Times Final Fantasy Scared Us

Shademp said:

The first eighteen seconds of the dungeon theme for Kefka's Tower shook my core and took me a long time to get used to. It's strong, harsh sounds both made me feel physically ill at first (my ears REALLY don't like the sound itself, even to this day) and like I was treading grounds I wasn't supposed to tread: The home of a MAD GOD. The powerful foes in the area also add to the fear, definitely.

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This reminded me that VI has a somewhat scary/spooky opening:



I love it though. The transition from the organ to that... uh, harpsichord? after about 30 seconds still gives me chills.

Lex said:

I remember getting freaked out in City of the Ancients when the party wakes up at night. It's already eerie because it's a very dead place, but I remember running around there for what felt like a long time not knowing how to progress and then that happened and everything that follows.

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Even though the City of the Ancients has been deserted, I always thought it was beautiful because of how the white trees glow in the moonlight which was added to the giant sea-shell shelters.

The times that Final Fantasy scared me were possiblily these:

Final Fantasy VII: The epilogue when the "End" wording appeared and you could hear the laughter of children which freaked me out completely, and was gravely concerned for the fates of humanity. Luckly Advent Children cured me from that near heart-attack, but I'll never forget how scary the epilogue's laughter was.

Crisis Core-Final Fantasy VII: When Zack has that nightmare of Angeal before getting himself and a comatose Cloud out of Nibelhiem.

Final Fantasy X: The trail against Yuna and her guardians because they were doing the right thing but no one wanted them to actually change Spira's fate.

Final Fantasy X-2: When Shuyin possessed Nooj, and that other guy in Beville, and when Yuna was stuck in the darkness.

Final Fantasy XIII-2: When Serah dies in the end, even though this game and the first one (XIII) were the worst ones ever.

A Realm Reborn-Final Fantasy XIV:

Spoiler

When in the end of the main storyline the Sultana(sorry for the spelling mistake) was in comatose and how that black guy who served her(can't remember his name) killed the little short guy(can't remember his name either) who plotted against this and attempted to accuse the Warrior of Light, and when the said black guy's arm was sliced off completely.

I had trouble breathing and was shaking for hours on end when I saw this.

And just recently, World of Final Fantasy:

Spoiler

In the bad ending when Lann sacrificed himself and then seemed to come back(only his arm was shown) after the credits which was heartbreaking.

I do remember once playing the Trail of Blood section and the battle transition making me jump about a mile because it was so sudden, and really loud compared to the music! I did come close to actually pissing myself and this wasn't even my first time or when I was particularly young! Heh..

I found the Gi Cave creepy on my first playthrough as a kid, but giggled furiously at the face that appears before the boss. Then the boss started murdering me because I was seriously under-leveled and it was scary again, in the 'WHEN DID I LAST SAVE!?' sense. Emerald WEAPON probably had the same effect on me.

I don't think much really scared me in the FF games, there were definitely things that unnerved or disturbed me a bit psychologically, but not scary as such, and the stuff that creeps me out is usually subtle, or just bizarre (eg. pretty much the only phobia I have ever had was when I was a very small child I had phobia about clean shaven men! Don't ask. Or do, the incidents were pretty hilarious). I can't even think of any FF examples, been a while. If I get a few minutes peace tomorrow I'll run through games mentally see if anything comes up.

Oh, though maybe when I first realised that the screen in Timber had writing on it, and its Adel. That creeped me out a bit because it was really late at night, and I was still young enough/living in the scary old house/was alone in it at the time. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie dying really messed me up too when I was 9, or whatever age I was when I got FFVII, though not Aerith funnily enough. I missed having her in the party, but I didn't freak out the way I did during the scene after the pillar falls and I remember having this dream where Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie were alive and all snowboarding, which I thought was lovely, then woke up all sad. I might need help.

A phobia of clean-shaven men! So aside from Tellah, Galuf, Cyan, Barret, Amarant, Kimahri, and Basch, this series is an absolute fear factory!

To this very day, the encounter sounds of FFVIII's Marlboro still scares me.

I have more under the "creepy" criteria, which I think is an entirely separate category to "scary", but also suitable for halloween, so... here goes!

FFV
- The Interdimensional Rift, especially the forest, tower, and dimension castle areas. Definitely a feeling of uncanniness there for me.
FFVI
- Zozo, due to it's criminal elements.
- Maybe the Dreamscape, iirc. Been a while since I played . My very vague memories tells me it was quite claustrophobic, and there was a sense that I could be trapped. I could be bullshitting myself though .
FFVII
- Following the trail of blood in Shinra Tower. I think most scenes accompanied by the "trail of blood" music were creepy, iirc .
- The Midgar Zolom. My first playthrough, I stupidly sold my chocobo lure materia, and trying to get past it was nightmarish. Creepy because it creeps up fast behind you *nods*.
- The train tracks of Mt. Corel, it just seemed really foreshadowing. Bit of an anti-climax really.
- Corel Prison (see Zozo).
- Gongaga also seemed foreshadowing, but again, anti-climax. So much potential .
- Nibelheim and Mt. Nibel in general, but Shinra Mansion also.
- Temple of the Ancients. Mazes are just innately creepy and claustrophobia-inducing.
- Gelnika. I grinded a lot in this area, the monsters are pretty deadly to begin with though, and so the perpetual feeling of "I don't want to die" is creepy alone, never mind the whole horrific appearance of the monsters.
FFVIII
- I think FFVIII was full of quite surreal and foreboding imagery. It was full of monolithic structures and seemingly endless plains of flowers, desert, ice, salt lakes, etc . Similar effect on the mind as a Chirico painting without the distorted perspective . Just now looking at the wikia, and I find few places actually don't come under this creepy feel for me. Perhaps an under appreciated element of this game, which I hadn't really thought about before. Of course where the game fails is the pay off (imo), so maybe the creepiness wasn't intended. So much potential .
FFIX
- Dali. Peaceful. Too peaceful.
- Treno. Very snooty place. Creepily snooty . (Okay, I'm stretching it ).
- Most things on the Outer and Forgotten continents are quite alien and disconcerting. Therefore creepy. Call me racist
- Crystal world. Was a bit of an anti-climax, as I was hoping it would be bigger and better, but I recall in my first playthrough that it was a place one could potentially get lost in .
FFXII
- Garamsythe Waterway. Creepy in a "I think I'm going to die down here" kind of way.
- I think the Ozmone Plain has a bit of a foreshadowing feel to it, but no pay off.
- Henne Mines due to the "I'm going to die down here" reason.
- Giruvegan is so disappointing. I just wanted to mention it here, because it could've been hell creepy . Was so looking forward to how awesome this place was when playing, because I feel the game builds it up so much, but was a bit disappointed when I was there.
- The Sandseas, forgot which one in particular, but as with FFVIII, I got a sense of endlessness going on.
- The Pharos ticks a few boxes. A quite alien ruin, a monolithic structure surrounded by huge and endless things. Also a sense of impending doom, given all the powerful enemies in the basement.