One of the most iconic things about final fantasy 7 the character Barret Wallace is his arm. One of the first things players see about Barret in FFVII and his new version is the huge machine gun he uses instead of his right forearm. However, had things been a little different in game development, the Sector 7 Slum Eco-Warrior might have had two arms and a bow.
(Short story original version FFVII)
Barrett had a character image early on in the planning for FFVII, but at that time the worldview was still undecided, so he had a shotgun instead of a pistol! In the initial plot, there is also an episode where you promise to go to Cosmo Canyon with the members of the Avalanche! #FF7R #FFVII25th pic.twitter.com/s2OrA0rkU7— REMAKE FFVII (@FFVIIR_CLOUD) March 13, 2023
Barret’s origin has been the subject of a new anecdote from the official Final Fantasy VII Remake account. The post brings a brief tidbit from the pre-production days of the original game. At the time, Barret, Cloud (or rather Cloud’s “berserker” predecessor), and Red XIII were the first characters the development team was working on. This was before the team even had a clear idea of what the world of Midgar (or New York) would be like. This early concept of Barret’s character had the big man equipped not with a big gun, but with a “crossbow”.
Load did not specify exactly what Barret’s concept was initially final fantasy 7 might have sounded “Bowgun” is another name for a crossbow, but the term also applies to many pistol-like fantasy weapons that fire bolts instead of bullets. Even Final Fantasy has its own crossbow, in the form of Edgar Figaro’s automatic crossbow in final fantasy VI. Whatever this prototype of Barret is, the final version has its own range of weapons that extend beyond pistols.
Another trivia included included a scene from the very beginning of the game. In a set of lines of dialogue cut from the final version of final fantasy 7, Barret chats with the members of his Avalanche cell: Jessie, Wedge and Biggs. Prior to the disassembly mission for Mako Reactor #5, Barret encourages the team by promising that when the job is complete they will all visit “the place where Avalanche was born…Cosmo Canyon”. He talks about Canyon food, drink, and even the possibility of thermal baths. After Jessie asks about Cloud, he replies, “He’ll come too.”
Final Fantasy VII Remake is available on PS4, PS5 and PC.