Summary
Cid Highwind is one of the characters fans couldn’t wait to meet whenFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirtharrived. While he certainly isn’t as popular as Vincent Valentine or Yuffie Kisaragi, someFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthplayers adore what he brings to the table. While he makes an appearance in the game, he takes a backseat compared to Yuffie and Cait Sith and only acts as a means of transportation for the main cast. Cid’s presence inFF7 Rebirthdoes serve a rather important purpose beyond that, however.
Cid’s presence is a testament to how much things have changed,both inFinal Fantasy 7proper, and in reality. Cid’s role mechanically hasn’t changed, as him and his Tiny Bronco were always a method of transportation, but returning old school fans will likely notice that his entire storyline is absent from the new release. Cid is spending his time being a private plane service for those who send smoke signals, with a new purpose in the story dealing with his past with Aerith’s mother. These changes might remove a bit of Cid’s character for some, or change it for the better.
The Changes to Cid Highwind in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Come With Many Pros and Cons
Cid Highwind’s Old Origin Story Hasn’t Aged Well
The origin story forCid thatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthfansmiss out on explains why the pilot is so obsessed with travel. In the original game, Cid was actually meant to be a core member of Shinra’s space corps program. When Cid was meant to ride a rocket to be the first ever man in space, his assistant Shera risked being burned to death by the engines to repair a fatal flaw. Cid sacrificed his dream to make sure Shera stayed alive, and as a result he resented her, demeaning her and being borderline verbally abusive towards her.
The New Story Behind Cid Seems to Make Up For Lost Time
InFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirththe entire talk of Shinra’s space program seems to be completely changed, with Cid’s larger motivation to help the groupcoming from a desire to help Aerith. He says he originally joined Shinra to become a pilot but only worked repairs, coming across Aerith’s mom Ifalna likely while she was still a test subject. Once he finds out Ifalna died, he asks Aerith if there’s anything he can do for her in the face of what happened to her mom. This leads to the party travelling to the Gold Saucer for free, leading Cid to become their usual means of transportation for the rest of the game.
These changes might remove a bit of Cid’s character for some, or change it for the better.
Cid’s Lost His Edge, But He’s Also Lost the Damage He’s Caused
One version of Cid is most certainly rougher but uncomfortably rude, whereas another is kinder but might be so kind that he loses his uniquenesscompared toFinal Fantasy’s other Cids. The new backstory dealing with Cid and Ifalna most certainly seems to be making up for how abusive Cid was to Shera in the past. It begs the question if this change is worth it when Cid seems to be a character who’s only purpose is to be recognized by older fans with very little for newer players to enjoy. The timing is a bit tragic, too, as video games have evolved to where Cid can absolutely swear as much as he wants without being censored like in the original, but he’s lost much of his frustration to where he isn’t as big of a fan of swear words as he used to be. At the very least, there’s still room to expand on his character in the third installment, whenever it may arrive.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
