Summary
The originalFinal Fantasy 7is home to more than its fair share of iconic locations, from its opening futuristic city of Midgar, to its more low-key towns like Kalm and Nibelheim. While many ofFinal Fantasy 7’s locationsare fleeting, with players being able to complete them in well under an hour in the original game, many have managed to remain incredibly memorable thanks to some standout architecture and environmental design. And now, 27 years after they originally appeared,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthbreathes new life into these iconic locations.
Much likeFinal Fantasy 7 Remakebefore it,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthsets out to lovingly recreate all the locations found in the original’s second act. And much likeRemake,Rebirthsucceeds in modernizing these iconic locations while managing to keep much of their original charm and atmosphere alive. That’s especially true for Junon, a town that was once a peaceful fishing village that’s since been turned into a Shinra fortress, and an area thatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthremakes expertly.
Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s Under Junon to the 1997 Original
One of the biggest enhancementsFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthmakes to all of its remade locations is their sense of scale, and Under Junon is the standout example of this. In the originalFinal Fantasy 7, Under Junon is really only one background screen, consisting of a few houses, an inn, and the large Shinra-guarded elevator that takes players to Junon City. Dark and dreary,the original version of Under Junondoes a great job of conveying the oppressive nature of Shinra, with its city overhead literally blocking out the sun for Under Junon’s residents.
InFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Under Junon’s oppressive atmosphere is made even more prominent with the game’s enhanced sense of scale. While the fishing village itself still retains its smaller size, the sheer size of the city above has been made explicitly clear inRebirth, with players now able to actively move the camera to see the gigantic metal plate above them. Just like withFinal Fantasy 7 Remake’s Midgarplates, Junon City’s metallic shadow is greater than ever inRebirth, and it does a great job of emphasizing Shinra’s villainy.
Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s Junon City to the 1997 Original
Junon City’s newfound sense of scale is even more apparent when players finally make their way up there inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. After sneaking past some Shinra battalions,Cloud, Tifa, and Aerithfind themselves on the central strip of Junon City. To the left is the vast sea, and to the right is a wall of buildings, packed in horizontally with no room between them. The originalFinal Fantasy 7did a good job of showing this “efficient” city structure, butRebirthtakes it one step further by showing just how tall these buildings are, presumably being able to fit in plenty of Shinra elite.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthalso does a great job of using its enhanced scale and visuals to really emphasize the lavish nature of the city. WhileJunon Citylooked a tad dark and grimy in the original,Rebirthgives the entire city a very bright color palette, using the naturalistic lighting of a sunset to highlight the clean, white building facades, all of which paint a picture of Junon City being a place only for Shinra’s most wealthy citizens.
This notion is also reinforced byRebirth’s slight layout changes. Placed behind the building facades on the main street, Junon City now has an elegant shopping mall connecting all of its vendors and offices together. Not only does this make a bit more sense than having Cloud enter random buildings on the main street at his own leisure, but it also hints at how wealthy Junon’s citizens must be, which makes the contrast between Junon City and Under Junon even more prevalent than in the original.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
