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FFVII Rebirth Ending - What's so hard to understand?

So I just finished my first run of Rebirth. There's a lot to say (and I mean A LOT) but I'm gonna talk about the ending first.

I heard a lot of people say that they don't understand the ending, or are pissed that SE makes such an iconic moment into something so meh, or that the final battle drags on too long that they don't care any more.

Surprisingly, I agree with none of the above, more or less. The final fight indeed is a bit long, but aside from the last phase, I get through other phases in a breeze.

The "iconic moment" indeed wasn't there. But then again, a lot of changes have been made, and I kind of understand why they choose to do it that way.

And there's nothing hard to understand about ending. Really. Aerith is dead. Pretty clear so. Maybe people are so hung up to the changes that may happen, or that they so wish for her to be alive, that they get confused at the slightest hint that MAYBE she lives.

Every single moment during the ending that Aerith appears to be alive, they are all told in such a way that shows that it just happens in Cloud's head. Remember, by this time, his mind is pretty much fucked, and nothing presented from his point of view can be trusted.

Aeirth is still around, that's for sure. That's Aerith we see by the end of the ending when she goes around everybody. Even Red XIII seems to notice her presence. The Aerith that Cloud talk to is the one and only. Our Aerith. Not some Jenova transformer shit. Cloud can really see her. He already saw her spirit in the Alta Area (in the aftermath of the ordeal). All of that can be taken from the way the scene is told. The fact that Red XIII notices Aerith's presence indicates that it's our Aerith. The fact that the scene ends with Aerith looking at the Tiny Bronco flying away also indicates that it's our Aerith. The journey continues, but she's no longer a part of it. If that's Jenova, they would show that there's nobody there (stupid theory BTW).

Now, some people may get wishful that she can be revived later, as it's shown very clearly that her spirit is, ehem, well and all.

But no, I don't think so. Judging from how the scene is played, the water burial had been taken placed off-screen. So, she can't be alive without a body ._.

Really, she can't live, or be revived. The story doesn't work that way...

I believe there are two reasons as to why SE decided to make the ending this way:

To make it different from OG

To emphasize how delusional Cloud has become. In the OG, we think that he came to his sense again after Aerith's death. But now, we see that he's too far gone. I believe this is made to further freak out Tifa, so that she can no longer confirms his identity in Nothern Crater, which ultimately lead to him loosing his sense of self. I'm actually convinced they pull the whole sequence not to give Aerith's fans hope, but to emphasize Cloud's descendance into madness.

As about the different worlds. I don't really know what they are, but I know one thing for sure: all those worlds are about to end. So yeah, why would you think "maybe Aeirth lives in a another world" while that world will go kaboom soon?

All those talks about defying fate since Remake are just red herrings. Until Rebirth, NOTHING really changes from OG. Nothing. Wedge is straight up murdered by the Whisperers because he died in OG. He's not even a key player in the story.

But if there is no multi-world, what about two White Materia existing in our main world? Isn't there one at the bottom of the lake in Forgotten Capital, and one in Cloud's possion?

Again, by now, Cloud's mind is fucked. So unless a different (sane) person can see that empty White Materia, I wouldn't consider it existing in the main world. Also, remember that, the whole White Materia exchange (Aerith gave Cloud in dream world, and Cloud gave it back to her in Forgotten Forest) happened WHILE CLOUD WAS BEING UNCONSCIOUS. It all happened in his head. When he thinks he was talking/chasing after Aerith in Forgotten Forest, he was in fact being knocked out, and being carried by Barret.

I think we will get explained on the White Materia in part 3. Meanwhile, you can read more on an interesting theory on Reddit (which I mostly agree)

[denble]

Shit post - How they decide to do FFVII Remake

Totally not happened at Square Enix headquarter.

Disclaimer: I'm sorry if this is offensive to some people. But yeah, gotta be honest with my mind.

I wrote this post after finished Remake but hasn't posted it until now. Probably will do another one for Rebirth.

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"So we will remake FFVII."

"The essentials of the plot stays the same. Because Advent Children happens. Crisis Core happens. Dirge of Cerberus happens? Ok whatever. You get the idea."

"But in order to keep players engaged, we will throw in detours, but all roads lead to Rome. Wedges won't die falling from the pillars. He gets to live... a bit longer... until he dies falling, from Shira Building, by the power of enigmatic beings."

"Yeah, that means Aerith still dies. She can't not to. She's written to die. If she is to live, might as well make it a new game. It's not FFVII anymore. The story will totally change."

"But to make fans happy, she will be around longer, in... some other worlds, in... some other forms."

"A conclusion to the LDT? What LDT? I mean, Aerith dies in the OG, doesn't she? And Cloud said he's been crushing Tifa since they were young."

"What do you mean that it's just a silly childhood crush and that doesn't carry to present day. I mean, we have the Highwind scene. We have them living together taking care of kids in Advent Children."

"Still not clear enough? He was a dick to her up until Lifestream scene? Fine. We'll make it CLEAR this time. And no, that's not a conclusion to the LDT. One, there was never a LTD to begin with. Two, Cloud and Tifa end up together, as shown in Advent Children."

"But you're right, we didn't show it clearly enough in the OG pre-Lifestream because we actually wanted to keep it ambiguous and misleading up until the end of Disc One. But yeah, thinking about it, there should be more clues here and there. The guy has been in love with Tifa for a long time. It's implausible that he neither remembers he loves her, nor unconsciously cares about her even when he's having his SOLDIER persona."

"So, we will add more scenes between Cloud and Tifa. A bit of touching here and there. And he will always look at her. Because that's what he always did when he was a child. And he always stand near her. Should be clear enough to players that he definitely has something for Tifa."

"And cut off any misleading scenes Cloud has with Aerith. Namely, the joke during rooftop traverse. And he won't touch Aerith. She can touch him, but not he touching her, not in the "questionable" way he always touches Tifa."

"Still not enough for Aertih fans? Fine, add some "special" moments, like have him catching her princess-style when she falls. But don't make it special. We don't want players to have the wrong idea. How? Ah, uh, let him do all the stuffs he does with her with others too. Yes, let him carry Jessie princess-style too. Twice. And let him already traverse by rooftop alone before. Also, let him walk Wedge him. And let Jessie try to fist-bump him. You get the idea."

"Still want more? How about making Aerith and Cloud doing High Ten, because that's totally what love birds do. No I'm kidding, that's cute, but have Aerith and Tifa doing High Ten as well. Because that's totally what love birds do. Again, just kidding."

[denble]

Still crack me up whenever I saw this, so I guess I have to reblog.

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FFVII Remake - There are 2 (or more) Sephiroths?!

So, I'm still swimming in the pool of text of JP-En Scripts of FFVII and FFVII Remake. Naturally, I'd go on and read any script comparison I could find.

One particular thing I caught from Elizabeth Bushouse's blog, that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else:

The Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania notes that Sephiroth uses different Japanese pronouns at different points. In Remake, the Sephiroth visions from Chapter 2 and Chapter 7 use 私 (watashi), while the one here at the end uses 俺 (ore).

If this is deliberated and not a mistake, it could open to interesting twist (whatever that is).

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FFVII OG and FFVII Remake JP-EN Scripts Projects

So I just bestows upon myself a (actually, two) massive project(s) of compiling a Japanese-English script for FFVII Remake (and at the same time, FFVII OG).

Why? Because I just stumble upon an FFVII OG Japanese-English Anki deck, and as much as I appreciate the work, I find the deck too messy to my liking. So I think it's actually easier to compile everything in an spread sheet file and then later export it to Anki.

And while I'm at it, I'm thinking "why don't I do one for FFVII Remake..."

It's actually inefficient to work on 2 massive projects at the same time (especially with FFVII Remake where we don't have a fully available Japanese script). But yeah, I just feel like doing it.

Not sure when, or if I will ever complete this. Neither English nor Japanese is my mother tongue, and my Japanese is pretty broken... FFVII OG scripts seem more plausible, but I'm like "Challenge accepted!" with FFVII Remake scripts because no one has really done it. For FFVII OG, there's a messy Google Sheet floating on the internet with all the text from the game script, so it's more a formatting task than anything.

Anyway.

For both projects, I use English scripts from the finalfantasy.fandom.com and then fill in the Japanese text from whatever sources I can find. For FFVII OG, it's the aforementioned Google Spread Sheet. For FFVII Remake, it's a combination of a Japanese site with bits of scripts, Youtube playthrough videos, and my own playthrough.

The data is compiled with the intention of making it easy to extract/export later (for Anki, for example) so I keep the in-cell format bare and no cell-merging. As a result, some sections might be a bit hard to follow (hence the addition of Event notes).

I personally don't like doing Romaji, but it's impossible to do furigana in spreadsheet. Anki can do furigana but the raw data looks messy so I decide to opt for Romaji in the end.

Along the line, I'll be sharing what I found interesting, especially with FFVII Remake scripts where there are a lot of trivial dialogues to be missed.

PS: I did a lot of translation and writing projects in English back when I was a teenager and my English improves drastically over the years. So hopefully after this, my Japanese will get drastically better. The way I am now, I read slow, can't speak, can't pronounce and can barely listen, can barely write (because I can't spell and my grammar is weak), despite having a decent understanding of the language.

[denble]

[ARCHIVED - TLTTNW] Which Gold Saucer date (FFVII OG) is canon?

Of all the optional scenes and choices dialogues, the Gold Saucer date (FFVII OG) is one that get much debated as to which of the four choices is the canon one. Yes, objectively, it's four, not two. Aerith, Tifa, Barret, and Yuffie. And in this post, I'm doing best to find the most plausible answer that question.

1. How to decide which option is canon

Now, when a scene has options, how to concretely decide which of the options is the canon? In my opinion, it's gonna be either or all of the below:

The chosen option itself is later acknowledged in a NON-OPTIONAL scene.

The chosen option is NOTICABLLY LONGER and provide USEFUL information to the plot as a whole

The chosen option is the MOST LIKELY to happen.

And as said in my opening post, I won't count any remarks outside the game itself. Some core personnel could go on an interview and said "this is the canon" and it's still an invalid statement. In case we still haven't noticed, up until the release of Remake trilogy, Square Enix has never made a conscious effort to clear up the Love Triangle Debate. If anything, they are actually encouraging it, keeping it flaming by having contradicting details spread throughout the side materials.

2. Case study: Shadow Hearts and Chrono Cross endings

Shadow Hearts

Let's move a bit from FFVII and turn to Shadow Hearts (if you don't know the game, please just google). Basically at the end of Shadow Hearts, if you go with the flow of the event, Alice will die. If you do a bit of extra fighting, she will live. Both ending gets its own FMV. So far, I would say both endings are canonical. Because while the good ending requires a bit more work, it's reasonable enough, and it still has its own FMV where Alice open her eyes (she lives!).

But then Shadow Hearts II came out, on the premise that Alice died in the previous game. Bam! Now we know of the two endings of Shadow Hearts, which one is canon... And Shadow Hearts II is neither side material nor spin-off game. It's the second installment, with Yuri remains the main character. So we can't invalidate its presence as to what really happened, canonically, in Shadow Hearts.

Chrono Cross

Another game from Square. Like Shadow Hearts, you can do a Good Ending or Bad Ending, all depending on how you tackle the final boss. Bad Ending is easier to achieve since you only have to attack randomly, whereas Good Ending requires a bit more planning.

Anyway, who to decide which one is canon? Unlike Shadow Hearts, there is no sequel to decide that for you.

By my definition, the Good Ending is probably canon, because you get a lengthy cut-scene, and after-credit FMVs, whereas you get nothing (just credit roll) with Bad Ending (that's more like a Game Over if you ask me...).

Now, back to FFVII

3. Barret or Yuffie is certainly not canon

None of the four dates get mentioned later in the game. So by my definition, point (1) can't be used.

Coming to point (2), Barret's and Yuffie's date are short compared to Aerith's and Tifa's, and add little value to the plot (except for a bit of character development on their sides).

Coming to point (3), then Barret and Yuffie are out of the picture. Because to get to date either of them would require you making very specific choices right from the beginning. Which means the chance that you get to date either of them is rather slim, under normal circumstances (ie. without a guide).

So we are left with just Aerith and Tifa.

4. Aerith or Tifa?

There are two points people present to argue that Aerith's date is canon.

It's because Aerith OFFERED Cloud a date as payment for his bodyguard work.

It's because Aerith started off with more affection points (50 vs 30 to be exact)

Let's discuss further.

The Date payment

Aerith OFFERED Cloud a date as payment for his bodyguard work. And the Gold Saucer date is THAT day. But during the scene, Aerith just asked Cloud to go on a date, without ever mentioning about the "date" payment (and it's Aerith who has to "pay" the date, she owes him that, not the other way around). And no matter what, THE date can still be missed altogether, because it's not non-optional. If it's so important, they would have made it non-optional.

The Affection Point Mechanism

Aerith starts off with more affection points than Tifa does (50 vs 30 to be exact), meaning it's easier to date her (or so they say). What people fail to mention is that, Tifa appears in the game earlier than Aerith does, and you can score points with her right from the beginning. Meaning if you start to favor Tifa from the beginning, by the time you meet Tifa again, the point gap might not exist at all. So from a gameplay perspective, I could argue that Aerith's higher point of affection compared to Tifa's is not because the game wanted to give her a head start with Cloud, but to give her a fair start instead. You can try to see how exactly the date mechanism work here.

It's also worth noting that:

It's easy to score big points with Tifa from the early chapters.

You don't score many with Aerith when you spend time alone with her in Sector 5 (suprised?!).

If Tifa was chosen as Don Corneo's bride, telling Aerith to help Tifa will upset Aerith (points deduced). If it was Aerith that got chosen, Tifa would prefer Cloud to go help Aerith instead of asking if her (Tifa) is alright (points added). Interesting eh? (only if it wasn't a coding mistake...)

I don't have a suitable explanation as to how the all points addition and deduction the works the way it does. The way I see it, the game just tries to make the chance equal to both girls. And through my experience of playing the game, it's most likely the case. You just have to make the obvious choices favoring your girl, and then keep her in your party once you leave Midgar and bam, you get a date!

The game code

Another piece of information that I MUST mention: in the game code (according to the internet), in case Aerith and Tifa gets equal points, Aerith's date will play out.

If that's the kind of proof that you need to prove that Aerith's date is canon, I won't argue with you. It's clear that Aerith's date does take a higher priority (albeit only ever slightly) than Tifa's date, according how the game is coded.

WHY is it, is another matter. We can only guess. You can say it's because the game wants us to see Aerith's date (well yeah..., the game totally doesn't want us to see Tifa's date, sure). My explanation? It's because Aerith's screen time is limited in the game, so the game prioritizes her, when there's a chance. Still, that doesn't make Aerith's date canon, because despite all the apparent "favor" the game has for her date, it can still easily be missable, as it's never hard to get Tifa's date.

5. Which date is the most appropriate to the flow of the story THUS FAR?

This part is purely my (a player's) opinion, and actually doesn't hold any weight to the issue.

Well, Barret's and Yuffie's are certainly just there for the laugh, and for THEIR character development, not Cloud's.

Aerith's shreds some light on her back story (she knows somebody whom Cloud resembles), her awareness of Cloud not being himself, and her desire to meet the "real" Cloud. That much is clear.

Tifa's date, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated to interpret. On the surface, it's easy to see that she was about to confess but failed. But with the knowledge of how the game story eventually unfolds, was that really the case? Or could it be that Tifa was actually trying to talk to Cloud about his mental state?

I don't know, honestly, but my thought on Tifa's date is:

The atmosphere clearly gears towards a romantic confession than to a therapy session. The game certainly wants you to think that it's a confession (whether or not it's true is another story; it's not exactly a new thing for FFVII narrative to be misleading).

It's a bit out of place at that point of the story for Tifa to try confess her feeling to Cloud. She has better concerns on hand (particularly, his mental state) than to get Cloud realize her feeling. Not totally implausible, but definitely not well handled in my opinion.

In FFVII Rebirth, Tifa really did confess in that Gold Saucer scene though (provided that you get to date her). Just saying. Not that what happens in the Remake Trilogy, stritcly speaking, matters to what happens in the OG though. BUT, I do feel that a confession in Rebirth is appropriate, because Cloud and Tifa's relationship has been developed steadily ever since Remake (that's not the case in the OG though).

So yah, all things considered, I think Aerith's date adds more value to the plot AT THAT POINT than Tifa's because it provides players more apparent information (Zack, Cloud not being himself, Aerith being aware of the situation and her wish to meet the "real" Cloud).

Tifa's scene is not bad, but if it was EVER the game's intention to mislead us that it's a therapy session instead of a confession, they overdid it to effectively convince me that it could actually be about her trying to talk about Cloud's mental state.

6. Conclusion

So, in my conclusion, either of the dates can be canon. Normally I would say it can also be that neither is canon. But then, the Gold Saucer date scene ought to happen (because you know, Cait Sith's betrayal came next). The Gold Saucer date scene is actually non-optional, only whom you go on a date with is.

In any case, having no clear answer to that means whom Cloud dated during the Gold Saucer scene adds no value to the love triangle debate (for all we know, he could just have had some bro time with Barret, or got pecked on the cheek by Yuffie). And even if one particular date is canon, it still doesn't say much or even anything about Cloud's feelings, with the way the scenes played out.

On a side note, the whole date mechanism is NOT to determine which one Cloud himself preferred to take on a date, but to determine which one would to drag Cloud on a date :))))))))))) Ie. it's about THEIR affection towards Cloud, based on how he behaves around them (based on HOW THE GAME WANTS to add or deduce points). Asking Tifa if she was okay in Don Corneo's mansion certainly showed care and concern to her, but will get your points deduced.

You see, you think you have choices in the game, but do you really though?

7. Extra: Cloud's reaction to the dates

I'm not including Barret's and Yuffie's here because we can all agree that their dates are just pure comedy.

Aerith's date

At the end of the date with, Aerith asked Cloud:

“Don’t you like being with me?”

To which Cloud can reply either “No, I don’t.” or “That’s not it.”

Tifa's date

At the end of the date, Cloud asked Tifa:

“By the way, what did you want to say a minute ago?”

I honestly can't get much from the dialogues. As far as I'm concerned, Cloud is pretty neutral and doesn't show much to both girls. If anything, you actually have the choice to be rude to Aerith by choosing to say you don't like being with her, whereas you're quite okay with Tifa. But as you know I don't do choice dialogues, we can skip that one.

[denble]

[ARCHIVED - TLTTNW] Analysis style - Before we enter any discussion...

Before I created this Tumblr blog, I was writing a series of posts on Wordpress detailing how there was never a love triangle, not even in the OG. The project is scrapped now because @dutchdread already did a much better job that I have little of value to add.

But I did spend a lot of time writing, and it just seems like a waste to let them stay as drafts forever on my Wordpress blog. So yeah, here they are, on this Tumbler blog, just for archiving purpose.

But who knows, maybe I will keep writing, if only just to practice my English writing skill.

The series is named TLTTNW - The Love Triangle That Never Was, just for the sake of archiving.

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Before we enter any discussion, there are a few points I want to make clear, regarding how I approach any topics.

1. I support Cloud x Tifa

I like Tifa as a playing character and support Cloud x Tifa just because the pairing makes sense with all what presented in the game to me.

2. This series will largely talk about the infamous love triangle

Or as I like to say: the love triangle that never was. No non-bias promise (I'm human after all), but I guarantee you that I won't be toxic.

3. When discussing OG, I disregard all the side materials (novellas, Ultimania, ...)

And to a lesser extend, spin-off games like Crisis Core. As far as I know, UP UNTIL THE RELEASE OF REMAKE TRIOLOGY, side materials provide all sorts of conflicting information that is of no help in determining the "truth". One can quote this and omit that to support their claims. And thus, the war goes on...

Another problem is, it's questionable as to whether all those side materials and spin-off games can be considered canon. Heck, I don't even know if the core people involved in making the side materials and spin-off game did play the OG or not, OR if the OG core developers had any say in those, OR if the OG core developers remembered the game they made well AND tried to stay as cohesive as possible with all those side materials and spin-offs.

So, to be fair to all side, everything said in those side materials are none of my concern. Only what happened in the game matters the most. If you need side materials to confirm something that none of the characters in the game acknowledge, such confirmation doesn't weight much in my opinion. If you want players to know something, let them know through the game they're playing, not through some side materials, be it official or not.

Now, ever since FFVII Remake was released, I've noticed that Square Enix has been trying to tie loose ends with new side materials (Traces of Two Pasts novel, accompanying Ultimanias), Crisis Core Remake, and an "entirely" new game Ever Crisis that spans the whole timeline of FFVII Universe from way back when Sephiroth is young to the current, with visual elements from Remake Trilogy. Those, I think we can safely assume that, are canon, and cohesive as a whole. Some details of events are a bit different, but ultimately it's the same story. So, while I will stay mostly with the OG (let's kill the love triangle way back in OG), when comes the time to discuss Remake Trilogy, I think it's safe to take those into account.

5. This is a video game

A. The interaction and multiple choices nature of video games

All works of fiction (a novel, a movie, a TV series, a video game, etc.) will tell a story. Each fiction medium will have its own way and restriction as to how the plot and narrative being handled (you can watch this video (and read the comments) to get explained more on the topic). Among those, video games is distinctly different because players have interaction with the game as the story unfolds. You have choices to make, options to decide. Those are a part of the game play and the narrative, and not necessarily the (canon) plot. Some options are there just to have you involved and immersed in the game world. That's all.

A clear example of options not being canon is the endings of Shadow Hearts (a JRPG, you can goolge for more). In Shadow Hearts, you can play the game in a way to get the good ending, in which Alice is not killed, but canonically, she is dead, as presented in the sequel Shadow Hearts II.

Another thing to consider is, unlike the plot which needs to stay consistent, the behavior of a character that the players get to choose through options might not necessarily be so. For example, you could choose not to give Tifa the flower, not to accept her cocktail, but admit to Aerith that Tifa is your girlfriend, and then later when then three of you fell down the sewer, you decide to check on Aerith first. Nobody in the game will question your inconsistent behaviors because it actually doesn't matter to the plot. The purpose of having choices in a game is more for the gameplay and the players' gaming experience than to establish the plot. Reinforcing it? Maybe. Establishing it? I don't think so.

So in my opinion, if I want to to correctly determine any truth in the plot, I should disregard any choice dialogues and optional scenes. Because if a part is so crucial to the plot, it won't be made optional and thus missable.

B. The narrative nature of a work of fiction and how realism only works to a certain extend

a. The narrative nature of a work of fiction

First and foremost, a work of fiction is created by an author. What happens in it is decided by the author. When it is delivered to you, all courses of action has already been decided. You, as an audience, actually have no say as to how the plot progresses. In case of video games, you may be presented with choices to slightly alter the events, but the core plot will and always stay the same.

Now, the only exception to the above statement is an on-going work of fiction - manga, anime, TV series, ... where audience feedbacks might influence the author to change the course of the plot from the initially intended. But even if that's the case, in a GOOD narrative, the change has to happen gradually, with enough details paved, before the climax happens. Such changes also need not to contradict what have been presented all a long. The author can't just pull an Uno Reverse Card by the end of the work.

HOW the story unfold before you (the narrative) is also decided for you, to get you involved in the story IN A CERTAIN WAY. Which detail is shown, how it is shown, how much of it is shown, how clearly it is shown. In a GOOD narrative (the keyword here is "good"), everything happens before your eye already has a purpose. Certain characters fill certain roles, certain actions lead to certain consequences, or can be explained later by back stories. If something is there, it's because the narrative wants to tell you something. If something is not there, it's simply because it's not vital to the main plot. There is no randomness when it comes to what a character does or doesn't do or to what kind of fate awaits them. Cloud didn't survive the fall to Sector 5's church out of pure luck (in the OG, he didn't even have the grappling gun like he did in FFVII Remake). He survived because the plot decided so, because he's the main character (or as we usually say: plot-armor). Likewise, Aerith's death was not just an unfortunate event happened out of no where. She died because that's part of the plot and it's necessary to advance the story further.

Another important point of narrative in a work of fiction is that, you can actually expect how true a certain event is, based on the way it is presented to you. For example, in a movie, when an important character dies, if he dies on-screens, with all the slow-motion, epic music and flashback, you can say for certain that he is dead. But if he only APPEARS to die, or die unceremoniously, there's a chance that you will see him well alive and kicking later.

b. Realism only works so far

The world of a work of fiction is very limited compared to real life. There simply isn't room to accommodate all kinds of variables there might be as in real life. In a typical hero-saving-the-world type of story, there can only be one hero/hero group that can beat the villain. No one else will try to, or can, do the same.

Which means we should not apply real life's logic how the events in a work of fiction happen, as long as it is logical within its fictional world. The moment you hear yourself saying: "But in reality ...", just stop. Because if you can't take (fictional) events presented to you at face value, nothing the narrative is telling you actually matters anyway. One argument I've seen is "Even if Cloud and Tifa had sex during the Highwind scene, it still didn't mean that Cloud had romantic feelings for her because in real life, people have sex all the time without having to be a couple." I mean, bro, are you alright? I might not know what the Highwind scene actually means, but I'm sure it's not a dating crash-course trying to teach you that that love and sex might or might not come together.

All in all, I believe the correct attitude to any events being presented to you is not to ask "how I want to interpret it?" but "how the author wants me to interpret it?". And to dig deeper to the truth, you have to ask why. Why the author wants me to interpret it THAT way.

c. Genres matter

Another thing is worth pointing out is that fiction genres exist for a good reason. And that reason is that genres establish the main theme of the plot. If it's a romance story, you will see a lot of angst and emotions and dramas between people. Other life matters are trivial compared to the quest of finding one's true love. If it's a detective story, you will see a lot of, well, investigations. The romance aspect could be there, but it's certainly will be quite minimal and straightforward. You can't have have a main character chasing both a criminal and the love of his life at the same time, certainly not in a way happening in a romance story. Because (1) it's gonna prolong the story, and (2) it will dilute the plot and its main focus.

So, how you read a certain event also depends on what genre the work of fiction you are experiencing is. In a romance story, the main couple declaring their love right from chapter 1 could certainly mean that their love will get tested hard throughout the course of the story, or their actual true love awaits them much later. In a detective story, if the main character has a girlfriend/wife from the beginning, the chance the girlfriend/wife stays the same throughout the story is high. They are not the focus of the story, so no need to make it complicated UNLESS IT MATTERS TO THE PLOT AS A WHOLE.

And if it isn't clear enough, the main plot of FFVII isn't romance. I believe we can all agree on that.

C. Plot holes, weak writing and bad writings happen

Due to various reasons (incompetence, time constraints, etc.), plot holes, weak writings and bad writings do happen, and it certainly happened in FFVII OG. My take on it is just to accept it and get on with the game.

One example of weak writing in FFVII plot is when Rufus wanted to borrow Cid's Tiny Bronco. Why the hell did the President of a big corporate want to borrow a small plane from a "retired" pilot? Logically, even if he was strained far away from a Shinra base, getting a plane to him should only be a matter of hours. My guess is that maybe he just happened to be in the area, and just wanted to get shit done as quick as possible. Still, that part is certainly not well-written.

My point is that, when it comes to the love triangle debate (and other debates), some people tend to over analyze the details. But overanalyzing a detail only works if that said detail is NOT a plot hole or bad writing. Heck, they even try to analyze the postures and facial expressions of the polygons in the game :))))))

Now, as far as I know, some of those over-analysis is true to some extend (but their values are just like icing on the cake, and not being the cake itself). Some others are just the fan reading too much into it. There certainly are nuances presented in the game, but I'm pretty sure you don't have to use a microscope to see it. The nuances are there to make things MORE detailed and exciting, NOT to establish or change the whole narrative.

------------

Phew that's long. I hope I present myself clear enough as to how I would like to discuss the points and events in FFVII OG. Now, let's dive into the discussions itself.

[denble]

"Tifa, you've been so good to me..."

"But, Tifa...... But you said, 'Long time no see, Cloud' right? Those words will always support me. I am the one you grew up with. I'm Cloud of Nibelheim. No matter how much I lose faith in myself, that is the truth."

"Everyone, thanks for everything. And...I'm sorry."

"...Sorry."

"...Sorry."

"Especially you, Tifa. I'm really sorry. You've been so good to me...... I don't know what to say..."

"I never lived up to being 'Cloud'. Tifa...... Maybe one day you'll meet the real 'Cloud'."

---------

Before I created this Tumblr blog, I was writing a series of posts on Wordpress detailing how there was never a love triangle, not even in the OG. The project is scrapped now because @dutchdread already did a much better job that I have little of value to add.

I've done playing Remake for a few weeks now and kinda back to my standard self, aka, I wouldn't care less about debates over fictional characters' love story. Beside, after Rebirth (and Dutchdread's essays), I'm 100% sure that Cloud & Tifa is end game.

This particular post happens because there is this one comment in a Youtube video analyzing Cloud and Tifa relationship:

"I honestly think Tifa and Sephiroth would’ve made a better couple if he didn’t go crazy unfortunately. Their interactions were much more interesting during the flashback. Cloud and Aerith just work in my opinion. They just have that chemistry."

The hell is wrong with people? I once accidentally read a Tifa x Sephiroth fanfic and it felt wrong on so many levels. I mean, it's one thing to ship whoever you want, it's another thing to believe your ship is the sensible one.

And if we can justify everything by "I honestly think" and "in my opinion", I might as well add my "honestly think" and "in my opinion".

I HONESTLY THINK that after Rebirth, whoever still believes Cloud x Aerith is a thing lacks the ability to comprehend. Seriously, how did you guys graduate high school? (You did, right...?) It's not me telling you anything, it's THE GAME that shoves Cloud x Tifa to your face yet you still refuse to see it.

And IN MY OPINION, Cloud x Aerith just doesn't work. I tried to play the devil advocate as if I were a writer for Remake trilogy and asked myself how to make Cloud x Aerith work. There is just no way to do it. The girl is dead. Keeping her alive, invalidating Cloud's childhood feelings for Tifa, invalidating the importance of Aerith & Zack relationship and you might as well make a new game because the essence of the plot is no longer there.

[denble]

Filler Couples in FF7R

Hi, Tumblr!

(Warning: LTD Fuckery. Get lost if you can’t stand shipping-talk.)

I have seen a lot of commentary regarding the most recent content being released for FF7R, both official & unofficial. The most bold and aggravating comments come from the shipping fandoms, of course. The Clerith fandom, in particular, are going menacingly hard - whether they’re gloating over some scenes or downright downplaying others, their comments and feelings regarding the game seem to fluctuate the hardest out of everyone else’s.

It’s a literal emotional rollercoaster reading their opinions. Quite fascinating. It ranges from thinking that Cloud’s English VA is far too crude towards Aerith to them being sure that Cloud and Aerith had a valiant hero & heroine moment at the end of the game. Interesting. 

But I would like to gage in on one of many aspects that they’ve been raving about: they seem to think that all ships BUT Clerith are simple fan service. They’re insisting that Clerith is going to be the flagship pairing, and that the developers/creators are using Clessie (Cloud x Jessie) and Cloti (Cloud x Tifa) as a fan service component. Although they may be using this technique, I think they have the flagship pairing incorrect.

After studying the game’s romance interactions, it became more and more obvious that Cloud and Aerith have extremely similar “romantic” scenes as Cloud and Jessie. Even more interesting is that these scenes are just as shallow, cliche, corny, and mundane. Whereas Cloud and Tifa’s scenes are always much more deep, thoughtful, and somehow always bring up their tragic past. Cloud and Tifa have an apparent neuronal & emotional link that literally no other character could replace nor understand.

Of course, to back up my statement, I do have SEVERAL instances where Cloud and Jessie have almost IDENTICAL scenes as Cloud and Aerith. If Cloud and Aerith were the intended romantic couple that will be slowly “burned” into the game’s plot, why do they have the same generic, light-hearted, bantered flirting as Cloud and Jessie? Again, it’s rather interesting. Personally, I don’t think it makes sense to follow this logic, but to each their own! 

But without further ado, here are the interactions! I won’t go into details since the body language/dialogue literally do all of the work:

—

Clessie Interaction 1:

Clerith Interaction 1:

—

Clessie Interaction 2:

Clerith Interaction 2:

—

Clessie Interaction 3:

Clerith Interaction 3:

(BONUS Clessie Moment):

—

Clessie Interaction 4 (Both exceptionally curious about Tifa’s role):

Clerith Interaction 4:

—

Clessie Interaction 5:

Clerith Interaction 5:

—

Clessie Interaction 6(Ft. Wedge, Heeding a Warning):

Clerith Interaction 6:

—

Clessie Interaction 7:

Clerith Interaction 7:

—

Clessie Interaction 8:

Clerith Interaction 8:

—

BONUS CLODGE (CLOUD x WEDGE) & CLERITH COMPARISONS!

Clodge Interaction 1:

Clerith Interaction 1:

—

Clodge Interaction 2:

Clerith Interaction 2:

—

And there ya have it! Pretty hilarious! 

I would imagine if the canon & intended flagship pairing was Clerith, the developers would at least TRY to make their moments much more unique, NOT make them totally identical to Clessie moments. Although both Clessie and Clerith have very sweet moments, there are no parallels that can be compared to Cloud and Tifa’s intimate moments - Cloud & Tifa have unique moments that are character-specific. Tifa and Cloud know things about each others that others couldn’t emulate, something Aerith nor Jessie could relate to (possibly why both Aerith & Jessie eagerly ask about Tifa’s standing with Cloud). 

But alas, this is just an opinion based on obviously stated evidence. We’ll see how the development team treats the romance component of this game. 

[denble]

FFVII Remake Top Secret Challenge Strategy

Brute-force style, with a party of Cloud - Tifa - Barret

I heard there's strategy using Aerith and magic but that's not really my style. So here's my strategy using Cloud - Tifa - Barret.

Equipment:

Cloud: Hardedge - Cog Bangle - Transference Module

Tifa: Metal Knuckle - Chain Bangle - Protective Boots

Barret: Light Machine Gun / EKG Canon (needed for Reprive ability) - Cog Bangle - Protective Boots

Materia:

Prayer, Healing, HP Plus, MP Plus Materia on everybody; plus Magnify + Healing for Tifa

Elemental + Lightning on Weapon for Cloud (he's will be the main attacker for Leviathan and Pride & Joy Prototype)

Elemental + Ice on Armour for Tifa (she's will be the main attacker for Shiva)

Fire Materia for Cloud (for Shiva fight, if you want the fight to go a bit faster)

Steadfast Block Materia on Barret (because his job is to surive)

Magic Plus, Luck Plus or more HP Plus and MP Plus to the remaining slots is up to you

GENERAL STRATEGY

Tifa will Magnify + Regen as soon as the battle starts

Barret to use Pray whenever he has 2 ATB and the party's HP is running low. If the party health is sufficient, then Maximum Fury all the way

Barret to use Steel Skin regularly

Heal frequently. Arise or Rise as you see fit.

SPECIFIC STRATEGY

Shiva

Just use Tifa to attack Shiva. Shiva can't do anything to Tifa when she has Elemental + Ice in her armor, which will either nullify or absord all Shiva's attacks.

If you bring Fire Materia with Cloud, use him to cast Fira/Firaga during the first phase of the battle to pressure Shiva. If not, just use Tifa and go all the way.

After Shiva uses Diamond Dust, she will be pressured. Your chance to finish her. Diamond Dust can't do anything to Tifa.

Fat Chocobo

No special strategy. Just keep an eye on your health and you should be fine. Cloud and Tifa should be the main attack force.

Rise / Arise any fallen party member because Fat Chocobo will summon Tonberries with their notorious Chef's Knife.

Leviathan

Attack with Cloud and Tifa whenever possible, and with Barret when Leviathan flies. Remember to block incoming attack.

While Leviathan is weak against Lightning, he's kinda resisted to magic attack so I don't find Lightning work well for him and is a waste of MP (especially when we are gearing to physical attack for this challenge). Just attack with everybody is enough.

During later phase, Leviathan will fly around. You can only attack him with Barret and Cloud with Lightning. Be patient, eventually he will get down and you can continue attacking him with Cloud, and finish him off.

Bahamut (& Ifrit)

The toughest fight, with surprisingly no particular strategy.

YOU HAVE TO KEEP BARRET ALIVE UNTIL MEGA FLARE. Nobody will survive Mega Flare without Reprive.

Other than that, just attack Bahamut with brute-force and heal as much as possible.

After he summons Ifrit, focus your attack on Ifrit as he doesn't have a lot of HP. If your Limit Break gauge is full, just use it on Ifrit (don't have to wait for him to be staggered). One Limit Break attack with a few more strikes can finish him off quickly.

Back to Bahamut. As soon as you find him about to do Mega Flare, build up 2 ATB bars for Barret. After he survives Mega Flare, Curaga himself with 1 bar, and Arise Cloud with the other.

Then Arise Tifa and finish Bahamut with Limit Break attacks.

Pride & Joy Prototype

Same with Fat Chocobo fight. Just keep an eye on your health, and block and evade his attack and you should be fine. As Cloud has Elemental + Lightning on his weapon, he should deal a good amount of damage.

ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY

Instead of Elemental + Lightning on Cloud's weapon, change it to Elemental + Fire on Cloud's armour. This way, the fight with Leviathan and Pride & Joy Prototype will drag on a bit longer, but you stand better chance to survive Bahamut + Ifrit.

And while you can switch the roles of Cloud and Tifa, I find Cloud with Elemental + Lightning on his weapon works better because his Magic stat is higher than Tifa's so he can be useful as a physical attacker AND magic attacker during Leviathan and Pride and Joy Prototype fights.

-------

Hope all that helps

[denble]

Stellar Blade & Hyung-tae Kim

Not FFVII or FF related but since I'm back being a gamer for now, I might as well say something about this matter.

Stellar Blade | Eve

So I just stumbled upon the information of this game a week ago, and thought: "Hmm, that thigh curves look way too familiar."

Then a few days ago, I caught the controversy about Eve (the game's main character) basically being too hot to be real, and got informed that the character designer behind her is Hyung-Tae Kim.

Ah hah!

It was an wonderful moment really. I felt like I just met an old friend whom I've long forgotten to ever exist.

Because you know, Hyung-Tae Kim is no stranger to the hot and sexy character design business. He's been in the business for more than 20 years (I'm surprised that I see nobody mentions this). Back in the 2000s, being gamers and art enthusiasts, I and my friends spent a lot of time talking and admiring his arts and character design (all the while laughed at the man's apparent obsession with big thighs and thigh gap).

Manga Carta - Tears of Blood | Reith

And it's pretty amusing to see that after 20 years, the man's taste remains the same :)))) And don't let him fool you by saying that Eve's 3D model is based on a real model therefore her physique is realistic. I can bet my money that he looked especially for a model with a physique as close as possible to her design on paper.

While the overly-sexy designs is not my cup of tea, Hyung-Tae Kim's use of colors and costume design is something that can water the mouth of every art enthusiasts. It's just... juicy. And judging by the amount of love that he gives to Stellar Blade's Eve design, I'm sure a lot of gamers will enjoy the game just by looking at her alone.

A side note for Magna Carta - Tears of Blood. Among my friends, I was the only one who managed to finish the game. Oh man, the graphic and battle system were pretty good (for an Asian non-Japanese game), but the game play and story became weird near the end.

*SPOILER ALERT*

There was this horrible dudgeon that was just very unpleasant to go through. As soon I was done with it, the game switch to the other party (two groups were approaching the location at the same time) and the game made me go through the dungeon once again :)))) Seriously, what kind of game design is that?

Just before the final battle, the main character lost all his abilities you've had him learnt throughout the game, and then be rewarded with a god-sent skill that basically made the boss fight a cheat.

Oh, and throughout the game, he developed feelings for the main female character. Only that she died, and then he switched to her twin sisters (they both met him when they were children). I really can't remember it is the twin sister that he's always been having feelings for since he was young or what, but it was weird seeing him being lovely dovely with one girl, and the kissed the other by the end of the game.

(and no, it's not like FFVII. Cloud has never been lovely dovely with either Aerith or Tifa pre-Lifestream).

*SPOILER ENDED*

[denble]

Reblogging this to go back later.

FF7 Remake ~English/Japanese Comparison Master Post

I have been noting the differences between the official North American English language version of FF7R and the Japanese game. Translation choices are guided by cultural differences and the media tropes, audience expectations, and localized needs that shape the narrative. These small differences can significantly impact how we understand characters and their relationships. I love sharing my observations and guesses with other fans!   I think I am pretty unbiased since this is my first real encounter with the story (husband played the OG so I know a little bit) but know these are still my thoughts on it. I am overall disengaged from the surprisingly vitriolic ship wars. Pls don’t drag me into that.     I have made 10 posts at least 20 about it so far. The earlier ones are a bit sloppily done but as I’ve continued, the later posts got more streamlined and easier to read. Sorry for typos. I’ll update this master post occasionally when more posts come. If you are so moved, there is a link to send me a cup of coffee because I can only really do these late at night.   

20. Tifa’s resolution 19. “You can’t fall in love with me” 18. EVERYONE DIES 17. Interlude: CLOUD AND TIFA LUUURRRVVEE EACH OTHER - I only did a few and they are somewhere in the comments.  16. Untranslatable weird speech things: the case of Reno 15. Untranslatable weird speech things: the case of Wedge ~Shameless request to please buy me coffee. I don’t have a patreon 14. Hide and Seek with Tifa and Aerith, aka Chicks before Dicks  13. We’ve got a bodyguard, don’t forget. MINE. 12. HOHEEEEEEEEE + video 11. Pretty boys, homely girls, nailed it, and is Cloud…kind of stupid? 

~~Pause for a Reeve appreciation post~~ 10: Someone’s got a bit of a crush 9. That’s the perfect type for you I’d say. 8. Is Tifa, like, your girlfriend? 7. Aerith’s personality differences.  6. Not a “Merc” and other observations.  5. You and everybody and their mother.  4.5 note: A great Japanese youtuber compares the Ghost scene. 4. Tifa, the protector. 3. Lovers used to give these when they were reunited… 2. Flirting at the bar. 1. Alone at last.

[denble]

FFVII Remake Hard Mode finished

So I've finally finished the game in Hard Mode.

It's not that bad

From Chapter 3 to Chapter 16 I am quite over-powering actually. Chapter 17 and 18, however, will be a pain if you don't level your Materia correctly (namely, your HP Up and MP Up Materias). I think I did more or less the right thing, except that my HP Up and MP Up Materia were a bit under-leveled, considering I never grind during my playthrough. That requires being attentive to healing as well as guarding (forget evading...) as the bosses hit really hard and there is no way to increase your defense. I tried Magnify + Barrier but the effect last about 30 seconds... so my best bet is still Maginify + Healing

Favorite (hard mode) boss fights

Chapter 4 end fight + Roche: There's just raw fun cutting down so many enemies.

Chapter 5 Crab Warden with Cloud - Tifa - Barret: because I love the trio

Chapter 9 Hell House: There's this unmatched satisfaction knowing so many people struggling at this fight while I win on my third try after getting the equipment and Materia right.

Chapter 17 Top Secret Challenge with Cloud - Tifa - Barret: Honestly, I love using them, especially in the Shinra Combat Simulator

Chapter 17 The Arsenal: Probably my most favorite boss fight ever. Hiding behind debris while having the ability to attack from afar with Barret is an absolute joy. Difficulty and length is just about right. A right mix between brute force and strategy (unlike fights like Rufus in Chapter 17, where it's almost a one-hit-one-kill fight, either for him, or for us)

What's left after Hard Mode?

Well, there are still a few trophy to claim. Notoriously the Dress for the 9 and the Biker Boy. I also need to claim the last Manuscript in Chapter 9.

And then, Yuffie DLC. I started it, but wasn't too into it so I just left it there and will come back when I feel like to. Honestly, being the old cranky woman I am now, I don't find cute talkative girls appealing. Too much noise. Same reason why I'm not too fond with Aerith. She talks to much, and too playful for this old me. Not hate-talking the characters, it's just that it's a game, and there are aspects that I don't enjoy. That's the emotional response I have and I can't help it.

Talking about annoyance, lots of people find Johnny annoying and unbearable. I myself know that he's annoying (Cloud is clearly annoyed with him), but I'm fine with his presence. I find him pretty amusing actually, all the bro/aniki talk with Cloud.

[denble]

FFVII Remake Chapter 17 Hard Mode

Holy shit! What have I done to myself?

So, I got to Chapter 17 in Hard Mode. Defeated Pride and Joy Protoype. Felt proud of myself. Felt invincible. Nothing could stop me now. Blasted my way through The Drum with a bad Materia set up (but I didn't care, I was invincible) so I needed to use Cure a lot.

Only after a while that I remembered that I still had to fight Swordipede, Jenova Dreamweaver, Rufus and The Arsenal with my remaining MP. And that wasn't much. I got about 10-30 MP ON EVERYBODY.

Long story short, those 4 fights didn't go as smoothly as I thought. Gotta reload a lot and switch Materia around to accommodate my almost depleted MP pool. By the time I finished Jenova Dreamweaver, Cloud had 12 MP and Aerith 5 MP (Barret had about 30 MP) ._. Yeath I entered the fight with Rufus and The Arsenal with such pathetic amount of MP.

But I managed, some how.

A piece of advice: Chapter 17 on Hard Mode is a pain in the ass. Even the middle boss fights weren't easy, especially when you only control a party of 2 at a time.

[denble]

FFVIIR - A Love Triangle post on Reddit

So I just come across this post about the Love Triangle on Reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasyVII/comments/1btxp5k/spoilers_for_rebirth_the_love_triangle/

I decide to response to the post here, on my deserted blog, because (1) I have no intention to argue with anyone and (2) should that post not be deleted, it's gonna be a battle field for sure :))))

The reason I want to response to this post is that OP is very civil. According to the post, he played the OG back in the 2000s so he must not be young by now, and had a clear understanding of OG narrative - that Cloud had to end up with Tifa because Aerith died.

Yet he still finds that Cloud x Aerith is happening after Remake and Rebirth. That their chemistry is great and Cloud x Tifa scenes all seem off, forced, awkward and platonic.

I find it very interesting, because apparently, he sees everything that I see (in Remake, as I haven't played Rebirth yet), but his perception of the events is completely different than mine.

Makes me wonder if I AM the one who interpret wrongly.

(and no, I don't think I'm wrong)

While I always have my own preference and personal feelings when experiencing a work of fiction, I'm always take thing face value. There's a difference between "bad writing, but it happens" and "because I don't feel it, so it doesn't happen". I certainly don't feel good about a lot of characters but they are loved in-game so it's just me. Heck, in Bleach, I never feel Ichigo x Orihime is a thing (and Rukia x Renji is even less so), but both couples happen. What can I do about it? Nothing.

And what is the face value that Remake (and Rebirth) is presenting?

They push Cloud and Tifa together, and push Aerith to Cloud (while still keeping her attachment to Zack). Regardless of how you and I feel about all those Cloud x Tifa and Cloud x Aerith scenes, that's what is happening.

They don't make a whole bunch of scenes of Tifa and Cloud being touchy-touchy just to prove that "yeah, they touch a lot, but it's platonic." What kind of story telling is that?

They don't make Cloud and Tifa kiss in the Gold Saucer Date just to say that "Nah, he's just being out of character." (and they almost kiss in Gongaga).

But yeah, if you want to disregard that, we can disregard all GSD scenes, because all of them are optional. Or to be precise, whom Cloud dates is optional. The scene itself ought to happen (because you know, Cait Sith's betrayal comes next).

Thing is, if you consider all Cloud and Aerith's interaction ALONE, you can easily write a love story. BUT Cloud x Aerith doesn't exist alone. There are Tifa (and Zack) in the picture. Cloud and Aerith holding hand in the GSD is all sweet, until you take into account that he and Tifa kiss during the date. Cloud looking longingly to Aerith when she sings is lovely, until you realize he holds Tifa's hand during that scene if you get Tifa as his date.

In order to Cloud x Aerith to happen, there's a lot to be taken out of the picture (and change the whole plot). And I mean A LOT.

Also, are we arguing:

Whom Cloud actually ends up with? (Answer: It's not Aerith, she's dead)

Whom Cloud SHOULD end up with? (Answer: Tifa, because he never stops loving her; and Aerith is dead)

Whom YOU WANT Cloud to end up with? (Answer: Whomever you'd like, but the game may or may not agree with you)

I very much shipped Locke and Terra in FFVI but eventually it's Locke and Celes. My preference has no power here. I could indulge myself in fanarts and fanfics (I don't though) but I cannot go fight about how Lock and Terra MUST be a thing despite the game presents otherwise.

And lastly, No Promise To Keep neither is about Cloud nor Jack. Nobuo Uematsu and the producers said so. Not a very good song anyway. And not that I care what is is about. I never understand any song's lyrics, let alone hidden layered meanings (if there's any). If the song is good, I vibe, and that's about it.

[denble]

Just beat Top Secret challenge - FFVII Remake

Took me a few tries but I finally did it. Probably didn't do it correctly as I felt I had to brute-forced my way to victory :)))) But oh well. Victory is victory.

That moment Bahamut summons Ifrit is truly WTF. I was going from "Are we going to fight Ifrit too?" to "Guess we aren't." to "Of couse we are."

Overall, I think the difficulty is just right. Challenging, but not frustrating. And I don't even have to grind at any point in the game.

Edit: I redid the challenge because I felt I had been struggling too much playing conservatively. This time I went back to my usual aggressive style, aka Cloud with Hardedge and Tifa Metal Knuckles. Barret is still on Light Machine Gun because I need him to survive Mega Flare with Reprive. A few tweaks with Materia (namely, get Elemental x Ice) and the fights went much faster. Bamahut with Ifrift is still a pain but more manageable. Just remember to heal up often.

[denble]

Video Game Characters Rating

So I was having this talk with a friend where I said I generally don't like Mage/Magician/Summoner female type. Then I remember some female Mage that I like, and some non-mage I don't like. So I'm trying to break down a list of characters in video game that I like over my years of playing video game (which actually stopped about 15 years go, and only resume recently).

Here we go. In no particular order (mostly).

MALE CHARACTERS

Cloud (FFVII)

Obvious choice. He's strong (I always like strong melee characters) and funny. Even more so in the Remake. He also has one of the best character arc I've ever played.

Squall (FFVIII)

Before FFVII Remake, I think I even like Squall better. Same reasons as Cloud, only that Squall is even funnier because of his inner thoughts.

Auron (FFX)

Cool and strong. Deadbeat serious (aka, coolness maximized). A bit slow in combat but he's strong so I'm okay with using him in my party.

Locke (FFVI)

I don't remember much now but I remember liking him a lot back then, enough to keep him in my party as much as possible. His Steal ability is invaluable, and his earnest tendency to protect Terra and Celes makes him a reliable companion.

Yuri (Shadow Hearts I & II)

Very sassy, witty and humorous. As the main character, he's also strong as hell. A delight from the usual Final Fantasy solemn male leads. His relationship with his companions is also endearing.

Ryuudo (Grandia II)

Same reason as Yuri (poor Ryuudo, I don't have anything else to say).

Cid (FFVII)

His foul mouth and old-man running style is enough to be my favorite :)))) Inside battle, he is the only one beside Cloud that has a Triple-slotted weapon, and his Limit Break hits multiple time, so he always gets the second place in my party. Plus his theme song is a killer.

FEMALE CHARACTERS

Tifa (FFVII)

Because she fights with her fists (my most favorite weapon). She's thoughtful and reasonable, which are traits that I like in a female character. While I do use her in battles from time to time (because I like looking at her) but I find her combat power is very lacking in the OG. In the Remake, however, she's an absolute joy to play.

Alice (Shadow Hearts I)

She's your typical healer/white mage pure heart character (which is clearly not my cup of tea), but I actually enjoy her quite a lot. She never comes off as fake or cringe to me. She's determined, gentle and caring all the way, and her dynamic with Yuri is believable and endearing.

Elena (Grandia II)

Another healer/white mage. She's also similar to Alice (as Ryuudo is similar to Yuri). And just like Alice, even though she's not strong physically, her skill set works well during battle game play.

Shania (Shadow Hearts 3)

Shadow Hearts series actually have very good overall cast, better than most FF titles actually. Shania is a fresh break from your usual female lead. She's cool, cold, and strong.

----------

I really don't like many female characters. Either they are usually weak physically, or their skill set doesn't work well in normal battles (hence, they are not a joy to play), or their personality is just not my cup of tea, or all of the above. Overall, it's not actually what their personality is as you describe them, it's HOW they are handled in the game (both in term of narrative and in term of gameplay), and their dynamics with other characters.

Male characters, well, if they are strong, I like them. Even if I'm neutral, for example, I don't particularly like Zidane (FFIX) or Tidus (FFX) but they are among the strongest in the party so they never fall out of my Neutrally Enjoyable List.

None of the (female) characters that I dislike is a joy to play...