7 Moments From the Original Final Fantasy 7 That Still Shock Players After the Remake Trilogy

I will always stand by that if you're a fan of the Remake trilogy, you have to play Final Fantasy 7 at least once. I had decided, years ago, that I'd finally experience Cloud's story through Final Fantasy 7 Remake when it came out, but I had a dear friend tell me that it was very important to play the original first. I listened, and my experience with the series has been so much more rewarding and fun.

Despite the fact that it's called the Remake trilogy, Final Fantasy 7 and the two Remake games are completely different. Tons of story beats may have been expanded and improved compared to the original, but it still tells a different story about defying fate, and might even deal with a completely different Cloud. These changes and their impacts will only hit you harder when you see what is or isn't there anymore for yourself, both in good and bad ways.

The way that Final Fantasy 7's story has aged and what Remake has fixed might lead to some culture shock while you're at it, too.

7 Cloud's Headaches

For A Lack Of Better Term

Some people want to forget that this side of Cloud exists, but it's an important one. He's been through a lot, and that's critical to understanding him and some important revelations the general story of Final Fantasy 7 is building towards. Cloud has moments where certain things or phrases force him into a headspace that doesn't vibe well with his mental state. In the Remake trilogy, this is shown to the audience with static effects and screen glitching. It ties into how the Advent Children movie handled it. It's great continuity and keeps Cloud's mental episodes consistent.

Although, there's something about how the original game handled it that's way more ominous, even now. The way that the screen turns different colors, everything stops, and only Cloud falls, holds, and shakes his head. The ringing that plays, and the strange voices that occur. Even when you know the truth and why it's happening, it still unsettles you and makes you feel bad for him about what he's going through.

6 Returning To Nibelheim

Time To Gaslight Cloud!

Nibelheim is an important location in The Compilation of FF7, so it makes sense that we'd see it multiple times across its many games. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth marks the present-day return to the small country town, and the entire exchange is unsettling. Everything was rebuilt after Sephiroth burned it down, and everyone is aware of that fact. All in all, how it's handled in Rebirth makes a lot more sense, and it still leaves you with questions.

Originally, though, Nibelheim being rebuilt was a complete shock to everyone. You stumble upon it in the mountains, and the overall party is quick to suggest that Cloud lied about it being burnt down five years ago. It unnerves Cloud, and without a doubt leads you to feel unnerved, too, especially as you talk to the surrounding NPCs. Cloud interrogates everyone, seeking proof, and they have no idea of what he's talking about. It seems Nibelheim was one more Shinra cover up. Both games manage to have Nibelheim haunt players in completely different ways.

5 Encountering Midgar Zolom

Run Away!!

After you leave Midgar in the original Final Fantasy 7, you'll come across a big, gray marsh. Trying to traverse it will reveal this big, gigantic snake that catches up to you and starts a battle right away. This is Midgar Zolom, or as he's known in FF7 Rebirth, Midgardsormr. Aren't old localizations fun?

In FF7 Rebirth, he's a mandatory boss, but he wasn't always mandatory. He was a strong encounter meant to encourage players to go get a Chocobo to outrun him instead. You can fight Midgar Zolom, win, and even get a powerful enemy skill from him, but it certainly takes know-how to pull it off.

Unlike Rebirth and it's yellow paint, Final Fantasy 7 doesn't hold your hand all the way through, so it's easy for you to stop and forget you need a Chocobo, run into this snake, and see the game over screen before you've even started playing. While the fight in Rebirth is insanely cool, the way Midgar Zolom interacts and challenges you is something that'll likely startle and humble new players. That's part of the fun of Final Fantasy 7 these days.

4 The Trail of Blood in Shinra HQ

At Least Sephiroth Is Learning Some Subtlety Overtime

After the Shinra Infiltration goes awry, Cloud and the party take a rest in their Shinra building cells, complete with the Inn resting jingle. When Cloud wakes up, he finds the door open and the guard dead. After using it as an opportunity to escape, the screen will move over to Hojo's lab with the floor covered in blood. This blood not only serves as your path forward through a few screens, but it stays with you the entire way. It stains battle scenes as you rush to find out what on Gaia happened.

Sephiroth seems to have gotten cleaner in his second attempt. FF7 Remake tries to give the same effect with an "ominous trail" of purple, but it doesn't hit the same. Barret getting stabbed alongside President Shinra makes for a great surprise that sets up what's really going on with the Whispers, though. It makes up for the fact that there's no way blood in the hallways would have the same impact on a more graphically capable experience. Not with the way the story shifted. Having the old school screen shift to the big mess Sephiroth left behind as his M.O, though, will always have the emotional impact as it did in 1997.

3 Cid's Old Temperament

For A Lack Of A Not-So-Blunt Term For It

In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, you can hitch a ride with Cid to fly through the air and progress through the story. He's a very cocky pilot who's thrown off by the strange crowd Cloud keeps around, but he gets used to it. Eventually, he recognizes Aerith and becomes a friend of the crew, wanting to help after finding out her mother passed away. His scenes are very amusing, and he's a welcome presence even if he hasn't joined the party yet.

I wouldn't be surprised if Cid's attitude is one aspect of Final Fantasy 7 as a franchise that divides veteran players from newer ones, though. In the 1997 version, Cid is far more crass and outright rude from the start. He swears up a storm and rudely demands things from his former space exploration coworker Shera. We get to know FF7's Cid more and find his heart underneath as the game progresses. The fact that it feels like Cid's personality has been completely flipped in the trilogy has likely made veteran players shocked while playing Rebirth. It certainly surprised me. I can imagine the reverse happening to anyone who picks up FF7 after playing the trilogy.

2 Experiencing The Planet As A Whole

Go See The World You're Saving

Whenever people talk about moments that made playing the original Final Fantasy 7 worth it, even with Remake and Rebirth around, a lot of them mention how it felt to break free of Midgar and see the world map. Suddenly, the same twenty-or-thirty screens that made up Midgar turns into an entire 3D map that you can freely walk around and explore. There are towns, villages, and temples to visit and a Yuffie to run into.

I get these feelings, but for me, I think the feeling that's even more of a fun shock to your system is when that map opens up even more. Maybe it's just because the first time I got to experience the world map, it was on a very laggy port. The satisfaction from beating a boss, seeing a character's arc through, and getting a new mode of transport felt fantastic when I got back on the map, lag or no. Rebirth is a massive game, and that's fun, too, but I can't help but wonder how they'll make the exploration in the next game feel.

1 Cloud's Breakdown Against Aerith

I Mean The One With Really No Better Term For It

The Temple of Ancients was really something else in Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth. It gave it a certain scale and grandeur that wasn't possible the first time around. The way Cloud becomes obsessive over the Black Materia after it is incredibly unsettling to watch, too.

However, those who pick up the original are in for a big surprise when they get to that section and finish it. After Cait Sith's sacrifice, Sephiroth appears and takes the Black Materia from Cloud, who willingly hands it over. Cloud is literally split in two over this. Aerith tries to talk him down, but she ends up being on the receiving end of how his fractured mind handles it. And that's by punching her. Repeatedly.

We all know Aerith dies. That's the one spoiler that got out. No one said anything about Aerith being pinned down and beaten by Cloud. It's visceral. It's understandable as to why it's not in Rebirth, but it also helps communicate just how torn apart Cloud was at this point. It's details like these that really sold the deeper story of Final Fantasy 7, and they still impact us players today.