Summary
Warning: This article contains MAJOR spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Proceed at your own risk.
A recurring element of theFinal Fantasy 7saga is the play Loveless, and it is once again significant to the series inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Throughout theFinal Fantasy 7games, Loveless takes on two major forms: the original poem and the stage production based on the poem. Although Loveless tends to only appear as a background world-building element,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthmakes it apparent that the play is more than just a background detail and is more intertwined with the game’s plot than players might think.
Fans who have playedCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionare likely familiar with the symbolism of Lovelessin that game, with Genesis frequently quoting the poem throughout it. While the story ofCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunioncould be seen as a parallel to the poem version of Loveless,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthcan be seen in many ways as a parallel to its stage adaptation. These parallels become apparent under specific circumstances inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthand aren’t fully revealed until the game’s finale.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s ‘Loveless’ Play is More Significant than Players Might Think
The main story of Loveless follows three men, known as the Hero, the Prisoner, and the Traveler, as they seek to find a treasure referred to as the Gift of the Goddess. InCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, the three primary SOLDIERs at the center of the story, Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth, represent the Hero, the Traveler, and the Prisoner, respectively, while the Gift of the Goddess refers to the Jenova cells they have been bestowed with. InFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, players have the chance to see the play version of Loveless performed at theGold Saucer during Chapter 12, wherein Cloud and his date take on the roles of the Prisoner, Alphreid, and his lover, Rosa.
To see the most symbolic version of Loveless, players will want to ensure that theirGold Saucer date is with Aerith, putting her in the role of Rosa during the play’s performance. The use of Loveless throughout the originalFinal Fantasy 7and its remake project is largely representative of Cloud and Aerith’s relationship, given that they meet on the street in Midgar named after it. As such, seeing the two perform in the leading roles duringFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s Chapter 12 holds a special significance to the greater plot, and even foreshadows the game’s ending.
How ‘Loveless’ Foreshadows Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s Finale
While it may not seem significant at the time players experience the Loveless performance during Chapter 12, there are some surprising ways it mirrors the game’s finale, foreshadowingFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s heartbreaking ending. During the performance,Cait Sithdelivers a line of narration that claims that all tales that begin with a chance encounter are fated to end with a tearful farewell. While this line refers to Alphreid and Rosa in the context of the play, it also parallels Cloud and Aerith’s chance meeting that ends with Aerith’s death during the climax ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Aside from this ominous line of dialogue, this performance of Loveless is also significant in that it provides imagery of Cloud and Aerith that will come up again in the game’s finale. The embrace shared by Alphreid and Rosa on stage almost exactly mirrors the embrace shared by Cloud and Aerith in the alternate universe version of the Sector 5 church at the beginning of Chapter 14. To solidify the parallels between Loveless andFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s finale, the play ends with Alphreid and Rosa teaming up to fight Varvados and Garm, much like how the final boss fight of the game sees Cloud and Aerith teaming up to fight Sephiroth.
