Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth showed a scene that fans have wanted for 26 years

The one factor extra evil than Sephiroth is pitting Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gainsborough towards one another.

Ever for the reason that authentic Last Fantasy 7 got here out in 1997, followers have debated which character Cloud ought to date. There’s Tifa, the childhood pal with a heat smile, or Aerith, a brilliant imaginative and prescient of hope for a dying world. The primary recreation established a basic love triangle, and now — 26 years later — Last Fantasy 7 Rebirth has revived the talk by displaying a never-before-seen romantic facet to its spiky-haired hero.

The unique Last Fantasy 7 did little to stoke real love between Cloud and his love pursuits. Though he has varied moments the place he can specific curiosity in both woman, selecting one over the opposite usually resulted in jealousy or harm emotions from the rejected celebration. The unique framing created a little bit of a contest between Tifa and Aerith, and it didn’t precisely age properly. Luckily for these of us who adore each of them, the builders left these components out of Last Fantasy 7 Remake, and the younger girls get to share a loving and supportive friendship.

Rebirth continues this normal strategy, and additional develops the bonds between Tifa and Aerith. Nonetheless, even these two characters can’t escape the tendencies of the bigger fandom. When Sq. Enix launched Rebirth, followers flooded social media with with posts discussing which pairing they help and why they really feel that means, given new developments in Rebirth. The sport reignited the basic “Clerith” versus “Cloti” discourse, and it’s all due to one huge scene. When you’re into the characters and the romance within the recreation, it’s a monumental occasion that got here a shock to followers.

[Ed. note: The post contains spoilers for the intimate Gold Saucer date in Chapter 12 of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.]

Graphic: Julia Lee/gamerjive | Supply photographs: Sq. Enix

Now that we’ve acquired via the non-spoiler part of this publish, I can simply reduce to the large factor that occurred: Cloud and Tifa kiss… gasp!

To see the kiss, you have to get the “intimate” model of the second date with Tifa. In it, Cloud will pull her in for a hug, after which afterwards, the 2 kiss. It’s a surprising second within the recreation. Glittering fireworks mild up the sky via the home windows of an adorned Ferris wheel carriage. They each have gone via lots of hardship by that time, and seeing them collectively offers a fleeting sense of reduction in a shattered world.

Given how the builders dealt with the romantic parts of the sport previous to Rebirth, Cloud’s grand romantic gesture shocked followers. The awkward hero has by no means kissed one other character earlier than, and Tifa’s date in Rebirth is the one one which ends with a kiss from Cloud. To many, the smooch provides a transparent signal that Cloud and Tifa have a particular bond that’s unique to the 2 of them — however even then, there are nonetheless some ambiguities.

This isn’t simply because individuals have totally different interpretations of occasions or the characters’ intentions. It’s additionally as a result of individuals would possibly play via barely totally different tales. In Rebirth, gamers nurture their relationships with particular characters, and in the end, Cloud goes on a date with the character who has the closest bond with him. Followers of Aerith would possibly go on a date along with her and would take note of the candy moments that unfold, whereas Tifa stans may go and do the identical. Gamers see totally different cutscenes relying on who has the strongest bond with Cloud, and naturally it will make sense to favor one or the opposite in anyone particular playthrough of the sport.

So whereas we lastly acquired to see the large kiss that’s been on followers’ minds for 26 years, no less than followers of Aerith can get their fair proportion of candy moments too. All’s properly that ends properly, and both means, I’m simply fascinated about any alternative to make Tifa smile. So if you happen to’re like me and wish to decide who you date primarily based on this data, gamerjive has acquired you lined with a information.