tease of Meteor back in Remake during the simulation in the Shinra Building, but now it’s become very real. From this moment, demise seems all but inevitable, and it will undoubtedly make the anxiety of the trilogy’s third installment all the more palpable.
That concludes our list of the top 15 moments we can’t wait to relive in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. We hope you enjoyed it, and let us know if there are any moments from the original game that didn’t make our list that you can’t wait to see yourself.
Be sure to check out all of our other content for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, such as information regarding pre-load and download times for the the full game.
About the author
