Final Fantasy VII Remake only covers a small fraction of the original game’s story, so the source material still has some value to gamers for the time being. When playing the legendary 1997 title, one spends a significant portion of their time on the world map, a relic of older RPGs that sees less attention these days as technology blurs the line between a world’s towns and the wilderness.
When becoming acquainted with this feature of the game, perhaps one will appreciate these ten obscure tidbits about the overworked only avid fans of the iconic Japanese RPG would know. It will be interesting to see how the new series of games retelling the story will handle the world map.
10 Gelnika
This one is a relative softball, but a few newer fans may not be aware of this vital endgame dungeon.
The Gelnika is a hidden area accessed via submarine housing the game’s most powerful enemies. There are also several powerful Materia for players to nab. Go south of Costa del Sol under the water and it should be relatively easy to find.
9 Getting Quadra Magic Without A Chocobo
Normally, players grab the Quadra Magic Materia by using a blue chocobo breed or higher. However, one can glitch their way into the place with the Highwind, the game’ s airship. Line up the ship between the grassy and rocky areas by the cave, hold the directional button towards the rocky area and press the Assist button (square, on the original PlayStation) while landing.
If done correctly, the player will leave the airship on the side where the cave is accessible. Quadra Magic is useful, so this Materia is worth obtaining as soon as possible.
8 Passing The Midgar Zolom Without A Chocobo
One of the first things players do after reaching the world map is catching a chocobo in order to outrun the Midgar Zolom. However, one can bypass the powerful beast without the fictional birds if they time their run just right.
Alternatively, one can save in the middle of the marsh right before the monster attacks, and then reload. The Zolom will be in a different location away from the player, allowing Cloud extra time to make it across the dangerous area.
7 Vehicle Glitch
It is possible, though difficult and useless, to make the submarine leave its port on the world map. Dismount the chocobo near it and attempt to board it while near both modes of transportation.
This confuses the game and forces the submarine on land. It has no practical purpose, but it is fun to confuse games. One can do the same with the airship, though this may result in the game crashing.
6 Cactus Island
Cactus Island lies somewhere in the Southwest of the world map under Cosmo Canyon. It is tiny and mostly desert, with just a tiny bit of grass for the Highwind to land on.
The only enemy is the Cactuar, a series staple. They net the party high experience points, however, and players can obtain the Tetra Elemental accessory by morphing the plant-based enemy.
5 Wutai
Yuffie’s hometown is home to one of the game’s beefiest side quests. If players go into the optional location with the thief in their party, an extensive bonus mission plays out exploring the character’s backstory.
It is so big, most forget it is not mandatory. Few other side quests in the game have as much story content, so this one comes especially recommended.
4 The Ancient Forest Was Going To Be More Important
The Ancient Forest is a bonus location with some light puzzles and bonus items. However, some cut content and evidence within the game suggests it was once a bigger part of the main story.
Corel Valley has a vine and cave entrance which looks like it should be climbable, but simply isn’t. This, paired with cut text from Bone Village talking about the forest, suggest a separate entrance to the forest, implying a bigger role ultimately cut from the game.
3 A Side Quest About Delivering Letters
Most of the side quests are contained to one area, but this dummied out quest would have had players trekking the globe.
A character in Gongaga was to give Cloud two letters to deliver to others around the world, and in return he would reveal the location of the Titan Materia. The key items are still in the game’s file, but the quest never made it into the final product.
2 Two Ways To Reach The Ancient Forest
Two ways exist of reaching the Ancient Forest. The first way involves breeding a Green Chocobo. Additionally, defeating Ultimate Weapon will cause the beast to leave a crater near the area, giving the party a path towards the bonus area.
Players see the Ancient Forest long before they have the opportunity to reach it, making entering all the more satisfying.
1 Yuffie
Yuffie is recruited by fighting her out in the forest area of the world map. Acquiring her later in the game while either Tifa or Cid is leading the party reveals the amount of care and detail the developers packed into this game.
The scheming character’s dialogue slightly changes depending on who the party leader is. Considering how late this is in the adventure, most player would have already gotten Yuffie and will lose the opportunity to see it.
