The issue at hand is that while I can agree that Tifa is simply confused by this issue because despite Cloud not being at Nibelheim, his story is accurate to what Tifa remembers, but I do feel that it was a red flag for her and combined with some of Cloud's psychotic episodes and nearly killing Aerith twice, she never once stops to really discuss with the team that Cloud is not stable and something is wrong. If I was Barret and the others, I would be pissed that she vouched for someone like Cloud who screwed up so much and is responsible for the Meteor crisis to begin with. She makes attempts to talk to Cloud, but she never bothers talking to the team about it. If I had a childhood friend show up on my front door after several years, claimed we talked two five years earlier than I remember, whigs out all the time, and knows intimate knowledge of one of the most traumatic moments in my life despite me remembering they were not there, I don't think I'd spend my time humoring them and spend more of my time trying to get them some professional help. It just ultimately feels like a contrived element to force a bigger shock out of the player despite the game spending most of its time foreshadowing Cloud isn't right in the head. It was overkill.

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Update time: Didn't have a whole lot of time to play this evening. I basically did the Church sequence and reached the Sector 5 Slums and did sidequest hell until I reached the next significant plot point.

Pros:
  • I definitely like Aerith's VA in this one. I feel she really captures her personality and still manages to convey her spunkiness. She is also just a better foil to Cloud's grumble personality and she's done more to get him to actually talk and get the rod out of his ass than Tifa and Jessie could in the last five chapters
  • Her gameplay style is interesting, her starting weapon skill is broken as all hell and she even gets an MP stealing move as a natural skill.
  • Reno and Rude were both amusing.
  • I really love the layout of Sector 5 Slums. Much closer to how I imagined the slums in the original. Sector 7 feels like a shanty town from Fallout, but Sector 5 Slums feel like people living in a landfill and making due.
  • Aerith's house may be one of the most gorgeous locations seen so far in the game. I mean it was a shock in the original, but they definitely went all Studio Ghibli in its execution here.
  • While I was sad that the barrel mini-game in the church was removed, I am happy the chandelier element existed as a callback to it at least.
  • The Nail Bat is an amusing weapon.
  • Finally got Shiva, though it took a few tries with a solo Cloud since she loves to chaincast Blizzaga at low health. Grateful I had the Ifrit materia equipped to him for the fight.
  • Likewise, I did meet up with the silly researcher kid and I have managed to fulfill all of his current quests.
  • Finally found out what all these Moogle Medals are for.
  • I'm really happy they kept the rooftop sequence from the original.
  • Despite it being a bad thing, I enjoyed watching Cloud get suplexed and then pile-drived by Rude.


Cons:
  • Okay, the Whispers have officially overstayed their welcome after butting into one of my favorite sequences with Aerith. This is as bad as Genesis being retcon to have been at Nibelheim in Crisis Core. I am not amused.
  • Just as I figured, while I do like Aerith's gameplay design, she just can't be used effectively by the A.I. which wouldn't be a problem since switching is pretty easy, except it's obvious the game has all the enemy A.I. set up to switch targets to the player controlled character. Her survivability is better when I'm not using her, but her usefulness in battle is less effective. So it has been a bit annoying in combat to have to keep switching back and forth between her and Cloud just to have a workable party. This game should have used a limited version of XII's Gambit system. There is some materia that works a bit like a gambit set-up but I really feel it should have just been a separate thing.
  • I feel the padded nature of the game is running a bit thin here. I'm feeling very conflicted with the sidequests cause I do feel they add to the characters and setting, but I also find they are disruptive to the narrative. I blame being far too familiar with the original. I'm at the point where I wish we could just get on with things.