The Cave of the Gi, also known as the Sealed Cave (封印の洞窟, Fūin no Dōkutsu?), is a dungeon in the depths of Cosmo Canyon in Final Fantasy VII. It is a shadow-filled cavern where malevolent spirits of the Gi tribe dwell, littered with traps of various kinds. There are mini caves with switches inside that must be broken to advance, and large spider webs that block the paths that cause fights with the enemy Stinger. It is possible to glitch through one of the webs, thus avoiding a fight with the Stinger, though it rarely happens.
The cave is one of only two dungeons in the game where floor damage can be incurred, the other being the Ancient Forest. A pre-production concept had the player able to obtain a Materia to negate floor damage, but it was removed in development.
History[]
Years before the start of Final Fantasy VII, Nanaki's father, Seto, was the guardian of Cosmo Canyon. The Gi tribe attempted to destroy the peaceful canyon by attacking through the Cave of the Gi. Seto fought them off, but was killed in Cosmo Canyon's defense and turned to stone by poisoned arrows. Nanaki considered his father a coward for abandoning his mother and him.
During "In the Land of the Study of Planet Life", Cloud Strife and his party came to Cosmo Canyon with Red XIII and meet with Geisel Bugenhagen. The party descended into the Cave of the Gi with Bugenhagen to show Red XIII the truth of his father. They fought their way through the cave, but come upon a ghostly site. The ghosts of the Gi tribe had been brought back in the form of the angry spirit, Gi Nattak. The ghost was beaten, and Red XIII saw the stone figure of his father up on the cliff, realizing his father was a hero, and decides to continue journeying with Cloud's party.
Geography[]
Located directly beneath Cosmo Canyon and entered through a series of ladders from within its sealed Gate of Naught, the Cave of the Gi is an underground network cave over lakes of lava. Stalactites hang from the ceiling, likely formed from the lava, and a network of tunnels and caverns form the path across. Around the rocks are a ghoulish green substance, and the animated spirits give the cave an eery atmosphere.
Gameplay[]
The Cave of the Gi dungeon is visited once in the game, for the chapter "In the Land of the Study of Planet Life". Visited at the end of the chapter, Red XIII is a mandatory party member. Gi Nattak is fought at the very end of the dungeon, along with a number of undead enemies throughout. The dungeon provides opportunities to obtain the Added Effect Materia (which cannot be found anywhere else), and to learn the enemy skill Death Sentence. Throughout it, a few puzzles require the player to find the correct tunnels used to proceed, as the wrong tunnels will lead to dead ends or to battles.
Musical themes[]
"Trail of Blood" (血の跡, Chi no Ato?) is the background music for the Cave of the Gi.