Final Fantasy VII Rebirth makes one impactful change to Barret’s story

This article contains story spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Ahead of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth‘s launch, fans were buzzing about how the sequel would tackle Aerith’s story. The holy healer was a major focus of Square Enix’s marketing, making it clear that one of gaming’s most iconic moments would be pivotal to the adventure. But for me, I was more curious about how another tragedy would play out: the tale of Barret and Dyne.

Final Fantasy VII will forever be a special game to me because it’s the first one I played in which the characters felt like real people instead of avatars. Prior to that, characters in games seemed to only exist in the context of your main character interacting with them. When I first played it, I never once questioned why Barret had a gun for an arm or asked if there was a story behind his daughter Marlene. Once I reached Corel and then the prison below the Gold Saucer, I started to realize that Barret had an entire life before I met him that informed every part of his character.

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Those two threads come to a head with a confrontation with Dyne, one of his old pals who turns into a sub-boss in both the original release and Rebirth. While I don’t know that a remake could ever replicate how that character-defining moment felt at the time, Rebirth‘s take on the Dyne saga winds up being one of its best moments. That’s thanks to one small tweak that makes it all feel that much more real.

You’re gonna carry that weight

The setup for Barret and Dyne’s confrontation is nearly identical in both releases. We learn that Barret pushed to allow Shinra to build a Mako reactor in their town while his friend Dyne opposed the idea. Dyne is overruled with tragic results. A few years later, the reactor blows, Shinra comes in