Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailers have already shown off a significant number of locations returning from the original game. As the sequel to FF7 Remake, Rebirth roughly aligns with the second half of FF7‘s Disc One, which is where the game’s map opens up significantly. While the first half kept the party confined within the massive city of Midgar, the second grants them access to the open-world map for the very first time. While some parts of it are still saved for Discs Two and Three, or at least until the party finds a way around some difficult terrain, this transition represents a significant broadening of the game’s scope.
The FF7 Remake trilogy is more linear than the original, of course, but Rebirth still looks to be a tour of varied and far-flung locations around the world. The party will travel far and wide, searching for Sephiroth and recruiting new playable characters inFF7 Rebirth, learning tidbits of information in every city and town they visit. The two trailers already released for FF7 Rebirth have revealed at least nine iconic, easily recognizable locations that will be recurring from the original Final Fantasy 7.
1 Nibelheim
Nibelheim is the home of Cloud and Tifa, a tiny, middle-of-nowhere village that harbors several of the Shinra Electric Power Company’s darkest secrets. The party’s visit here uncovers some difficult memories for both of them, particularly for Cloud and his repressed sense of self. In the first trailer for FF7 Rebirth, Tifa even questions the fact that Cloud was present in Nibelheim five years ago, when he supposedly toured the nearby reactor with fellow SOLDIER Sephiroth. Following the original FF7‘s sequence of events, the party is probably due to encounter Sephiroth here again, where he may force Cloud to relive the traumatic destruction of his village.
2 Shinra Mansion
The Shinra Mansion, located on a hill near Nibelheim proper, once served as Professor Hojo’s base of operations for the Jenova Project. After discovering that he was genetically modified as part of the project and questioning his humanity, Sephiroth fled to the Mansion to grapple with Professor Hojo’s research notes. In the original FF7, and probably in Rebirth, the party follows an apparition of Sephiroth here to learn more about the Jenova Project. It’s also where they may meet and recruit Vincent Valentine, a vampire who’s sworn his own vendetta against Shinra.
3 Nibelheim Mako Reactor
Five years before the events of FF7 Rebirth, Sephiroth and Cloud travel to Nibelheim as part of a routine visit to its Mako Reactor. A young Tifa is the one to guide them up the slopes of Mount Nibel. Inside the reactor, Sephiroth finds Jenova’s body lying in state, and realizes the truth behind his origins. He flees to the Shinra Mansion and, when he emerges, razes the entire village, killing both Cloud and Tifa’s families in the process. He then returns to the reactor to commune with Jenova, where he’s confronted by a vengeful Tifa. In a likely misdirect, the trailer implies Sephiroth might kill Tifa in FF7 Rebirth.
4 Gongaga
Gongaga is the home of Zack Fair, the SOLDIER who gave Cloud the Buster Sword. Zack stars in his own game, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 and its 2022 remake Reunion, but primarily figures in the original FF7 (and likely Rebirth) through the party’s visit to his isolated hometown. Gongaga was once a lively little village, but when the nearby Mako Reactor exploded, it took half the people there with it. Those who survived have rebuilt the town, living off the land with no reliance on or Mako or Shinra. It’ll be interesting to see how Rebirth incorporates Gongaga since FF7 Remake made Crisis Core‘s ending pointless.
5 Gold Saucer
The Gold Saucer is an enormous casino that houses most of the original FF7‘s mini-games. In FF7 Rebirth, these are confirmed to include motorcycle combat, a rock-’em-sock-’em boxing game, and of course, chocobo racing. The original Gold Saucer also gave Cloud the opportunity to go on a date with whichever of the core party members he had the highest affinity with: Aerith, Tifa, or Barret. Since FF7 Rebirth doesn’t let players port over their Remake saves, it’s unclear how this will work. In trailers, the party can also be seen having some difficult conversations in the Gold Saucer’s haunted house that doubles as an inn.
6 Chocobo Farm
Of course, if the party’s going to race chocobos in FF7 Rebirth, they’re going to need a stable. The Chocobo Farm appeared in the original FF7 as a place to store chocobos when not on the track or field. It was also the site of the chocobo breeding mini-game, a convoluted side quest in which players could combine generations of multicolored chocobos to produce ones with specific traits. They can either be bred for color, with different shades signifying different abilities like mountain scaling or flight, or for speed, with the fastest ones performing best in Gold Saucer competitions.
7 Junon
Junon is a mid-size city that doubles as Shinra’s secondary base of operations. It’s here that Rufus holds his inauguration parade after the death of his father, President Shinra, in FF7 Remake. The party attends the ceremony in secret, disguising themselves as Shinra SOLDIERs. Cloud undergoes a mini-game in which he must march in a parade along with the rest of the ranks, and may be rewarded for outstanding performance. Junon is also home to a giant coastal gun, which is later used by the city to defend itself against Sapphire Weapon when it emerges from the sea.
8 Costa Del Sol
After escaping Rufus’ inauguration and stowing away on a cargo ship, the party arrives at the idyllic coastal resort town of Costa del Sol. Besides its beautiful ocean vistas, this is a pretty forgettable location in the original FF7, although it does represent a major turning point for the characters. It’s here that they realize Shinra is no longer actively pursuing their Avalanche cell, and is instead focusing on Sephiroth. In the same manner, the party realizes that what remains of Shinra isn’t their primary antagonist anymore, and commits to pursuing Sephiroth, too. FF7 Rebirth may expand on this brief chapter, and already appears to have added a scooter-riding mini-game.
9 Cosmo Canyon
Cosmo Canyon is the ancestral home of Red XIII, a doglike creature whom the rest of the party frees from a Shinra lab in FF7 Remake. Red XIII will be fully playable in FF7 Rebirth, and it’s about time, as the game visiting Cosmo Canyon means it’ll explore his origins. Red XIII resents his father for what he perceives as cowardice, but Rebirth‘s visit will shed some more light on his motives and deeds. Also, while there, the party will hear a lecture by the village elder Bugenhagen regarding the planet and the Lifestream.
Those are all the locations from the original FF7 confirmed to be reappearing in Rebirth, but certainly not all the locations available in the game. There’s certainly more that Square Enix has yet to reveal, as players haven’t even seen Rocket Town, Corel, or the Forgotten Capital yet. These locations and many more can finally be visited when Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is released on February 29, 2024.
