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The sewer system is a location in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Located beneath the undercity of Midgar, the system provides a path between the different sectors of the city, including connecting Wall Market of Sector 6 and the train graveyard of the Sector 7 slums.

History[]

Before Final Fantasy VII[]

Avalanche used the sewers to navigate the city in emergencies. They also illustrated Stamp under the sewers to give their operatives a way to navigate.[1]

Original continuity[]

In "Prevent the Fall of the Plate" in Final Fantasy VII, after falling for Don Corneo's trap, Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough, and Tifa Lockhart fell to the sewers, whereupon they were attacked by Corneo's pet, Aps. After Aps' defeat, Tifa lost hope about Sector 7's plate still being intact, but was reassured by Aerith that there was still a chance to save them. They found their way out and emerged at the train graveyard.[2]

Remake continuity[]

In "Rough Waters" in Final Fantasy VII Remake, after falling for Corneo's trap, Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa fell to the sewers, and were attacked by Abzu, Corneo's pet. After defeating Abzu, Tifa wondered if Corneo was lying about Shinra's plans to drop the Sector 7 plate, but Aerith pressed her to return to the sector as fast as possible in case he was not.[3] Thereafter, Tifa pointed out how Avalanched used to traverse the slums to navigate the city, and put them on the path to the trunk line dividing Sector 6 and Sector 7.[1] During their journey, Tifa noticed Aerith knew something she did not, but nonetheless, the two formed a friendship, both agreeing to go shopping topside once it was all over.[4] The three eventually reached the train graveyard.

In "In Search of Hope", Cloud, Tifa, and Barret Wallace followed Leslie Kyle to the sewers, Leslie offering to give them a way to reach the Shinra Building from the undercity if they agreed to help him. The group, Barret in particular, began with no trust for Leslie, keeping a close watch on him.[5] Partway through, after being attacked by Abzu shoats, Leslie revealed that Corneo had taken his fiancée years ago as a bride, and he had brought them to the sewers to clear through the monsters and allowed him to achieve revenge; Barret changed his tune and showed respect for Leslie.[6] They found Corneo, but Leslie was unable to kill him before he ran away, sending Abzu to attack them again. The group defeated Abzu, and Leslie gave them grappling guns to reach topside, Tifa giving him words of encouragement before they left.[7]

Geography[]

Sewer System Walkways from FFVII Remake

Walkways across the Trunk Line.

The sewer system is located beneath Sector 6 and the Sector 7 Slums, connecting Wall Market to the Train Graveyard of the Sector 7 Slums. It is divided into two portions: the Sector 6 Sewers, and the Sector 7 Sewers. The sewer system comprises aqueducts of raw sewage running beneath the Midgar undercity, and has mostly brick walls. Residing in the raw sewage are monsters, and Don Corneo's pet, Abzu. Across the aqueducts are sluice gates to control the flow of water.

In Final Fantasy VII Remake, between the Sector 6 and Sector 7 plates is the Trunk Line, also known as the Sector 7-6 Main Corridor. In contrast to the rest of the sewers, this vast room is almost entirely metal, with walkways at the top forming a path between the sectors across the aqueduct at the bottom. There are also control rooms present to oversee the flow of sewage over the canals, though these rooms appear to have undergone little to no maintenance and seem largely damaged. Finally, the sewers serve as a hideout for criminals, including Corneo, who has stashes and shelters within the sewers.

Gameplay[]

Final Fantasy VII[]

Sewer-ffvii-fall

Sewer map.

The Sewer area is visited in "Prevent the Fall of the Plate" by a party of Cloud, Aeris, and Tifa after Don Corneo ejects them through the trapdoor in his Wall Market bedroom. Cloud can help up either Aeris or Tifa, affecting date mechanics, and then a battle with Aps ensues. After making their way through the sewers, the party arrives in the Train Graveyard.

The field map is an unrevisitable location, and is made of only two screens, one after they fall in, and one toward the exit. Aside from Aps, a few enemies are fought, in the form of the Ceasars and Sahagins. However, the area is very brief.

Final Fantasy VII Remake[]

Fira All on Abzu from FFVII Remake

Abzu boss battle.

The sewer system is first visited in Chapter 10, "Rough Waters," by a party of Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough, and Tifa Lockhart. As in Final Fantasy VII, the three fall in from Wall Market, Cloud can help either Tifa or Aerith get up to affect affection mechanics, a battle with Corneo's pet Abzu ensues, and the three navigate through to reach the Train Graveyard on their way to the Sector 7 Slums.

A new segment of the game appears in Chapter 14, "In Search of Hope." In this, Cloud, Tifa, and Barret Wallace follow Leslie Kyle to help resolve a personal matter with Don Corneo, in exchange for Leslie's help reaching the Shinra Building.

In addition to the new quest in Chapter 14, the sewer system is greatly expanded compared to the original Final Fantasy VII, as the location is a more complex series of tunnels and aqueducts. The Trunk Line is also added, a major aqueduct that marks the point dividing Sector 6 and Sector 7. Sahagin are still the main enemies, though others are fought, including blugu. Furthermore, in addition to Abzu, Abzu shoats are also fought.

Musical themes[]

The theme "Lurking in the Darkness" (闇に潜む, Yami ni Hisomu?) plays in the sewers.

Behind the scenes[]

As the sewers were a small location in the original Final Fantasy VII, the developers decided to make it a large dungeon in Final Fantasy VII Remake. Several rounds of discussion among developers led to the addition of quests and encounters unique to the sewers. Developers also became excited by seeing an illustration of how the aqueducts area could become a traversable passageway once the water level was lowered. Because Aerith and Tifa would be together during the section, the developers decided to use the opportunity to deepen their friendship, giving them conversation about things that regular undercity girls would discuss.[8]

Citations[]

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