Final Fantasy VII REBIRTH [Spoilers Within!!!]

[Touring Mars]

I made my way through about half of Chapter 7 (Towards Corel) last night, and I must say, it is absolutely amazing - the detail of the terrain is just mind-blowing. I also switched to 'Performance - Sharp' graphics mode in Options, and even on my 16 year old Sony Bravia, it looks incredible.

I had a bit of difficulty with the boss fight in Chp. 6, but figured it out after a couple of defeats. That said, one relatively innocuous fight (Fiend Intel #2 against the Seahorses) was a bridge too far - they whipped my team three times before I decided to come back to that one.

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Here's a couple of screens - it is the best looking game I've ever played, and it's great to have a proper Photo Mode now too:

 

[Terronium-12]

I swear, some of the set pieces and scenes in the beginning of the game feel like completely redone pieces from the original game. I know that's intentional but the nostalgia was intense at times.

Hello, is anyone home? Barret Cleaning Services have arrived to return dust and grime back to the planet...​

 

[Terronium-12]

Been listening to the soundtrack all day and hm...

Spoiler

On the Remake OST, Sephiroth's theme, One Winged Angel, had the addition of "Rebirth". What would the subtitle of the next FF7 game be? Rebirth.

This time, there's the addition of "Reborn". So it stands to reason the third game will be FF7 Reborn.

 

[Terronium-12]

More soundtrack stuff...

Spoiler

Aerith's Theme - The White Materia is exactly what I was looking for. It has all of the creepy bits such as the Jenova 8 note arpeggio (not the same 8 notes but the pattern that they play in is unmistakable), and there's quite a few One Winged Angel motifs as well. I don't know what the hell is going on with that theme, but I love it. "Jenovaerith" is something I can't wait to see how whatever it is plays out in the third game.

And speaking of the third game...

Many seem to think the final game with have the subtitle "Return(s)", and that's also lent credence by Aerith's Theme - Return to the Planet. I can see Square doing a good/evil thing with the titles, though to be fair the first two subtitles are already heavily referencing Sephiroth as-is. May as well go for the trifecta.

FF7 Returns doesn't sound bad in the slightest to be frank. Though, there is one maybe, possible hangup: Lightning Returns. Which is also the third game for 13.

 

[Dave A]

More soundtrack stuff...

Spoiler

Aerith's Theme - The White Materia is exactly what I was looking for. It has all of the creepy bits such as the Jenova 8 note arpeggio (not the same 8 notes but the pattern that they play in is unmistakable), and there's quite a few One Winged Angel motifs as well. I don't know what the hell is going on with that theme, but I love it. "Jenovaerith" is something I can't wait to see how whatever it is plays out in the third game.

And speaking of the third game...

Many seem to think the final game with have the subtitle "Return(s)", and that's also lent credence by Aerith's Theme - Return to the Planet. I can see Square doing a good/evil thing with the titles, though to be fair the first two subtitles are already heavily referencing Sephiroth as-is. May as well go for the trifecta.

FF7 Returns doesn't sound bad in the slightest to be frank. Though, there is one maybe, possible hangup: Lightning Returns. Which is also the third game for 13.

Spoiler

I can't see the title being FF7 Returns, your previous observation it could be FF7 Reborn is more plausable, it'll be interesting to see what they do go with.

For those who have finished the game

Spoiler

this ends with Cloud pretty messed up, imaging Aerith didn't die. I also noted he put the black materia into his sword. I can see Cloud having a bit more of a dark ark than he did in the OG where the black materia and Jenova take more of a hold over him before handing the black materia to Sephiroth, being lost in lifestream and then getting his real memories back with the help of Tifa.

 

[GlamFM]

Spoiler

I can't see the title being FF7 Returns, your previous observation it could be FF7 Reborn is more plausable, it'll be interesting to see what they do go with.

For those who have finished the game

Spoiler

this ends with Cloud pretty messed up, imaging Aerith didn't die. I also noted he put the black materia into his sword. I can see Cloud having a bit more of a dark ark than he did in the OG where the black materia and Jenova take more of a hold over him before handing the black materia to Sephiroth, being lost in lifestream and then getting his real memories back with the help of Tifa.

I don't think Cloud is

Spoiler: END GAME SPOILER

imagining stuff. I think he is at the center of the multiverse and can see both (might actually be 3 or more) timelines.

 

[Dave A]

I don't think Cloud is

Spoiler: END GAME SPOILER

imagining stuff. I think he is at the center of the multiverse and can see both (might actually be 3 or more) timelines.

Spoiler

It could be that, but I feel it's leaning far more into Clouds fractured mind and lack of being able to cope with and handle trauma. Much like he couldn't accept Zack's death, and instead became Zack in many ways, removing Zack himself from conscious memory. I think he's seeing Aerith as part of a coping mechanism. Remember, at this point in the story Clouds mind is a vulnerable as it ever has been, it's not until later in the story that he accepts who he is and is able to reconstruct his past and his mind.

That said, Aeirth as part of the lifestream can still influence events as she did in the OG, so there may be some way she communicates with Clound and/or others in part 3. I just don't think that is what's happening in these moments. Either way, it will be interesting to see how it all does play out.

As an aside note, I hope she is dead and they aren't going to bring her back via another timeline, that minimises the impact of the loss and the stakes decrease as a result. Playing into Clouds trauma and inability to accept things that really happened to him is both consistent with his character and man it could have a heavy pay off in part 3 when he finally regains his memories and accepts what really happened to Aerith if they thread that story thread well.They may nail it going another route though, they've certainly nailed this game.

 

[Terronium-12]

Spoiler

I can't see the title being FF7 Returns, your previous observation it could be FF7 Reborn is more plausable, it'll be interesting to see what they do go with.

For those who have finished the game

Spoiler

this ends with Cloud pretty messed up, imaging Aerith didn't die. I also noted he put the black materia into his sword. I can see Cloud having a bit more of a dark ark than he did in the OG where the black materia and Jenova take more of a hold over him before handing the black materia to Sephiroth, being lost in lifestream and then getting his real memories back with the help of Tifa.

Spoiler

I like Reborn better as well, but I've seen the point made that rebirth and reborn are too similar sounding. I get that criticism but I think it works well enough. Like you said though, will be real interesting to find out what's actually used.

My original guess (before the game released) was Reckoning. When Sephiroth said something about reckoning just before the Demon Gate encounter I was basically like...

Spoiler: Endgame stuff!

Man, I could be here all day responding to this, but what you've already said is exactly where I think it's going to go. There's also some of the things Kitase and the other devs have commented on in the Ultimania that recently released, but I'll get into that in a bit.

There's two points during the final battle that are imtersting: the first is Sephiroth saying "I have to admit, I underestimated you." Of course he's not talking to Cloud because he's puppeting him harder than Jim Henson putting on a Muppet show. He's talking to Lifestream Aerith (who thanked Cloud for what happened prior to that; the attempt to save her) because this woman is just as broken as he is, if not slightly moreso.

The second is after "defeating" him and he flies off with the douchiest smirk possible, and Aerith remarks (after Cloud asks why he's smiling) "Because he knows it isn't over." I think it's at that point he realizes Cloud isn't going to react the way he's supposed to/wants (needs) him to and decides to weapoinze Jenovaerith against him to torture the emotions out of him one way or the other.

I don't think Cloud is

Spoiler: END GAME SPOILER

imagining stuff. I think he is at the center of the multiverse and can see both (might actually be 3 or more) timelines.

Spoiler

While I don't think this is the case, but there is merit to Cloud being sensitive to the Lifestream in some way much earlier than he otherwise would be.

Spoiler

It could be that, but I feel it's leaning far more into Clouds fractured mind and lack of being able to cope with and handle trauma. Much like he couldn't accept Zack's death, and instead became Zack in many ways, removing Zack himself from conscious memory. I think he's seeing Aerith as part of a coping mechanism. Remember, at this point in the story Clouds mind is a vulnerable as it ever has been, it's not until later in the story that he accepts who he is and is able to reconstruct his past and his mind.

That said, Aeirth as part of the lifestream can still influence events as she did in the OG, so there may be some way she communicates with Clound and/or others in part 3. I just don't think that is what's happening in these moments. Either way, it will be interesting to see how it all does play out.

As an aside note, I hope she is dead and they aren't going to bring her back via another timeline, that minimises the impact of the loss and the stakes decrease as a result. Playing into Clouds trauma and inability to accept things that really happened to him is both consistent with his character and man it could have a heavy pay off in part 3 when he finally regains his memories and accepts what really happened to Aerith if they thread that story thread well.They may nail it going another route though, they've certainly nailed this game.

Spoiler

...And this is where the Ultimania stuff comes in. I'd link to it but I'm not exactly in the best position to do that at the moment, so bare with me.

The devs acknowledge that Cloud becomes an unreliable narrator from the point of Aerith's death and onward. There's also two other things: one, there's the point where he's seemingly repressing events in the moment as he's talking to Aerith. Then there's the credits. I forgot exactly how much is there, but there's a significant number of scenes — from Cloud's perspective — that aren't in the credits as it's going through every cutscene shown in the game.

 

[C_Raccoon23]

Ugh, I just cleared what's arguably the hardest thing to do in this game.

Huge shoutout to this guide, but even with this strategy, it still took multiple attempts and a bit of luck.