One FF7 Rebirth Mechanic Isn't Fully Explained Until It's Too Late

Summary How relationships work in FF7 Rebirth isn't always obvious, but a post-game feature makes things clearer.

The Play Log lays out the full checklist of features that affect relationships, incentivizing potential second playthroughs.

Relationship progress is determined by four main categories, with demands that can vary for each character.

Navigating the world of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth isn't that tricky as a whole, but one element that's easy to get tripped up on is the game's approach to relationships. FF7 Rebirth makes a major departure from both the original FF7 and FF7 Remake by making relationship progress with party members a central part of the game, with the ultimate payoff lying in a number of potential dates at the Gold Saucer. Although the basic thrust of the system is clear enough, some key aspects aren't actually revealed until after the credits roll.

The most obvious implementation of FF7 Rebirth's relationship mechanics lies in conversations with characters throughout the game, where saying something that a party member respects or wants to hear can gain their affection. Similarly straightforward is the attachment of relationship progress to Odd Jobs, the side quests littered throughout the world that have individual party members attached. There's a bit of extra complexity in the fact that some side quests can be completed imperfectly, however, and that's only the tip of the iceberg for how specific the system can get.

Related Every Gold Saucer Date Scene, Ranked Best To Worst There are six possible Gold Saucer dates in FF7 Rebirth, either romantic or platonic and each with its own pros and cons. Here’s how they compare.

FF7 Rebirth's Play Log Reveals Relationship Secrets

Play Log Unlocks When Beating The Game

After finishing FF7 Rebirth, a new feature called the Play Log becomes available, and this finally opens up the ability to truly understand the relationship system. It's a weird choice, as it's only a useful metric at this point for those intending on another playthrough. FF7 Rebirth is clearly trying to incentivize second runs in general, as likewise evidenced by the hard mode only being available as essentially a New Game Plus feature, but it's a big ask when a single playthrough can take over a hundred hours to cover all the side quests, World Intel, and minigame mastery.

There's an argument to be made that saving the Play Log until post-game helps make the game experience more immersive and less built around following a spreadsheet, but it just meshes in a strange way with the lack of agency afforded by the relationship system. Unlike a game like Baldur's Gate 3, where affinity makes it possible to romance a partner of the player's choosing, FF7 Rebirth simply runs with the highest bond for the date at the Gold Saucer.

Related How To Romance Aerith In FF7 Rebirth (Best Dialogue Choices) Aerith is the top romantic partner in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and for good reason! She is a great choice and the easiest companion to date.

The lack of a choice or a clear indication of which character is the front-runner can make this approach nerve-racking, especially for those intent on getting a date with either Aerith or Tifa. Either of these options can be contended as canon, and the choice can significantly change the emotional thrust behind some major story events. Although FF7 Rebirth uses a series of smiley face symbols to show affinities, it's easy to have every character at the highest indicator by the second visit to the Gold Saucer, making it impossible to tell who's in the lead.

How Relationships Work In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Everything That Affects Relationship Status

Close

For each character with a relationship tracker in FF7 Rebirth, progress is ultimately determined by four main categories, each of which has its own progress bar that's revealed in the Play Log at the end of the game:

Conversations

Odd Jobs

Synergy Skills & Abilities

Story Beats

Synergy Skills & Abilities ticks up every time a particular synergy option is used for the first time, but using the same ones repeatedly won't have any effect on it.

Story Beats is further divided between four and six distinct subcategories depending on the character, focusing on main story moments where Cloud can manage to bond if he takes the relevant approach. Some of these ultimately prioritize characters over each other, like "Costa del Sol Beach Fight Partner," while instances like "Inauguration Parade" are simply dependent upon the application of skill to impress everyone that can be influenced by the event.

Character Story Beats Barret Costa del Sol Beach Fight Partner

Corel Minecart Route & Score

Corel Prison Buggy Escape

Loveless

Skywheel Date Tifa Inauguration Parade

Same Taste in Beachwear

Costa del Sol Beach Fight Partner

Loveless

Skywheel Date Aerith Inauguration Parade

Same Taste in Beachwear

Costa del Sol Beach Fight Partner

Loveless

Skywheel Date Red XIII Shinra-8 Queen's Blood Tournament

Costa del Sol Beach Fight Partner

Gold Saucer Welcome Brawl with Dio

Gold Saucer Queen's Blood Rematch

Loveless

Skywheel Date Yuffie Corel Minecart Route & Score

3D Brawler Match

Loveless

Skywheel Date

It's not that hard to manipulate relationships in FF7 Rebirth, or at least to sabotage the ones that would get in the way of the perfect Gold Saucer date. The easiest thing to do is leave certain side quests unfinished until after the second trip to the Gold Saucer, as there's still a window of opportunity in between that story sequence and the point of no return for side quests in FF7 Rebirth. Some of the story beats can also be easily navigated, like only matching Cloud's beachwear to whichever girl is the ultimate preference for the date.

Perfecting FF7 Rebirth Relationships Can Be Confusing

Failing to perfectly optimize the relationship system in FF7 Rebirth isn't a huge deal, as it only has any real impact on the two visits to the Gold Saucer. For anyone especially invested in romance, however, it can be confusing just how much trickier that aspect is to navigate than the rest of the game's mostly clear-cut systems. This might be more true to real life, but there are probably better ways to create a nuanced romance system than an obscured checklist.

Related How To Romance Tifa In FF7 Rebirth (Best Dialogue Choices) Tifa Lockhart is the second major romanceable character in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, acting as Cloud's childhood best friend and companion.

It's worth noting that an additional complexity can be found in the inclusion of Intimate Dates, which will only be triggered if a relationship is at the highest standard level indicated by the smiley faces. It isn't necessary to do everything right to get this outcome, but it does require wrangling a decent majority. These versions of the scenes sometimes make significant changes, like the addition of a kiss in one instance.

There's a possibility that relationship progress could also have an impact on the next game, so the Play Log might still be of use to those who aren't planning on replaying any chapters. At any rate, it's nice to get a look at how Cloud managed to get on with every character, even if it comes at a point that's too late to be of any real use. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's relationship system is a strange one, but once everything is laid out directly, all of its vague points start to become a lot clearer.