Final Fantasy VII Walkthrough

2.3: Icicle Labyrinth

Depending on the path you took, you can end up in four different places around the icicle labyrinth:

• The Forest
• The Ice Gate. You can return to the World Map by simply going south from there, and go back to the Icicle Inn.
• The Lone Tree
• The Frozen Cave. You can return to the World Map using the cave, but you cannot go back to the Icicle Inn using this passage.

Either way, you can use the map you stole from the Icicle Inn by pressing the Switch button to find out where you are. However, your position isn’t displayed on the map, so you’ll have to guess yourself with the background elements. Different areas are displayed, and they are connected to each other by icy or snowy paths.

There are different items scattered throughout the Icicle labyrinth. Some of them are quite easy to get, while others require that you take a very precise path: for example, the cave where you encounter the Snow Witch can only be reached when coming from the Snowfield (the place where the wind keeps turning the screen). However, you should note that you do not have to get all the items in order to go on with your quest. In fact, to go on, you have to either pass out from exhaustion (and end up in Holzoff's cabin), or find your way to the Snowfield and keep going north using the markers to reach said cabin. But we will give you a runthrough for each valuable item that can be found in the Icicle labyrinth.

• In the Forest area, you can pick up a pink item lying around in the northwest corner of the forest, which is actually a Mind Source.

• If you take the east exit of the Forest area, you will end up on a Frozen Lake located at the center of the map, where you can find a Potion lying around. On the same screen, take the northwest exit to reach a screen with a little floating-iceblocks puzzle. Just jump on the first iceblock, and follow our instructions to get across it:

  Up - Left - Down - Left - Up - Right - Up - Right - Right - Left - Down - Right - Up - Up - Left

  Head up to get a Safety Bit in the cave, and head back down to the puzzle. By falling in, it will bring you back to the top, so don't try it. Here is how to get back down:

  Left - Down - Right - Right - Down - Left - Down - Right - Down - Left

• When you reach the Lone Tree area located on the map, you can either choose to take the east exit and go to the mountain path (see below on what to do next), or take the west exit to reach a new area. From there, just go north to reach another area with a little cave, which you can enter from two different entrances. Get in there to find an Elixir.

• From the Mountain Pass located on the east side of the map (it’s a rocky place with four exits), take the northeast exit. On the second icy path, you will find an Added Cut materia lying around, but it’s pretty hard to notice since it’s white-blue. If you continue on this way, you will end up on the screens with the Hot Springs (check below to see what to do from there). Note that taking this exact path is the only way to get this materia (if you try to get the materia by taking this path while originating from the Hot Springs, you will never find the materia).

• When you come across a field with a little bridge going over some steaming water, just go down to the water and touch the Hot Springs. After that, you only need to reach the Snowfield in order to access that cave where an old lady is staying. To reach it from the Hot Springs, just use the north-west exit right after you touched the Springs, and follow the path to reach the Snowfield. If you pass out, just get out of Holzoff’s cabin by the south to reach the snowfield. When you’re on the Snowfield, head east, and don’t forget to use the markers to keep your course: after three snowy passage, you will end up in a screen with a cave. Enter it and speak to the old lady in there: she will scream that you touched the Hot Springs, and attack you (she’s a regular Snow Witch, so no worries). When she’s defeated, you can pick up the Alexander materia and resume your exploration of the labyrinth.

• Finally, in the Snowfield itself, you can find a little cave right at the center of the area, holding an All materia. To reach it, you have multiple options. The simplest is reaching the Snowfield from Holzoff’s cabin, and keep heading south using the markers. You can also reach it from the Hot Springs access: just keep heading North and you’ll find it. From this cave, you can choose to go east to reach the Alexander materia cave, north to reach Holzoff’s cabin, or south to reach the Hot Springs.

When you reach Holzoff’s cabin, you can listen to his story about he and his friend Yamski. You can save inside the cabin, and also have the opportunity to change your party by talking to the freezing members of AVALANCHE outside the cabin. When you’re ready to go on with the story, just head north from there to reach Gaea’s Cliff.