I ended up on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s lamest date. It was perfect for me

digitaltrends.com:

It was the big moment.

After dozens of hours traveling with my companions, I had made it to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s “date” sequence. It would be a moment of quiet before what I expected to be a heavy conclusion, one where I’d get to see which of my party members I’d formed the strongest bond with and take them out for a night at the Gold Saucer. I couldn’t wait to see who was waiting for me behind Cloud’s hotel room door. Would it be Aerith? Did I do enough to woo Tifa? I swung the door open and didn’t see anyone at my eye level. My eyes panned down to the floor.

No. It couldn’t be. I was going on a “date” with Red XIII!?

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It should have been an anticlimactic moment. Rather than getting a smooch, I’d be trapped in a Ferris wheel with an overly enthusiastic wolf child. Even Cloud seemed disappointed, slumping his shoulders as Red XIII dragged him over to the Skywheel. It felt like a punchline built to poke fun at me for blowing it with Tifa. But my night out with Red XIII wasn’t a joke. It’s the moment from my entire playthrough that I remember most fondly now, one that helped me accept a part of myself that I’ve been struggling with for years.

A night on the town

Like some of its RPG peers, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth contains a social bond system. Throughout the adventure, Cloud can upgrade his relationship with each party member by completing side quests or chatting with them. Compared to games like Metaphor: ReFantazio, it’s a sparse system. There’s no chart that tracks friendship levels and no