Come to think of it, the original Final Fantasy 7 was probably the first game I’ve ever played that had a “dating sim” element to it. Back in the late 90s, I hadn’t played Persona yet, and I wasn’t a PC gamer yet, so I hadn’t discovered the CRPG style before crazy dates like Mass Effect and Dragon Age mischief.
Manage cookie settings
I didn’t even think about this the first time I played FF7. I didn’t follow a guide, so every dialogue choice I made was just based on my gut. When you get to the Gold Saucer halfway through the game, I’m assuming everyone saw the scene I did – the cute little Ferris wheel date between Claude and Aerith. Later, I learned the truth – in subsequent playthroughs, I added the option of early parts of the game to see scenes with all eligible actors (including Barrett).
I think this is one of the joys of FF7’s dating system. Whether by design or simply through developer oversight, it’s a confusing mechanic, with the stats that determine your date and the events that adjust it visible only to fans who launch the save game editor or view the game’s code.
In the years since, a simpler, more direct way to achieve this relationship has developed. The dialogue in the game feels more organic, which helps a lot. But beyond that, games like Mass Effect and even Persona make it very clear that what you’re doing changes your relationship with the character, both through subtle and sledgehammer implications. Now, without a guide, it’s easier than ever to chase down the specific companion you want for your protagonist. And, you know, that’s a good thing. Games are generally more frictionless these days – the evolution of dating mechanics provides a great example of how this is achieved.
But FF7 was born in an era with different philosophies, and it lasted for a while.The original Persona 3 was made nearly a decade after FF7 and didn’t even really have appropriate choose. In that game, if you choose to take a relationship with a girl far enough, it turns into romance. If you try to be friends with multiple girls, your protagonist will end up being friends with multiple partners.
Only in the recent Persona 3 Reload have these storylines been given a platonic variation, with players directly choosing how to proceed, as in later games. In the original FF7, the stealth mechanic resulted in different scenarios, but that was it.
.png?width=690&quality=70&format=jpg&auto=webp)
So the developers of Final Fantasy 7 Reborn are faced with an interesting choice: should their dating system stay true to the original, or should they go for something more modern? The answer is a delightful part of the FF7 Remake series: why not do both?
In Reborn, you really get the best of both worlds. Dating and relationship mechanics are no longer hidden, and the game gives you regular feedback on the impact of your actions. This comes in the form of Telltale-esque “will remember that” prompts; you’ll be vaguely told that your relationship with Tifa, Aerith, Yuffie, Red XIII, or Barret has “changed,” or even “deepen”. When you’re in the hangout area, the icons that appear above these characters’ heads give you an idea of what level your relationship is on (out of five). But beyond that, the game offers almost no feedback – not even in dialogue.
Basically, it makes things easier. Unlike games like Mass Effect, your relationship with your character doesn’t regularly affect options: it changes the outcome of a single scene. Unlike games like Persona, there’s no obvious level counter to reach the maximum level. The counters on the surface are obviously intentionally vague: so by the end of the game, if you’ve done everything, you probably do know that you’re in the highest “bracket” of favorability toward all five characters. But you don’t get a broader sense of who might be in the lead.
During the game, you will constantly make decisions that affect your emotions. Some are actions in the story: making a certain choice, doing something well, etc. Each side quest in the game is tied to one of five side quests – completing these side quests is guaranteed to give you a relationship boost, and dialogue options and other choices during each quest may adjust the level of boost you get. Plus, of course, there are occasional dialogue options.
.jpg?width=690&quality=70&format=jpg&auto=webp)
There are a few events that seem designed to break ties – story events explicitly make you choose between two options, guaranteeing a favorability boost towards one of them.
all of these sound Pretty clear, right? But here’s the thing: it’s not.Despite giving you more information and feedback throughout the game, when I arrived for Gold Saucer’s much-anticipated date the night… when there was a knock on his hotel room door, I had no idea must Who will be waiting for Claude on the other side.
Choice-based games are great at conveying the consequences of the choices you make. This is largely to minimize player frustration. There is nothing worse than making a choice that results in a random, or worse, unfair outcome. It’s also fun sometimes. But it can often be frustrating.I expect that FF7 Reborn’s dating mechanic will frustrate some people in this sense; they’ll probably make their choices carefully throughout the game, and then still Not getting the love interest of their choice. But that’s life, you know? It feels very real too.
And, reader, I love it. I like not knowing. It just feels different. It just feels cool. It reminds me of my surprise in 1999 when I discovered there were multiple scenes. This kind of choice-based game never inspires a sense of uncertainty in me—probably not since Mass Effect 2. -Released, no guides, no other players and no idea if I’ll lose anyone.
Best of all, FF7 Reborn does this right after the fact. After the credits roll, you can open the menu and see detailed statistics on how story actions affect sentiment values in the character-style relationship status menu. By opening the chapter selector and heading to the chapter for the date, you can explicitly select which character you want your partner to appear in the replay. Basically, it’s the best in the world. I loved it—almost as much as I loved the person I chose to date. What? who is he? none of your business.Play, Skip Selection Guide – See Who you Get it naturally.
Final Fantasy 7 Reborn is out now, exclusive to PS5. You can read our FF7 Reborn review here.