Now that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade has dropped, many fans both old and new are likely looking ahead to the next part in the remake project. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade sets up some foundation for the introduction of story elements from beyond the main game, but the next stop after leaving Midgar is likely still going to be the village of Kalm. While initially little more than a stage for an important flashback in the original Final Fantasy 7, Kalm's history actually holds some important clues. It also might become a lynchpin for just how far from the original's narrative Final Fantasy 7 Remake will go.
Now that FF7 Remake Intergrade and the INTERmission DLC has dropped, some newer fans are likely digging for information about where the story goes next. Barrett sets up Kalm at the ending of the game as the next place the members of AVALANCHE will meet up. It's worth looking at how the small village was used in the original and then in later games to try and build some expectations about what Kalm will be in the next installment of FF7 Remake.
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In the original FF7, Cloud and the others decide to split up in order to not draw as much attention after their dramatic escape from Shinra and the city of Midgar. After deciding to meet up in the nearby mining town of Kalm, party order is decided and the player sets off for the first foray into the game's overworld. The different groups reconvene in the sleepy village of Kalm, a far cry from the bustling megacity that is Midgar. While FF7 Remake Intergrade has big implications going forward, it's unlikely that much will change in this regard going into the next part of the series.
One thing that will likely be very different in FF7 Remake Part 2, the surprise change to the ending of Intergrade notwithstanding, will be the trip to Kalm itself. One of two possibilities is likely: the game will either begin with a much lengthier journey to Kalm or begin with the players having already reached the village. A time skip of sorts where the game opens with a montage of the newly designed open world and the characters journey to Kalm would make sense and allow for Square Enix to present the first steps into the overworld in a new way. And with the defeat of the Whispers, literally anything is possible for the next installment.
Kalm was primarily the scene for Cloud's retelling of the events during the destruction of his and Tifa's hometown of Nibelheim. While this will likely still happen, some elements of that have already been revealed earlier than in the original. This includes the reveal of Sephiroth himself. The first game didn't depict the mad SOLDIER until Cloud's flashback to Nibelheim and Sephiroth's discovery of his origins. FF7 Remake Intergrade has already explained some interesting details about the expanded content coming to FF7 Remake, so that will likely include changes to Kalm.
The important additions to Kalm's story are during the prequel Before Crisis and the Dirge of Cerberus spinoff sequel. FF7 Remake has really gone out of its way to hammer home just how evil the Shinra Electric Power Company is, so the Before Crisis events may make an appearance. The gist is that Kalm was accidentally targeted during a bombing test by Shinra, destroying the township. Afterwards the survivors were rounded up by Shinra to become test subjects for the Mako experiments in Nibelheim that gave birth to Sephiroth. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 has a lot of questions to answer and Kalm's past history with Shinra will likely be among them.
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The other notable importance Kalm has outside of the original FF7 is as the beginning location in Dirge of Cerberus. Kalm is where Vincent Valentine first encounters Deepground which has now appeared in Intergrade. The super secret wing of experimentation in Shinra has debuted much earlier now, so it's likely to become more influential going forward. However if the subsequent parts of FF7 Remake follow the original canon in some semblance, these events won't occur for several years. But like everything else with Final Fantasy 7 Remake post-defiance of fate, Kalm could be drastically different in the future.
Worth noting is that there are some possible side quests potentially within Kalm if FF7 Remake Part 2 plans to flesh out the game as much as it did with Midgar. Kalm is primarily populated by miners who make their living in the nearby Mythril Mines. FF7 Remake Part 2 will have a lot of changes but this could be a way to both extend the game's playtime and reinvent the events of the original in a narrative-driven way. The Mythril Mines are the area that Cloud et all reach after acquiring a chocobo and outrunning the Midgar Zolom. This is also the first place that players met Tseng, the leader of the Turks, and Elena. Imagining a separate side quest where Cloud and the group are tasked with helping clear out the Mythril Mines isn't so far-fetched.
On the smaller detail side, it'll be interesting to see if some of the little hidden things in Kalm stay the same. FF7 Remake did a good job of giving little bits of fan service to its oldest fans in terms of secret or harder to obtain items. An example is Aerith's Bladed Staff weapon that was acquired by stealing it from an enemy from the first game that had been adapted into a full boss fight in the Train Graveyard. FF7 Remake Part 2 might not make it to Vincent's introduction but it would be a nice touch to still find his Peacekeeper weapon in a building in Kalm before ever meeting him. Little touches like that have gone a long way for FF7 Remake's success.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 could be closer than fans think, and many are already digging for clues about what's to come. Kalm is a great example of a location that began simply enough in the original game before having its relevance expanded on by later installments. It'll be interesting to say the least to see where Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 takes players, and how it decides to change the sleepy mining village of Kalm.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is available now for the PlayStation 5.
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