Corel Prison

Corel Prison is a location in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, with an appearance in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-. Previously the site of the town of Corel, destroyed by Shinra Electric Power Company, it has become a prison in Gold Saucer's shadow. The surviving townsfolk have since relocated to North Corel.
The prison is loosely guarded; the harsh desert surrounding it makes escape by land impossible, while prisoners are allowed to gang up on each other and monsters openly enter into the grounds, making it a near lawless no man's land. Corel Prison is largely self-run by Mr. Coates and a mysterious leader. Despite being largely in ruins, the faint outline of a town can still be seen. Convicts in the Corel Prison are used in the chocobo races.
== History ==
=== Before Final Fantasy VII ===
thumb|left|200px|The path to the Junkyard is out the northwest gate, north to the gap in the fence, then east. Light can be seen coming from the Basement ladder well.
The original version depicts it was part of what remained of Corel. In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, it was a settlement for Golden Saucer employees before they are forced to take refuge in the amusement park due to the monster infestations. The area since became a haven from and eventually for various criminal elements, essentially acting as the Gold Saucer's seedy underworld as much as its penitentiary. Dyne, who survived Shinra's attack on Corel and since its resident by citizenship, took refuge in Corel Prison while losing his sanity over the years.
During Episode 21 of Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, Avalanche raids Corel prison in search of the Zirconiade Materia. The player Turk fights them along with an Avalanche defector named Shalua Rui. Though the player found the Materia, the Turks' leader Verdot is captured by Shinra, whom the Turks have split from. The Turk barely survived the Shinra attack.
=== Final Fantasy VII ===
While Cloud Strife and his party were visiting the Gold Saucer, Dyne indiscriminately slaughtered people in a vengeance-fueled rampage at the Battle Square. As a result of being around the crime scene and accused as accessories after the fact, Cloud and his party were taken to Corel Prison. With nowhere else to go, they sought to clear their names and figure out where Barret Wallace had gone to due to the suspect being described as having a gun-arm prosthetic and being no where to be seen following the incident.
The party tried to escape the prison by speaking with Mr. Coates, but he could do nothing, being only second-in-command to Dyne. Barret told the others what happened in the town of Corel and decided to go speak to Dyne alone. Barret confronted Dyne, and tried to reason with him, but Dyne did not listen to reason, and even plotted to kill Marlene Wallace so she could reunite with her mother. Barret had to fight his old friend one-on-one, and won.
Barret pleaded with Dyne to come with them, but Dyne insisted Marlene might no longer recognize him, and claimed his hands were too stained to carry Marlene anymore. He entrusted Barret with a pendant that had belonged to Eleanor, willing it be given to Marlene, and lets himself fall off the cliff behind the grave markers.
The pendant served Barret as a badge of authority; he prevailed upon Mr. Coates to allow Cloud to win their freedom by winning a chocobo race up in Gold Saucer. Cloud ascended with the race manager, Esther, to the room where the jockeys waited for their respective races; Esther gave Cloud training and access to successively better chocobos to ensure his eventual victory. Dio sent a letter of congratulation to Cloud, which directed the party towards Gongaga, and as an apology of having sent them to the prison, bestowed on them a buggy.
===Final Fantasy VII Rebirth ===
==Geography==
The Corel Prison is situated in the middle of a mostly impassable quicksand desert on the western continent of the planet, directly below the Gold Saucer.
The prison comprises several remains of the wooden houses from the town of Corel, including the former mayor's house. In addition to this are Shinra trucks seemingly converted into a house, an empty well that leads into a pit, a vandalized billboard, and a pub used by the prisoners. The main town of the prison is surrounded by a thin metal fence, and is located in the vicinity around the Gold Saucer structure.
The fence continues long past the main prison into the desert. In the distance is a junkyard filled with abandoned vehicles, and further along is a graveyard with the ruins of a stone building.
==Gameplay==
===Final Fantasy VII===
Corel Prison is only visited during "The Desert Prison", and is otherwise unrevisitable. During the quest, Barret fights a one-on-one boss battle against Dyne. Before then, there are several random encounters fought anywhere in the town whenever not within a building. The enemies here can steal items from the player's inventory, and thus need to be defeated quickly.
In addition to enemies stealing items, the enemies are notable for providing abilities for the Enemy Skill Materia. The Death Claw, which can only be fought in Corel Prison, uses Laser, which cannot be learned until the final dungeon. Bullmotor also uses Matra Magic, a useful enemy skill that deals non-elemental magic damage against all enemies.
===Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-===
Corel Prison is seen in Episode 21.
===Final Fantasy VII Rebirth===
==Musical themes==
"Desert Wasteland" plays as the background theme in Corel Prison.
==Other appearances==
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
===Other media===
Prisoners being able to win their freedom by winning a chocobo race is referred to in a Brain Blast quiz in Final Fantasy XIII-2.
==Behind the scenes==
In the scene where Barret and Dyne look down from the mountain trail and see the village in flames, the village is located in a valley, with mountains looming close on all sides. Later in the game, Corel is actually located below Gold Saucer in a vast open desert area, and the mountains have moved to the far horizon. Also, Barret and Dyne are shown to be looking from North Corel to Old Corel, which is roughly one quarter the length of the continent.
It is never explained how Dyne got up to Gold Saucer to perform his massacre, and then down back into Corel, without anyone noticing, leading to the massacre being blamed on Cloud's party.
==Gallery==
FFRK Corel Prison JP FFVII.png|The Japanese dungeon image for Corel Prison in Final Fantasy Record Keeper.
==Notes==
==Citations==
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy VII
Category:Locations in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
Category:Deserts