Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s biggest twist is concealed in a tiny detail

Image: Square Enix

I’m successful awe of however smart the developers of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are. After seeing a station comparing Cloud during the Nibelheim flashback and his accomplishment astatine the metropolis overmuch aboriginal successful the game, my caput is reeling from the subtle brilliance successful however Square utilized the tiniest of animation details to convey 1 of the biggest, astir shocking crippled twists successful Final Fantasy communicative history.

Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to follow.

In a clip shared connected X by pwtizza, Cloud, with 1 of his big-ass swords strapped to his back, is seen sitting astatine the apical of Nibelheim’s celebrated h2o tower. In the close fractional of the clip, Cloud removes his sword earlier sitting astatine the apical of the h2o tower. In the near fractional of the clip, helium doesn’t; Cloud simply sits down, Buster Sword and all.

The near fractional of the clip was taken during the game’s opening hours that retell the infamous Nibelheim incidental that takes spot 5 years earlier the events of Rebirth. Because it happens truthful aboriginal successful the game, and nary substance if you’re acquainted with the communicative oregon not, the deficiency of animation successful that infinitesimal doesn’t truly mean anything.

But erstwhile you enactment that infinitesimal successful discourse with the remainder of the game, that lack of animation becomes mind-shattering. Seeing the clip and realizing what the developers did was truthful breathtaking due to the fact that it wholly recontextualized 1 item that my caput fixated connected portion playing Rebirth: Cloud’s carnal narration with his sword.

The Buster Sword (and the remainder of Cloud’s arsenic unwieldy arsenal of oversize swords) is an integral portion of Cloud arsenic a character. But practically, it seems similar it’d beryllium annoying arsenic hellhole to lug around. I’ve often wondered, since I archetypal played the archetypal Final Fantasy VII, conscionable however Cloud manages his moment-to-moment beingness with that happening connected his back. It’s truthful agelong that I often ideate the dependable it makes scraping against dirt. In putting myself successful Cloud’s SOLDIER boots, I tin consciousness the phantom discomfort of the sword’s extremity dragging connected uneven crushed oregon clanging against the stairs arsenic helium runs up the Shinra office building.

In the archetypal Final Fantasy VII, you hardly spot the sword extracurricular of combat. Cloud whips it retired erstwhile it’s clip to fight, the ample limb miraculously appearing retired of his backside due to the fact that well… the crippled was made successful 1997, and technological constraints apt prevented characters’ weapons from being connected show each the time.

In Rebirth, however, I was delighted to spot Cloud moving astir his sword. When helium sits for a remainder connected those benches astatine Chocobo Stops and successful dungeons, helium pulls connected the sword grip to determination it retired of the way. Every Queen’s Blood array comes pre-equipped with a peculiar spot for Cloud to enactment his limb — kinda similar the umbrella stands you spot astatine fancy retail stores. Before resting successful a bed, Cloud ever takes the clip to rack his cogwheel earlier lying down.

I emotion erstwhile gameplay reinforces a game’s narrative, and Rebirth’s developers were truthful insidiously clever successful however they planted the seeds for [what volition be?] the [trilogy’s?] shocking twist.

The large revelation successful the archetypal Final Fantasy VII is that Cloud fabricated his mentation of the events astatine Nibelheim. Everything we’re shown from his position is simply a prevarication made up of mendacious memories. In fact, helium shouldn’t adjacent person his iconic Buster Sword astatine each due to the fact that the events that pb him to wielding it haven’t adjacent happened yet. In Rebirth, determination are respective moments during the Nibelheim series that hint astatine the world of the situation. If you’re acquainted with the story, they’re casual to catch, similar the “security officer” crawling toward Cloud’s burning house, his cries of “mother” chopped short.

Rebirth’s developers enactment each that effort into showing america crossed truthful galore tiny moments however Cloud moved with his sword to marque the infinitesimal erstwhile that enactment doesn’t happen incredibly significant. In the near fractional of the clip, Cloud doesn’t set his sword to beryllium due to the fact that the developers sacrificed that level of realism for simplicity. He doesn’t determination his sword due to the fact that there is nary sword to move.

In this 1 easy overlooked item — 1 that I’d wager the developers were counting connected players ignoring outright — we get the biggest hint that what we’re seeing astatine Nibelheim is really each a lie. It is utterly mind-blowing due to the fact that it reveals so much successful truthful small and highlights the clever, meticulous genius of the game’s developers.