Nothing shall forestall my return

I first played Crisis Core in the spring of 2020, on a PSP emulator on my phone, and while FF7 itself had been inspirational enough to get me following a walkthrough to the letter so I could 100% the game, Crisis Core was what really sucked me into the FF7 universe, and by extension, the Final Fantasy multiverse more generally. Sure, there’s some weird stuff going on with Genesis and plot points that aren’t explained in the absolutely clearest way, but, oh man, the characters, the setting, the emotions in this. Imagine a game so emotional that even the battle system itself is based on emotion; well, it’s this fucking game.

Zack Fair, what an angel. Hilariously, when I first played the opening chapters of Crisis Core back in the day I was like “who’s this annoying guy”, and somehow over the course of the game he succeeded in endearing himself to me … this time I just loved him from the start. The changes this lad goes through over the course of the game, my goodness; not just in terms of his attitude and his knowledge about everything that’s going on, but the way his appearance changes too as a physical manifestation of that. I think that really helps endear him to the player; that and the fact that he’s the only playable character; and that we get these glimpses of what happens offscreen during the DMW scenes, showing the way his relationships with the other characters evolve and how important they all are to him. Zack is one of those people who makes friends all over the shop and forms extremely strong bonds with them (not at all relatable), and you can tell that from these little flashes we see. And of course, all that makes the end even more tragic. Also, a man who openly cries!! ❤

Other characters whom I also love!! Cissnei is great, probably mostly because she’s so needlessly mysterious. Wee earnest Tseng, my boy!! Angeal: kind of love him, kind of think he looks like a Thunderbirds character, but I’ve always got time for a serious guy with black hair and a big sword, and the way Zack idolises him is so adorable. Even Sephiroth, who I’m normally very meh about – this playthrough really made me appreciate what an absolute tragedy he goes through. Like, by the time of FF7 proper he’s too far gone to be turned back from (checks notes) destroying the entire world, but in this – he’s strict and weird and untouchable but, to begin with, he’s actually kind of a nice person.

Some more miscellaneous thoughts before I talk about that other guy:

  1. Why do SOLDIER members always assume the Tory power stance? I didn’t find an illustrative screencap, so trust me on this, but they’re all standing around on the SOLDIER floor with their legs splayed as far apart as possible.
  2. Best entry in the soundtrack: Wandering on a Sunny Afternoon. But, specifically, the part that sounds like Renaissance Fair by the Byrds (1:01–1:31 at the first link). I don’t know what it is – maybe those sixths? – but I just love it so much. When I first played the game I was very ready to dismiss the OST as a non-Uematsu creation and therefore inferior, but to my chagrin I was forced to concede that it’s also really good.
  3. What is the role of religion in the FF7 universe? Aerith grows her flowers in the church, which is pretty decrepit but doesn’t seem to be in danger of demolition (although I guess that’s part of the standard aesthetic under the plate), One of the Genesis fan club emails mentions holding a memorial for him outside the church, which suggests that religion has at least some significance for ordinary people, but it’s interesting that they don’t seem to have any desire to go inside. My guess is that religion was formerly quite widespread in Midgar, but Shinra have encouraged their people to turn away from it and towards science, a bit like in post-revolutionary France; so it’s pretty much dead above the plate, but present, if viewed as a bit old-fashioned, in the slums.

Ok, so … Cloud. He’s just so cute in this game: the way he idolises SOLDIER, his friendship with Zack, the way we can see that he’s actually pretty decent in combat but just isn’t in the same league as Zack et al. because he’s not a genetically modified superhuman. His fucking travelsickness, why is he so adorable. And the way Zack cares for him at the end, for so long … I ship it wholeheartedly. Cloud’s story is a bit like Sephiroth’s, in that Horrible Events force him to undergo a massive, heartbreaking personality shift, and it’s exactly what would happen, you know? Take a guy who’s kind of shy and insecure and give him the memories of a much more outgoing and relaxed guy and add a load of trauma, and you get someone really cold and closed-off because of how confused and hurt he is on the inside. Not that I don’t appreciate FF7 Cloud’s levels of sass, but when you think about the guy he used to be … time for more Emotions.

Obviously after I finished Crisis Core I was duty-bound to immediately start playing FF7 Remake (long overdue, I’m aware). I’m slightly alarmed by how difficult the battles seem to be already – the updated Crisis Core gameplay did a good job of preparing me for it, to some extent, but idk, everything seems to have a lot of HP. I’ll get over it … maybe when I get over the tragedy of “SOLDIER First Class” Cloud Strife. Honestly, the impact of going from Crisis Core to (what initially seems like) standard FF7, with those shots of Midgar at the beginning and Bombing Mission playing; as someone who cries at media about once every three years, I almost cried.

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