The impossible is possible: after 27 years, speedrunners have turned the main myth of Final Fantasy VII into reality

Ever since the release of the original Final Fantasy VII over 27 years ago, players have wondered: Is it possible to save someone who is destined to die from death? Speedrunners have proven that it is possible. Warning: spoilers.

Image source: SQUARE ENIX

We are, of course, talking about the most famous and tragic moment of the entire Final Fantasy VII – the death of the flower girl Iris at the hands of Sephiroth. For years there were rumors that the girl could be saved, saved, or even revived, but they all remained just tales.

Almost 30 years later, speedrunners AceZephyr and Kuma have actually discovered a way to avoid Iris’s fate and save about two hours from completing the game. A video demonstrating the trick was published by Luzbel.

The discovered loophole allows you to jump from Midgar straight to the Forgotten Capital, without parting with Iris (in the story, she leaves the squad), and take part in the boss battle that follows the scene of Iris’s death (with her on the team).

The trick itself is extremely complex (see half-hour instructions) and involves walking on the ocean. The bug is related to the way the game stores data about places on the world map that are available for movement, and is currently only possible in the version without random battles.

Since Final Fantasy VII doesn’t expect Iris to be in the party after she dies, it becomes unplayable if the girl is present in scenes where she shouldn’t be. Speedrunners are already working on ways to get around this problem.

Final Fantasy VII was released back in 1997 on the original PlayStation, and has since been ported to all modern platforms. Earlier in 2024, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second of three parts of a large-scale remake of the game, was released on PS5.