rionaleonhart | What Is This Fascinating Phenomenon?

Crossposts: https://rionaleonhart.livejournal.com/527623.html

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What Is This Fascinating Phenomenon?

I have finished Final Fantasy VII Remake! Here are my notes on the last few chapters of the game.

I rarely buy items in RPGs - I usually save my money for weapons and armour - and then Final Fantasy VII Remake introduced in-game special offers and suddenly I'm buying loads of items I'll never use, like a sucker.

Oh, hey, you can see Red XIII sleeping in one of the cylinders in the room where you fight Hojo's experiment!

'Quick, we have to help Aerith!'
'Sorry, guys; I'm going to stand here for five minutes, watching Red XIII breathe and twitch his little tail in his sleep.'

'My boy, you weren't a SOLDIER.' Just coming right out and saying it!!!

I snorted aloud at Hojo asking 'What is this fascinating phenomenon?' while being carried away by ghosts.

Did they cut the bit where Hojo tries to crossbreed Aerith and Red XIII? Cowards.

When Cloud is having a bad spell and walking slowly along the corridor, he'll stay still if you don't touch the analogue stick, and he'll obviously move forward if you push it forward, but he'll also move forward if you push it backwards.

Somehow I'm surprised to see Reno so battered! I wasn't expecting our fight to have lasting, visible effects.

Interesting exchange: Rude says he's been wondering whether dropping the plate was really necessary. Tseng says, if they hadn't done it, someone else would have. 'We have spared that person the burden of a guilty conscience.'

When that's rejected, Tseng just offers a different justification. 'Do you actually believe that?' Rude asks. 'Does it matter?' Tseng replies.

The ghosts 'are drawn to those who attempt to alter destiny's course and ensure they do not'. TIME LOOPS TIME LOOPS. The ghosts weren't in the original game because that was the first time things played out; there was no destiny then! Now events need to follow the course of the original Final Fantasy VII, and the ghosts are here to ensure they do.

'So you're saying that flow [of time] is somehow fixed?' Tifa asks. Yes. It's fixed by the fact that you're characters from a two-decade-old videogame, and this is a remake of that videogame. I hope that genuinely is what's going on here, because I absolutely love how stupid it is.

Barret demands to know how Red XIII knows about this. I hope the answer is that he's played Final Fantasy VII already.

Tifa takes Aerith's hand and pulls her out of the destiny ghost whirlwind. I want to make a note of this because I can easily envision it being called back to at a particular point in a later game.

Rei insists on calling Red XIII 'Tony the Tiger'.

Riona: I just got healed and I don't know how.
Rei: Maybe your friend Tony the Tiger did it.
Riona: Oh, thank you, Tony the Tiger! You're grrrrrreat.

Barret telling Cloud 'hey, you know, Wedge really likes you' is very cute.

My controversial Final Fantasy VII opinion is that Hojo is a better villain than Sephiroth. He's more fun and I find his motives much easier to grasp. The man just really loves science.

Slightly weird to have this dramatic scene where Barret's being held at gunpoint, given all the hundreds of bullets he can shrug off in combat. We've fought automated gun turrets! They shot us to bits and we were fine!

What? What? What? What? What???

So... Barret got impaled by a sword, but has now been healed by one of the ghosts who are trying to make sure this remake follows the plot of the original game?

Always pictured Rufus looking and sounding younger, somehow. He feels very close to Ravus here.

'Let's make it a night to remember,' Rufus says. Again, everyone wants to bang Cloud.

Possibly the best moment in the entire game:

Heidegger: What is this ragtag group of misfits I see before me?
Barret: Avalanche!
Aerith: Local florist!
Red XIII: Lab rat dog.
Heidegger: So then where are the rest of you?
Barret: Up your ass.

'Everything about you is wrong,' Aerith tells Sephiroth, outraged that he's showing up at a point where he didn't appear in the original game.

I can't stop picturing the ghosts as screaming FFVII purists now.

I wasn't expecting to see Zack in this instalment!

Maybe you would've done better if you'd equipped some goddamn materia, Zack.

On the other side, Aerith says we'll find freedom. Two questions spring to mind immediately:

- does she mean freedom from the predetermined story of Final Fantasy VII?
- if so, is the answer to the question 'why isn't it called Final Fantasy VII Remake, Part 1?' that there'll never technically be a second instalment of the remake? The first instalment is remaking Final Fantasy VII, but future instalments are going to branch off and follow a completely different story? I feel Square is weird enough for this to be possible.

After Aerith's heartfelt speech, I'm increasingly suspecting this first act is going to end with us killing Sephiroth, and if that's right I cannot wait to look at the reactions online.

Barret: You're alive!
Cloud: Happy to see me?
Barret: Wouldn't go that far.

Cloud and Barret fondly giving each other shit is great.

Were we just fighting one of Red XIII's cubs? Back from the future to try to preserve the timeline that leads to its birth? Maybe not.

'Do you dream of me?' Sephiroth asks. This game is being very good to the Cloud/Sephiroth shippers, although frankly it's also being good to the Cloud/anyone shippers.

Cloud being magically restrained on his back with Sephiroth's sword at his throat is prime fanfiction material.

I JUST DEFEATED SEPHIROTH BY DROPPING A BIG FAT CHOCOBO ON HIM

I can't believe we're fighting in Final Destination.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?? ZACK???

I had to pause the game just so I could shriek at Ginger in high-pitched outrage.

BIGGS?

'The Unknown Journey Will Continue'. I guess I was right! It's called Final Fantasy VII Remake, no 'Part 1', because beyond this they're not remaking Final Fantasy VII! What??

This is so stupid. I love it.

I don't love Zack being alive, though, I'll admit. I like Zack, but his death is so crucial to Cloud's character that it really doesn't seem right for him to have survived.

And I do love the story of the original Final Fantasy VII, so I'm sorry we're not getting to see it truly remade.

Here is something I wrote two and a half weeks ago:

It's the eighth of April; Final Fantasy VII Remake is not out yet. I just opened batman's entry on the game, thinking 'it's a remake of a game I've already played; how spoilery can it be?', and I saw something like 'the twist is in the damn title of' and immediately backed out, thinking 'maybe there's a greater spoiler risk than I thought'.

But my mind won't stop coming up with stupid theories, and I thought I'd note them down so I can look back after playing the game and (hopefully) laugh at how wrong I am.

The twist is in the damn title of... the game? That's the only thing I can think of. But how can Final Fantasy VII Remake be a spoilery title? Here's what's coming to mind:

- The Stupid Theory: the events of FFVII are canonically being replicated. Cloud is caught in a time loop. This isn't a standard remake of the events of Final Fantasy VII. This is a sequel.

- The Extremely Stupid Theory: the events of FFVII are canonically being remade. The characters of Final Fantasy VII Remake are actually actors remaking Final Fantasy VII.

- The Stupidest Theory: FFVII is canonically being remade, but not by actors. The protagonist of Final Fantasy VII Remake was abducted by Final Fantasy VII fans and had his memories rewritten to believe he was Cloud Strife. The events of Final Fantasy VII Remake are entirely staged by these fans, manipulating these poor delusional people who genuinely believe themselves to be the game's characters. The Zack twist is just the tip of the false-memory iceberg.

Now that I've actually finished the game, I'm not sure we can actually rule any of these out.

In conclusion, I've had a great time, and also ???????

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You finished it! \o/

Oh god now I can finally talk about how much I hate that ending, haha. I hated it so much. And yeah, your theory about it being a sequel is correct.

'Let's make it a night to remember,' Rufus says. Again, everyone wants to bang Cloud.

I am however delighted that this remains true until the very end.

Your frustration makes a lot of sense! I'm torn between 'I do love Square's tendency to do absolutely ridiculous, inexplicable bullshit in their games' and 'but I'm a little disappointed, because I did genuinely want to see Final Fantasy VII remade'.

Yeah, it's frustrating on multiple levels, the first being that I also genuinely wanted to see FFVII remade and now we're getting a sequel instead. I loved everything that was adapted from the original game but then the inexplicable bullshit they added is one of my least favourite plot devices. Just, why.

Did they cut the bit where Hojo tries to crossbreed Aerith and Red XIII? Cowards.

This sounded so weird that I had to look things up, and it turns out this was extremely weird!

It's definitely weird! I was wondering how on Earth the remake was planning to portray that; I suppose sidestepping it entirely is as good a solution as any.

'My boy, you weren't a SOLDIER.' Just coming right out and saying it!!!

YES!! I was trying to imagine what I would be thinking here if I knew nothing about this game... probably 'Cloud is an Ancient???'

When that's rejected, Tseng just offers a different justification. 'Do you actually believe that?' Rude asks. 'Does it matter?' Tseng replies.

I really loved this whole scene. And Reno's "Yeah... nope."

Tifa takes Aerith's hand and pulls her out of the destiny ghost whirlwind. I want to make a note of this because I can easily envision it being called back to at a particular point in a later game.

I really love that it was Tifa who did this and not Cloud.

So... Barret got impaled by a sword, but has now been healed by one of the ghosts who are trying to make sure this remake follows the plot of the original game?

I can't believe this is what you thought was happening here, and I can't believe you're right.

Possibly the best moment in the entire game:
YES!!!

'Everything about you is wrong,' Aerith tells Sephiroth, outraged that he's showing up at a point where he didn't appear in the original game.

YES!! I love that this also completely explains my complaint about Sephiroth showing up too soon and already being obsessed with Cloud.

- if so, is the answer to the question 'why isn't it called Final Fantasy VII Remake, Part 1?' that there'll never technically be a second instalment of the remake? The first instalment is remaking Final Fantasy VII, but future instalments are going to branch off and follow a completely different story? I feel Square is weird enough for this to be possible.

I think you are 100% right. I was thinking how the nice thing about them breaking it up like this is that people who only wanted a remake will know that's not what they're getting from the next part.

Cloud and Barret fondly giving each other shit is great.

Red XIII giving Barrett shit is also so delightful!

Were we just fighting one of Red XIII's cubs? Back from the future to try to preserve the timeline that leads to its birth? Maybe not.

Reading all of your wild and wildly correct speculation after having finished this part is amazing.

I don't love Zack being alive, though, I'll admit.

I'm honestly not sure Zack is alive. I'll have to get to that point in the original, but doesn't he die after the point we saw there?

Aerith's room in the Shinra lab made me cry. It's really beautiful and I love her and I love that the devs loved her enough to give us this room that tells us so much about who she is and what she's been through. Also, her drawing looks a lot like the 'edge of creation'.

I've hugely enjoyed all your comments on this game!

I really love that it was Tifa who did this and not Cloud.

Yes! I love how clear it is that Tifa and Aerith genuinely get along and care about each other. Their interactions in this game were so, so good.

I can't believe this is what you thought was happening here, and I can't believe you're right.

goddammit, Square, can't you do anything normally

it's a remake

you had the plot you were supposed to be following right there

what are you doing

(I love this stupid developer, but I don't understand a single thing they do.)

I'm honestly not sure Zack is alive. I'll have to get to that point in the original, but doesn't he die after the point we saw there?

I remember it as him dying to soldiers some distance outside Midgar, so when we saw him facing off against a load of soldiers I went 'oh, it's the scene where Zack dies,' and then the game went back to him when he'd beaten all of them and I went 'wait, what?' If they didn't want us to think Zack survived, they tripped up by setting up a scene that looked a lot like his death scene and then explicitly showing that he survived it, although I wouldn't put that past Square.

No, I'm sure you're right about Zack and I'm just not remembering that flashback accurately. And that the whispers getting out of the way means he can now reach Midgar alive.

I've already got crazy posts about this, if you're interested (just follow the tag). Some of it might be pertinent to your interests. XD

That said, congratulations! I, too, dropped Fat Chocobo on the final boss. I'm pretty sure that's peak Final Fantasy.

Thank you for the link! I'm delighted that I can finally dig into all the posts I've been resisting.

Another person on my flist also dropped Fat Chocobo on the final boss! I really hope every single person who played this game beat Sephiroth with a Fat Chocobo drop.

hello here is my screaming

i still cannot fucking believe this game. i can't rate it because i literally do not know how i feel about it. IT'S JUST. SO WILD. what the actual fuck is this video game.

i have no intelligent commentary (because WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS GAME) but i laughed out loud at Barret demands to know how Red XIII knows about this. I hope the answer is that he's played Final Fantasy VII already.

I remembered you'd made a post, and it was one of the first things I checked out after finishing!

also she was the best part of the gameplay; i always defaulted to tifa is the truest thing. Tifa was an absolute blast to play.

Rei also compared the bandits to the Lion King hyenas while watching me play!

Did they cut the bit where Hojo tries to crossbreed Aerith and Red XIII? Cowards.

OK I'M GLAD I DIDN'T JUST HAVE A FAULTY MEMORY

THAT DEFINITELY HAPPENED IN THE ORIGINAL and I spent the entire remake wondering what they were going to do with it. I was half expecting Hojo to bring Red XIII up into Aerith's cage and then everyone in the room to just stare at Hojo for a full five minutes.

You beat the game! I can contribute a few thoughts, then.

I did the same thing and bought everything that had the possibility of being sold out. As a result, I had no shortage of Mega Potions, Ethers, and Phoenix Downs by the end of the game. :-P

Hojo did not try to breed Aerith with Nanaki in this version of events, though he did say he was going to breed her with a bunch of SOLDIERs, so ... the sentiment remains. Hojo is a piece of crap, and always has been. He is, in many ways, the main villain, or at least the one responsible for tipping that first domino.

The theory that the Whispers represent hardcore fans of the original game has come up in other places, too. I would not put it past Nomura, in his tendency towards Unsubtle Symbolism ™, to do that.

I love the character dynamics as we come up to the ending, and I greatly enjoyed the game as a whole, but the ending itself is pure Kingdom Hearts bullshit, and a tacit admission from Nomura and his goons that they are taking the easy way out and doing their own thing. ... For some, this will be a good thing. I'm not really mad about it, since I kind of expected them to do something like this, but I'm left forever wondering what would have happened if the Remake had been a genuine remake. *shrugs* I'll take the good with the bad. If the next one is on PS5, I won't be able to play it any time soon, anyway.

'The Unknown Journey Will Continue'. ... Which is a bit of a rip of Star Ocean 2 saying 'Their Fantastic Space Odyssey is just beginning', but whatever.

And yes, everyone wants to bang Cloud, Rufus included.

The ending is definitely magnificently bullshit (and, yes, it did strongly remind me of Kingdom Hearts), but I don't know if I'd describe diverging from the original as 'taking the easy way out'! It seems that doing something new would take more effort than faithfully remaking the original, in some ways, although that doesn't necessarily mean it's the better decision.

This is only important to me, but: are Tseng and Elena in FF7R?

Tseng makes a few appearances (and very pretty he is too), but I'm afraid the game only goes up to the end of Midgar, and Elena doesn't join the Turks until after the party leaves the city.

... Tseng at his prettiest is a very compelling argument.

"The ghosts 'are drawn to those who attempt to alter destiny's course and ensure they do not'. TIME LOOPS TIME LOOPS. The ghosts weren't in the original game because that was the first time things played out; there was no destiny then! Now events need to follow the course of the original Final Fantasy VII, and the ghosts are here to ensure they do." And then I read more about the theories of what this game really is. And some of them sound so plausible. And I love them all.

I've been absent from the right corner of the internet lol.

I've just recently completed the game and try to think of it as a newbie coming to the game despite knowing how it generally goes, so I'm a mix of confused but interested, worried but excited. SE knows how to play their fans.

Are you going to play the Hard Mode?

(Also, hi! I don't think we've talked before, but I recently returned to DW and browsed some blogs via the Interest tool. Nice to meet you!)

I'm very curious about what the game's like for new players! (I've been trying not to talk about later events in my entries about the remake, just in case some new fans end up reading them.) I see from your journal that you have technically played the original, but that you don't really remember it; it must have been an interesting experience without the expectations that come from knowing the story already.

I'm not planning to play hard mode; I don't think I ever play hard mode on anything but rhythm-action and puzzle games, come to think of it. I hope you enjoy it, though, if you're planning to!

It's nice to meet you as well; hi!

Me not remembering the original feels like both an advantage and a disadvantage. I'm not so bothered with the different takes on the plot and characters, but I feel like I'm not anchored to anything but Cloud (since I only remember him the most) and it's not punching me emotionally as intended for a game with the word "remake". But I probably shouldn't take that word literally anymore lol.

Thanks! Going through the same story twice usually makes me bored quickly, but I see amazing end-game builds on YouTube and got curious. Playing as Tifa is too much fun. xD

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What Is This Fascinating Phenomenon?

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