The fact that Final Fantasy VII Remake is only covering the Midgar portion of the game means that the dating minigame from Final Fantasy VII is likely gone. In Final Fantasy VII, the player’s actions throughout the early stages of the game determined which character that Cloud would go on a date with at the Gold Saucer.

The two easiest candidates for Cloud’s affection are Aerith Gainsborough and Tifa Lockhart, as he has to interact with both characters on numerous occasions during the story. It’s also possible for Cloud to go on a date with either Barret Wallace or Yuffie Kisaragi, but these are much more difficult to see without exploiting glitches as the game heavily leans in the favor of Cloud pairing up with Aerith or Tifa.

Final Fantasy VII has been the source of some of the most vicious shipping wars since the ’90s and these brief moments of romance mean a lot to some of the fans of the series. The fans who want to make sure Cloud ends up with the right girl (or guy) need to look no further, as we have a guide to help the player make a love connection in Final Fantasy VII. 

The Basics of Dating in Final Fantasy 7

Final Fantasy VII starts the player out with default “affection points” for each of the four romance options. There are times in the game when Cloud’s actions will win/lose points. The character with the most points will show up at Cloud’s room when the party visits the Gold Saucer for the second time for a date. At the start of the game, Aerith has fifty points, Tifa has thirty, Barret has ten, and Yuffie has zero.

Romancing Aerith in Final Fantasy 7

To Go Out With Aerith - When Aerith asks Cloud if Tifa is his girlfriend, saying “No way” is worth one point. When in the playground, saying “Go on to Sector 7” is worth one point. If Tifa is chosen as Don Coreno’s date, asking “You alright?” is worth three points. When Marlene asks about Aerith, saying “Let’s hope so” is worth three points.

When falling in the sewer, talking to Aerith first is worth three points. When the group splits up in the Shinra Headquarters, having Aerith in the party is worth two points. Thinking of Aerith first in jail is worth three points, thinking of her second is worth one point. Leaving Midgar with Aerith is worth one point.

To Dissuade Aerith - When Aerith asks Cloud if Tifa is his girlfriend, saying “Yeah, that’s right” takes off five points. If Tifa is chosen as Don Corneo’s date, saying “We gotta help Tifa” will take off two points. When Marlene asks about Aerith, saying “I don’t know” takes off three points. Repeatedly pushing the wrong barrel during the chase scene in the church will take off three points. Asking Aerith to fight or asking her to run and she ends up fighting will each take off a point.

Dating Tifa in Final Fantasy 7

To Go Out With Tifa - Saying “Give me something hard” to Tifa at the bar is worth five points. When Tifa yells at Cloud, saying “How can you say that?” is worth five points. When they wake up, saying “Next to you, who wouldn’t?” is worth five points. When Cloud is hanging from the ledge, saying “I don’t know if I can hold on” is worth one point. If Don Corneo chooses Aerith, saying “We’ve gotta help Aerith” is worth three points. When Marlene asks about Aerith, saying “I don’t know” is worth three points. When captured by Shinra, saying “Leave it to me” is worth one point.

Giving Tifa a flower is worth five points. When falling in the sewer, talking to Tifa first is worth three points. When the group splits up in the Shinra Headquarters, having Tifa in the party is worth two points. Leaving Midgar with Tifa is worth one point.

To Dissuade Tifa - When talking to Jessie on the train, saying “Looking forward to it” will take off three points. If Don Corneo chooses Aerith, saying “You alright” takes off two points. When Marlene asks about Aerith, saying “Let’s hope so” takes off three points. When meeting Red XIII, saying “Tifa, I’m countin’ on you!” takes off two points. When captured by Shinra, saying “Kinda hard” takes off one point.

Romancing Barret in Final Fantasy 7

To Go Out With Barret - When Cloud is hanging from the ledge, saying “Be strong” is worth two points. If Don Corneo chooses Cloud and asks about a boyfriend, mentioning Barret is worth five points. When meeting Red XIII, saying “Barret, take care of her!” is worth two points.

Giving Marlene a flower is worth five points. When the group splits up in the Shinra Headquarters, having Barret in the party is worth two points. Thinking of Barret first in the Shinra jail is worth three points, thinking of him second is worth one point. Leaving Midgar with Barret is worth one point.

To Dissuade Barret - Waking up in the bar and saying “Barret’s snoring kept me up” will take off five points. When Cloud is hanging from the ledge, saying “I don’t know if I can hold on” will take off three points.

Dating Yuffie in Final Fantasy 7

One way in which the player can gain a lot of affection points from Yuffie is by repeatedly answering the correct questions until the final one, which will cause her to run off, taking seven hundred Gil from the party in the process. After defeating Yuffie in the forest, the player needs to say “Not interested”, “Petrified”, “Wait a second”, “That’s right”, and “What’s your name”. The player needs to do this four times in order to earn thirty affection points, after which they can switch the last answer with “Let’s hurry” to recruit her into the party.

The other way to win lots of points for Yuffie is by completing the Wutai quest as soon as possible, as this is worth ten points.

Final Fantasy 7’s Location Specific Answers After Midgar

Once the player leaves Midgar, the affection points minigame crops up less often.

Kalm - Upon leaving the inn, saying “Beautiful, just beautiful” to Barret is worth three points, “Right” is worth one point, and “Is that all?” loses a point. When talking to the woman about how convenient Mako is, saying “Yeah, maybe” will give one point to Yuffie and take two points off Barret and one from Aerith/Tifa. If you say “You’re full of it”, then Barret will gain two points, Aerith/Tifa will gain one, and Yuffie loses one. When talking to the lady about the old ways, saying “Yeah, maybe” will give two points to Barret, Aerith/Tifa will gain one, and Yuffie loses one. If you say “No way”, then Barret loses two points, Aerith/Tifa lose one, and Yuffie gains one.

Fort Condor - When talking to the old man, saying “I guess so” gives Barret five points, Aerith/Tifa three points, and Yuffie two points. If the player says “Not interested”, then Barret loses five, Aerith/Tifa lose three, and Yuffie loses a point. When talking to the old guy about his problems, saying “All right” gives Barret five points, Aerith/Tifa three points, and Yuffie two points. If the player says “Not interested” then Barret loses five points, Aerith/Tifa lose three points, and Yuffie loses a point.

Cargo Ship - When Aerith asks about the airship, promising to take her someday is worth two points and saying “I don’t know” loses two. When talking to Tifa about the war, saying “Yeah” is worth two points and “I don’t know” loses two. Giving Yuffie tranquilizers is worth four points and refusing removes two.

Gold Saucer - Picking a character to go with Cloud is worth three points, everyone else loses two.

Corel Prison - Picking Aerith to go on the mission is worth ten points, picking Tifa is worth three, Yuffie is worth two.

Gongaga - Ignoring either Aerith or Tifa after speaking to Zack’s parents will lose three points. When talking to Aerith, saying “Poor guy2 is worth one point, while saying “(…jealous…envious…)” is worth two. Talking to Tifa is worth one point.

Cosmo Canyon - The Barret options mentioned above are still worth a potential six points, even if the player doesn’t abuse the glitch.

Once the player visits the Gold Saucer for the second time, the date event will start.

Next: New FF7 Remake Trailer Gives In Depth Look At Cloud Strife

Final Fantasy VII is available on PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch