In the new Square Enix JRPG Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, you’re tasked with saving the world from an otherworldly foe when you’re not getting distracted by the open world that’s on tap and the minigames inside. You’ll have to rely on your friends and party members to get you through the journey. Whether you end up as best friends, or see sparks of romance popping up, you’ll get a happy ending of sorts when you reach the latter part of the rebirth.

Here’s the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth romance and close friendship options, which come full circle when you reach the game’s entertainment zone The Gold Saucer. This section may have some slight spoilers, so here’s your warning.

The game’s romance and relationship feature is to not only opens up new Synergy attacks and skills, but also opens up a special sequence in Chapter 12 at the Gold Saucer. That’s basically your cut-off chapter to get your relation meter with a particular character on the high.

How To See Character Relationship Meter

The current relationship level with your characters is denoted by a face icon above their heads. This can be seen if you press the L1 button while the party is out exploring.

Depending on your actions, the relationship will increase and change in colour. Here’s the order from lowest to highest: grey -> purple -> yellow -> green -> dark blue -> light blue. The only character who isn’t counted in this system is Cait Sith. If you know, you know.

Synergy Skills & Synergy Abilities

Cloud can pull off Synergy Skills and abilities with his party members. Hold the block button (R1) and press the corresponding button to pull off Synergy Skills. To pull off Synergy Abilities,  fill up the ATB meter by attacking foes, then choose a character ability that adds a synergy pip. When two characters have at least two pips, they can unleash their Synergy Ability. Tag-team super moves that are like Chrono Trigger’s duo skills.

Synergy Skills and Synergy Abilities are unlocked by spending skill points (SP) in the Folio menu.

As far as increasing relationships in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth goes, you gain a boost with that character the first time Cloud performs a Synergy Skill or Synergy Ability with them. That’s why it’s important to look for Folio perks that grant Synergy actions with Cloud, if only to gain a relationship boost. You can still reset or respec allocated points later on.

The closer you are to characters, the better these new skills get.

Personal Conversations

Talking to your party members during the bits of exploring towns usually gives you three options to continue the conversation. Keep in mind the following:

• At least one is a negative or dismissive reply, which you should avoid.
• Two tend to be slightly more positive, if straightforward.
• There are cases when one particular reply grants an even bigger boost. This is usually followed by the character responding in a more favorable or delighted manner.

Side Quests

Side quests are available via the bulletin board that states the number of Odd Jobs you can partake. Usually when you accept these, a party member will appear alongside you. Completing them will give you a relationship boost with that companion.

If you want to max out Cloud’s relationship with a specific character, do it before you head to Gold Saucer in Chapter 12.

Missable Events & Prompts That Boosts Relationships

Here’s a checklist that details the missable events that can help with your character relationship-boosting quest:

-Chapter 4: Tifa and Aerith – Gain double the relationship bonuses by reaching a score of 100,000 or higher in the Junon Parade.
-Chapter 5: Red XIII – Win the Queen’s Blood Tournament aboard the Shinra-8.
-Chapter 6: Tifa and/or Aerith – Make sure that Tifa and/or Aerith have the same beachwear as Cloud.
-Chapter 6: Tifa and Red XIII or Aerith and Barret – Choose which duo to assist at the beach.
-Chapter 6: Yuffie – Before Yuffie joins your party, you can compliment her beachwear upon seeing her in Costa del Sol. Later, you can agree to let her join your party.
-Chapter 7: Yuffie and Barret – Switch the tracks along the rails, and try to shoot as many crates as you can.
-Chapter 8: Barret – Upon completing the buggy escape segment, you can get a relationship boost with him.

The Chapter 12 Gold Saucer Dating Bit

You’ll head to Costa del Sol at the start of Chapter 12: A Golden Key. Your main goal, if you want to continue the campaign, is to go to the Gold Saucer.

Since all fast travel options are available at this stage, we suggest tackling any side quests that you may have forgotten. Once you head to Gold Saucer and eventually head to the Haunted Hotel, your companion will be determined. 

Once you’re in the hotel, someone will knock on your door. The party member with the highest relationship level will be waiting outside. This will lead to the following sequences.

• Event Square: Opera – There’s a play with a lot of QTE sequences. Cloud is the hero of this story, and the maiden/princess accompanying him can either be Tifa or Aerith, or whoever has the higher affinity value.
• Skywheel – The companion who asked you to go out with them will also join you in the Skywheel, which leads to a unique conversation. There are friendly chats where a character might open up (like Barrett or Red XIII), and the potential for a more romantic outcome (Tifa and Aerith).

Thankfully, Square Enix allows you to see different companions in the dating sequence via the Extra Settings menu. Just choose Chapter 12 in the Chapter Select panel to see the different interactions.