Nibelheim

Nibelheim (ニブルヘイム) is a small mountain village located at the foot of Mt. Nibel, near Cosmo Canyon in Final Fantasy VII. It is the hometown of both Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart. Years before the start of the game, a devastating incident occurred in the town and was never revealed to the public. Afterward, Shinra claimed the hero, Sephiroth, dead. Most of the Sephiroth Clones, waiting for the Reunion, can be found around the town. There is a Mako Reactor on the nearby Mt. Nibel. The Shinra Mansion is the most prominent structure in the town.

Shinra Mansion
The Shinra Mansion on the outskirts of Nibelheim holds many secrets of Professor Hojo's experiments. The mansion, having been in the Shinra Electric Power Company's possession for ages, was the setting for the experiments that would become the Jenova Project. It is seen as a somewhat derelict house of grandeur with a long walk leading from the outskirts to the entrance.

Many years before the events of the main storyline of Final Fantasy VII, the basement was used for experiments by the head of Shinra's Science Division, Hojo. In competition with his rival Hollander, he tried to create a human with the powers of an Ancient. He decided to use Jenova's cells on his colleague and lover Lucrecia Crescent while she was in early stages of pregnancy, which ultimately led to the birth of Sephiroth, a child born with Jenova cells. Although Sephiroth did not possess the powers of an Ancient, he was raised to be the ultimate SOLDIER while Lucrecia was unable to have a role in his life at all.

The Turk Vincent Valentine, whose mission was to protect the scientists during their experiments, fell in love with Lucrecia. When he heard of the ghastly things being done to her and her unborn child, Vincent confronted Hojo. The argument grew heated, and Hojo shot Vincent. Lucrecia, realizing Vincent had been trying to protect her, instantly went into action to try to save his life. Many experiments were performed on him in order to save him from death. Finally, she discovered a way to use Chaos, the servant of the Omega Weapon, to save Vincent's life, also giving him the ability to transfigure himself. Hojo, seeing the use of this ability, began implanting more and more monsters within him, resulting in Vincent's Limit Breaks seen in Final Fantasy VII. Vincent, however, saw himself as a monster, and a failure for not saving Lucrecia. He decided to repent for his sins by resigning himself to a coffin in the mansion's basement, where he slept almost undisturbed for 23 years.

Cloud and Tifa's Childhood
Despite the nightmare that occurred within the mansion, Nibelheim remained a peaceful town for its residents. Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart both grew up relatively normal. While Tifa played with her three friends, Cloud isolated himself from their group. His mother was his only family, as his father had died while he was young. Being alone, he began to consider the other children childish and himself superior to the others.

One day, Tifa's peaceful life was shattered when her mother died. Emotionally distraught, she believed she could find her again by climbing Mt. Nibel. Though her friends followed, each one slowly broke away as Tifa continued to climb further up the mountain, leaving only Cloud. She ended up injuring herself on the mountain and Cloud, being the only one there with her, was immediately blamed for the incident and forbidden from getting close to Tifa by her father.

During this time, Cloud began to idolize Sephiroth, the hero SOLDIER of the Wutai War. He thought if he could become great like Sephiroth, people would have no choice but to accept him, and also believed he could win Tifa's attention. Before leaving for Midgar he met up with Tifa and told her his plans to become a SOLDIER. Under the moonlight, Cloud promised he would come to her rescue whenever she needed protection.

Cloud left his hometown for the metropolis of Midgar and Tifa began training with Zangan, the martial arts expert, and worked as a guide on Mt. Nibel for tourists and visitors.

The Nibelheim Incident


Years later, Cloud meets his idol Sephiroth, however, he has not attained his goal of becoming SOLDIER First Class. Rather, he is a lowly Shinra infantryman, following Zack Fair on many missions. The two SOLDIERs and their guards head to Nibelheim to investigate a broken section of the Mt. Nibel Reactor. Cloud is too ashamed to show his failure to his hometown, and thus keeps his helmet on when they meet with Tifa, their guide. When a picture is taken of the party before heading out, Cloud stays out of it. He talks to his new-found friend Zack about being embarrassed about going back to his home and his family, but does not say why.

The group makes its way to the Reactor and Sephiroth managed to fix it. However, while inside, he finds the hideous by-products of Hojo's experiments: deformed monsters inside pods that once were human. To further draw Sephiroth's attention is a large sealed door, inscribed with the name Sephiroth had come to associate with his mother he had never met: Jenova. Sephiroth begins to wonder if he is no different than these monsters, and his former friend Genesis Rhapsodos, who had earlier deserted Shinra, appears to confirm his suspicions. Sephiroth locks himself away in the Shinra Mansion basement and reads everything he can about the Jenova Project. The answers drive him to the brink of insanity.

Believing himself to be the heir to the Cetra legacy, due to a misconception that Jenova was an Ancient, Sephiroth slaughters most of the townsfolk and burns the town to the ground. Zack, Tifa, Zangan, and Cloud all try to help, but their efforts are in vain. Cloud's mother and Tifa's father are both killed. His anger spent, Sephiroth climbs Mt. Nibel to find his mother, Jenova, inside the Reactor. He breaks into the sealed room and speaks with the "Jenova Doll" that masks Jenova from view about his plans for finding the Promised Land. Stating that everything will be all right now that they are together, Sephiroth removes the Jenova Doll to look, for the first time, at his mother.

Both Tifa and Zack confront Sephiroth in the Reactor. Enraged, Tifa picks up the Masamune and rushes at Sephiroth, but is quickly disarmed and incapacitated. Zack manages to fight Sephiroth competently for a short time, but eventually, he, too, is defeated and cast aside. Cloud enters last and charges at Sephiroth, impaling him with the Buster Sword. Thinking Sephiroth dead, Cloud leaves to check on Tifa and Zack. However, Sephiroth is still alive and staggers out of Jenova's chamber, holding her dissected head. Cloud attempts to attack Sephiroth again, but is disarmed and impaled through the chest. Using the sword as a lever Cloud picks up Sephiroth, and throws him into the Lifestream, where he supposedly dies.

Zangan rescues Tifa, but both Cloud and Zack are captured by the player Turks of Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-. In Episodes 12 and 13, the player, along with the Turk leader, Veld, help Hojo start his new experiment and hide the events of the incident. Cloud and Zack are both used as test subjects in Hojo's Jenova Reunion Theory. They, and the survivors of Sephiroth's rampage, were injected with pure Jenova cells and kept in tanks of Mako. Zack escapes the tube with the help of his old mentor, Angeal Hewley, who aids him from the Lifestream. Zack frees Cloud, who is struck with a bad case of Mako poisoning, and the two slowly make their way out of the city and back to Midgar. Zack is unaffected by the Mako, possibly due to his already being exposed to it by way of becoming a SOLDIER. The town is rebuilt and repopulated with actors hired by Shinra to make sure word of the incident never gets out. As for Tifa, once she recovered in Midgar she set out to get revenge on Shinra, joining the resistance group AVALANCHE and running its headquarters, the 7th Heaven bar in the Sector 7 slums.

Hunting for Sephiroth
Five years later, Cloud and Tifa have reunited and together search for Sephiroth across The Planet. Their search leads them to their hometown of Nibelheim, now rebuilt and infested with Sephiroth Clones who chant on about Sephiroth and Reunion. Not one of the town's inhabitants recognizes either one of them, since they are all fakes put in place by Shinra. As they go through the Shinra Mansion basement they find Vincent Valentine locked in a coffin. He can be coaxed to join the the party, though little is said of his story. They also encounter Jenova in Sephiroth's disguise who tells Cloud to follow across the mountains. Since Nibelheim holds nothing for them now, Cloud and Tifa leave to Mt. Nibel to continue their search.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
During the events Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, Vincent Valentine returns to the Shinra Mansion, by this time in ruins.

Final Fantasy VII
Nibelheim is comprised of five accessible buildings and the mansion at the end. There is also a route next to the mansion which exits Nibelheim and leads up to Mt. Nibel. There are two times the player enters Nibelheim during the story and takes full control of where they go. The first time is Cloud and Sephiroth during the flashback told at Kalm before Nibelheim was razed, and the second time is with the party is in the restored Nibelheim.

The inn is found in the bottom-left of the town. During the first visit in the flashback, Cloud must enter the inn to talk to Sephiroth to continue with the events on Mt. Nibel after having visited the places around town.
 * Nibelheim Inn

During the first visit with the party, the innkeeper charges 100 gil for a room. There is also a second selectable option, "What's your story?". Selecting this option prompts Cloud to question what is going on with the town not being destroyed; to which he replies saying he grew up in in Nibelheim and that it never burned down, to which prompts Tifa if she is present, or Cloud if she is not, to say he is lying. The innkeeper refutes this.

There is a man in a black cape in the back room only before the Reunion shortly into the start of disc 2. From him the player can receive a Luck Source.

During the flashback visit, nothing occurs here. During the second visit, the man in the black cape standing next to the fire gives an Elixir only before the Reunion shortly into the start of disc 2. The woman at the desk sells items.
 * Nibelheim Item Store

The house in the bottom-right of the town has two-floors. During the flashback there is nothing on the second floor, but a lady and two children on the first. During the visit with the party, there is nothing on the first floor, but the second floor of the house features two figures in black capes, presumably the same children met in the flashback turned to Sephiroth Clones, only before the Reunion shortly into the start of disc 2. From these the player can get a Luck Source.
 * Nibelheim House

In the flashback, if the player enters Tifa's house and does certain things Tifa will question whether Cloud actually did such things. Replying "No" will take the player outside the room.
 * Tifa's House

When on the piano, selecting "Yeah, I jammed on it" brings up another menu. Selecting "I remember" allows Cloud to play it normally. Selecting "I forgot" brings up a piano guide.

When on the piano, selecting "Just a little" brings up sheet music.

The two options that are given regarding the letter on Tifa's desk after selecting "Yeah" to say Cloud had read the letter are "I don't remember..." and "I remember clearly". Selecting the former will cause Tifa to reply with "Then. let's go on with the story about Sephiroth.". If the player selects the latter, Cloud will say "I read it..." followed by "It was a letter addressed to Tifa from the son of the guy that runs the General Store...".

Tifa asks Cloud if he remembers all of it. Selecting "No, that's it" prompts Tifa to say "Then. let's go on with the story about Sephiroth." Selecting "Yeah, I remember it all" continues the reciting of the letter.

The events done here directly change the script later on in the game. In the Whirlwind Maze, Sephiroth creates an illusion of a burning Nibelheim, and makes Cloud question what he did while in-town. "Yeah, I went to Tifa's room. There, I..." "I played the piano!" "I looked in the drawers!" "I read the letter addressed to Tifa!".

Tifa's house has more interactions the seconds time the player goes there with the party. The back room on the first floor a man in a black cape will relinquish a Turbo Ether. Upstairs, another black caped man gives another Turbo Ether.

On the table in Tifa's bedroom a note is found.

If the piano is repeatedly played on, the player can discover 1 gil. When Tifa is the party leader in disc 2, playing the game's main theme gives the player an Elemental Materia, but only if the player made Cloud jam on the piano during the Kalm flashback. Doing this again when Cloud returns as party leader with Tifa in the party will get her Limit Break manual, Final Heaven.

During the flashback, if the player goes into Cloud's House, they can choose whether to watch clips of the events showing Cloud's conversations with his mother.
 * Cloud's House

During the visit with Cloud and the party, Cloud's house has only a lady that refutes the fact Cloud grew up there.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
Nibelheim is accessed in Chapter 5 of Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-. Vincent attempts to enter Shinra Manor through the town sewers. Nibelheim had been compromised by Deepground at the time.

Nibelheim Sewers
The Nibelheim sewers is a large man-made sewer-system that stretches from the Reactor upon Mt. Nibel to the town of Nibelheim beneath Shinra Manor. Sahagin infest the sewers.

Following the path, the player will find a Potion on the right-side, and a Handgun Bullet x72 on the left. Further down on the left is a Phoenix Down. Further on, a Cardkey gate will block the way, on the right is a ladder for the player to climb. Here is a Mako point. From here the player can jump into the water to initiate a Sahagin attack, one of which having the Cardkey. After opening the Cardkey gate, the player should head to the red dot as seen on the map.

Back in the water, through the southern tunnel, and up the stairs is a Rifle Bullets x52 behind the player on their right. Heading left and forwards takes the player to an 1,000 gil pick-up. In the tunnel is a Limit Breaker. Back out and on the opposite side of the room is another room with boxes containing Machine Gun Bullets x70, and 900 gil. Back out there, and following the sewer going down the left leads to an end where the player can turn left again to get a Blizzard Materia. Back out and on the opposite side is a tunnel.

Down the tunnel and then out on the left will lead the player to a Potion on their right. Further down on the left is Rifle Bullets x40. A Cardkey barrier is opened by a nearby Sahagin's Cardkey. After getting the Handgun Bullets x72 pick-up in the center, the Cardkey gates will appear, keeping the player in. A subsequent Sahagin will have a Cardkey. Heading forwards in their original direction will get them 2,500 gil. Turning back east up the ladder is a Mako Point, and further on is a switch. The player can jump in the water to pick up a Potion and 500 gil. The red dot on the map takes the player to the sewer's exit.

The sewers exit out into a storage unit occupied by Deepground soldiers. In here the player will find an elevator taking them to the second and third floor. A smaller room has a small entrance where the player can crouch and move underneath. In here is a line of items, being a 100 gil pick-up, a 400 gil pick-up, and a Power Booster. An infinite DG Soldier respawn also occurs in here.
 * Storage Unit

On the second floor there is a pathway taking them downstairs to a vending machine. On the third floor, the player finds Machine Gun Bullets x45, Handgun Bullets x90. This eventually links up to the library of Shinra Manor.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
The player enters Nibelheim in Chapter 9. From the main area of town, the player can access the outskirts and the inn. Here the player can talk to a boy, who is at the heart of the Seven Wonders sidequest.

Later in Chapter 9, when the town is burning, a chest containing a Fire Ring sits outside the building. The player can talk to the boy to save his mother from the building as part of the Seven Wonders sidequest.

In Chapter 10, when the player discovers a restored Nibelheim, they are attacked by Shinra infantrymen. After returning to and exiting the Shinra Manor, a final fight with some infantrymen takes place in a lit-up nighttime Nibelheim.

Inn
The inn can be entered from the main area of Nibelheim, and has three rooms. The first is the room on the first floor that has a save point. Upstairs is where Sephiroth stands, and in the room with the beds.

Outskirts
The Nibelheim outskirts can be accessed through the town's main area. The outskirts lead off into two more places, Mt. Nibel's trail, and the Shinra Manor. There is a chest containing an Ether here.

Mt. Nibel
The path of Mt. Nibel can be accessed through the Nibelheim outskirts.

Nibel Plains
The player enters the Nibel Plains after leaving Nibelheim in Chapter 10. Here a minigame takes place involving using a sniper to shoot robots. After the minigame is a save point. Turk Cissnei also discovers Zack here.

Enemies
The Bahba Velamyu is the only enemy in the forest area that can inflict negative statuses, Silence and Slow which both cannot be avoided through the use of accessories except the Ribbon which is not available at this stage of the game. The Crown Lance is the only enemy fought on the beaches in the Nibel Area. They can inflict the Sleep and Petrify statuses but these cannot be avoided through the use of accessories in this stage of the game.
 * Nibel Area

The Dazers item can be stolen from Battery Caps in their first slot with an average steal rate. The item inflicts Paralyze and can serve multiple purposes in the game including stopping enemies with high evasion, and stopping certain enemies from using their strong attacks.

The Nibel Wolf enemy fought on the grass areas can use the Howling ability to revive all fallen Nibel Wolf enemies defeated in the battle. Each one can use the ability three times. Allowing the Howling ability to be used allows for more EXP and Gil to be won from the battle.

The Valron enemy can be fought in grass areas, and can be manipulated to use the Dive Kick command which is a Gravity-elemental ability. This means it can't kill the player, and can be exploited to help increase the player's Limit gauge to help learn additional Limit Breaks.

Yuffie
The Mystery Ninja can be fought in the forests in the Nibel Area.

Piano
The piano in Tifa's house can be used to acquire a number of items.

During the flashback to Nibelheim, Cloud can go into Tifa's House, then into Tifa's room, and play on the piano. If the player makes Cloud say "Yeah, I jammed on it", followed by "I forgot", a tutorial is shown.

Going up to the piano again and choosing "Just a little". The message gives the notes to the the Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII.

On the first visit to Nibelheim with the party, playing anything on the piano repeatedly will eventually earn the player Tifa's secret savings, 1 gil.

Returning to Nibelheim on Disk 2 with Tifa as the party leader can earn the player an Elemental materia. To attain this, the Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII must be played on the piano. The tune is as follows:

,, , L1 and , L1 and , , , , L1 and , , , ,

On Disk 2, after Cloud rejoins the party as party-leader, with Tifa in the party, and regardless of if the player played the piano on the previous Disk, playing the Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII tune again will reveal a letter to Tifa from Zangan, containing her ultimate Limit Break, Final Heaven.

Ultimate Weapon
After defeating Diamond Weapon, and then after defeating Ultimate Weapon above the waterfall next to Junon, one of the places Ultimate Weapon stops above and can be fought at is above Mt. Nibel.

Eliminate the Sahagin
There are 33 Sahagin enemies located in Nibelheim Sewers.

Seven Wonders
The Seven Wonders is a sidequest that allows the player to obtain another items. When the player enters Nibelheim, there is a boy who stays around the town. The first four wonders can be done at this point in the game. The remaining three can only be done after returning from Mt. Nibel's reactor.

If the player goes to the water tower in the center and goes up, they will discover a red materia is the cause of the problem, and they'll obtain the Phoenix materia.

The boy will tell you about the painting of a girl. In the upstairs of the Inn, through the doors in the room, there is a painting of a girl in the corner of the room. If the player talks to him again, and says he has seen it, he tells you about the second wonder.

When the player returns to the room, the painting on the wall will be gone, instead replaced with a version without the girl. After going up and down the stairs a few times until the clerk walks up the stairs. If the player follows him into the room, the clerk explains the wonder and the player receives 2,000 gil. After this, the player can get a smaller amount of gil (between 3 and 108) by going up and down the stairs until the picture in the room has the girl there.

The third wonder requires the player to head to the outskirts, and then on into Mt. Nibel. If the player heads east at the intersection, they'll eventually come into contact with three Bombs, a Touchy Bomb, a Remedy Bomb, and a Gray Bomb. Defeat them without any of them blowing up and the player wins a Gold Shard. After solving this wonder, the boy gives the player a Safety Bit, and then tells the player about the fourth wonder.

The player can find Shinra Manor by heading through the outskirts. It is worth noting that the safe code is not the same as in Final Fantasy VII, and it changes every time.

From the first floor, the player can head up to the second floor and into the northeast room and look through the keyhole. The amount of books not on the shelf, that are on top of the shelf, on the floor, or on the chair, is the first number.

On the first floor, the player must look-through the keyhole on the east of the room and count the Dorky Faces. Some disappear for a short time, and others hide on the edge of the room which are hard to spot.

The third number is found on the western section of the second floor. The player must add the combined amount of blue Banora apples and blue cans, ignoring the green Potions.

The fourth number is found through the keyhole of the west room on the first floor. The player must count the chairs.

The safe is found on the western section of the second floor. Enter the digits into the safe, and a Cactuar will jump out the safe and run out the room. From the safe the player obtains a Vital Slash mastered materia. After this, the player can return to the boy to be told about the fifth wonder. However, the player cannot complete the wonder at this point in the game.

Later in the game, when the player has to access the Underground Caves area, a number of single Sahagins can be fought. After winning each battle, the player will get one Coffin Keys. The player can repeatedly fight the Sahagin for more Coffin Keys. At the bottom of the ladder, the player can go through the door on the south eastern room, and open the coffin on the right unveiling a sleeping man. After this, head back out to the boy who will give the sixth wonder.

The sixth wonder plays out when the town is in flames. The player talks to the boy who tells Zack to save his mother. The player has a minute to do this and he is watched as from a third-person view outside the house. The boy gives the player ATK Up++ for this.

If the player did the previous six wonders, in Chapter 10, they can head to the northeast area of the Nibelheim outskirts, and check the fence near the south side of the houses for a Wall Materia.

Sniper minigame
The sniper minigame involves sniping a number of Shinra's robots in the Nibel Plains. Either side of the road, robots appear that the player has to snipe with the sniper rifles on the ground. Missing causes the enemy to escape, and a unit is added to the "FLED" counter. For every kill, a unit is added to the "KILL" counter. Points on the KILL counter can be used to purchase upgrades.

There are four types of upgrade. Attack Power Up, Steady Aim, and Wide Target all cost three points per upgrade, with a max level of ten. Smart Bomb is six points, but only one can be bought per sniper rifle.

Eighteen different robots exist in the minigame, sixteen with 2,000 HP, two with more. GH-WEDGE has 7,777 HP, and GH-BIGGS has 9,999 HP.

Where an enemy is hit changes the damage done. A headshot is 2,000 HP, the body is 400, legs are 150, and shield is 10.

The first sniper rifle is used to take out GH-77D. The second sniper rifle is used to take out GH-R2.

Between the second and third sniper there is a battle against Alert Heads. Each one counts as an extra KILL point. If the player backs out of the area and then re-enters, another battle will spawn, and the player can get more points. This is a quick way to max-out the sniper rifle early on in the minigame. If an enemy escapes from the battle however, it counts as an extra FLED point.

The third sniper rifle is used to take out GH-PIET on the left, and GH-MOD7 on the right. Another enemy encounter is also between the third and forth. On the forth, the easiest method for the player is to take out GH-GROBE on the right first, then GH-AMBUS on the left, then the remaining GH-BISCN in the center. Between the forth and the fifth is another encounter. If the player shoots the barrel with the next sniper rifle, they will destroy GH-999, GH-66DH, and GH-1138D.

The enemies on the sixth sniper are GH-BIGGS and GH-WEDGE. Three headshots will defeat GH-WEDGE on the left, and launching a Smart Bomb on GH-BIGGS will clear this area. There are a number of encounters between the two snipers. On the seventh sniper, quickly shoot GH-NOMA6 and GH-RACAM. On the final sniper, shoot the barrel next to GH-DATTO, then quickly take out GH-LETTY and GH-JASH.

In the area with the save point will be a number of chests with the player's prize. If eleven or more escaped, the player receives nothing. If ten or less, the player gets a Thundaga. If five or less, the player also gets a Dash. If two or less, the player gets a Gravity. If none escaped, the player gets all the aforementioned materia and a Dragon Armlet.

Shops
{| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="left" width="100%"
 * valign="top" width="50%"|

Nibelheim Item Store

 * valign="top" width="50%"|

Nibel Accessories
Shop from Mission 6-4-4.
 * }

Nibel Area

 * Grassland
 * Nibel Wolf x2
 * Nibel Wolf x2 (Back attack)
 * Valron
 * Valron, Nibel Wolf x2


 * Forest
 * Bahba Velamyu x2
 * Bahba Velamyu x2 (Ambush)
 * Battery Cap x4, Valron
 * Battery Cap x6
 * Mystery Ninja


 * Beach
 * Crown Lance
 * Crown Lance x2
 * Crown Lance x2 (Ambush)
 * Crown Lance x3


 * Skies
 * Ultimate Weapon (Boss)

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-

 * Captain
 * Grenade

Outskirts

 * Bomb
 * Death Claw
 * Needle Kiss

Nibel Plains

 * Alert Head x2
 * Alert Head x3
 * Alert Head x4

Musical themes
When Nibelheim is first visited in Cloud's flashback, the song On That Day, 5 Years Ago (5年前のあの日) plays. When the party later visits the town, the background music changes to Heart of Anxiety (不安な心). Inside the Shinra Mansion, the background music switches to Those Chosen by the Planet (星に選ばれし者). Inside the basement the music turns to The Nightmare Begins (悪夢の始まり).

In Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, the only piece that plays through the sewers and Shinra Manor is "Uneasy Feelings". "Memories with Lucrecia" plays in Vincent's flashback cutscene upon exiting of the sewers, and this also plays in the scenes after entry to the mansion in addition to "Lifestream", itself based upon "Memories with Lucrecia". In the two scenes with Rosso the Crimson, "Rosso the Crimson" plays. "Arms of Shinra" plays against the Black Widow.

In Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, the track that plays in Nibelheim including its outskirts during Chapter 9 is called "A Closed Off Village", a rendition of "Heart of Anxiety". In Shinra Manor, "The Gloomy Mansion" plays, which is an eerie version of one of the recurring melodies, notable in "Burden of Truth". During a Nibelheim in flames, the piece played in the background is "March on the Frontier". In Chapter 10, "The Gloomy Mansion" plays in the Shinra Manor including through battles. In the outskirts "A Closed Off Village" plays, and into the main part of town until it switches to "Chaotic Battlefield". Beyond this the "Night of Seclusion" piece is the only music to play except for Zack's flashback to Aerith where "A Flower Blooming in the Slums" plays. In the Nibel plains where "Moonlight Wandering" is the background music.

Etymology
The name Nibelheim is based on , also called Niflheimr, a location in Norse Mythology meaning "Mist World." In the story of Gylfaginning, Odin explains that creation began when the ice of Niflheimr met the flames of Muspelheim. Nibelheim is literally translated as "Fog-home" in German. "Nibel" is a very old-fashioned way to pronounce "Nebel", the German word for "fog", but can also be translated as "cloud" resulting in cloud home.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII includes a kingdom named Niflheim.

Nibelheim