Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a rather opaque relationship system, which is primarily aimed at dates with certain characters in the Gold Saucer. Depending on who you make friends with during the course of the adventure, you will be granted a date with that very person in the magical Gold Saucer.
But what do you do if you’ve met the wrong person? What if I’m supposed to go on a date with a character I don’t really want to?
Then you have a small problem and I’ll explain what you can do about it.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Dates in the Gold Saucer
In order to understand the problem itself, we first need to take a quick look at how the relationship system in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth basically works.
You can easily tell from the outside whether you are on good terms with a person or not. That’s what the smileys are for. The blue, laughing smiley is the best smiley a person can have.
Everything else is a gradation. Green is a good affection and the other colors correspond to a less good affection.
And this is where the catch comes in: What if I’ve created a blue smiley face for all the characters?
The game does not actually calculate in smileys, but with a hidden rating system. For example, Aerith may have 90 points and Tifa 92 points. However, both then have a blue smiley on the outside. This is just a simplified representation for us as players.
So the problem is: at a certain point, it is no longer possible to tell who we are better (!) off with.
What dating options are available?
There are five different dating options in the first run of the main game. You can go on a date in the Gold Saucer with any of the following characters:
- Aerith
- Tifa
- Barret
- Red XIII
- Yuffie
And then there are Cid, Vincent and Cait Sith, with whom this is not immediately possible (only after completing the game, more on this later). These characters do not have a hidden rating.
The respective character then knocks on Cloud’s door in the Haunted Hotel in the Gold Saucer. If Barret knocks, for example, you also go on a date with Barret and so on.
How can I influence the rating?
Side tasks & missions
If you are already in chapter 12 and have completed most of the side quests, I have some bad news for you. It’s quite difficult to effectively influence the rating now.
This is because a character builds up the greatest affection for Cloud when we do side missions that have to do with the character in question.
In theory, you can skip the side quests that have to do with characters you don’t want to go on a date with.
For example, if you start an assignment and you notice that a certain person is speaking up, it is set in stone that the affection for this person will also increase if this assignment is successfully completed.
Important information! The missions earn a lot of points in this rating, so you should always check which missions you want to complete. Take a look at the following picture. On the right edge of the job picture you can see which character the job is for. The quest: Harbinger of Doom, for example, strengthens your affection for Aerith.
For example, if you want to trigger a date with Aerith, you should complete all missions in all regions that have to do with her. You can then complete the other missions after the date in the Gold Saucer!
Synchronized attacks
Apart from this, there are other factors that influence affection, but only minimally. For example, the synchronized attacks and synchronized skills that you can unlock via the party board.
When a synchronized attack is activated for the first time, the bond increases by a few points. Use this to strengthen your bond with a specific character if you wish.
Costa del Sol beach
There is also a small, rather inconspicuous option to strengthen your affection for Tifa or Aerith. You have to put Cloud and Aerith or Tifa in the same swimsuits. Cloud’s and Aerith’s outfits must match in order to receive a boost with Aerith.
Activities
There are smaller activities here and there. In the Gold Saucer, for example, you can compete against Yuffie in Wonder Square in Chapter 12. If you defeat her in this Brawler mini-game, your affection for her will increase a little.
In Nibelheim, for example, there is an activity that has to do with Aerith. If you answer her incorrectly at the water tank with the windmill, she will be angry with Cloud. It’s better not to tell her the truth here, that Tifa is a good, long-time friend. The bond with Aerith can’t diminish, but it won’t increase as much in this case.
In the end, individual dialog options are also relevant. It’s not for nothing that there is a hidden rating, as there are simply an incredible number of small gears.
Is all the drama about the date worth it?
Now we come to the most important question I asked myself during Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Is all the drama worth it? Or can I just ignore the dating thing?
In a way, there’s good news here: you don’t get any extra weapons, materia or accessories when you date a certain person. So in this respect, you can date anyone and you’re done.
But there is one small thing that I would like to mention at this point. I advise you not to read on for spoiler reasons. But if you’re not interested in the spoiler, I have a tiny detail for you that you might want to mention in this context.
The intimate end
Cloud has a wonderful day at the Gold Saucer and the highlight is not only a firework display, but also an intimate ending with the person in question. Among other things, this implies intimacy.
However, this doesn’t happen with all characters. This is not the case with Barret, for example. Here, he merely gives Cloud some friendly advice to face his love openly.
So if you want to see a romantic scene with your favorite characters, you can’t avoid dealing with the whole relationship drama.
Wrong date: What should I do now?
First of all, I would advise everyone to let things take their course. After all, you have achieved this natural progression with your style of play and this is the end result?
But if that’s not enough, there’s another option at the very end. Once you have played through the main game, you can return directly to Chapter 12 and select the dating option in advance.
The game then increases the hidden rating, so to speak, so that you are guaranteed to go on a date with this person.
So if you’re not quite so happy with your dating life in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, you can watch the relevant scenes after the game.
A few final words: One small thing is important. If you went on a date with a person in the Gold Saucer (in Chapter 8) on your first date, this does not necessarily mean that this will also happen in Chapter 12. The rating continues after Chapter 8 and can then lead you to a new dating partner. The highest rating decides the new one.
