Losing One Of FF7 Rebirth's Best Combat Features Might Make FF7 Remake Part 3 Better

Summary Losing a party member may impact combat in FF7 Remake Part 3, creating a gap in support abilities.

Feeling a party member's absence in the gameplay can enhance the sense of loss.

FF7 Remake Part 3 could potentially keep skills alive through new party members or support options.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a lot of great combat mechanics in play, but FF7 Remake Part 3 probably won't be able to keep all of them around, and losing some arguably essential pieces could actually be for the best. Expanding on the action system introduced in FF7 Remake, FF7 Rebirth merges high-intensity gameplay with a dizzying array of menu-based options. It's a bundle of features bursting at its seams, but learning how to make all the pieces work together in perfect unison can be a satisfying part of the journey.

[Warning: Major spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and the original FF7.]

One especially great part of FF7 Rebirth's approach to combat is how much distinction it brings to each character's participation in battle. Like the original FF7, there's a lot of flexibility offered by allowing every character to equip any variety of materia, but there's also a lot that doesn't cross over between party members. Whether building up power through defense as Red XIII or swapping between ranged elemental attacks and quick melee hits as Yuffie, discovering how each character fits into the picture is more rewarding than ever before.

Related One Essential FF7 Rebirth Combat Feature Is Easy To Miss The basic features of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth combat are generally easy to get the hang of, but one thing can escape attention altogether.

Losing Aerith Will Impact FF7 Remake Part 3 Combat

Aerith's Wards & Support Abilities Are A Huge Part Of Combat

Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

Although FF7 Rebirth plays around a bit with Aerith's big moment, Sephiroth still ends her life, and severing her from the party in such a violent way leaves a sudden gap in the combat system. In FF7 Rebirth, Aerith's status as a support character is significantly expanded through a number of unique abilities, and there's no obvious way to fill the void that her death will create. The biggest loss might be her various wards and defensive abilities, which make it possible to withstand assaults from intensely powerful enemies and bosses with some smart timing and positioning.

Aerith is also involved in a number of the best synergy skills and abilities in the game, and using Bodyguard can help keep her safe so that she can do the same for others.

The impact of Aerith's departure on combat isn't an entirely new conundrum, as she makes the perfect designated party healer in the original game, and losing her then could still cause some re-strategizing. Without as many specialized features, however, foisting support materia on any other party member could make for a reasonably effective solution. Although their stats weren't as geared towards maximizing healing as Aerith's were, the gulf isn't so huge as to cause any enormous problems, making it reasonably easy for even those who heavily relied on Aerith to get a new party composition going.

Missing Combat Features Can Help FF7 Remake Part 3

Feeling Aerith's Absence In Combat Can Enhance The Sense Of Loss

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Mechanically, this might seem like nothing but a problem, but the fact that Aerith's death can get in the way of gameplay is actually cool from a thematic and narrative standpoint. The weight of Aerith's death is a big focal point of the game, grounding a fantastical adventure in something that feels undeniably real and impossible to fix. Actively being reminded of that absence through the loss of her contributions to combat reinforces the idea in a meaningful way, and being forced to work around a missing strategic piece can help show how much she mattered.

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One smart way that FF7 Rebirth might have been setting up this transition lies in the final battle with Sephiroth, which teams Cloud with Aerith to withstand an onslaught of devastating attacks. More than ever, this last fight is a reminder of just how critical Aerith's help can be, as her defensive and restorative abilities offer life-saving recovery opportunities when he unleashes his worst blows.

Going from this last pairing to a world where that's no longer possible will be a stark contrast, and it could help reinforce the fact that Cloud's delusions of Aerith living on have no bearing on the real world. If FF7 Remake Part 3 expands Cloud's final duel with Sephiroth at the end of the very last fight, it could also mirror Rebirth's climactic combat, showcasing a heightened struggle without her.

How FF7 Remake Part 3 Could Keep Aerith's Skills Alive

Good Support Options Might Not Disappear Entirely

Of course, there's still more to be done with the multiversal story that the FF7 Remake trilogy injects into the classic narrative, and it's possible that Aerith's abilities will show up in FF7 Remake Part 3 in some form or another. There's definitely a tightrope to walk there, and FF7 Rebirth doesn't navigate it perfectly, with some of the extra machinations distracting from the impact of key moments toward the end. FF7 Remake Part 3 has the chance to partially atone for those sins, and committing fully to the weight of Aerith's death might be necessary to stick the landing.

Related FF7 Rebirth Sets Up A Huge Villain Problem For FF7 Remake Part 3 Of all the changes in FF7 Rebirth, one fundamental shift in approach makes bringing things to a showstopping climax particularly challenging.

FF7 Remake Part 3 should also be adding two new playable party members in the form of Cid Highwind and Vincent Valentine. Cid has never been especially good at magic, but although Vincent's gameplay is classically centered around his guns, he's also one of the better casters in the original game. It's possible that FF7 Remake Part 3 will lean into some new support options for Vincent or simply distribute some among multiple party members, a valid approach that still needs to be used in moderation if the impact of Aerith's loss is to be preserved in the gameplay.

How FF7 Remake Part 3 will ultimately handle the loss of Aerith's support options remains to be seen, but it's an interesting design challenge that actually has the potential to be good for the game. FF7 is ultimately a story-focused experience, and making a gameplay sacrifice to further hone that aspect is a trade that could ultimately be worthwhile. Meeting or exceeding the standard set by Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's combat might be a tall order for FF7 Remake Part 3, but if the game plays its cards right, it might just be able to dodge that responsibility altogether.