Should You Change the Corel Minecart Route in Final Fantasy 7 (FF7) Rebirth?

In Chapter 7, “Those Left Behind,” of Final Fantasy 7 (FF7) Rebirth, you’ll get the option to change the route that the minecart will use to bring Barret, Yuffie, and Tifa back to the rest of the part. Here’s whether or not you should do that.

Should You Change the Minecart’s Path in FF7 Rebirth?

By default, the minecart in Corel will be set to take Barret’s route, which is to the left. To change the minecart’s route to help out Yuffie, you’ll need to pull the lever, which will cause it to take the right track. You can also change the route back by pulling the lever again.

The option to change the minecart’s route in FF7 Rebirth will affect, very slightly, the mini-game that follows, which involves using Barret and Yuffie to destroy boxes to wrack up a high score. Technically speaking, the choice doesn’t have any major effects on the game on the whole, but it does influence Cloud’s relationship with Barret and Yuffie, which can alter what happens at Gold Saucer later.

Here’s what happens depending on which you choose:

If player’s choose to change the track to the less intense route, Yuffie — who gets motion sickness — will be grateful, and Cloud’s relationship with her in FF7 Rebirth will get a nice little boost. If you choose the more intense route, Cloud’s relationship with Barret will get a boost. If you’re aiming to go on a date with either Barret or Yuffie at Gold Saucer, choose the appropriate option.

I decided I wanted to keep Yuffie comfortable and avoid repeating my accidental date with Barret in the original game, so I opted to help her out on my first playthrough.

For full completion of FF7 Rebirth and getting the strongest possible bond with each character, players will need to play through the minecart section in Chapter 7 twice. However, there’s no need to just load an old save or start an entirely fresh playthrough. Instead, once you’ve beaten the game, you can use the “Chapter Selection” option in the “System” settings to back and do the segment again. The “Play Log” area will tell you whether you chose to make Yuffie or Barret happy.

How Does the Minecart Choice Affect FF7 Rebirth’s Story?

Overall, the choice doesn’t really affect FF7 Rebirth‘s story, though it may, depending on a number of other factors, influence what Gold Saucer date you get.

And that’s whether you should change the minecart’s route in FF7 Rebirth and what happens if you do.

FF7 Rebirth is on sale now. If you’re looking for more, here’s our review.

Update: This article was updated on 3/20/24 to add additional information about the choice.