#also i saw a video of when the team wants to get Aerith back when she left for the Ancient Temple

[icharchivist]

I've seen like two videos of Aerith and Barret from Rebirth and I've been thinking about their relationship ever since and im shambles, like

Barret didn't know Aerith before they officially met, and first he heard of her it was during a life or death situation where his babygirl was in danger but Barret had to be on the frontlines to try to keep everyone safe

And he had left Marlene back at Tifa's bar and then Cloud and Tifa come to find him after days where they had disappeared and Cloud was thought dead,

And They tell him that they left Marlene in the care of someone they trust but was a perfect stranger for Barret

And he doesn't even have time to freak out because he has to make sure the Turks don't blow up the pillar holding the plate but he can't have been at ease with this

And then when he officially sees Aerith for the first time she has been kidnapped by the Turks and Tseng is brutalizing her, Cloud and Tifa panics, and yet this girl that Barret didn't know, who was being hit in front of him, just takes the hurried time she has reassuring Tifa that she brought Marlene somewhere safe.

Like for Barret it was a total stranger who got in danger to protect his daughter, and while now this stranger was in danger and in pain, her full concern was on making sure everyone knew Marlene was safe while also dropping hints of where she was for Cloud to bring the squad back to Aerith's house

She was a total stranger who didn't hesitate to put herself in danger to protect Barret's daughter and make it her priority over anything that happened to her

No wonder then Barret is totally with Tifa and Cloud when it's time to rescue her, and i think Barret and Aerith should interract more after that

I don't recall any scenes that aren't group scenes with them but tbh i saw their linked attack from Rebirth where they're both dorka and it made me cry on the spot it's so soft

[chubbybeaver77]

FF7 LTD: CLOUD’S TRUTH REVEALED - Chapter 10 [scenario analysis]

Honestly, I was re-watching FF7R footage to get some illustrations for another analysis and came across this, so this is a totally accidental catch about the LTD of FF7. I didn’t ask myself questions this time.

ATTENTION:

If you do not care or cannot handle LTD, then please skip this post.

I acknowledge the scenarios are more than just LTD. They are also about character building and the friendship between Aerith & Tifa. I respect all characters and the devs. However, please understand this post is an analysis about the LTD element of the scenarios.

If you are cool with all that, please read on. Thank you!

In Chapter 10 of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, we have Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith as our team members and it is probably an amazing chance for the story to tell and develop the relationships between them. In the sewer, the game set up two bridge collapses and there are intentions behind those cutscenes just like probably any other cutscenes the devs put in this Remake and I am, as a fan, very grateful for their attention to detail. I also like to compare because sometimes you need to place one thing next to another to understand what it truly is. By comparing the scenarios of the two bridge collapses, I think I have found the truth about the LTD from Cloud, at least up until this point of the story (after all that happened between Cloud – Tifa and Cloud – Aerith from the beginning till Chapter 9).

With the first bridge collapse, you see Cloud crossing first and then Tifa. Both crossed the bridge successfully. Then, it was Aerith’s turn. Aerith had trouble. When she was in trouble, we saw the screen showed Tifa and Cloud. Cloud was at the back and Tifa at the front. Cloud was out of focus and Tifa was in focus. At its peak, the bridge started sinking. It was Tifa that immediately took action and reached for Aerith. Cloud, however, stayed out of the screen, implying he either didn’t take action or his action was not important enough to be displayed on the screen. Then, we heard Cloud telling Aerith what to do: “Jump!”. Aerith jumped and Tifa was ready to catch her. Cloud was back on the screen, holding onto Tifa while his eyes focusing on Aerith.

Because Cloud barely talked or expressed his feelings openly, we - fans -  have been watching his action carefully to find out what he really meant/felt/thought. So at this moment, who did he care about? My answer was Aerith definitely because she was the one he looked at and she was the one in trouble, even though he had that tendency to touch Tifa. But, let’s check the second bridge collapse.

The second collapse came shortly after the first one. It happened when both Aerith and Tifa crossing. However, if you looked closely, the one truly in trouble this time was Tifa. The screen shows only Tifa being in trouble, not Aerith. You also heard Tifa saying “Huh? No way!” which tells you how she was in trouble. Actually, Aerith was closer to the other side so she was in a safer position. Tifa was near the middle of the bridge and she probably thought she could not make it to the other side, so she turned around to run back. This time, Cloud was in focus. Even a close-up shot was used to tell the audience how he felt.

His face had a stunned and scared expression and it quickly turned into a determined one. Cloud didn’t just stand and told Tifa what to do. He instantly ran toward her. Aerith noticed Tifa was in danger and Tifa was wrong by turning back. So, Aerith took Tifa's hand and pulled her forward together. When Aerith took Tifa's hand, you would see Cloud was already in action in the back. As the two girls moving to the other side, Cloud continued rushing behind. I think the force of such action was too much for him to stop while it also seems he didn’t even want to stop (because he couldn’t feel assured enough if he wasn’t the one that rescues Tifa himself?). The bridge collapsed completely.

You can see him falling almost at the same place that Tifa was at the last shot before the trouble occurred. It’s safe to say that Cloud saw Tifa in trouble, and without thinking, he immediately rushed to rescue her; within such a fleeting moment, he was so determined and projected himself precisely to where she was. That’s how he got himself in trouble. Luckily, the girls rescued him. Then, Cloud turned to Aerith and said “Sorry ‘bout that” and she replied “No need to be”. Why did he apologize to Aerith? Because to him, she was a bystander in that circumstance. How was Aerith a bystander? Because Tifa was in danger and he was so reckless about saving Tifa, thus he bothered Aerith. When Tifa and Aerith went ahead, Cloud was caught looking down sighing. He caught himself. He was such a cocky and try-to-play-cool dude, that sigh was most likely not about his own danger. It’s more like a sigh of relief that the tension of Tifa being in danger was over or he was disappointed about himself for acting recklessly and thoughtlessly because he wanted to protect Tifa.

So we see here, in almost two identical situations, Cloud responded differently when each girl was endangered. It really shows how deeply Cloud cares about Tifa and how much she means to him compared to Aerith. Through his action, Cloud has involuntarily revealed who matters the most to him. However, I don’t think that the devs would go this far just to compare how Cloud cares for Tifa more than Aerith (at least true till this point of the story) just for the sake of the LTD. Remember in FF7AC, Cloud was the one that felt guilty about Aerith’s death more than any other team member? Remember in OG, he acted weirdly before Sephiroth appeared and killed Aerith?

I think there is a high chance the Remake will show in detail how Cloud’s role/Cloud’s failure played in Aerith’s death, which caused his deep guilt in AC. Had he been determined to protect Aerith as he could for Tifa, would have it been different?

After all, here I include the video with slow-motion so you can see it for yourself.

If you have enjoyed this, please check out my other analyses for FF7R:

TIFA AND THE MOON SYMBOL – WALL MARKET [symbolism analysis]

WHAT DID CLOUD CALL BEAUTIFUL? [cinematic analysis]

BONUS only for Cloti: Cloud lost his shit and rushed toward Tifa without thinking the same way.

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Final Fantasy VII Remake

I love it. Done. Just Kidding. Final Fantasy VII is one my top 10 favorite games of all time. My first play through was over 99 hours, and I didn’t feel like I was “done”. I just beat the game to beat it. I’ve restarted the opening Midgar section a hundred times. I love it.

I don’t know why, but when the PS2 came out, I heard rumors of FFVII sequels...but then FFX got a sequel. I didn’t really care for that one...Why did it get a sequel? Then PSP had Crisis Core and Advent Children. While Crisis Core was an action packed revisit to FFVII’s world, it wasn’t exactly a remake. And while I enjoyed watching Advent Children a 100 times...it wasn’t exactly a film-adaptation, or even an EPIC-Quality sequel to the game. When the PS3 Demo teased a remake, I became desperate. I needed this REMAKE. When the PS4 Remake  was announced, I couldn’t believe it was real!!!! But then it turns out, it was only going to be the first section and that there would be “changes”. While I’m ok with the game ditching the turn-based combat, I didn’t want a game so revamped that it was unrecognizable. And the fact this was only the first section, I was worried that a. they were filling the game with fluff, and/or b. they wouldn’t bother making the rest... Doesn’t matter now. It’s in my hands now, and I can’t wait to play! FFVII’s opening is possibly my most favorite opening of any video game. How the stars of space turn to life-stream embers, and Aerith steps out of an alley to reveal a bustling city. The Camera pulls back to reveal Midgar, our new home, a huge ominous tower surrounded by planet-killing reactors. Then as the camera pushes in, there’s quick cuts of a train--building the tension and pace of this slow, elegant reveal. And boom: the bombing mission begins! In contrast, the remake starts with a vast desert landscape in daytime. For a moment, I thought it was meant to mirror the desert Red XIII visits at the end of VII...maybe it is. But then we see Midgar, reimagined to new glory! It was strange, but not offensive. Until we cut from day to the familiar image of Aerith looking at Mako energy. She’s prompted to leave the alley by someone...or something. And we pull back to see Midgar, as in the original. And while I’m glad we’ve remade this perfect scene, it is sabotaged by the new day-time opening. The city has been introduced twice. Revealed twice. And one is clearly more impactful than the other (the original). Ah well. Now we’re in the familiar train station. I think they’ve added some sections to give more combat opportunities for the player. It works. The combat is fun enough. I’m glad that I can “strike” as much as I want without delay, unlike Crisis Core. Maybe it’s because I played CC for hours that I’m so satisfied with this action-combat? Limiting the item and magic use to a timer was a bit awkward. I would often forget to use them. I’m still quite confused about when to use special moves like Braver. Shinra soldiers are no sweat. The graphics are great and the lighting perfectly captures the original’s style. It was fun to play a modern game with 90s aesthetics. Because the camera is now over the shoulder and not overhead, like the classic, I almost missed how many times they took the original game’s environments and reworked them for the remake. I was impressed when I discovered it and absolutely thrilled. They’ve also done a good job reworking the enemies into the game. The dialog/story is a little hit or miss. But that’s just kind of where Japanese games live, for me. In the 90s and early 2000s, most games didn’t have good writing, even if they had good stories and ideas. So Japan’s non-western style didn’t stand out that much, and they were usually cutting-edge for cinematic games and storytelling. Now that Western Games have improved so much, it’s harder for me to tolerate Japan’s eccentric style. The original game was very succinct and clear: Barret was an angry, militant rebel who saw Shinra Corp as a threat to the world. He explains clearly how the reactors are sucking up the planet’s energy. The stakes were clear. Cloud’s cool indifference was an interesting foil. Usually you’re the hero, now you’re just a jerk. While the remake did a good job showing that Cloud was specifically brought to do the fighting, proving his worth to the team, when we get to Barret’s speech about the reactor--it’s somewhat unprompted and...unspecific? It’s so over the top, I hardly realized this was “the speech”. If you’ve never played FF7 before, I’d imagine the point would be lost on you. If you have played, then you get the joke that Barret isn’t exactly an environmentalist--despite his impassioned posturing. I think this is a misstep.

But they did give side characters more of a voice in this mission, especially Jessie. They basically sacrificed Barret’s presence to give the others more talking opportunity. This works because we’re gonna get to know Barret over many, many more hours. But it also gives Barret a more solemn presence that works for his character.

Getting to the iconic scorpion bot fight, I was impressed by the challenge. The original game is still trying to let you win at this point. The only way to lose is to attack when the tail is up, unleashing a devastating laser attack. But this game really pushed me. Maybe it was meant to challenge the player and force them to experiment with different attacks and strategies. I had to heal a lot!! Also, it seemed like my dodge was worthless. Occasionally the boss would launch a barrage of missiles and when I tried to roll-dodge, I always rolled right into a missile. By the end, I just didn’t bother dodging or blocking, cause they don’t seem to do anything...maybe I suck.

Then it was time to escape. This was fun, but they introduced a new “shock trooper” or something. These guys are fast, strong, and a pain in the ass. I couldn’t dodge, I couldn’t block, and I couldn’t land a hit. I hate these guys. It seemed odd to put such a challenging enemy into the game at THIS timed moment. But maybe they assumed I’d be better at combat by now?? The biggest issue with FFVII is that you start the game as terrorists and that’s never really addressed. Sure, you’re stopping an evil corporation, but you’re doing it at the expense of innocent lives. The remake makes a smart decision here and establishes the bomb as small and insignificant. But then President Shinra orders the reactor to be destroyed--causing a huge explosion that causes a great disruption to the civilians. I assume this is an effort to paint your team as terrorists and enemies of the people. I think it’s a good twist that corrects the original’s problematic points.

After escaping the reactor, the team is faced with the aftermath of the explosion. They’re confused by the amount of destruction, but also try to rationalize the importance of their goal. While I think they were mostly trying to stretch playtime, there’s an interesting sequence of having to face the fruits of your labor: burning buildings, crashed cars, injured people receiving emergency care, displaced citizens, and complete chaos. Even though I know, as the player, that Shinra is the true cause--it’s a good beat to have the player/characters facing the consequences of rebellion.

This leads into a new take on Aerith’s introduction. This is where Japanese “styles” don’t meld with me. Aerith is fighting off invisible spirits--and it looks ridiculous. Most people would give this flower girl a wide berth, and likely not purchase her products. But Cloud is just like, “Hey, what’s up?” after blowing up a reactor... Anyway, Cloud also sees these ghosts: hooded creatures. This is new--but I wonder if it’s related to Sephiroth clones/alternatives?

Aerith runs off, and we’re treated to a vision of Sephiroth. This seems to be addressing another issue with FFVII--what is this all about? In the original, Shinra is the main enemy within the early 2-5 hours, and Sephiroth is lightly referenced. It’s not till Shinra is found murdered that we really see Sephiroth as a potential threat--let alone the “final boss”. It’s a weakness in the storytelling, for sure. But having the vision of Sephiroth appear and bring Cloud back to the fateful day seems like a real attempt to focus the narrative.

And then I had to do a lot of fighting. It was fun, and didn’t quite feel like “stretching”, but it was funny to reflect that this 30+ minute sequence was about 5 minutes of gameplay within the original. So--I’m around chapter 2 of an 18 chapter game. These chapters cover about the 5 hours of the original’s plot, but I’ve already put in 1:43 hours.

Final Fantasy VII spends so much of the early game in Midgar, it really starts to feel like home--as much as it’s meant to represent the dangers of capitalism and fossil fuels--it really becomes a part of you, like the Mansion and Police Station in Resident Evil 1 and 2. I’ve always wanted to see more of it--so I’m hopeful that this game has taken the time to really build Midgar.

[kyndaris]

Date with Destiny (with a Capital D)

When I watched the announcement at E3 about Final Fantasy VII Remake, I was terribly excited. Though the Final Fantasy series has been one of my favourites since I first played Final Fantasy X, I have never actually played the original Final Fantasy VII.Instead, I read everything I could find and watched walkthroughs (including Dirge of Cerberus) as well as the film: Advent Children and Advent Children Complete. When Crisis Core released on PlayStation Portable (PSP), I also bought that to immerse myself in the entirety of the Final Fantasy VII universe. And when I told one of my close friends, Bleachpanda, about it, they were surprised that I had never played the original. But while I could have purchased the re-release on the PlayStation 4, I wanted to see the game that had captured the imagination of so many people in high definition quality.

As most people in Australia know, the game released a whole nine days earlier than it was supposed to: on 1st of April. After I had mistakenly taken the express train, I was perusing my messages and saw my friend post her excitement that Final Fantasy VII Remake was out. Immediately, I used my situation to my advantage and went to buy the game - despite the fact that I had no facial mask and was entering a shopping centre with a possible high risk of infection. After sweating up a storm by rushing to all the stores, I finally had the copy in hand. 

However, it would not be until I had finished Yakuza 4 that I could begin my journey with Cloud and the Avalanche team. Suffice it to say, I was incredibly excited. From the score to Cloud’s lovely cheekbones. In fact, I could not believe my good fortune that I was actually playing the game. It didn’t seem real that I would have in my hands despite the ongoing pandemic. From there, my hype built as I defeated the Scorpion sentinel and moved on to the Seventh Heaven. When Tifa’s theme sounded, I had to resist the urge to shed a tear. 

I might not have played the original, but gosh darn it, I loved the characters as much as any fan.

Even the little details were so exciting to see. Though there were several changes to the game, it was clear that the developers loved the game as much as its fans did. I liked how Cloud and the gang kept their victory poses for when they were in the Coliseum. The up-scaled Church, the bar, Wall Market and Aerith’s house. Learning more about many of the side characters also helped build a solid connection to them. From Jessie’s tragic backstory of her dad collapsing in Mako storage in her debut as the role of Princess at the Golden Saucer (goodness me, if she knew about the shenanigans of Cloud and the rest of the party, she’d probably throw a fit), to Bigg’s contribution to the Sector 5 orphanage. This even extended to the differences in Tifa’s and Aerith’s cleavage sizes. Not that I was paying particular attention...

Okay, maybe a little. But I’m glad that they also gave appropriate footwear and gear for the characters. 

But my goodness, that pull-up challenge took me fifty minutes! It wasn’t even in the original! And the trophy did not feel worth it after how difficult Jules was. Never again! 

Then the characters also called me out for going in the wrong direction. I’m not! I’m trying to explore every nook and cranny of this world Square-Enix has bequeathed us and to find as many items as I can find! 

The combat, though, was the one that had the most changes. Gone is the turn-based battle system. While players can play on classic, according to my friend Bleachpanda, it was less than exciting. Particularly when the AI just stood around guarding most of the time. As for me, I played on Normal Mode. The battle mechanics felt like they used bits and pieces from other games: such as Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy XIII. It also incorporated elements of the original Active Time Battle system, but I found it frustrating that all of my more powerful abilities, and even items, were gated behind a slowly rising bar - particularly for the AI-controlled party members. Of course, Final Fantasy VII Remake also allowed players to switch between members and I found I had to do this on a fairly regular basis depending on the battle. 

Also, your ATB abilities, spells and item usages could also be interrupted. This proved particularly frustrating in difficult battles where I was hoping to take advantage of an enemy’s weakness, only to be batted to the side because of an air attack.

It also felt, on numerous fights, that I had to think of these battles less like a turn-based battle and more like an action adventure, hack and slash. Instead of just absorbing spells and attacks, I needed to evade and guard. This was clearly evident in several solo battles with Roche and even Rufus Shinra. I had to read attack patterns, avoid some of their deadly moves and strike when they had an opening. All the while, trying to keep my ATB gauge up and ready for some quick healing or spell casting. 

Let’s move on now to the characters and the story. But where to begin? How about the ending that proved incredibly divisive among many fans. My friend, Bleachpanda, was sorely disappointed by the presence of the Whispers and how the last two chapters transpired. She, unlike me, had been banking on nostalgia to pull her and was more excited to seeing the original recreated in perfect high definition. If you read her posts on Final Fantasy VII Remake you will learn that she was mightily disappointed that how Cloud manages to obtain his dress was very different (although she probably still liked our ex-Soldier shaking his tush on stage. Heck, I think everyone was channelling Aerith and shouting at our screens for Cloud to work it). 

The whole talk of destiny and changing fate, though, probably left many fearing that the rest of the Final Fantasy VII Remake would be a very different beast from their childhoods. What with talk about alternate timelines and the possibility of time travel. As well as that last parting shot of Zack Fair. In fact, there are plenty of videos on YouTube that try to explain the ending. 

Now, I profess, time travel has always sat ill with me. And Square-Enix has not always used it well. The first Bravely Default comes to mind as does Kingdom Hearts 3 and the time loops of Type-0. Or even what they tried to do with the Final Fantasy XIII franchise. All those retcons in FFXIII-2 made me wonder if it was all worth it. Lightning’s character development in the first game was all but forgotten and rehashed over Lightning Returns. Still, as this was mostly penned by the original writer (though people will still blame Nomura), I feel like much of the motivations and several story beats will remain the same. The settings will also not change and I am eager to see Cosmo Canyon, Nibelheim, Junon and so many other places.

In saying that, though, I’m not sure if Aerith will die. Or if she does, whether it will have the same shocking effect that it did in the original. Of course, by now, everyone and their mothers know what to expect and perhaps this was a way for Square Enix to keep players on their toes. What about Cloud falling into the Lifestream and Tifa trying to sort out his memories from the false persona he created? The slap fight between Tifa and Scarlet? My friend, Bleachpanda, just wants to see Professor Hojo surrounded by girls that are trying to flirt with him. Who knows. It might happen. Or it might not. Hence why so many are terrified at the direction of the new games.

The rest of the narrative, however, proved just as exciting with a few little additions along the way. Sephiroth appearing, though, in the second chapter threw me for a loop, even though I appreciated the foreshadowing. Chapter 4 was all devoted to learning and bonding more with the other members of Avalanche. I very much liked their expanded roles, although casting Gideon Emery as Biggs was a bit of a distraction as I could clearly hear his Balthier trying to break through, particularly in the earlier scenes. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Balthier. And Biggs is quite good looking himself.

This whole Midgar portion of the game also remained mostly faithful to the original Final Fantasy VII and its timeline. It also made things a little more realistic and showed fans of the original, more sides of the characters they had come to love. Also, I like that despite the love triangle being set up between Cloud, Tifa and Aerith, there was a strong sense of camaraderie among the girls. They lifted each other up rather than tear each other down. Even Jessie was trying to get in on the action with all the flirting she did. In fact, I just wanted to ship Aerith and Tifa for the long haul. 

What I also thought cute was the little swear the left Aerith’s lips when the ladder fell and Cloud had to help lift her up. It was also comical to see Cloud try to pull his Buster Sword out when confronted by one of the other Sephiroth clones and having it catch on the door jam. 

Barret, on the other hand, was a little preachy in the first few chapters. There can be no denying his love for Marlene, but it grated on me how much exposition he provided on the train ride back to Sector 7. Still, once we finally get into the meat of the games, I would love to see all their backstories, cry when appropriate and cheer for them when they finally emerge victorious. 

I also liked many of the environmental story telling. Particularly in Chapter 2 and seeing the aftermath of what Avalanche’s actions had done. Granted, Heidegger and President Shinra had a hand in it, but it was clear that Jessie and many others were devastated by the damage they had wrought. It was also gut-wrenching to see the remains of Sector 7 after the plate fell. Reeve, in the form of Cait Sith, tried and failed to save the people and even though he was controlling an animatronic cat, you could still see his devastation.

Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed my time with Final Fantasy VII Remake. By the time the game ended, I felt a little bereft, wanting to see more of each character and really dive down deep into their psych. Just like before, Tifa is much more reticent and closed off. It warmed my heart that in Hojo’s lab, Aerith asked Tifa if she was okay. As someone who is also similarly guarded, it’s good to know that someone else cares. Red XIII was also a great addition in the last two chapters, though it was a shame we could not play as him. 

The ending might have left a sour taste in the mouths of many, but I know that I, for one, am eager to see where the unknown journey takes us next and seeing old familiar faces. We still have Cid, Yuffie and Vincent to find! Also, Marlene is so cute and precious and must be protected at all costs.

[shielddrake]

FFXV and KH3: The Challenge of Setup and Payoff

So, having recently finished Kingdom Hearts III and taking a few days to digest it, I have concluded something: the current writers on staff at SquareEnix have problems with setup and payoff in regards to storytelling.  This is something I think warrants discussing because it is one of the most common techniques in creative writing (including video games), but it appears to be what the developers of both Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III seem to have the biggest problem accomplishing.

 This is not meant to be a review of either game. Plenty of other people are doing or have done that, and I feel I don’t really need to add to that discussion.  I also don’t mean to be preachy when I talk about setup and payoff in terms of writing.  This is merely my interpretation of what I experienced while playing these games.

 Finally, I don’t mean to say that using Chekov’s Gun is the end-all, be-all of story telling. Setup and payoff are not absolutely necessary to tell a good story, but as they seem to only try to use this technique about halfway, this seems to be the biggest, rather glaring flaw of both of these games, although in different ways.

 WARNING: Spoilers under the cut for both Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III, more so for the latter because it just came out and the former has been out for a while.  You all have been warned.

In play writing and screenwriting, it is said that if there is a gun hanging on the wall in the first act, then it better go off by the third. If it doesn’t, it shouldn’t be hanging on the wall.  This is well-known as Chekhov’s Gun, basically saying that if something is mentioned, it better be mentioned because it furthers the plot in some way.  This technique has been discussed by far more educated people than me, so if you want to know more about this, you can do your own research.  For the purposes of this discussion, let’s just say that if something is brought up, it needs to payoff in the end somehow, or else it’s not important enough to mention.

 Let’s look at a few Final Fantasy moments that do setup and payoff well, and there are quite a few. The Hymn of the Fayth in FFX is mentioned, and sung, several times over the game, and it is revealed that when Sin/Jecht listens to it, he calms down.  It ends up being a key part of making Sin docile enough to be attacked, infiltrated, and then destroyed from the inside, thus ending its thousand-year destruction of Spira.  Final Fantasy VIII has the mention of Squall’s ring named Griever, which later ends up being the Guardian Force summoned by Ultimecia in the final boss battle of the game.  (The significance of this is left up to the player.)  And, very famously, there is Final Fantasy VII’s Aerith and her white materia, which she claims does nothing but is actually what saves the world from Meteor by casting Holy magic at the end of the game.  There are many others, but those are a few examples.

 That being said, both FFXV and KH3 suffer from issues of setup and payoff, but in sort of opposite ways.  Let’s start with FFXV.

 First, this is not to say that FFXV completely fails at setting ideas up and then paying them off in the end.  The entire situation with the Ring of the Lucii is set up and pays off by the game’s end, and the story of Shiva and Ifrit’s love story sets up the end of the battle with Ifrit when Shiva is summoned to finish him off (at least, the set up is there better in the Royal Edition).  Episode Ignis also has the alternative ending where Ravus ends up coming to terms with his sister’s death and gives Noctis his father’s sword willingly, rather than dying and Noct finding it after the fact.  The setup of Ravus having issues with Noctis finally has a proper payoff when he accepts that Noctis is the Chosen King and supports him, and Ravus finally gets the character development he so desperately needed and was cheated out on in the original version of the game.  This concept of setup and payoff is not completely lost on SquareEnix.

 There are times, however, when the setup is there but the payoff is little to nothing.  The Royal Arms are brought up by Cor roughly at the start of the game, but then they become nothing really more than a tidbit of information at best and an optional sidequest at worst.  During my first playthrough, I actually forgot all about them between meeting Titan and obtaining the Katana of the Warrior.  I was like, “Oh, right.  Those things.”  They are brought up again at the end of the game where the Kings of Lucis all kill Noctis to purge the Starscourge and defeat Ardyn, so I guess that’s some payoff, but it seems so minor compared to the other plot points that I find this debatable.

 I also have big problems with the use of Luna.  Her character is absolutely fine, don’t get me wrong there, but there is an almost complete lack of use of her character as she relates to Noctis.  If they are supposed to be close, possibly in love or at least in like, then the flashback sequences from their childhood don’t really do it justice.  They show interactions that don’t advance their relationship at all.  As such, when the “payoff” of Luna’s death and Noctis’ despair from it happens, it doesn’t really mean anything to the player.  We’re sad for Noctis, but not necessarily sad that Luna had died.  There was no setup for her relationship with him, so her loss isn’t all that poignant.  This could have been fixed if the journal the two share could have been read by the player, even with just small snippets of their written conversations with each other, but this wasn’t an option.

 Next, I want to talk about the DLC.  Ignoring the fact that I’m one of those people who think the events of Episodes Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto should have been included the game proper from the start, the absence of them also hurts the setup and payoff techniques of the story.  The setup is in the DLC, but the payoff exists in the original game.  So, in a way, we’re getting the payoff before the setup even happens, chronologically speaking.

 For starters, let’s look at Episode Ignis.  This episode is arguably the best of the three DLC, so it is no surprise that it has the strongest story.  There is actually an example of really good setup and payoff within the episode itself, and it starts where Ignis and Ravus are hiding while they wait for the Niflheim soldiers to leave the area.  Ravus mentions that he tried to use the Ring of the Lucii for himself and lost his left arm in the process.  So, anyone who isn’t of Lucis Caelum blood pays a price for using the ring.  Okay, plot point established.  With this knowledge, when we see Ignis put on the ring, we know that there will be some kind of price he has to pay to use it, and this is confirmed when he loses his eyesight.  And there’s the payoff.

 The problem is that Episode Ignis wasn’t released until December 13, 2017, just over a year after FFXV was originally released.  So, we already knew about Ignis’ blindness and saw the consequences of it, but we just didn’t see the event that caused it. Heck, we didn’t even really know the reason why he became blind, just that it happened during the events in Altissia. So, when Gladio goes off on Noct about how “Ignis took one for you too,” instead of thinking that Gladio has a point and Noct needs to step up, we just think that Gladio’s being a jerk.  Ignis could have been shot by a Niflheim soldier or fell off a building and his eyes were injured for all we know.  The context of how Ignis lost his sight is lost on not only the player but Noctis as well, so the payoff feels empty.  We see the consequences of him being blind in that he can’t fight as effectively and can’t cook for the team, but again this is all after the fact.  The payoff is there, but it seems like it came out of nowhere because there was no setup for it.  Seems like they set of Chekhov’s Gun without ever showing us it was there to begin with.

 And then there’s Prompto…

 Oh Prompto.  I feel he really got the short end of the stick when it came to his background. His story is actually a really good one and could have been a really turning point for his friendship with Noctis, but it is so rushed at the end of the game that it feels a little forced.  The slower pace of Episode Prompto fixes this, but just like with Episode Ignis, the payoff that happened in the main game had already been seen by the players.  

 The whole conflict for Prompto during his DLC is that he worries his origins will mean that Noctis and the others will no longer want to be friends with him, and as a child that grew up very much alone (where the heck are his parents?!), friendship is vital to this poor kid.  The sequence where Prompto dreams he is an MT that is being pursued by Noct adds so much suspense and is an excellent visual to the anxiety he is feeling…or it would be if we didn’t already know that Noct accepts him with practically no convincing at all.  We already know that their friendship survives this revelation, so there is really no suspense for the players as they watch Prompto go through the motions of coming to terms with his origins.

 All of this could have been avoided if the darn DLC had been included in the main game in the first pla—No! Not getting on that soapbox!  I could go on about how much that bugs me, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.

 Now, if FFXV suffers from lots of payoff with very little setup, then KH3 has a lot of setup but very little payoff.

 For those of you who have read this far and didn’t see the spoiler warning at the top, this is your final notice:  There are major spoilers for the events of the recently released Kingdom Hearts III.  Turn back while you still can if you don’t want to be spoiled!

 With that out of the way…

 There are a lot of cutscenes in KH3, and I mean a lot.  It’s one of the controversial points I’ve read in a lot of reviews, but the presence of a lot of cutscenes doesn’t bother me too much when the game is trying to tie up loose ends and explain things in what is perceived as the final installment in a series.  Metal Gear Solid 4 had the same problem, but again, they were trying to tie up loose ends. The fact that the series has continued from there and thus only added more loose ends is also a topic for another day.  My point is that several long cutscenes are not necessarily a bad thing if they are used well.

 The problem with KH3 is that many of them are not used well. There are numerous cutscenes with Ansem the Wise, Ienzo, Dilan and the others that don’t really seem to have any point to the plot.  Sure, Ienzo talks about trying to find a way to help bring Roxas back, but they never end up doing that anyway.  They bring back Namine, certainly, but what were they trying to accomplish with all their talk about atoning?  I get what they want to atone for, but what are they doing to actually do that?  It’s a bunch of talk that doesn’t really go anywhere.

 Along the same lines is the scene with Even and Demyx. They talk about atoning and being benched and betraying the Organization, but the only thing that comes of it is Demyx brings Ansem and a vessel for Namine to Ienzo.  And then the conversation between Even and Demyx is never mentioned again.  What was the point?  Is Namine being brought back supposed to be the payoff?  But then we never interact with her at all.  She’s only seen during the ending cutscenes and has no dialogue with anyone.  Not very satisfying at all.  Where did her heart for the replica even come from anyway?  Her heart was in Kairi, who by that point is dead...sort of.  I actually think she was sent to the heavenly place Sora went when he had to gather up pieces of himself, but I have nothing to support that theory.

 Speaking of Kairi, her scenes with Axel during their keyblade training are great.  They are cute and provide good setup for both Axel’s vague memories of Xion and their abilities in wielding keyblades…which end up being pointless since Kairi ends up kidnapped (again) and Xemnas destroys Axel’s very cool fire keyblade, although it does come back later, so there is really no reason for Xemnas to taunt Axel about not being a guardian of light anymore.

 I’m not going to talk about how Kairi being kidnapped robs her of the agency she should have gained during her training (again, plenty of people have already talked about that), but it does make the scenes regarding her training seem like a cop out.  What was the point of showing all that if she was just going to be a kidnapped damsel again?  She doesn’t really do anything with the keyblade that we see, so it doesn’t add much to see that she was even training to begin with.

 Axel has the same problem since he loses his keyblade. He was training to use it, but then Xemnas destroys it at the first possible opportunity.  There was no scene where he saves the day with it or manages to defeat Isa or something along those lines with it, so watching those scenes again feels empty.  The setup was there, but there was no payoff.  What use is it to show the player that these two characters are training hard with keyblades if they end up not ever really using them?  The gun was shown, but not shot.

 Conversely, and very briefly, it was good that there was setup of the Riku Replica earlier on in the game so it didn’t seem like he completely came out of nowhere when he came to help Riku against the Organization’s Riku (man, there are a lot of Rikus here).

 Then again, there was supposed to be some reason that Marluxia, Larxene, Luxord and Demyx were brought back?  Some “important purpose”?  The “ancient keyblade legacy”?  Which is…what?  It’s not explained and it’s never mentioned again.  And what about all the scenes with Maleficent and Pete searching for the box? The game kept cutting back to them but never went anywhere with them.  What was the point?  Wouldn’t it have built more suspense if we hadn’t seen what they were doing? Otherwise it added nothing to the plot other than the fact that the black box was missing, which the player already knows…or at least most of us do, who know about the Master and Masters and all that.  Hey, look, there are a bunch of guns hanging on the wall, but they remain unfired!

 But...And it’s a big but…There is one way that Kingdom Hearts III really does setup and payoff well, and that’s when you look at the story of the game as a whole.

 Near the end of the game, Young Xehanort warns Sora that using the power of waking too much will cause him to “condemn your heart to that same abyss,” meaning that Sora will fall into darkness, something that almost came to pass at the end of Dream Drop Distance.  Mickey also warns him that he might not come home from his journey to find Kairi.  The final cutscene (not the secret ending) of the game shows Sora disappearing from Destiny Islands while everyone else is partying and having fun.  It is presumed that he died after finding Kairi again, though personally I’m not sure if death is really what happened or if it was more of falling into darkness.  I think that’s left up to the interpretation of the player.

 Whatever the case, Sora is separated from the group, having given himself up to darkness in one form or another to bring Kairi back. Believe it or not, this is actually foreshadowed during the events of the various Disney worlds Sora visits over the course of the game.  What is the common theme seen through each of the Disney worlds?  The loss of a loved one.  

 The Toy Story world has all the toys worried about whether they’ll ever see Andy again.  The Caribbean shows Will and Elizabeth separated, just like at the end of the movie that world is based on.  The Kingdom of Corona shows Rapunzel being willing to sacrifice her freedom for Eugene’s life, and Eugene ends up giving his own life to cut Rapunzel’s hair to defeat Mother Gothel.  Arendelle…do I need to explain?  Elsa is terrified of hurting Anna, which she unintentionally ends up doing.  The 100 Acre Wood has Pooh worried that Sora will go away, leading to Sora worrying that their bond has grown weaker. Monstropolis has less to do with the loss of a loved one and is more about Sully and Mike needing to protect Boo, whom they care about very much.  And San Fransokyo has Hiro dealing with needing to destroy the first version of Baymax, his good friend.  Only Olympus doesn’t fit this pattern in terms of its plot, but that’s probably because that was already done in Kingdom Hearts II…but Sora and Hercules do have a conversation about Herc wanting to save Meg with all his heart.  Sort of parallels Sora’s desire to rescue Kairi, doesn’t it?

 And what ends up happening?  Sora does exactly the same.  He ends up sacrificing himself to bring Kairi back from…wherever it is she is. It’s Kairi that ends up losing her loved one in the end.  That’s the ultimate payoff for the pretty strong setup that was building throughout the game.

 SquareEnix has the ability to tell really good stories in their games.  The aspects of the storytelling process they get right, they really get right.  The problem is that they are inconsistent.  There are many ways to tell a story, and as I mentioned in the beginning, you don’t have to use the technique of Chekov’s Gun to do so and do it well.  But when only half of a creative writing technique is used, it can take away from the story rather than add to it.

[elizas-writing]

We’re about 3 months away until the long anticipated release of the one, the only, the extraordinary, Kingdom Hearts III! Almost 14 years of waiting with about a dozen side games and HD re-releases are finally building up to this grand moment for video game fans. And like most other fans out there, I needed a serious catch up to remember all the convoluted lore and relive all the good times and bad with our favorite Keyblade wielders and Disney team members.

Since I don’t have all of the games on hand, much less the time to play the ones I own, I went to the wonderful world of YouTube and over the course of two months binged through about 30 hours of content, right from the very beginning! It was so much fun to relive all the series highlights, finally watch the newer content in the HD re-releases, and pick up on the little details I missed the first time around. And I thought I’d share some of the wonderful thoughts going on in my head during my binge.

Without further ado, here are Eliza’s silly but honest taglines, asides, observations, and comments of the Kingdom Hearts series!

Kingdom Hearts

The OG most ambitious crossover

I’ve been in this world for three hours and CAN’T FIND THE NEXT CHECKPOINT.

I know we jab at Chain of Memories for its awful gameplay, but I legit-erally didn’t finish the Atlantica world cause I had no idea where the fuck to go next. Even for a 2002 game, the mechanics were a nightmare sometimes.

Sometimes having every other world set up like a labyrinth is too much work than it’s worth.

Seriously, you have to talk to Aerith a million times to get Curaga. How the fuck were you supposed to know that without the Internet or a strategy guide??

Came for the bizarre mix of Disney and Final Fantasy– stayed for the characters and mildly convoluted story.

Just gonna add this in with the other “the power of friendship” crap I love.

  Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Worst. Fucking. Fighting. System. EVER.

You ever wonder how the board meeting went for this game?

“So it’s, like, 50% the same game again, but shitty.”

I’m here to button mash, not strategize like Magic the fucking Gathering

This is the one where all the hot villains show up, right?

Just don’t let Axel’s bad boy facade fool you. He’s a finger guns bisexual with bad dad jokes.

10/10 will steal your girlfriend, boyfriend and nonbinary significant other

Every time someone says “memory,” take a shot.

Also, are we never gonna talk about where Pluto went with that letter? Are we supposed to accept he just comes and goes however he pleases?

  Kingdom Hearts II

The best one. You can’t change my mind.

One man’s convoluted revenge scheme at the cost of, like, 5 teenagers’ mental well-beings.

I’ve only known Roxas for 6 days, but if anything happens to him, I’ll kill everyone in this room and then myself.

So Ansem wasn’t really Ansem. You see, he was this scientist’s apprentice who– aaaaaand I’m lost.

If your fandom experience at this point didn’t include calling Xemnas “Mansex” or listening to Dr. Bombay’s “My Sitar” to cope with Demyx’s 2nd boss battle, you did it all wrong.

We all made fun of Demyx for needing a notecard for his mission, but my work desk is a cluster of reminders and sticky notes, so I can’t judge anymore.

The beginning of the longest, most painful wait for a sequel.

I’m sure Haley Joel Osment is a chill dude, but who the fuck allowed him to sing?

  Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days

Area Man Tries to Balance Life Between Work, Broken Marriage, and Two Adopted Kids in Existential Crises

Spoiler Alert: It ends horribly for everyone involved

When the realization set in that he became a father

Saix being a bitch

Family drama

Seriously, Saix, the last time I saw a man this pissy about his friend spending time with someone else was The Road to El Dorado. And Tulio and Miguel were supposed to be a gay couple.

Well, that was a depressing ass backstory on why Roxas has two Keyblades

“Who am I?!”

Anyone out there still calling Xion a Mary Sue better apologize to my daughter in the next five seconds.

The Organization’s HR complaint box probably looks like a tornado blew through it…

At least they seem to have good enough health insurance since their youngest members tend to fall into month long comas.

  Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

Remember when Xehanort was a scientist’s apprentice who went AWOL? Think again, bitch!

The point where you realize this is all just a long, cruel, brutal DnD campaign

It’s best if you just don’t get emotionally invested in any of the characters. No one has a happy ending.

How one man’s total lack of self-awareness and critical thought dooms the universe

No, seriously, I’m sorry, Terra is a massive idiot. Master Xehanort doesn’t even have to try hard to manipulate Terra; he’s just that goddamn dense and does a lot of stupid shit on his own. These are facts.

I can’t even handle the secondhand embarrassment of his Neverland visit where he thinks Peter Pan is after the light when he was guarding a literal treasure chest, like, that’s just too dumb.

I still love him and wish him a wonderful redemption, and he definitely didn’t deserve losing his friends, family and his free will, but there were so many avoidable stupid disasters if he didn’t just blindly trust the wrong people.

Terra is the physical embodiment of “I am not a clever man.”

Forget the darkness in his heart– I’m more concerned about how many worms are eating his brain.

Terra, this bitch just asked you to cut out the heart of a 14-year-old girl, and you just went “chill.” Did you already forget your last oopsie with Aurora?

Loving mother left to clean up her husband and son’s messes…. all of them…

She’s about a couple steps away from becoming a wine mom to get through this shit.

As you can see, the main difference between Ventus and Roxas is that one is a literal ray of sunshine who did nothing wrong, and the other is a mass of anxiety who says “fuck” more often than he’s allowed to.

  Kingdom Hearts: Coded

The one everyone forgets existed.

Guys, I just wanted to know what Mickey’s letter said. I didn’t ask for another whirlwind adventure.

The most outrageous excuse for a midquel, but dammit that last bit in Castle Oblivion… I’m gonna need a moment to recollect myself.

Yeah, if this bit didn’t get you emotional, get out of my house.

What do you fucking mean Xehanort isn’t fucking dead??

  Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance

Wait a minute, all Terra and Aqua had to do for their Mark of Mastery was hit some balls and spar each other. Why do Sora and Riku need to go through coma nightmares and fever dreams??

Just… just give up questioning the lore…

So Ansem the Wise made a copy of his computer, and that’s a sleeping world where Jeff Bridges exists, I– I’m done.

And if this didn’t break your heart just a little bit, we can’t be friends.

Had the potential to just be Kingdom Hearts III if Nomura wasn’t too deep in perfecting those renders

We’re gathered here today in the bonds of just a couple of guys being dudes.

But seriously, there is zero heterosexual explanation behind Sora and Riku’s Sound Ideas coming together to make “Dearly Beloved.”

So is Ienzo really gonna gloss over the fact Lea stood by while a clone sucked out his life force? … Okay…

I’m still bothered by the fact Young Xehanort and Haida from Aggretsuko have the same English voice actor, because they’re total opposite energies.

  Kingdom Hearts X [chi] Back Cover

“Traitor!”– Ben Solo-Organa, Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens

I’m surprised no one took a step back and said “Guys, maybe the Master was fucking insane and trying to dupe us all with this Book of Prophecies shit.”

I’m sorry, I can’t trust anything the guy says or does. He put his FUCKING EYEBALL IN A KEYBLADE FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES.

Not to mention, he purposefully made them keep their roles a secret from each other which made misunderstandings pile on top of each other, like, dude!

I’m sticking to the theory that there was never a traitor, and he just pulled this out of his ass for the drama of it all.

Does no one in these games sit down and talk through their problems like normal people do? Again, worms in the brains…

Friendly reminder that cute Keyblade wielder avatar you made likely died in the Keyblade War.

I have nowhere near enough time to wade through like 900 quests worth of content in an ongoing game, and I don’t know how much I’ll need for Kingdom Hearts III…

Like, apparently Ven time traveled?? The fuck??

“What’s in the box?!”

  Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep A Fragmentary Passage

If you thought that title was a mouthful, wait for the onslaught of feelings!

“The things I do for love.”– Courage, Courage the Cowardly Dog

The most beautiful and emotional game demo in the universe

I wanna eat all the rocks

I just want my wife to come home and be able to rest.

“Please, God, just let me have one good day?”

“Oh my God, you again?? Give it a rest buddy!”

Kingdom Hearts III is RIGHT there! I can see it, I can taste it, I can smell it, it’s so goddamn close that I can hear the angelic choir singing Kumbaya. I haven’t been teased this bad since BBC Sherlock series 3.

  Kingdom Hearts III (based on all current information from trailers and conventions)

You get Norted, and YOU get Norted! Everyone gets Norted!!

Impractical zippers and belts are so 2005. Now everything is about plaid and excess buttons.

“I want to see my little boy (Here he comes) I want to see my little boy!”

What is he doing? His best. Also, get a load of the detail work on his hands.

Xion and Naminé are on the box art, so they have to be in the game, BUT WHY AREN’T THEY IN THE TRAILERS YET? WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTERS?

“The ending is going to be difficult for fans to handle.” I’m sorry, Nomura, but I forgot how to read for a moment there and will be in a horrible state of denial for the next three months.

If you’re calling that Heartless doll your waifu, congratulations, you’d be the first to die in a horror movie.

For fuck’s sake, it’s emitting black smoke and has the penetrating eyes of death. It must be burned.

And there you have it, folks! Most every silly thought that went through my wonderful brain through my Kingdom Hearts binge! It was worth putting off many of my other shows to refresh my memory on the lore— as contrived as it is multiple times—, see all my favorite characters, relive the greatest moments, and get pumped for what’ll come next in Kingdom Hearts III. I can already tell it’s going to be a great one, and I can’t wait to start playing!

Funny Observations of the #KingdomHearts Series We're about 3 months away until the long anticipated release of the one, the only, the extraordinary, Kingdom Hearts III!

[omegasquire]

Rose Gold: Ch 9

Cloud walked with Zack down a relatively empty street. Though the civilians were starting to come back, most of them were probably still in hiding. Seeing them and the state of the harbor made him feel guilty even though this wasn’t his fault.

It was.  

He spotted a few men on the lower tier hauling some of the dead monsters into the back of a truck, likely to be disposed of in a discrete area. The slices that dismembered the monsters were clean, as if someone had taken a ruler and drawn along its edge. Cloud had a feeling he knew whose work this was: Sephiroth. Who else could be so precise?

He glanced at Zack who was also watching the workers. Zack was also clean in his attacks, though Cloud couldn’t remember if they were on par with Sephiroth’s. The Buster Sword was completely different from something as slender and refined as the Masamune.

“That’s gotta be Sephiroth’s work.” Zack looked at him. “I bet you can tell, too, huh?”

Cloud looked at the crew again. “Yeah. He has a certain method of fighting.”

He’d learned to anticipate each strike, familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of Sephiroth’s sword. But anticipation didn’t equate matching speed or skill. He remembered how he had pushed himself to keep up with Sephiroth’s speed. The chase in the ruins of old Midgar had his heart racing like mad, his eyes always searching for Sephiroth.

Always, his eyes were searching for Sephiroth.  

“Yeah, he does.” Zack chuckled and looked at him. “Do you use all six swords in a fight?”

“Not unless I have to.” Sephiroth was the only one who made him use all swords at once. Cloud generally got by with just one sword, maybe two if he needed to. “First Tsurugi’s basic form is enough.”

“First Tsurugi, huh?” Zack’s tone was thoughtful. “You’ll let me take it apart, right?”

It wasn’t something he thought about on a conscious level, but First Tsurugi had only ever touched his hands. Having someone else handle his sword was like touching a part of who he was.

Zack would be able to look into the core of who he was, a skeletal frame with nothing special within, made whole only when all his jagged pieces were pressed together. Cloud was a bit apprehensive about being laid bare before someone else, even if it was just his sword. Zack was the one who asked, though, and he had a hard time saying no to Zack.

Cloud nodded.

Reeve followed the small dot as it weaved its way along a stenciled map of the harbor. He had sent Cait Sith after Zack and Strife to monitor them while the rest of the team remained on the premises. It looked like the pair were making their way back, though Zack was taking the scenic route.

Sephiroth remained in the room with him, head bowed over a screen of his own. They were feeding the information they had gathered to Midgar. While Sephiroth was contacting the others of AVALANCHE, Reeve was delivering his information to Shinra.

Much of Shinra Company was under heavy reformation, but those left were playing a careful game of restoring the balance. Many had their doubts about the company, but there were few other sources that could support such a large task. If Shinra Company had any hope of surviving, it had to adapt.

Now, more than ever, they needed their cooperation. With Strife -- Cloud -- in their midst, everyone had to be on the same page. That included letting Rufus and the Turks know what was going on.

Reeve hoped they could work together in this. Rufus had a stubborn streak and cold grip on what he perceived was his, but under the right motivation, he was a strong ally. He was a man who hated showing weakness, much like certain key members of AVALANCHE’s ragtag group.

It was still clear in his memory when Rufus had turned up alive after the assault on Shinra Building. They made it in time to save Rufus’ life, but not without some casualty. One of Rufus’ legs received enough damage he had to use a cane when he walked.

Rufus, proud as he was, pretended it wasn’t a burden but an accessory to his image. How he managed to pull it off Reeve didn’t know, but he could respect the younger man for that.

Now they just had to find a means of working with Rufus on getting to the bottom of this madness. While damaged, much of Shinra Building was left intact. Parts of Midgar couldn’t say the same, but at least the casualties weren’t as severe as they could’ve been if they hadn’t acted as swiftly as they had. It was a constant race against time back then. Their lives were on a short countdown, faced with a threat they weren't certain they could defeat.

This situation felt just the same. Cloud was supposedly going to fight with them, but it wasn’t clear if that was beneficial or a hinderance. He was obviously fighting a battle they had no control over, and if this was a battle of endurance and will, it was uncertain if he would win.

Reeve was alarmed when Sephiroth suddenly grabbed Cloud. He hadn’t expected Cloud’s eyes to turn green, and the sight of them was unnerving. The image likened to Strife’s eyes, how they had the same green tint and narrow pupils. In that instant, Reeve saw their enemy, and it was hard to shake the image off despite Cloud’s eyes changing back to blue.

This was a war they would be facing on two fronts: whatever Jenova attacked them with directly, and Cloud. Cloud might be innocent of Strife’s crimes, but it was already made clear Jenova was inside him, and if Jenova managed to win over Cloud, then they would be facing yet another apocalyptic event.

Reeve dreaded the possibility.

They couldn’t do anything about Jenova’s external approach right now, but they did have Cloud with them. At least they could work to solve the issue there. Sephiroth played a vital role in keeping Cloud in check.

Zack, too.  

Reeve slid his finger across the screen and switched windows. He saw through Cait Sith’s eyes Zack and Cloud were talking. With the audio muted, Reeve could only watch the display of emotions and gestures made between them. Whatever they were talking about drew out a small, hesitant, but definite smile from Cloud.

Reeve had to smile a little himself. Zack had that charm to him that drew others in. It was hard to get mad at him -- or stay mad at him even when it finally happened. From the looks of things, Zack was sure to twist their unexpected guest around his finger.

Feeling eyes on him, Reeve glanced up and saw Sephiroth looking in his direction. It wasn’t exactly him the man was focusing on, but the screen before him. That unreadable expression was ever present on his face, making Reeve wonder just how hard it was for Sephiroth stomach this. No doubt the old General would rather kill Cloud than tolerate his presence.

Reeve switched to the report he was dictating. It would go straight to Tseng, who would pass it on to Rufus. Tseng was another unfortunate casualty in the attack on Shinra Building. He suffered scars on his face -- a feature that reminded Reeve of the previous leader of the Turks -- and damage to the right side of his body when he protected Rufus. The man had been incarcerated for months, but once he was on his feet, he, like Rufus, didn’t let his handicap stop him from carrying out his duties.

Really, the Turks were something else.  

“They’ll want to meet him, but taking him to Midgar will bring monsters to the city...”

“It’s better than staying here. We didn’t expect there to be an invasion on the harbor, and Junon isn’t properly equipped to guarantee the people will remain safe if it happens again.”

Reeve tapped the screen to send off his report. “At least it was better than the Highwind; you have no means of defense there. It’s fortunate the attack had been on a small scale. Do you think this is Jenova testing us?”

 He lifted his head. Sephiroth’s gaze was on the windows, a slight frown evident between his brows.

Reeve frowned as well. He didn’t want to think of it this way, but if this was just a tease, then what was the real assault going to be like? What did Jenova have waiting for them? For Cloud?

“If Cloud...” Reeve broke off and thought better of continuing his current train of thought. “Zack and Cloud are on their way back. If Zack doesn’t take any detours, they should be back in a few minutes.”

“Good. We’ll leave when everyone’s gathered.”

“Of course.”

 Tseng stood a polite distance behind the President, retaining a centered stance that belied his injury as he waited for the other man to respond. He’d just received Reeve’s report and handed it to Rufus. He was patient as Rufus digested the information, using that time to do the same.

The mountains had hidden the beacon of light that heralded Strife’s arrival yesterday. To hear that the son of the Calamity was walking the planet’s surface was staggering news. Not only that, Reeve attested Strife was innocent of the massacres. He’d sent with the report a video recording of Strife’s talk with Red and Cait Sith, as well as what they had learned of him during the conversation in Reeve’s office, as evidence of the differing personas. Tseng didn’t know what to make of it, but he had his skepticisms.

“This is interesting.”

Tseng pulled himself out of his thoughts at Rufus’ musing. “Sir?”

“Cloud Strife among the living, and not only that, he’s foreign to this world. Don’t you think that’s interesting?”

“I find it concerning. Even if Strife is a stranger, we should be cautious of this turn of events. An attack on Junon happened because of him.”

“It’s inevitable. Whether he’s Jenova's offspring or not doesn’t matter. If their theory holds, Jenova will come. She wouldn’t snub a chance like this.”

“Shouldn’t we eliminate him? Regardless Aerith’s testament, he’s going to cause destruction.”

Rufus looked at him over his shoulder, lips turned into a smile. Genial as it appeared, Tseng knew the cunning in its shadow. “This is an opportunity for us to see the evolution of the planet. I admit our actions aided in its deterioration, but with Strife’s advent, it could turn around. The world will commit to a new course. We should help it along.”

Tseng knew it wasn’t solely for the planet’s sake the President would offer his assistance. Rufus always had layers to his plans, and while Tseng didn’t know all of them, he could take a fair guess and surmise the young man found this situation entertaining. Rufus would doubtlessly play his part as benefactor, but for his own personal reasons.

That slyness made Rufus a unique and dangerous employer, certainly a far cry from his father. The former President was very bullheaded, more keen on plowing his way through obstacles and flashing money where need be. Rufus found crafty ways around the obstacles and when he couldn’t obtain what he wanted on his own, he utilized his pawns to their utmost.

“Yes, sir.”

Rufus turned back around, facing the windows. Tseng took his leave and headed back to the Turks’ headquarters, sliding his keycard to pass through one of the various security mechanisms that assured no unwanted company could gain access to Shinra Company’s secrets. There waited a few of his faithful subordinates, their attention turning from the main monitors to him as he entered.

“Boss?”

Tseng glanced at the monitors and saw the feed from Reeve’s report looping. He faced the other Turks: Reno, Rude, Elena, Shotgun, and Cissnei. The others had been spread out to other parts of the world, leaving them six at Midgar and its surrounding territory to keep everything secure. They had lost a great deal of their team over the years, some even falling victim to the chaos of Strife and Meteor. It had hurt them greatly to know a few of their members had been corrupted by Jenova, and the civil unrest put a strain on everyone.

Tseng controlled what he could, and constantly suffered from the guilt of being unable to save everyone on his team. He knew the others didn’t fault him for what happened, but as their leader, it was still his responsibility to assure they made it out okay.

“The President wants us to help the General and his guest when they arrive.”

Reno straightened up. “Whoa, whoa, we’re talking about Strife here.”

“I know, but that’s what he wants. We’re to support Sephiroth and the others as they fight the threat on the planet.”

“You mean Strife.” Shotgun’s brows rose, her hand on her hip.

Tseng shook his head. “No. Jenova. The attack on Junon will likely recur here. We don’t know on what scale, so we are to secure the city. This is to remain as contained as possible. No infantrymen or SOLDIERs. The less the people know, the better.”

“It would cause widespread panic if they figured out Strife was alive, same or not,” Cissnei murmured.

“Yes. We’ll need to stay alert until we learn more. Spread out and keep your eyes open for any threat. Radio in if anything happens. I’ll be with the President when they arrive.”

There was a chorus of affirmatives, the team leaving to split up and cover as much ground as they could of what remained of the broken metropolis. Rude was the last to go, stopping next to Tseng. When Tseng looked at him, Rude nodded at the screen.

“The others of their team. Tifa Lockhart and Barret Wallace. Do they know?”

“Most likely, but that isn’t our concern.” Tseng studied the other man. He knew the question before it was asked. Rude had a bad habit of being interested in the wrong women; he had taken a liking to Tifa. “...I understand, but what happens between them is their affair. Keep your emotions under control.”

Rude nodded and left. Tseng waited for the doors to close and the locks to tumble into place before looking at the monitors one more time. He still recalled those days when their only concerns were rebels and a petty war. The escalation toward global disaster threw everyone off kilter. He didn’t think anyone had regained that balance yet.

Would Strife’s return help or hinder that process? 

Cloud sat with Zack at the benches, the interconnected blades of his sword scattered around them. Upon returning to the Highwind, Zack took him aside so they could look at First Tsurugi. It was a little nerve-racking, but he let Zack take it apart.

Zack had done so with care, laying out the different swords after studying them. The knot in Cloud’s stomach slowly unraveled as he watched. Zack didn’t make too many comments on them, just quietly admired each piece before setting it aside.

There were times when he saw intrigue light up Zack’s eyes and he would take an extra minute to marvel at the sword. He reminded Cloud of when he’d first crossed upon First Tsurugi. He had marveled at it, too.

When he’d finally retired the Buster Sword and turned it into a monument, Cloud felt naked without a weapon. He felt himself stripped bare, left with just the core of himself. He had laid to rest Zack’s overlapping personality along with his sword, so it was time to find him. Find something that was solely his, that spoke of who he was, and made him whole.

That was First Tsurugi. His sword.

Cloud’s eyes traced the deadly curve of the blade in Zack’s lap. They were like secrets only he knew and understood, visible only when he was made to show them. He remembered the fight with Sephiroth when all six blades had separated. They’d unfurled like a flower, each sharp petal like a part of who he was. All the insecurities, the doubts, the imperfections -- they came together as one when at last he’d brought down the final strike. Then, just as they’d fitted into a single piece, they separated, piercing the roof around him.

In retrospect, he supposed that was who he was. A man whose life had fallen apart over years of turmoil, and came together when he'd finally found peace with himself and his shortcomings.

Was this the part where he fell apart again? In this foreign land?  

Reaching out, Cloud lightly slid his fingers along the handle of one of the blades. He still didn’t know what metals his sword was made from, but they had incredible durability, perfect balance, and just enough weight to settle comfortably in his hands.

“Where did you learn to use large swords? Me?”

Cloud pulled his hand back. “No, you never taught me any sword fighting, but for a while you had a lot of influence on my technique. As I traveled, I developed my own style.”

Zack turned the sword over in his hand, pointing the tip up toward the ceiling. “I never thought of dual wielding before.” He grinned. “Show me sometime.”

Cloud looked at the main blade of his sword. “Sephiroth wouldn’t like that.”

Zack grimaced and lowered the sword to rest across his lap. “Well...”

“Can we expect you to fight against Jenova?”

Cloud whipped around at Sephiroth voice. The room was without doors, offering no signal to warn someone was coming. He straightened his spine, conscious of the difference in positions as he remained seated while Sephiroth towered over him.

“Yes.”

He held Sephiroth’s gaze. He would fight to his dying breath against Jenova. He’d done it before, he would do it again. The same went for Sephiroth.

“You can have your sword if you help us, but if you betray us, I will cut you down.”

Cloud’s eyes narrowed. “I won’t.”

They locked stares, a silent challenge and promise passing between them. Cloud knew Sephiroth would hold true to his words, just as Cloud would hold to his. Though it discomforted him to fight alongside Sephiroth, he would bend for the sake of Gaia. He couldn’t hope to get anywhere if he didn’t reach common ground with the man.

“Zack.”

“Yeah?”

“Undo the spell and give him his sword. We’ll be landing in Midgar shortly. If Jenova is after you, then we’ll be facing more monsters.” Sephiroth’s expression matched Cloud’s. “Don’t make me regret it.”

Cloud didn’t respond.

A sudden slap on his shoulder jarred him; he looked at Zack in surprise. The man was grinning at him. “This is great! I can’t wait for you to fight with us, Cloud. This is how it’s supposed to be. All of us together. You two on the same side.”

Doubt ran through Cloud, but he didn’t argue. Zack was happy. He’d make an effort for him as well and tread this dangerous path with Sephiroth.

[mode7rap]

genoboost reviews the Final Fantasy VII commercial

via Game Music 4 All

I hate Final Fantasy VII.

Well, I love Final Fantasy VII, but don't tell Final Fantasy VII I said that. FFVII doesn't deserve my love, but I often find myself thinking about all the good times we had together. We laughed, we cried, we bitched about Cait Sith. Those were the days. But it was such a toxic relationship. I can never go back.

It's going to take a few more therapy sessions before I'm comfortable digging deeper into that. Today, I simply want to discuss a small portion of the very rich meal that is Final Fantasy VII. There are a lot of layers to this RPG onion, and I want to focus solely on the dry, dusty, useless onion skin, slowly rotting beneath the produce section lights. I'll be dissecting Square's game changing game commercial which appeared on US television ahead of the games stateside release. That's not a joke.

How did we all think Final Fantasy VII was so great? Clearly opinions have splintered in the 20 years since the game's release. It's hard to stay unbiased after many years worth of extraneous FFVII games, movies, and more games, and anime shorts. It's now pretty hazy just exactly what convinced me to love this game so much in the first place. Then I saw the original commercial again. My very sudden and brand new hypothesis is that the marketing blitz put on by Sony and Square (now Square-Enix) made sure we thought this game was going to kick every ass. It did. The commercials that aired constantly on cable television also made sure that viewers had no idea what the 'game' part of this game was. 

   So it's time to dissect a thirty second long and twenty year old commercial. This advertisement was the first glimpse of Final Fantasy for much of the US, except for nerds like me that is. That glimpse made Final Fantasy VII look like one bad ass mother fucker of an action movie, er, action game. It's a game.  You can play on the "Play Station." Somehow.

What do you even do in this game? It would appear to be some sort of motorcycle riding, helicopter chasing, explosion causing and/or preventing type action game. Maybe you get to play as an ass kicking, motorcycle riding protagonist that is also a soldier of fortune, as mentioned in the commercial! Mystery solved.

I don't know what's happening here, but it doesn't matter because I'm dead now.

Actually, I think the Soldier of fortune is the only thing this commercial gets right about Final Fantasy VII. But only if I'm being generous and assume when the voice over said "soldier" he meant SOLDIER. 

It's hard to think back to a time where we didn't know about sephiroth, JENOVA, and Cloud, the only three characters that very briefly appear in the commercial. Each with a haircut sillier than the last. None of these highly integral characters are established in any way. It's just some insane fever dream. Was that a monster?  Did it explode? Does CG hair have to look this ridiculous?

Absolutely.

I know I come hard at Final Fantasy VII like the old, jaded gamer I am, but back in '97 I was just as enamored by it as any other kid that got their kicks from playing Chrono Trigger and FFIII, I mean VI, I mean, ah fuck it. Square knew exactly what a young American gamer wanted to see. Explosions, revenge, motorcycles, soldiers of fortune, more revenge, another explosion, and another explosion and revenge, plus it's a video game!

This isn't a commercial for a hundred hour, story driven RPG from Japan (this is, and it gets me pretty damn hyped). This is a commercial for a high budget Hollywood action movie. It has more in common with trailers for Men in Black and The Fifth Element, the latest sci-fi blockbusters circa '97. This was long before Lord of the Rings made everyone very very familiar with the Fantasy genre. Back in 1997, no one in the US cared about grass or trees or magic or elves or none of that shit. Those were good times. Anyway, the folks behind advertising Final Fantasy VII knew what's up. They showed off nothing but the heavily industrial, very metallic side of Final Fantasy VII. Cannons, helicopters, motorcycles. This was some epic futuristic realism here. No magic airships, no swords, no riding on big dumb chickens! 'Wark' your ass on out of here you stupid chocobo, or is it 'kweh' now? Go 'kweh' yourself! 

"Did you unlock the motorcycle?"

"Not Quite."

Give Square some credit where it's due though, twenty years later, every major game release is marketed this way. Only cut scenes, no game play footage, and only the vaguest half paragraph outline of the plot. Makes me nostalgic for the storyline to Bosconian. Make sure your way dope commercial includes anything that would be cool to own or pilot, as long as it's a machine and not an animal, such as a very large, very colorful, very inbred bird. 

There isn't a single company fool enough to include actual gameplay in the commercial for said game. Some commercials these days don't include any images from the game at all. Even Nintendo themselves cut that shit out a few console generations ago. Well, Nintendo still tries to shove a little gameplay footage in at the end of their commercials. Unfortunately, Nintendo's stubborn respect for consumers makes for terrible marketing. Not to mention the incredible difficulty in conveying fun game play to a passive audience. Just make some jokes, or throw some babes at me, and/or a few explosions and I'm in! Buy me Bonestorm or go to hell!

Square-Enix has made a ton of missteps since the release of FFVII, which lead to the name Square-Enix itself, and my endless confusion on whether to call them Square, or Square-Enix when referring to the company when it was called Square, or was it Square LTD, I don't think it was Square EA yet, or was it EA Square in the US and Square EA in Japan… Ah fuck that too.

Actually (fixes glasses) the full name is… 

As I was saying, Square whatever has had some misfires in their long and expensive history, but damn were they on the cutting edge of logically baffling but ridiculously effective commercials.

If I'm generous, I could understand that there could be some difficulty in explaining a 70 hour epic within a 30 second teaser. Ungenerously, since this is a commercial after all. Please be skeptical of anyone selling you anything. Please? This is 30 seconds of random images and blatant lies created solely in an effort to take your money. Square got my money. Don't let them get to you too!

I'm not sure if this is the first RPG to be marketed to popcorn shoveling mongrels and not the elite console gamer class that knew what a JRPG was, or, as we called them at the time. RPGs. We didn't need more specific definitions because all console RPGs came from Japan. American companies made Bass Fishing and Bubsy, and a game starring the fucking president's cat. Who cares! Until FPS games gained some traction, US game developers would do their best to serve up nice bland plates of whatever Japan created first. 

Despite Square's best efforts, and explosions, the most insane thing about this commercial was the ending. 

:Record scratch

Appearing in the final moments of the commercial was the title "Final Fantasy VII." Wait a minute! I know what Final Fantasy is! I know exactly what Final Fantasy is! Hold on, where did four, five, and six go!?

I had already played Final Fantasy VI, although we called it Final Fantasy III back in my day. Whatever this commercial was that my eyeballs were subjected to was certainly unlike any previous Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy is about wizards and spell casting and swords and a bunch of numbers going up, sometimes down. You collect money, which you can use to buy new weapons, and you can find treasure, which is hopefully new weapons. There's just loads of text and menus. Honestly, it's all just text and menus. The point being, that there ain't none of that in this commercial, and we all know damn well there is plenty of that shit in the game. Conversely, I think every exploding building, crashing meteor, or giant energy weapon in the game is shown off in this commercial.

Before I watched this commercial several dozen times in order to form this deep and absolutely necessary analysis, I decided to make a list of a few words and phrases that come to mind when I think about Final Fantasy VII.  Play along at home. Just close your eyes and think of some of your most cherished memories with this very ridiculous game. 

Giant Swords

Armageddon

Bigger swords

Corporate greed

This guy are sick

Leveling Up

Great Music

Unlikable characters

Huge world

Huge monsters

Double crossing

Ancient stuff

Fancy wigs and dresses

Cait Sith… Fuck you Cait Sith! I never wanted you on my team in the first place you traitorous, plot advancing piece of-

Okay, I should stop there, but I think that's a good synopsis of FFVII to be honest. 

Now time to live blog this ephemeral seizure of a commercial.

There's an evil empire.

So evil it's a whole evil planet?

Giant cannon!

Modern day helicopters

Modern day motorcycle, is this Terminator?

The world is in danger! So it might be Terminator!

To Aerith: "Come with me if you want to live." No wait!

More cannons! These cannons shoot lasers!

It can shoot in this single direction though.

Was that a monster?

Quiet down in there!… You!

Everything is so shiny

At least this evil empire has some showmanship.

Great graphics!

...for the time.

There's seven of these!?

Another record scratch

This is a video game!?!?

and it's on the playstation!?

Whaaaaa…

As you can see, a few major elements of Final Fantasy VII seem to be lacking in the commercial. In a game with nine different playable characters, each with plenty of backstory, we see Cloud's dumb hair for a second, and Sephiroth staring down a robot. I remember staring at the print ad of this scene and having not a single clue what I was even looking at. Did you notice any swords in this commercial? Catch someone using a spear or inaccurately enormous shuriken shaped boomerang? There wasn't even magic. No magic in a game called Final FANTASY. No feathers, and not a single blade of grass.

If this commercial is to be believed (and who am I to not believe the very people who are trying to take my money) then this is pretty much James Bond, Blade Runner, and Armageddon, but playable. I wouldn't be shocked if this blonde haired soldier of fortune was voiced by Bruce Willis himself. Yippee ki yay Sephiroth. It's time to save the world from lasers and cannons and meteors and all kinds of other crazy crap.

Somehow…

Oh, I almost forgot, this game commercial doesn't feature any game play. Maybe it was an oversight. It's certainly not necessary to include gameplay footage. Why, Square gave us all the information we need to understand the gameplay, right in this very commercial, if you just look closely enough!

I can easily imagine the control scheme for this wild ride.

X = Motorcycle

Triangle = Revenge

Square = Explosions

Circle = Explosion based Revenge

L1+R1 = Run Away

This lack of gameplay footage is what changed video game commercials forever (except Nintendo). Nintendo was trying their hardest to show off some quality games back in the mid 90's, but that integrity lost them valuable MTV commercial real estate. Square and Sony on the other hand, began to create commercials that were more like existential references to the games in the PlayStation library, rather than provide actual details or information about why you should purchase the product featured. Nintendo clearly wanted to emulate these highly effective commercials, all while still conveying the inherent fun of Nintendo games. This meant that Nintendo became stranded in some horrible middle ground. Wanting edgy commercials with a bunch of crazy crap happening, while still conveying the style and quality of the gameplay. Don't forget to wedge some game footage in there somehow.

As reference, here is a 1996 Nintendo commercial. Coincidentally, I chose the commercial for Super Mario RPG, the final Square produced game for a Nintendo system for nearly a decade.

   Dammit Nintendo, it's like the head of your PR department is my mom. SO LAME. This commercial needs it's own analysis. I'm a life long Nintendo supporter through and through, but I have made no bones about their inability to create engaging commercials. Nintendo has been getting their asses kicked in the marketing department ever since Sega said 'Nintendon't.' Luckily Nintendo's games often speak for themselves in terms of quality game play. Of course, you would have to purchase the game to know that. Oh the irony! Every Nintendo commercial feels like the boxart to Phalanx. Baffling and unintuitive.

In fact, here's another one from 2005!

   Even after many years in this brave new world of logic free commercials, Nintendo still slides in that gameplay footage. Will they never learn?

Conclusion

Hey Square, I love all the convoluted stories, convoluted hair, and pompous cut scenes, but I also like the part where I rummage through menus to equip insane materia combinations, or just simply stealing from as many different enemies as possible. This commercial, and the frenzy for Final Fantasy VII upon launch reinforced those former attributes, sending Square into an anti-gameplay spiral that we've only begun to unravel. In the immediate aftermath of FFVII, Square gave us both the amazing 'cinematic RPG' Parasite Eve, as well as the bankruptcy inducing Final Fantasy The Spirits Within. 

Now they go by Square Enix, a little wiser, and a little less bold. They still waver between quality game play and an overzealous cut scenes, second only to the Metal Gear series (which also made Konami hemorrhage money, hmm). 

Next FFVII anniversary, I'm going to review the Knight of the Round (AKA the longest fucking thing in video games ever) in the same amount of time that the animation of Knight of the Round takes to play out. 

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