Playground Date

[Jiro]

When Cloud and Aeris are on their way to visit Tifa, they stop and hang out in the little playground there. While sitting on the weird slide (wtf is that thing? plus it looks like a safety hazard anyway) they talk about Aeris and how she used to date someone in SOLDIER. When Cloud asks who it was, she brushes it off.

Can you imagine wtf could have happened if she said Zack? I think at this point Cloud's mind is still pretty damn crippled and he probably would've just up and died. Or maybe he would've been like "oh yeah baby I used to be called Zack but I dyed my hair".

Maybe.

[VeloZer0]

Or he would have said that he never knew anyone named Zack. I don't think that a simple name drop would have changed things much.

Though can you imagine how the game would have turned out had his memory snapped back at that point? Especially if it caused him to miss Tifa's choco-cart moseying on by.

plus it looks like a safety hazard anyway)

You mean like all the coolest playground equipment?

[Crop]

I doubt anything would have happened. If you remember you can talk to Zach's parents on Disk 1 and they ask about him and nothing big happens. Even if you're with Tifa or Aeris

[Bolivar]

^ I was going to say that. Although they're in that playground just a few days after Cloud arrived in Midgar, correct? It might've brought up the trauma of what happened just before he arrived if they mentioned his name.

Good question.

[Bubba]

I always thought that slide was weird too... the actual entrance to the 'slide proper' was tiny! I'm pretty sure even Marlene wouldn't have fit down that slide.

Maybe it was some kind of Shinra torture device designed to lure in small children... they would get stuck in the gap at the top of the slide, captured, then slowly eaten by Dark Nation.

[Flying Arrow]

Dumb question here: How long was it in between Cloud being left at the outskirts of Midgar and him hooking up with Tifa and joining Avalanche? Was it more or less the first thing he went to do or did he wander around the city some?

[Sephex]

Dumb question here: How long was it in between Cloud being left at the outskirts of Midgar and him hooking up with Tifa and joining Avalanche? Was it more or less the first thing he went to do or did he wander around the city some?

To me, it seemed like it was maybe a couple of hours because Cloud was still out of it until Tifa spotted him and snapped him out of it. Then boom--Cloud started to play SOLDIER in his mind.

[Flying Arrow]

^ Cool, thanks. Makes sense, if you consider his freak-outs at the reactor and the Honey Bee "incident" to be effects of a fresh Mako psychosis or something.

Back on topic: I think not much would have come of it had Zack's name been dropped. Cloud seems pretty unfazed during that semi-hidden scene in Gongaga if you have Aeris when visiting Zack's parents.

If I may be allowed one more minor de-rail, what happens if you visit Zack's parents after discovering the flashback from the Nibelheim lab? Do they mention Zack, and, if so, what does Cloud or Tifa have to say about it?

[Bubba]

If I may be allowed one more minor de-rail, what happens if you visit Zack's parents after discovering the flashback from the Nibelheim lab? Do they mention Zack, and, if so, what does Cloud or Tifa have to say about it?

Good question. I don't remember ever returning to Gongaga to speak to them after Cloud finds himself, let alone after the basement flashback. I'd like to think he lets them know but Square may not have included that dialogue in the script.

[VeloZer0]

I'll go check later today.

[Jiro]

I doubt it has any extra dialogue, but bringing up the scene in Gongaga was an excellent point. Cloud's memories were probably way too dormant at that point. I'm surprised he remembered the Well scene with Tifa even.

[VeloZer0]

That was probably because it was far enough back, far enough that it didn't conflict at all with what what he & his Jenova cells were trying to make out of him.

[Mercen-X]

They don't bring it up.

About the well scene, Cloud pretty much just went along with anything Tifa told him. He's a fairly exceptional judge of character and was probably able to guess the things he could say that wouldn't arouse too much suspicion about the fact he had no idea what she talking about... lol.

[Flying Arrow]

They don't bring it up.

Oh well. Gongaga was always one of my favourite little towns in the game. I've always wished there was more to do there with regards to Zack's backstory.

[Bubba]

I reckon when the game gets re-made for the FFVII anniversary in the year 2097... they'll definitely include more of the Zack back story. I can't wait!