Playthrough thoughts thread

[Aulayna]

Yeah I felt the same about the Train Graveyard, it was a really cool little self-contained narrative but really bad placed in the overall flow of things, but I guess they were broadly sticking to the order of locations from the original so were a bit constrained there - but even then they could've made it a cool sidequest chain in either Chapter 3 or 8, but then perhaps revisiting the Train Graveyard later on would mean the area had less gravitas, idk.

[Nice]

Actually jokes aside I've got something that's kind of irked me about Chapter 10/11.

(SPOILER)So, you're in the sewers right after the Don reveals Shinra's big plan to collapse the pillar in Sector 7. Holy smurfing trout! How many people will die! We gotta get there. Now. And Tifa's very worried about this throughout the sewer, wondering if they can believe the Don. The sewer drags on a little but okay we're Ahead On Our Way.

Oh wait we're in the Train Graveyard... and the tone just suddenly shifts. Ah no, it's spoooooky! MY bodyguard will protect us! Ahh child ghosts! Like, don't get me wrong, in and of itself the Train Graveyard is a nice improvement on the original and has an interesting little substory but it's at the wrong time in the wrong place.

It frustrates me as I play because I'm desperate to make it to the pillar but there's no end in sight. As a result I'm not really as into this ghost story as I would be ordinarily. And then when the ghost story comes to an end they re-introduce Shinra and the pillar but the urgency that I feel still isn't there with the characters because you're now smurfing around with trains and turntables.

There's a couple of other examples of this too. "We gotta go help Biggs in the reactor!" which was first said about three hours before you actually finally get to him, and then Chapter 13 (SPOILER)I just found Wedge in the wreckage, oh good, I'll help him OH NO HERE'S A RESEARCH LAB! it happens again.

This is the biggest consequence to the fleshing out of various sections from the original - the pacing of the game is just completely thrown off balance. I get what they were going for, and I've used the term fleshed out instead of padded out because much of it is fun and interesting, but I'm not sure it's really gelled with the story as it was.

I actually felt myself begin to dislike the game because of the train graveyard sequence. There's also a moment when you think you're done and you're about to rush to the pillar and nope, (SPOILER)they take Aerith away and guess what, another ghost boss battle. And you're right, in and of itself, it was a nice contained story. However, it totally smurfs with the flow.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Train Graveyard would have worked better as a side quest to come back to. Could have had some of it still in a much shorter fashion with hints to come back. There was that bit with (SPOILER) Marlene that could have had more pertinence. Maybe even shown Biggs, Wedge, Barret, etc. Hint that they might already have died or just it be a constant reminder to push forward to hopefully save them.

I honestly really liked the train graveyard if it weren’t for the placement in the story for your reasons.

[ham]

I beat the game and here are my thoughts on the mechanics:

My biggest gripe is the camera FOV and the battle camera. You'd have to get good at switching on/off the 'locked on' camera in various situations to fight efficiently (without button smashing). The 2nd thing is during some battles, there would be events that would mess up my flow. Over time, I got better at wielding the camera and the mechanics of the game, but it's still small rock in my shoe.

I felt there was a lot of padding to make the game longer but I guess that goes along with expanding the FF7 lore & world.

Overall, I think the game's worth it.

I don't want to get into the story stuff because I don't want to spoil it since people are still playing through the game.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

So I just got through the Sector 7 plate stuff today. (SPOILER)It actually all hit me emotionally a lot harder than I thought it would. It was rough getting to the parts with Jessie and Biggs. I also hated seeing everything come crashing down while Wedge held his cats. My heart hurt for Marlene when Aerith went to her.

This was one of the parts where walking through the aftermath to reflect is effective. You get a sense of the weight and guilt the group feels. It’s kind of funny because it is really similar to what it is like walking past people and such in XIII, but everything is just done so much better in this game in terms of the characters and story,

I’ve also been thinking about the transition of Wall Market to the plate dropping, and the in between really needed to be shorter. I honestly think things would have been better had Don been more vague such as, “They found out where that guy with the gun arm and his band of terrorists are holed up, and Avalanche is about to get their reckoning.” Drop into sewers with the feeling of urgency to get back and warn Barret but not know the seriousness. Shorten the events of the sewers by a good amount and then have the train graveyard just have hints for going back for the ghost side quest and all the stuff I said in my previous post. Briskly get to sector 7 only to find it to be a war zone and maybe have some clue there that they are just going to destroy the entire sector and blame Avalanche.

We all already know what is happening anyways, but i feel like going from the utter silliness of Wall Market quickly into the devastation of sector 7 would have just made it that much more emotionally resonant and devastating.

Also, I’m really digging all of the music.

[Shiva95]

I really enjoyed the events of the plate. It was so sad. (SPOILER)They managed to make us love Jessie, Biggs and Wedge much more than in the OG, so I was really emotional during that moment. I also really liked Aerith's interactions with Marlene.

I also really like the beginning of chapter 14, (SPOILER)when Cloud hugged Tifa. I think that scene is probably an optional one influenced by our previous choices, but it was so beautiful and emotional. Even Cloud looks so sad. It's really well done.

[tony123]

I really enjoyed the events of the plate. It was so sad. (SPOILER)They managed to make us love Jessie, Biggs and Wedge much more than in the OG, so I was really emotional during that moment. I also really liked Aerith's interactions with Marlene.

There definitely was a lot more development given to them. However at the same time I think the pacing of the game really hurt them. They receive just as much development in the first five hours as any of the other characters did and then they just vanish until the scene you are referencing. That and the fact that they could have found ways to develop Jessie without turning her into an apparent sex addict (yeah I know they never officially said she was a sex addict but it is easy to make jokes about her being one based on how her character was developed).

[Psychotic]

I really enjoyed the events of the plate. It was so sad. (SPOILER)They managed to make us love Jessie, Biggs and Wedge much more than in the OG, so I was really emotional during that moment. I also really liked Aerith's interactions with Marlene.

I also really like the beginning of chapter 14, (SPOILER)when Cloud hugged Tifa. I think that scene is probably an optional one influenced by our previous choices, but it was so beautiful and emotional. Even Cloud looks so sad. It's really well done.

I think that chapter 14 one is optional - (SPOILER)I got a scene with an Aerith ghost or dream or something instead!

[Mercen-X]

Wedge makes a point of clarifying her behavior is all superficial in his statement that it's all an act. Probably comes from her original choice of career and needing to be cheerful and optimistic to be popular.

By the way, I'm replaying now. After finishing the game, the ending has me questioning everything I know about 7.

(SPOILER)Zack... did he survive? A lot of people on the internet are reporting that he survived due to a "change of fate" after defeating the Harbinger. However, most people are assuming this because he walked away with Cloud after defeating an army of MPs. The problem is that we saw him do this in the original game, in the animation, and in Crisis Core. Facing the army isn't what got him killed. Zack was shot in the back while tending to Cloud. Then the MPs continued to riddle his incapacitated body with bullets until they were sure he was dead.

Basically, what we saw in the ending is not clear evidence that Zack's fate has been altered. What is clarified is Biggs fate in the final scenes. Like Wedge before him, he wakes up in bed with a bandage on his head (that rhymed). Only member left up in the air is Jessie. One could say Biggs and Wedge were spared this go around because they're Biggs and Wedge. But who knows? There may be a sidequest in the sequel to find out what happened to her.

Speaking of Jessie, we find out her surname is Rasberry. Her father, whose name can be found on his security clearance, is Rowan Raberry, a possible reference to the NPC of the same name in Lord of the Rings Online (or just something they didn't know existed).

There are a lot of references in this game insomuch as the Compilation goes. The "assassination attempt", the bike fight with Roche, Banora White, Type G, Kunsel, Avalanche HQ, hints at geostigma, the "edge of creation" mentioned by Seph at the outskirts of Midgar could be a shoutout to Edge City, Cloud/Seph's showdown.

For those who doubted, I'm pretty sure they'll find a way to include Genesis in the sequel.


At one point, Tifa makes a gesture I've noticed a lot of the stereotypical "cute Japanese girls" make in anime and other Japanese media. It's like a slight raising of one foot and one hand almost to their eye. I can't totally describe it without seeing it again. Seeing it took me out of the moment though because suddenly I'm made aware of just how Japanese Tifa really is because I've seen NO other culture in the world make this pose. Only "cute Japanese girls". Not to say I'm bothered. I like Japanese girls. This one aspect of their behavior is just weird to me though.

[Aulayna]

I really enjoyed the events of the plate. It was so sad. (SPOILER)They managed to make us love Jessie, Biggs and Wedge much more than in the OG, so I was really emotional during that moment. I also really liked Aerith's interactions with Marlene.

I also really like the beginning of chapter 14, (SPOILER)when Cloud hugged Tifa. I think that scene is probably an optional one influenced by our previous choices, but it was so beautiful and emotional. Even Cloud looks so sad. It's really well done.

I think that chapter 14 one is optional - (SPOILER)I got a scene with an Aerith ghost or dream or something instead!

Yeah that thing for the beginning of chapter 14 is based on your interactions with the characters throughout the game, you can get Barret, Tifa, or Aerith.

Wedge makes a point of clarifying her behavior is all superficial in his statement that it's all an act. Probably comes from her original choice of career and needing to be cheerful and optimistic to be popular.

By the way, I'm replaying now. After finishing the game, the ending has me questioning everything I know about 7.

(SPOILER)Zack... did he survive? A lot of people on the internet are reporting that he survived due to a "change of fate" after defeating the Harbinger. However, most people are assuming this because he walked away with Cloud after defeating an army of MPs. The problem is that we saw him do this in the original game, in the animation, and in Crisis Core. Facing the army isn't what got him killed. Zack was shot in the back while tending to Cloud. Then the MPs continued to riddle his incapacitated body with bullets until they were sure he was dead.

Basically, what we saw in the ending is not clear evidence that Zack's fate has been altered. What is clarified is Biggs fate in the final scenes. Like Wedge before him, he wakes up in bed with a bandage on his head (that rhymed). Only member left up in the air is Jessie. One could say Biggs and Wedge were spared this go around because they're Biggs and Wedge. But who knows? There may be a sidequest in the sequel to find out what happened to her.

Speaking of Jessie, we find out her surname is Rasberry. Her father, whose name can be found on his security clearance, is Rowan Raberry, a possible reference to the NPC of the same name in Lord of the Rings Online (or just something they didn't know existed).

There are a lot of references in this game insomuch as the Compilation goes. The "assassination attempt", the bike fight with Roche, Banora White, Type G, Kunsel, Avalanche HQ, hints at geostigma, the "edge of creation" mentioned by Seph at the outskirts of Midgar could be a shoutout to Edge City, Cloud/Seph's showdown.

For those who doubted, I'm pretty sure they'll find a way to include Genesis in the sequel.


At one point, Tifa makes a gesture I've noticed a lot of the stereotypical "cute Japanese girls" make in anime and other Japanese media. It's like a slight raising of one foot and one hand almost to their eye. I can't totally describe it without seeing it again. Seeing it took me out of the moment though because suddenly I'm made aware of just how Japanese Tifa really is because I've seen NO other culture in the world make this pose. Only "cute Japanese girls". Not to say I'm bothered. I like Japanese girls. This one aspect of their behavior is just weird to me though.

(SPOILER)One of Jessie's gloves is on the bedside cabinet next to Bigg's bed

[Fox]

(SPOILER)Zack... did he survive? A lot of people on the internet are reporting that he survived due to a "change of fate" after defeating the Harbinger. However, most people are assuming this because he walked away with Cloud after defeating an army of MPs. The problem is that we saw him do this in the original game, in the animation, and in Crisis Core. Facing the army isn't what got him killed. Zack was shot in the back while tending to Cloud. Then the MPs continued to riddle his incapacitated body with bullets until they were sure he was dead.

Basically, what we saw in the ending is not clear evidence that Zack's fate has been altered. What is clarified is Biggs fate in the final scenes. Like Wedge before him, he wakes up in bed with a bandage on his head (that rhymed). Only member left up in the air is Jessie. One could say Biggs and Wedge were spared this go around because they're Biggs and Wedge. But who knows? There may be a sidequest in the sequel to find out what happened to her.

Speaking of Jessie, we find out her surname is Rasberry. Her father, whose name can be found on his security clearance, is Rowan Raberry, a possible reference to the NPC of the same name in Lord of the Rings Online (or just something they didn't know existed).

There are a lot of references in this game insomuch as the Compilation goes. The "assassination attempt", the bike fight with Roche, Banora White, Type G, Kunsel, Avalanche HQ, hints at geostigma, the "edge of creation" mentioned by Seph at the outskirts of Midgar could be a shoutout to Edge City, Cloud/Seph's showdown.

For those who doubted, I'm pretty sure they'll find a way to include Genesis in the sequel.

Ending: (SPOILER)Alternate timelines, not the one we're watching. Notice that crisp packet that flew by with Stamp on it? Totally different dog to the one we've seen. There are other clues that suggest the reconstruction of sector 7 and Biggs waking up are alternate timelines as well, a way of showing us that "look, now destiny has been destroyed, big changes to events such as these are now possible! Going forward who knows who might survive..."

The timeline we're looking at however still has Zack, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie deceased, I'm feel fairly confident about most of those. Wedge's fate is unknown but he was thrown out the window by the whispers while they were still around making sure fate stuck to the correct path, so it could go either way I guess.

[tony123]

(SPOILER)One of Jessie's gloves is on the bedside cabinet next to Bigg's bed

(SPOILER) Cool find. Guess that is probably confirmation that they were sleeping together.

[Madame Adequate]

I finished FF7R and I thought it was extremely good.

[Mercen-X]

(SPOILER)One of Jessie's gloves is on the bedside cabinet next to Bigg's bed

(SPOILER) Cool find. Guess that is probably confirmation that they were sleeping together.

(SPOILER)I think it's supposed to mean she's alive.

Anyway, I have a gameplay problem. My first run got me Aerith's red dress. Cool. My replay, I followed online instructions to get her pink dress... I still got the red dress. I don't know where I could've possibly screwed up.

[tony123]

(SPOILER)One of Jessie's gloves is on the bedside cabinet next to Bigg's bed

(SPOILER) Cool find. Guess that is probably confirmation that they were sleeping together.

(SPOILER)I think it's supposed to mean she's alive.

Anyway, I have a gameplay problem. My first run got me Aerith's red dress. Cool. My replay, I followed online instructions to get her pink dress... I still got the red dress. I don't know where I could've possibly screwed up.

(SPOILER) She very clearly died in Cloud's arms. If they want to turn it around and say she is alive now then this game is an even bigger mess than I thought before .