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The original Final Fantasy 7 may be over 27 years old, though speedrunners are still finding ways to not only beat the JRPG as quickly as possible but completely side-step one of its most tragic twists in the process.
Take this as your spoiler warning if you've somehow avoided word of that scene in Final Fantasy 7.
As Twitter user Luzbel789 shares, Final Fantasy 7 speedrunners have discovered their "biggest skip yet," allowing them to go straight to the Forgotten Capital at the end of disc one from Midgar. The skip is currently being optimized at the time of writing, though it is estimated to save at least two hours on a usual speedrun of the classic JRPG at the moment.
As the speedrunner explains, the skip doesn't take advantage of cheats but movement and mechanics. It's all too complicated for my silly lil' brain, but the short of it is mounting and dismounting a Chocobo allows you to glitch the world map to go where you shouldn't be able to – In this case, walking across an ocean, through a mountain, and right to the Forgotten Capital.
The biggest skip in FF7 has been found. pic.twitter.com/HXVfrbOJd4October 23, 2024
What's interesting about the discovery is that it's not just a time saver but a way to save Aerith from her fate without resorting to cheats. As you can see from the clip above, Luzbel789 has Aerith in his party while using the glitch. That does mean you see Aerith watching on as you approach the alter to see, er, Aerith get skewered, but it's best not to think about that too much. The game does and will soft-lock during a cutscene as Aerith is where she shouldn't be. Still! It's progress.
As Luzbel789 shares, the time skip is a big deal. Not only does it shave two hours off a run, but it's the first time someone has figured out how to save Aerith in the regional console version of Final Fantasy 7 without resorting to cheats.
The ability to legitimately spare Aerith from her fate in Final Fantasy 7 remains one of gaming's biggest playground whispers from years gone by – that, and catching a Mew in Pokemon Red without getting up to shenanigans. While those whispers are largely hoaxes, dedicated fans are finding ways to make it a reality these days. Cheats and mods are an easier solution, but using glitches is primarily the route taken – sorry, no secret Easter Eggs from Square Enix here.
Just earlier this year, in fact, players discovered how to use a series of glitches over an hour to add Aerith back into your party after death. That mainly works on the PC and mobile versions of Final Fantasy 7 due to a glitch technique called "warping" not being doable on consoles, though I'd recommend checking out this video from 4-8 Productions if you fancy learning more about it.
Failing that, if you're still caught up about Aerith dying in Final Fantasy 7, you can always play the FF7 Remake trilogy and get stuck into the debate about what's really going on there with everyone's favorite flower girl. Check out our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth ending explainer for more on that joy.
