How Serious Is This Game?

So a common complaint I've read of the Compilation and its fans is that they simply don't remember how FFVII actually was. They treat the series oh-so-seriously and forget that there was a whole quest to have our hero dress up like a girl or take his black friend out on a date or the various whacky hijinks that ensued with Yuffie.

So my question is - how seriously do you think of VII? Does the actual game take itself all that seriously or did it have an appreciation for humor that a lot of its sequels lacked?

While there were some dark and serious subjects explored in the game, it didn't take itself seriously 24/7 and a lot of fun was to be had too. Don Corneo, cross dressing, Mukki, Honey Bee Inn, orthopedic underwear, Sailor Suit Barret, Dio, riding on a dolphin to jump up an electrical tower because why not?

You mean criticizing the compilation because it isn't serious enough? I think one of the compilations flaws is that it takes itself way too seriously for how ridiculous it all is.

VII for the most part was a 16-bit RPG wrapped in a 32-bit shell and so it straddled the dichotomy of being serious and being utterly goofy like its predecessors. This has actually been one of the reasons why some fans have objected to the game getting a AC style remake because frankly the silly moment probably wouldn't translate well into that art style so a remake would probably grim the game up a bit or feel even more ridiculous trying to stay faithful.

I've always felt there was a big difference between the real version of VII from the game, and the myth version fans have kind of created for it.

VII did have a sense of humour, even if it wasn't necessarily the type of humour I always appreciate. I do know that as a fan of the series, sharky is quite upset at how the rest of the compilation took itself too seriously compared to FFVII. I haven't played much of the others but it did seem that they kind of regressed Cloud's character from the way he ended in VII to the start of Advent Children for example

Like most if not all of the Final Fantasies that I've played FFVII is serious when it wants to be, and funny when it wants to be. It's one of the things I like about them, is that even if it has a serious storyline it knows how to take a break from it, and have a little comedy.

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Originally Posted by VeloZer0

You mean criticizing the compilation because it isn't serious enough? I think one of the compilations flaws is that it takes itself way too seriously for how ridiculous it all is.

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You got it backwards. I said they criticized it because it was too serious.

I don't think it's very serious. Even the killing of Aerith/Aeris is kind of comical what with Sephiroth's ridiculous massive sword impaling her from behind.

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Originally Posted by Shiny

I don't think it's very serious. Even the killing of Aerith/Aeris is kind of comical what with Sephiroth's ridiculous massive sword impaling her from behind.

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My favorite thing I heard about this was some fan who over-analyzed the scene and came to the conclusion that Aerith wasn't killed but instead suffered a spin injury that most likely paralyzed severely which they then turned around and pointed out how her "burial" could be interpreted as Cloud putting her out of her misery since she could still technically alive from such an injury until the whole drowning thing. Have sweet dreams children. :wcanoe:

I hate how even SE themselves forgot that the game was humorous when they started making the compilation.

I don't know, Crisis Core had its moments though the majority of it was in the side missions and some of the DMW summons. Though its interesting to note that in battles against Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis they disabled the ability to summon any of the animal mascot monsters in those fights to keep the dramatic tone of the fight.

How could Aerith have been fatally wounded? She wasn't even bleeding. it was clearly a flesh wound.

I think that this game is really dark and serious, perhaps maybe one of the darkest Final Fantasy games, though the game tries to pretend that it's not dark or disturbing while pretending to be light or does silly/ clownish things.

Example- Cloud drag scene.

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Originally Posted by Forsaken Lover

How could Aerith have been fatally wounded? She wasn't even bleeding. it was clearly a flesh wound.

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It's because she was stabbed with a massamune, which don't draw blood (not sure how the blood in the Shinra building pertain to this though).

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Originally Posted by MJN SEIFER

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Originally Posted by Forsaken Lover

How could Aerith have been fatally wounded? She wasn't even bleeding. it was clearly a flesh wound.

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It's because she was stabbed with a massamune, which don't draw blood (not sure how the blood in the Shinra building pertain to this though).

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More likely it was a bit of technical oversight caused by trying to make the scene look more dramatic, technically if you watch the scene Sephiroth has disappearing/reappearing gloves as well.

I figured it was censorship or maybe just technical limitations.

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Originally Posted by Forsaken Lover

I figured it was censorship or maybe just technical limitations.

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Ditto. Also having blood everywhere would probably make the dropping her into the water scene a little less elegant.

As a child playing it, i thought it was super serious. Haha.


But i feel i appreciate it more today as I can understand the undertones and suggestive themes that occur. It does get pretty dark if you dive into the back story. Even now, i don't see a problem with Cloud dressing up like a women... it just makes sense. Hell, its what I would d... ah forget that.


I also like the little things that characters say.. like when leaving Midgar and you choosing the party of Tifa and Aerith. Barret will comment on it. Brings a smile to my face. Many people may never even see that, but its there anyway. Kinda cute.


I think the mix of humour and seriousness is well done.


And the Aerith not bleeding thing. I agree, it probably has very little to do with the blade or where she was stabbed. Its a ratings thing, a technical thing, or just an oversight (like Sephiroth's appearing and disappearing gloves).


Might be fun to watch... or not.

I think it depends on what you are comparing it to. For it's time (one of the first games released on the original playstation) it was a pretty serious game. Need to remember that games like Super Mario Brothers were still some of the most popular games on the market back then.

By todays standards it is a little more on the kiddy though. If you try to compare it to The Last of Us Final Fantasy VII looks like it was made for a five year old.

So it really just depends on what you are comparing it to. If you are only comparing it to other games released around that time of the mid to late '90's it was a pretty serious game. In 2013 or 2014 however it would be viewed as a pretty juvenile game.

What it looks like, sure. But how serious is it compared to the last of us when you move past the exterior, which is just a product of its time?

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Originally Posted by VeloZer0

Ditto. Also having blood everywhere would probably make the dropping her into the water scene a little less elegant.

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I didn't think about the dignity about it, it does add to it by having no blood and make it more emotional.

I always assumed it was the massamune because of the real life story behind the blade.

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Originally Posted by tony12

I think it depends on what you are comparing it to. For it's time (one of the first games released on the original playstation) it was a pretty serious game. Need to remember that games like Super Mario Brothers were still some of the most popular games on the market back then.

By todays standards it is a little more on the kiddy though. If you try to compare it to The Last of Us Final Fantasy VII looks like it was made for a five year old.

So it really just depends on what you are comparing it to. If you are only comparing it to other games released around that time of the mid to late '90's it was a pretty serious game. In 2013 or 2014 however it would be viewed as a pretty juvenile game.

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I disagree, I mean cross-dressing, homo-erotic humor, Red XIII and Barret in uniforms, getting help from a dolphin to climb Junon tower, Palmer gets hit by a truck, Tifa's Orphepedic underwear. I would say that VII really wasn't any more serious than what was around in 97 even on the PlayStation or fledgling SNES and Saturn you could find games of equal caliber in terms of balancing serious moments with silly elements.

It doesn't make VII any less of a good game but I wouldn't say it was more serious than what was around it.