Should you run into the Midgar Zolom when you first venture outside in Final Fantasy VII, you’re as good as dead. Only by riding a chocobo can you cross its territory in pursuit of Sephiroth. But when you do traverse the marshes, a shocking sight awaits – the giant serpent impaled on a split tree, apparently slain by your nemesis, a sign of his incredible power. Message received and understood.
There’s no getting around that in Rebirth this episode is fumbled, taking you through the process of securing a chocobo and navigating the marsh only to have the serpent ambush you anyway, forcing you to defeat it. Only after you win the battle does Sephiroth manifest and skewer the unfortunate creature, which fails to communicate the same gulf in strength between your gang and this living legend. All because Rebirth can’t resist an opportunity for a boss fight.
At moments like this it’s easy to accuse Square Enix’s remake project of clumsy revisionism. The first episode already had its detractors thanks to a metanarrative suggesting that the plot really was repeating previous events, with fate trying to ensure everyone fulfilled their prescribed roles. As fate was eventually sent packing, we were left in a ‘what if’ parallel reality in which Zack Fair, whose death preceded events of the original, had survived after all, and anything could happen from there on in.