Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth hides a 27-year-old reference to the original JRPG that's so niche even today's devs don't fully understand it

GamesJRPGFinal Fantasy 7 RebirthFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth hides a 27-year-old reference to the original JRPG that’s so niche even today’s devs don’t fully understand itWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesJRPGFinal Fantasy 7 RebirthFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth hides a 27-year-old reference to the original JRPG that’s so niche even today’s devs don’t fully understand itWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Square Enix) We all love spotting references in games, especially if you manage to find something a bit niche, but when it comes to obscurity, it’d be hard to top this clever nod to a mysterious Final Fantasy 7 fight inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The reference in question is the Test 0 battle, which, if you were unfamiliar, can be rarely found in original Japanese copies of Final Fantasy 7. So the story goes, lucky players can sometimes encounter dog-like foes named “Test 0” if they descend down the well found at the start of Corel Prison. Chances are that even if you’re an enormous Final Fantasy fan, it’s unlikely that you’ve seen this first-hand due to its rarity, which is why it’s extremely cool that it’s directly referenced in Rebirth. In aninterview with Easy Allies, Rebirth co-director Naoki Hamaguchi said that he wanted to include the fight for the people who’d remember it. Admittedly, though, he added, he and the rest of the Rebirth team don’t actually know the full story behind why Test 0 was found in the original game in the first place, so the mystery still lives on. “I don’t know exactly if it was a bug or something of like an Easter egg that was kind of snuck in there from people who worked on the original, but out of our team there was nobody that actually worked on the original Test 0, so we don’t quite know what the original intention of it is,” Hamaguchi said (via a translator). “But, I thought that people who know the original would remember this, and so I definitely wanted to incorporate it into Rebirth.” In Rebirth, Hamaguchi thought it was a “bit weird” to have us go to the bottom of the well for the fight, so the devs designed an arena there “to make it fit more within the worldview of FF7.” He added that some players who don’t get the reference might find the Test 0 foes a bit strange, but “if you know, you know.” Be sure to read our recommendations for thebest RPGsif you’re on the lookout for even more adventures to dive into. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more CATEGORIESPS5PlatformsPlayStation CATEGORIES More about jrpg How Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth represents the best of Final Fantasy’s past while charting a course for the future How Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth represents the best of Final Fantasy’s past while charting a course for the future LatestI didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tastySee more latest► Latest I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tasty I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tasty I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tasty See more latest► Most PopularLeague of Legends co-creator responds to report that 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with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”