Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will allow players to ride a variety of vehicles and mounts. Its predecessor, FF7 Remake, was limited to on-foot traversal, with fast travel done via uncontrollable chocobo. However, FF7 Rebirth has a much more open map, and will visit far more iconic Final Fantasy 7 locations, so different methods of getting around are almost required. Some of these conveyances are recurring from the original FF7, while others are totally original.
The original FF7 had an almost totally open world, and the different vehicles the party could accrue throughout the game were mostly used to surmount obstacles between different landmarks. Since Rebirth is more linear, though, these vehicles and mounts will probably be more useful in getting around quickly. Certain types of them may be more effective on different types of terrain, or accessing small restricted areas, but they’re likely to be less central to gameplay. Still, mounts and vehicles are always fun to collect, and they’ll come in handy. Here are all the ones that have already appeared in trailers, and how FF7 can shape expectations for them in Rebirth.
Buggy
The original FF7‘s buggy is an all-terrain land vehicle. It’s most adept at crossing desert sands, but can also be used to traverse some shallow pools of water. The party receives it as a gift from Dio, the owner of the Gold Saucer, after he wrongfully accuses them of perpetrating an attack on his casino and imprisons them in Corel. There, they reveal that Barret’s old rival Dyne was responsible for the crime, and Dio grants them the buggy by way of apology. This allows them to finally leave the desert and move onto the next stage of the campaign.
Yellow Chocobo
The yellow chocobo is FF7‘s default mount, and can be found in a random encounter. After the party has domesticated it, they can view its stats at the Chocobo Farm, where they can also use it to breed faster and stronger birds. More vibrantly colored chocobos sometimes have special traversal abilities, like climbing mountains or crossing oceans, but the yellow ones can only run. However, they should still serve their original purpose: allowing Final Fantasy players to avoid random encounters while out in the field. Since the FF7 Remake trilogy doesn’t have random encounters, they’ll probably be more useful in running away from scripted ones.
Blue Chocobo
Seen briefly in the release date reveal trailer for FF7 Rebirth is a blue-tinted chocobo. They’re also one of the first stages on the evolutionary tree that eventually unlocks the speedy gold chocobo. In the original game, blue chocobos are able to cross ponds, lakes, and rivers, but can’t do oceans. Due to a programming error, they also climb hills more quickly in the chocobo racing mini-game. In trailers, however, this blue chocobo is seen soaring through the sky. While it certainly could’ve jumped from a natural high point and glided down, this could also mean changed mechanics for the different chocobo breeds in FF7 Rebirth.
Black Chocobo
A later step in the family tree, FF7‘s black chocobos combine the abilities of green and blue chocobos. In other words, they’re able both to climb mountains and cross shallow water. They also can’t be slowed down during the racing mini-game. Whether all of these chocobo mechanics will be carried over into FF7 Rebirth remains a mystery, but a black chocobo is indeed seen walking up a steep mountain slope in trailers.
Wheelie
Wheelies are totally new to the world of FF7. Trailers briefly show Cloud riding one of these motorized electric scooters along a paved beachfront road. With its ocean vistas and palm trees, this is undoubtedly Costa del Sol, a resort town the FF7 party visits after Rufus’ inauguration in Junon. Scooter tours are popular attractions for real-life vacationers, and there appears to be at least one other Wheelie rider in the scene with Cloud, so this is likely framed as a tourist attraction. It could certainly also be related to a mini-game or an achievement, as the lower-right corner of the screen displays a counter that tracks “Distance Traveled.”
Gold Saucer Sky Tram
It may not be a fully controllable vehicle, but the Gold Saucer Sky Tram serves an important purpose. It shuttles the party back and forth from the eponymous mini-game metropolis. It only has two stops, the Saucer itself and the nearby town of North Corel, but watching every FF7 playable character inside marvel at the neon lights makes for a fun set piece, and does a great job of setting up what comes next. Plus, taking public transit is good for the planet.
Shinra Cargo Ship
After the parade in Junon, the still-disguised party stows away on a Shinra cargo ship bound for Costa del Sol. In the original game, it’s a one-stop shop; once it’s docked in the resort town, everyone goes ashore and can never board it again. However, it is the site of one of the most exciting boss fights in FF7, when Sephiroth suddenly manifests and summons Jenova-BIRTH in the first-ever encounter with this mysterious being. FF7 Remake players have already encountered Jenova in her Dreamweaver form, and it looks like another variation on this battle will appear in FF7 Rebirth.
The Hardy-Daytona Motorcycle
FF7‘s Disc One reaches an early climax with a combat-centric motorcycle race through the streets of Midgar, and that’s adapted faithfully in FF7 Remake. Rebirth will see the return of motorcycles, most likely in the form of a Gold Saucer mini-game. This parallels the original FF7, in which Cloud could repeat the motorcycle sequence infinitely after reaching the casino. In it, Cloud must stay safely atop his motorcycle, dodging obstacles and swiping at enemies with his sword. FF7 Rebirth could expand on this side activity, with new enemies, tracks, vehicles, and difficulty levels for these thrilling chases.
That’s every mount and every vehicle already confirmed to appear in FF7 Rebirth, but the Remake trilogy still hasn’t exhausted every available vehicle in the original FF7. Planes, submarines, and the iconic airship are yet to come, and may not be seen until the third party of the trilogy is announced. All will be revealed when Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is released on February 29, 2024.
