Aeris's Secret[1] is the seventh chapter in Final Fantasy VII, part of the first act, "Banner of Revolution". With Aerith Gainsborough captured by the Shinra Electric Power Company, Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace, and Tifa Lockhart are determined to rescue her, but first needed to learn where she had been taken. The group travel to Aerith's house to learn more.
Walkthrough[]
Sector 6 to Aeris's house[]
As the chapter begins, a scene plays, following which the player regains control of Cloud in the area of Sector 6 previously visited. The goal is to travel south to return to Aeris's house, and after a short distance, Barret and Tifa will join the party. The enemies fought here are the same as those fought previously, though Barret and Tifa will make Hell House an easier fight. As before, Cloud should pair a Magic Materia with All to help damage all enemies. As before, the route leads south through Sector 6, then east through the market in Sector 5.
Upon reaching Aeris's house, a scene occurs with Elmyra. After the dialogue concludes, Cloud must run upstairs to find Barret with Marlene. On leaving the room, Marlene will ask Cloud if Aeris is his girlfriend, and the answer will affect date mechanics; answering "I don't know" will improve Cloud's score with Tifa by +3 but reduce it with Aeris by -3, while answering "Let's hope so" has the opposite effect. Cloud can then rest in the room on the left to restore the party's HP and MP fully.
After this, Cloud must leave the house, at which point Barret and Tifa will rejoin the party. Tifa suggests going to Wall Market, where the chapter continues. Cloud must retrace his steps back through Sector 6; upon reaching the playground, the Sense Materia can be picked up before traveling to Wall Market.
Wall Market[]
Upon reaching Wall Market, the destination to reach the Shinra Building is the wall at the far northern end of Wall Market next to Corneo Hall. This can be climbed to reach the top of the plate and get to the Shinra Building. In order to climb successfully, Cloud must first purchase three batteries from the Weapon Store owner, found in the office on the lefthand side of the shop. Once they are purchased, Cloud will be able to climb the wall fully.
The climb begins with a simple climb up the cable. At the end of the cable is a pile of scrap, which Cloud must run down, run to the right, and drop down to a power box at the bottom and insert the first battery. After this, Cloud must run up the pipe, hop onto the top of the now-moved propeller and to a pile of scrap behind it. Running up to the right will eventually lead to a ladder, at the end of which is another battery box.
After inserting the battery, Cloud must climb a cable to the end, at which point they will be required to jump to latch onto a swinging pole. If the jump is timed when the pole swings closest to Cloud, they will latch onto it successfully.
From here, the climb is mostly straightforward; however, Cloud can choose to climb one cable down to another battery box, and insert the battery to obtain an Ether, at which point they will need to climb down a cable on the left-hand side of the box, latch onto the pole again, retrace their steps and climb directly upwards.
Eventually, Cloud will arrive in the entrance to the Shinra Building, where the next chapter, "Storming the Shinra Building," begins.