Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
I have a few (or a lot) of questions about the game, as I just beat it the first time, and I'm replaying it again, as well.
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Final Fantasy VII
Story-related
-Throughout the game, Cloud hears a voice in his head, such as after he falls into the church and meets Aeris. Who is speaking to him? Is it Sephiroth?
The voice is Cloud's subconscious. Refer to this thread for details.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-When Tifa becomes controllable after WEAPON blows a hole into the gas chamber she is held in, she escapes by jumping off the barrel of the Junon gun and onto a ladder of the airship, Highwind. A mysterious voice, much like the one invading Cloud's mind, tells her to jump. Who is it?
I'm not sure it meant to be that mysterious. I've always interpreted the voice to be an ally aboard the Highwind, which was already in the general vicinity. Alternativiely, it could be Tifa's mind/interior. Unlike the issue of the voice in Cloud's mind, it's not really all that important.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-What happened to Nibelheim, really? Was it, in fact, destroyed five years before?
The game makes this relatively clear. Monster outbreaks lead Shinra to deploy SOLDIER to deal with the crisis.
(from the Kalm flashback)
Quote:
Sephiroth: ...I thought you wanted a briefing? Our mission is to investigate an
old Mako reactor. There have been reports of it malfunctioning, and producing
brutal creatures. Then, we'll locate the problem and neutralize it.
Cloud: Brutal creatures... Where?
Sephiroth: The Mako Reactor at Nibelheim.
The source of the problem is tracked to the Nibel reactor, where Sephiroth sees that Hojo has been exposing individuals to high concentrations of Mako energy. This has resulted in monstrous mutation in these individuals.
Quote:
Sephiroth: Why did it break...? ...now I see, Hojo. But, even doing this, will
never put you on the same level as Professor Gast. This is a system that
condenses and freezes the Mako energy... that is, when it's working correctly.
Now... what does Mako energy became when it's further condensed?
Cloud: Uh, ummm...... Oh yeah! It becomes a Materia.
Sephiroth: Right, normally. But Hojo put something else in there. ...Take a
look.
Look through the window.
Cloud looked.
Cloud: Wh... what is this!?
Sephiroth: Normal members of SOLDIER are humans that have been showered with
Mako. You're different from the others, but still human. But, what are they?
They've been exposed to a high degree of Mako, far more than you.
Cloud: ...is this some kind of monster?
Sephiroth: Exactly. And it's Hojo of Shinra that produced these monsters.
Mutated living organisms produced by Mako energy. That's what these monster's
really are.
This dialogue segment immediately leads Sephiroth to question the specifics of his own existence.
Quote:
Sephiroth: Exactly. And it's Hojo of Shinra that produced these monsters.
Mutated living organisms produced by Mako energy. That's what these monster's
really are.
Cloud: Normal members of SOLDIER? You mean you're different? H... hey,
Sephiroth!
Sephiroth: N...no...... ...Was I?
Then....
Quote:
Sephiroth: ...Was I created this way too? Am I the same as all these
monsters......
Cloud: ...Sephiroth.
Sephiroth: You saw it! All of them... were humans...
Cloud: Humans!? No way!
Sephiroth: ...I've always felt since I was small... That I was different from
the others. Special, in some way. But... not like this...
Sephiroth is later found in the basement of the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim, reading about the Jenova Project.
Quote:
Sephiroth: (reading a book) ...an organism that was apparently dead, was found
in a 2000 year old geological stratum. Professor Gast named that organism,
Jenova... X Year, X Month, X Day. Jenova confirmed to be an Ancient ...X Year, X
Month, X Day. Jenova Project approved. The use of Mako Reactor I approved for
use... My mother's name is Jenova... Jenova Project... Is this just a
coincidence? Professor Gast... Why didn't you tell me anything? ...Why did you
die?
Cloud left as Sephiroth kept on reading books. Later as Cloud gets up from the
bed, he goes down to the basement.
Sephiroth: Ha, ha, ha...... Who is it!? Hmph... traitor.
Cloud: Traitor?
Sephiroth: You ignorant traitor. I'll tell you. This was a itinerant race. They
would migrate in, settle the Planet, then move on... At the end of their harsh,
hard journey, they would find the Promised Land and supreme happiness. But,
those who stopped their migrations built shelters and elected to lead an easier
life. They took that which the Cetra and the planet had made without giving back
one whit in return! Those are your ancestors.
Cloud: Sephiroth...
Sephiroth: Long ago, disaster struck this planet. Your ancestors escaped... They
survived because they hid. The Planet was saved by sacrificing the Cetra. After
that, your ancestors continued to increase. Now all that's left of the Cetra is
in these reports.
Cloud: What does that have to do with you?
Sephiroth: Don't you get it? An Ancient named Jenova was found in the geological
stratum of 2000 years ago. The Jenova Project. The Jenova Project wanted to
produce people with the powers of the Ancients...... no, the Cetra! ...I am the
one that was produced.
Cloud: Pr...produced!?
Sephiroth: Yes. Professor Gast, leader of the Jenova Project and genius
scientist, produced me.
Cloud: How...how did he...? Se...Sephiroth?
Sephiroth: Out of my way. I'm going to see my mother.
At this point, Sephiroth (obviously not yet aware of all details himself, as he apparently believes JENOVA to be a Cetra, although this could potentially be the manipulations of JENOVA already at work), completely unbalanced by what he has learned, goes on a rampage and, in essence, destroys Nibelheim. He goes to the reactor for JENOVA, where Zack (the "Cloud" of the flashback) and Tifa are severly injured trying to engage the warrior. Cloud, a common soldier along on the mission, takes up Zack's Buster Sword and wounds Sephiroth. He then goes to check Tifa. Sephiroth emerges from the room fronted by the Mechanical Angel with the head of JENOVA, and stabs Cloud with the Masamune when Cloud attempts to follow. Cloud is then somehow able to take the Masamune by the blade and hurl its wielder into the depths of the reactor.
Tifa is rescued by Zangan, who takes her to Midgar. Cloud and Zack, as well as the surviving residents of Nibelheim, are used by Hojo in various experiments (including Jenova therapy). The survivors of the disaster (minus Cloud and Zack) are actually the CLONES, the black-clad individuals that seek Sephiroth and the Reunion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-When Tifa tells Cloud about when she met him in Midgar near the train station, he tells her he hadn't seen her in five years, when it had really been seven years. How is this so?
Actually, it really had been five years since Cloud saw Tifa. Tifa, however, is unaware of this. As a result of the Jenova therapy that Cloud endured, as well as his own self-doubt, Cloud confused some (but not all) aspects of the past. In reality, Cloud was a common soldier who accompanied Sephiroth and Zack to Nibelheim. However, he was ashamed of not having made SOLDIER, and did not reveal his actual identity to Tifa. He later replaces Zack with himself in his memories, as a result of the JENOVA cells and his own doubt. We actually can see the conclusion of this process in an in-game flashback, when Tifa first discovers Cloud in Midgar. The screen flashes several times, conveying the idea that Cloud's knowledge of the past was being distorted by the ideas he ultimately conveyed in the Kalm flashback.
In short, Tifa did not realize Cloud was in Nibelheim five years ago, because Cloud spoke of himself as Zack. He was there, though, as the unknown common soldier.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-At the end of the game, Sephiroth is destroyed, and so releases Aeris's spirit into the Lifestream, bringing her prayer for Holy to the planet to make it's decision, correct?
Not exactly. Actually, it's unlikely that Aeris' death was even necessary for Holy. The prayer itself should have been sufficient. Sephiroth's destruction is necessary, however, for Holy to come, since he is blocking it. Refer to this segment of dialogue when the party and Bugenhagen travel to the City of the Ancients.
Quote:
Bugenhagen: The knowledge of the Ancients swirling around here is telling me one
thing. The planet's in a crisis... A crisis beyond human power or endless time.
It says, when the time comes, we must search for 'Holy'.
Cloud: Holy?
Bugenhagen: Holy... the ultimate White Magic. Magic that might stand against
Meteor. Perhaps our last hope to save the planet from Meteor. If a soul seeking
Holy reaches the planet, it will appear. Ho Ho Hoooo. Meteor, Weapon, everything
will disappear. Perhaps, even ourselves.
Cloud: Even us!?
Bugenhagen: It is up to the planet to decide. What is best for the planet. What
is bad for the planet. All that is bad will disappear. That is all. Ho Ho Hoooo.
I wonder which we humans are?
Cloud: Search for Holy... How do we do it?
Bugenhagen: Speak to the planet. Get the White Materia... This will bond the
Planet to humans. Then speak to the planet. If our wish reaches the planet, the
White Materia will begin to glow a pale green.
Cloud: ...This is the end. Aeris had the White Materia... But when Aeris died,
it fell from the altar... That's why...... this is the end.
Bugenhagen: Ho Ho Hoooo! Ho Ho Hoooo! Ho Ho Hoooo! Look at this!
Cloud: !?
Bugenhagen: Ancients' writing.
Cloud: Can you read it?
Bugenhagen: I can't even make it out!!
Cloud: This's no time for jokes...
Bugenhagen: I'm not an Ancient. I can't read this thing! I may be old, but my
eyes aren't completely bad yet. Look closely below the writing.
Cloud: There's a note written in chalk...... (key)... (in the Music Box)
Bugenhagen: It was probably written by a scientist who's been here... He
probably used all his energy to make out these two words.
Cloud: Key......? To what?
Bugenhagen: I don't know... But, it probably has something to do with our
riddle.
The riddle... then it must have something to do with Aeris.
Cloud: What does it mean?
Bugenhagen: That Music Box over there. We'll put the key in it. I'll go use the
key. You all wait here. And watch closely what happens. Ho Ho Hoooo!
We eventually see that the White Materia is, in fact, glowing pale green.
Quote:
Cloud: ...It's glowing.
Bugenhagen: Ho Ho Hoooo!! It's pale green!!
Cloud: ...Aeris. Aeris has already prayed for Holy. ...After I gave up the
Black Materia to Sephiroth...... Aeris' words came into my dreams... She said,
she was the only one who could stop Sephiroth...... And to do that, there was a
secret here... that was Holy...... That's why, she had the White Materia. Aeris
knew about here... and what she had to do. Aeris has left us great hope. But,
it cost her her life... her future... I'm sorry... Aeris. I should have figured
this out sooner. ...You left us without saying a word...... It was all so
sudden,
so I couldn't think... That's why it took so long for me to find out. But,
Aeris... I understand now. Aeris... I'll do the rest.
Barret: That's 'WE'!
Cid: The big gift the flower girl left for us... It'd be sad if we didn't finish
it!
Cloud: Thank you... Aeris. Aeris' voice has already reached the Planet. Just
look at the glow of the White Materia. But...... how about Holy? How come Holy
isn't moving? Why?
Bugenhagen: Something's getting in its way.
Cloud: ......Him...... He's the only one that could do it....Sephiroth. Where
are you?
Important information is highlighted for emphasis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
But how did Sephiroth become imprisoned in what looked to be giant materia?
After Sephiroth was thrown into the depths of the reactor, his body floated through the Lifestream. Recall that Mako is compressed Spirit Energy and that Spirit Energy is the stuff of the Lifestream; it makes sense, then, that the reactor might tap the Lifestream in order to have a source of Spirit Energy to be converted to Mako. Once in the Lifestream, Sephiroth would have floated to his ultimate location at the Crater. As materia is crystallized Mako/Spirit Energy, and materia can form naturally, Sephiroth merely followed the Lifestream to that point.
Remember that Sephiroth himself alludes to his journey through the Lifestream.
Quote:
Sephiroth: ...Ah, but I have. I'm far superior to the Ancients. I became a
traveler of the Lifestream and gained the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-Tifa helps Cloud remember himself; when he found he was just a guard and not Zack, then what happened to him after he threw Sephiroth into the depths of the Mako Reactor with Jenova? What about Zack? Is it true that Hojo had put Cloud and Zack into a capsule each in the Mako Reactor to experiment on them and keep them alive? And why, if memory serves, doesn't Tifa know exactly if Nibelheim had been burned down?
Well, after hurling Seph into the reactor, Cloud was captured (recall that he had been stabbed, after all) and used in experiments by Hojo. Zack had been severely injured by Seph as well, and met the same fate as Cloud. Neither was put into capsules at the Mako reactor; such a scenario would have likely led to monstrous mutation, as seen in the Kalm flashback. Instead, they were held in tubes in the basement of the Shinra mansion, where both were exposed to Mako and JENOVA cells as part of the experimentation.
Tifa should know that Nibelheim was burned down; indeed, she can recall that fateful night. However, Shinra rebuilt the town, and populated it with its own employees, as part of a cover-up effort. When Cloud and Tifa first return to Nibelheim in Disc 1, the employees obviously pretend to know nothing of the disaster. As the cover-up is not immediately apparent to the party, and Tifa is already aware of inconsistencies in Cloud's memory, it's understandable that the whole situation was confusing.
A document in Tifa's bedroom confirms the reality of the cover-up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-What exactly, was the purpose of all the Sephiroth clones with numbers tatooed on them, and why did some die, and some live, and what was reunion?
The CLONES were the former residents of Nibelheim. The 'reunion' refers to the Jenova Reunion, in essence the idea that the cells of JENOVA would try to again come together. Hojo deemed this the Jenova Reunion theory, and it seems as though an aspect of the experiment was to see if the theory was correct. As the CLONES had received JENOVA cells, they did eventually journey to the Whirlwind Maze, as the cells tried to reunite.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-If Cloud was not, in fact, a Sephiroth clone born in a lab, why did Hojo call him a failed experiment even still after his mind was sorted out? (I recall in an AdventChildren trailer in which a silver-haired man calls himself and Cloud puppets, explain, please)
Hojo only called Cloud a failed experiment after Cloud himself told Hojo that. Cloud believed this since Sephiroth convinced him of it when he was screwing with Cloud's mind.
As you suggest, Hojo again refers to Cloud as a failed experiment when the party confronts him atop the Sister Ray at the end of Disc 2.
Quote:
Cloud: Hojo! Stop right there!!
Hojo: Oh... the failure.
Cloud: At least remember my name! It's Cloud!
Hojo: Every time I see you, I... It pains me that I had so little scientific
sense... I evaluated you as a failed project. But, you are the only one that
succeeded as a Sephiroth-clone. Heh, heh, heh...... I'm even beginning to hate
myself.
Cloud: None of that matters... just stop this nonsense!
However, Cloud was never really a failure at all. Hojo's perception of this was based on what Cloud told him. In any case, there's no way Hojo could have known that Cloud had corrected his memory; to him, Cloud was the same as he was earlier in the Disc. It's also possible that Hojo was taunting Cloud; further still, Hojo had lost any and all vestiges of sanity by this point. Cloud, for his part, had better things to do than argue the fact; AVALANCHE had to stop the Sister Ray.
Unfortunately, I can't help a great deal with AC info, since I've avoided most spoilers in order to better enjoy the movie when it actually comes out. Forum member Squall of SeeD would probably be the best person to ask for Advent Children information.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
Gameplay-related
-Where can you obtain or buy double- or triple-growth weaponry during the game, besides in the third disc?
There are only two triple-growth weapons in the game, and neither can be bought. Cid's Scimitar can only be acquired in Disc 2, however; it's within the Underwater Reactor. The other triple-growth weapon, Cloud's Apocalypse, is usually acquired on Disc 3. It can be gained on Disc 2, however, if you take a Green Chocobo to the Ancient Forest.
There's abundant double-growth weaponry, really. Cloud's double-growth weapons are Force Stealer and Rune Blade; Barret's are W-Machine Gun and Drill Arm; Tifa's are Motor Drive and Platinum Fist; Aeris' are Wizard Rod and Wizer Staff; Red XIII's are Magic Comb and Plus Barette; Cait Sith's are White M-Phone and Black M-Phone; Cid's are Viper Halberd and Javelin; Yuffie's are Wind Slash and Twin Viper; and Vincent's are Peacemaker and Buntline.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-Where is it possible to obtain or buy Morph materia anytime other than when you first meet Yuffie?
You cannot buy Morph materia, and obtaining the materia has nothing to do with Yuffie. It is found only in the Temple of the Ancients.
That having been said, Yuffie comes with Throw, a different Command materia. Throw materia can later be bought at Fort Condor and Rocket Town (Discs 2 and 3).
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-What is Vincent precisely?
This seems to be more of a storyline question. In any case, Vincent Valentine was a member of the Turks. He also loved a young scientist named Lucrecia, who was involved with Professor Gast's Jenova Project. This love was unrequited, however; Lucrecia loved Hojo. After Lucrecia got pregnant (her baby is Sephiroth), Hojo injected JENOVA cells directly into the womb. Eventually, Vincent confronted Hojo, who shot him. This likely killed Vincent, although he was revived by means of Hojo's experimentation/anatomical reconstruction. Whether or not Hojo's experimentation involved JENOVA is unclear, evidence both supports and refutes the theory (at the present time, I believe that he didn't use JENOVA cells). Whatever Hojo did, it likely contributed to Vincent's Limit Break transformations. It also seems to have rendered Vincent immortal; he doesn't age (which is why the game manual lists him as 27, when he's actually about 30 years older than that).
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-How can Nanaki (Red XIII) reproduce if he is the last of his kind? (gathered from the ending of FFVII after the credits)
He's probably not the last of his race. While the game seems to suggest this early on, Bugenhagen seemingly refutes it right before his death.
Quote:
Bugenhagen: It's a wide world and you must go out and see it... You may even find your life's mate. You never know.
The ending sequence would seem to confirm this idea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
Generally FFVII-related
-Is it true that FFX and FFX-2 are prequels to FFVII? I've compared maps, and they seem very similar (FFVII's map has many more smaller islands broken off of main continents, and Spheres may, in fact, be early Materia, and much more abundant).
The answer to your actual question is no; the answer to the overall premise is maybe. Kazushige Nojima, Scenario Writer for the games in question, suggests that the descendents of the FFX-2 character Shinra would eventually travel through space and wind up on Gaia, where the Shinra Corporation would be formed. The "no" refers to the idea that Spira and Gaia are the same world; even Nojima's speculation doesn't encompass that.
The "maybe" refers to the overall "prequel" idea. Nojima suggests that its true, and he has a certain amount of authority in the area. However, his idea, as currently construed, is wrought with MASSIVE plotholes (as a matter of fact, I view a few of the things he's said as impossibilities). He can certainly make changes to make the idea more plausible, but, without rewriting the FFVII history, the task would be nearly Herculean. Frankly, I don't think that he'll be able to form a fully logical connection between Gaia and Spira that respects the histories of both worlds. Also, the dialogue at the end of FFX-2, when viewed independent of the Nojima interview, still seems more referential than actually indicative of connection. Ultimately, the games are true canon, and unless proof of connection is included somewhere in the Compilation, the idea is no more than idle speculation.
To be honest, unless there's indisputable in-game/movie evidence, or Nomura and Kitase come out in full support of the idea, I won't believe it. Of course, that sentiment stems from the admitted fact that I'm not impartial in the debate. I don't want to see the worlds connected, primarily because I really don't think it can be done seamlessly.
Squall of SeeD supports the idea; you should see the other side of the argument. His take on the possibility of Spira-Gaia connectedness can be found here; it's also arguably the best site around for FFVII story clarifications. If anything I said was confusing, you can refer to other segments of that site for clarification.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PjO
-Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is releasing in the United States of America on September the Fourteenth, 2005?
So it seems. :D
