I recently finished playingFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and it’s been a mixed but mostly positive experience. I completely love the story but admit thatI am terrible at mini-games, which became a problem for me moving forward because the game is inundated with so many of them. But if I were to put proverbial bookends on the experience, I would say that I overall loved it, and that love began in the town of Kalm.
A “Kalm” Experience
In Chapter 2 of the game, properly titled “A New Journey Begins,” you find yourself as Cloud in the town of Kalm. The town’s name works as a double entendre because, after a rather burning introduction to the game, watching Sephiroth iconically torch down Cloud’s hometown and become the villain we all know him as, you could use a bit of a breather.
You begin in a hotel and then are given a moment to catch up with your friends and even gain some friendship points with each of your party members. Red XIII also formally joins the party.
Walking around Kalm was also a nice moment because Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a robust game and there’s a lot thrown at you all at once. I couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the amount of information coming at me. Walking through the busy streets was meditative, and there were conversations to eavesdrop on at different places.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Gave Me The Moment I’ve Needed For 15 Years
My heart can’t take it.
Walking through Kalm can be a very quick experience, but I highly encourage anyone who plays through this part to really slow down and take in the experience. Two experiences that solidified Kalm as one of my favorite places to visit in Rebirth were going to the clock tower with Aerith and Akira’s concert.
As anunabashed member of Team Aerith, naturally, I chose her for a date to ascend the tower within Kalm, a moment in the game that, in hindsight, holds a special place in my heart. Being a fervent Aerith fan, I cherished every moment she appeared on screen, soaking in her gestures, words, and subtle expressions, knowing that she often conceals her true emotions.
Her playful insistence on scaling the tower felt like her way of establishing a friendly rivalry with Tifa, who shared a childhood memory of a similar tower experience with Cloud. It underscored Aerith’s pivotal role as the emotional core of the story, destined to profoundly influence Cloud’s character development. Moreover, this scene served as a poignant introduction to the game’s skillful navigation of quieter moments amidst the whirlwind of mini-games and weightier plot points.
But when she let go of Cloud’s hand adventure on his, that was when I came across Akira’s little concert.
Yuffie Is Perfectly Written In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Materia Girl
The Story Of A Struggling Singer
You can easily pass over Akira’s mini-concert in Kalm, and this is both the most beautiful and tragic thing about such a small but well-thought-out detail put into the game. It also speaks to the overall detail put into this game. Even an easily missable NPC is given story depth.
The concert consists of three songs, and all three are fairly short. I found it worthwhile to wait around and appreciate the details. Once he performs the third song, he basically loops around and does all three songs until you leave. This makes it easy to catch the entire concert even if you happen to notice it midway through.
Cloud will acknowledge the concert if you get within proximity, give the man a quiet clap, which, let’s be honest, is quite a big gesture for our brooding hero.
His first song, “Gotta Walk On,” serves as a heartfelt dedication to his fans, conveying his determination to forge ahead on his life’s journey. Amidst bursts of confetti, he launches into his next upbeat track, “Golden Sparks,” a poignant tribute to a lost love, expressing his longing for her through his lyrics. Lastly, he delivers my personal favorite, “Midgar Blues,” a song that not only catapulted his career but also laid bare his deepest vulnerabilities. It’s evident that the town, which was the focal point of much of the drama in the first game, has left an indelible mark on him.
Small Moments, Big Impacts
The beauty of this experience lies in its subtlety. It’s a small detail easily overlooked unless one takes the time to stroll through the town and truly observe. Rushing to dive into the expansive world of Rebirth might have caused me to overlook this man and his story entirely.
It was a brilliant narrative technique that effectively underscored how the events of the first game had far-reaching consequences beyond the main cast, impacting the lives of ordinary individuals like a struggling singer. Their actions reverberated, prompting these smaller characters to reassess their notions of success and find new sources of motivation amidst crumbling circumstances.
