Ups and Downs

[Sephex]

***I know this game is nearing the 20 year mark, but I will be nice and warn people who haven't played the game all the way through that THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.***

FFVI is constantly cited as one of the more emotionally heavy games of the series. So EoFF, which part of the game uplifted your spirits? Which part of the game brought them down?

Uplifting: I would have to do with when the party gets the Falcon. Sure, the back story behind Setzer and Daryl was depressing, but as the Falcon tears out of the ocean and the track "Searching For Friends" plays, the party begins to show signs of real hope to stop Kefka's tyranny once and for all!

Depressing: The optional scene of Celes' attempted suicide. I remember reading somewhere years later that the dialogue in the original US version was constructed in a specific way to try to hide the fact that she was jumping off a cliff to kill herself. Yeah, I think we all saw through it. Everything in the sequence of events is just perfect. From Celes' theme playing and "Forever Rachel" as excellent song choices to the "cinematography" of the event, I have never been hit as hard in any other point of the series.

[milliegoesbeep]

Similarly to yourself I'd have to agree with the depressing one. For a game to have something so serious as attempted suicide after building up a character in your mind seriously messes with your head. I remember my heart being in my stomach at that point. The whole game itself was like a bad relationship roller coaster ride.

As for uplifting, I know it's a little sad and not really related to the storyline itself but seeing the two imperial soldiers Biggs and Wedge made me squeal like a 6 year old girl. I hadn't played the game until I was in my teens and by that point I had my whole FF obsession over FF VIII. To see the same named characters was just a big happy moment for me.

[Slothy]

Depressing: The optional scene of Celes' attempted suicide. I remember reading somewhere years later that the dialogue in the original US version was constructed in a specific way to try to hide the fact that she was jumping off a cliff to kill herself. Yeah, I think we all saw through it.

Ah the old leap of faith. Sets them straight every time. Sets them so straight that everyone who was there before and took it obviously felt so motivated by the experience they swam to the mainland.

I hate to be boring and everything, but I might have to agree with you Sephex. As far as the depressing moment it's really hard to top the world ending, then waking up a year later only to have your surrogate father figure die because you're a terrible fisherman and have no way off the island, then try to kill yourself. Sure, the game feels like it's trying to play a game of one-upping itself with a more depressing story than the last every five minutes, but that's really the absolute low point of the game. Especially when you consider everything after that is finding the characters and conquering their personal demons.

And if that's the lowest of the low points, then getting the Falcon is certainly one of the higher points. Or at the very least, the very real ray of light in that darkness which says that "yes, everything's really messed up, but we might have a chance to fix it here."

[Jiro]

Echoing the sadness of the world ending et al. I'll also throw in the disappearance of Terra though. Right from when she buggers off there's this sense of emptiness with her not being around. Then when you find her and she's all comatose, it's kind of a let down. Nobody enjoys that.

Even when you go to rescue the magicite and such, you get Celes being accused of being a double agent the whole time and that's depressing. Especially when you end up on the boat and there's the lack of discussion between her and Locke. It all made for some emotional times.

Doma, too, goes in the sad list. Phantom Forest too, ya know?

Getting on a chocobo is certainly uplifiting. I think Figaro Castle submerging felt like an awesome smurf you. The mine cart ride out of the Magicite Factory was energising, and yeah agreeing with the Falcon. It's kind of a dark time but it's nice to have that light in the darkness.

[krissy]

the most uplifting thing for me was probably the airship scenes during the ending with the wind in their hair etc

and cyan and his family was pretty depressing

[Del Murder]

Everything regarding Doma was depressing. Obviously Kefka destroying the world was also kind of a downer.

I thought the opera scene was uplifting because it was so cheesy. Also when Terra finally snapped out of it and joined my party again, I was pretty happy.