Do You Think They Will Explain This?

[OWA-2]

Do you guys think they will explain Tifa's lack of reaction to seeing Sephiroth in Remake? That bothered me so much, and I rarely see people talking about it. Was it a mistake of the devs, or was it on purpose? What do you think?

 

[Lestat]

Considering they implemented fate changing spectres into the remake and most folk barely batted an eyelid I wouldn't hold out much hope on the Devs really caring about public opinion.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

She does react at seeing him, though? Not as viscerally as Cloud, of course, but the scene gives a great deal of its focus to his multi-layered response.

 

[Theozilla]

Also even in the OG, Tifa’s reactions to Sephiroth have always been relatively and comparatively more subdued than Cloud’s. It’s not a phenomenon without precedent.

 

[OWA-2]

She does react at seeing him, though? Not as viscerally as Cloud, of course, but the scene gives a great deal of its focus to his multi-layered response.

I don't remember the camera foccusing on her and showing her reaction.

 

[Eerie]

Sorry for the French dub, but here is the scene, and we do see her reaction:

Which is, surprise... it can only be surprise, because Sephiroth was said to be dead for the last 5 years... but suddenly he is there. Honestly, I wouldn't know how to react either. Especially since Tifa is worried about Cloud a lot in this part of the game.

 

[OWA-2]

I'm flabbergasted right now... Are you guys trolling me? Seriously.

I mean, a guy who burned down Tifa's hometown, stabbed/murdered her father, and should be dead, just appears in front of her, and you think it's completely normal for her to just be mildly surprised, and then never talk about it anymore(or question Cloud what the fuck is going on) for the rest of the game??

 

[Ite]

In the OG, when Tifa sees Shinra dead, she goes right for the body, saying “Then this sword must be...!?”

It’s a small line, to be sure, but at least she says something. It’s the sword that cut her, after all, so when you replay it, you can imagine the line as being full of meaning and emotional turmoil. Dialogue writing is all about why you say what you say when you say it. There are no throwaway lines in a good script, and Tifa’s reaction to the sword teaches us about her character: what she knows, how she feels, and how actively she is analyzing and investigating her environment (it also exposits that Sephiroth has a unique and powerful weapon — important foreshadowing for a later impalement). One of the many reasons I was looking forward to that scene in Remake — a scene I never got to see.

Instead, Sephiroth flies around being Cloud’s KH nemesis of ultimate destiny, and Tifa’s development is reduced to a movement of the eyebrows. Not a fan.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I'm flabbergasted right now... Are you guy trolling me? Seriously.

I mean, a guy who burned down Tifa's hometown, stabbed/murdered her father, and should be dead, just appears in front of her, and you think it's completely normal for her to just be mildly surprised, and then never talk about it anymore(or question Cloud what the fuck is going on) for the rest of the game??

No one said anything like that.

 

[LNK]

I mean, a guy who burned down Tifa's hometown, stabbed/murdered her father, and should be dead, just appears in front of her, and you think it's completely normal for her to just be mildly surprised, and then never talk about it anymore(or question Cloud what the fuck is going on) for the rest of the game??

Not everyone gives the same emotional response to things in real life. Wouldn't you expect the characters in the game to reflect that?

 

[Clement Rage]

Think they're kind of stuck, because that's a very busy scene, they can't have the player focusing too much on Tifa in the middle of everything else. She jerks back in shock, and then the camera cuts away. She may be having more of a reaction that we don't see. They can't show it because it's a spoiler.

Edit: And unlike in the OG, we don't get the explanation until part 2 comes out, so they couldn't give us a big dramatic reaction and then leave it hanging.

 

[Ite]

Think they're kind of stuck, because that's a very busy scene, they can't have the player focusing too much on Tifa in the middle of everything else. She jerks back in shock, and then the camera cuts away. She may be having more of a reaction that we don't see. They can't show it because it's a spoiler.

Edit: And unlike in the OG, we don't get the explanation until part 2 comes out, so they couldn't give us a big dramatic reaction and then leave it hanging.

Yes totally. The moment is clearly designed to be primarily about Cloud v. Sephiroth, particularly Cloud v. future-Sephiroth, as Cloud is clutching his Geostigma arm. The reactions from the other characters are broadcasting to the viewer that it's not only Cloud that can see him this time -- that's the role the supporting cast plays in this moment. Busy is the perfect word for it.

 

[Makoeyes987]

And that most certainly wasn't a 'future' Sephiroth.

That was Sephiroth Copy #49. Marco. He took the appearance of Sephiroth thanks to Jenova Cells.

 

[KindOfBlue]

In the OG, when Tifa sees Shinra dead, she goes right for the body, saying “Then this sword must be...!?”

It’s a small line, to be sure, but at least she says something. It’s the sword that cut her, after all, so when you replay it, you can imagine the line as being full of meaning and emotional turmoil. Dialogue writing is all about why you say what you say when you say it. There are no throwaway lines in a good script, and Tifa’s reaction to the sword teaches us about her character: what she knows, how she feels, and how actively she is analyzing and investigating her environment (it also exposits that Sephiroth has a unique and powerful weapon — important foreshadowing for a later impalement). One of the many reasons I was looking forward to that scene in Remake — a scene I never got to see.

Instead, Sephiroth flies around being Cloud’s KH nemesis of ultimate destiny, and Tifa’s development is reduced to a movement of the eyebrows. Not a fan.

I beg to differ about no throwaway lines in a good script, but don’t you think there’s already enough info about Tifa’s character and Sephiroth’s power communicated throughout the game?

 

[Makoeyes987]

I mean, that scene hasn't even happened yet. That's what the Nibelheim flashback is for.

The centering of Tifa and her own memory regarding Sephiroth's massacre is not even central to the story at this point. This is Part 1, when Sephiroth re-emerges and flips Cloud's world and understanding upside down. Cloud has to fully explain what happened first for it to be contextualized and then we see her true reaction to Sephiroth, when he shows up again to break Cloud himself with the truth.

 

[OWA-2]

Think they're kind of stuck, because that's a very busy scene, they can't have the player focusing too much on Tifa in the middle of everything else. She jerks back in shock, and then the camera cuts away. She may be having more of a reaction that we don't see. They can't show it because it's a spoiler.

Edit: And unlike in the OG, we don't get the explanation until part 2 comes out, so they couldn't give us a big dramatic reaction and then leave it hanging.

And yet, they foccused on Aerith's face, with her dramatic reaction, and left it hanging. ?

 

[Makoeyes987]

What are you talking about?

Tifa literally gasps in shock and her eyes widen in fear, as she steps backwards upon laying eyes on Sephiroth in front of Jenova.

Aerith hitches her breath as she grits her teeth.

What's the problem? Aerith maybe received 1 millisecond more camera time than Tifa. So?

 

[OWA-2]

What are you talking about?

Tifa literally gasps in shock and her eyes widen in fear, as she steps backwards upon laying eyes on Sephiroth in front of Jenova.

Aerith hitches her breath as she grits her teeth.

What's the problem? Aerith maybe received 1 millisecond more camera time than Tifa. So?

Tifa looks surprised, but that's it. No anger, no disbelieve, no dialogue("How...?", or "This is impossible..."). Nothing. Nada.

It's like Tifa was more surprised that a person suddenly appeared there, than that person being Sephiroth. Hell, AERITH showed more recognition to who he was, than Tifa did!

 

[Makoeyes987]

Sometimes, facial and body expression is worth more than words. Not every scene needs to be filled with expository banter. The tense silence as the fear and confusion smothers the party is what makes the scene work in conveying how terrified everyone is at seeing Sephiroth up close unexpectedly.

The animation of Tifa's face combined with her movements clearly conveyed fear and bewilderment at the sight of the source of her childhood trauma and loss. The dilation of her pupils and widening of her eyes show this isn't just some stranger. It was succinct and realistic for the moment, especially since she wasn't even the focus of that scene. Just because she didn't emote with elaborate shouting, hand waving or pointless dialogue doesn't undermine her actual expression.

I'm sure more detail in how she feels will be revealed once her recollection and feelings towards Nibelheim take center stage.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

It really stands to reason we'll be getting more with Tifa's reactions to lots of things in the next major installment. I don't think anyone is disagreeing with you that there's a ton there to address, but that's also partly why everyone is looking to it to be addressed somewhere it will have more room to breathe than in the scene we're discussing, the direction of which packed it with a whole lot already.

 

[Eerie]

Hell, AERITH showed more recognition to who he was, than Tifa did!

Aerith understood and contextualised that Sephiroth was still somehow alive (and doing bad things in the Lifestream) when she talked about him with Cloud way earlier in chapter 8. Tifa didn't, hence why she's surprised.



It's this famous scene. Right before, she was saying how he's been dead for 5 years but Cloud insisted, and at this moment, she's realising what's the problem with the Lifestream. Also, her role is tied to the meta of the plot, while Tifa's role is tied to the intimate part of the plot. This is also why they're reacting differently - as I stated earlier, Tifa is at this part of the game most worried about Cloud when Sephiroth shows up, she just doesn't know if what she's seeing is real etc. To her, Sephiroth's presence comes as a shock, while Aerith is already prepared to fight him.

 

[ultima786]

I actually agree with OP. The scene itself had some response by Tifa which was OK. But a few minutes later she sees Jenova’s tank broken open and she says, “Who would....[do this]?” That really upset me. You just saw your dad’s murderer and you’re not having his presence be the first thing to your mind? Maybe you could read her statement as some sort of denial complex. I hope this is resolved well, because right now Tifa’s responses are vital to the main story and now I’m very unstasfied with this one element. I would have been totally satisfied if the camera zoomed into her fists clenching or something, as that would very subtly foreshadow her feelings.

I hope they somehow show or explain why her response isn’t as intense as it should be.

 

[Ite]

Maybe it was a translation issue, but Remake!Tifa comes off as kind of clueless in general. Chapter 7’s “Say... do you think we’re being... watched?” is where I first started thinking about it, and almost all of her dialogue in Ch 10 and 11 reads like what Sigourney Weaver was making fun of in Galaxy Quest. That Jenova line is particularly laughable, but at that point the whole game is a fever dream, so I’m only noticing it now lol

 

[Eerie]

That's because she's being used as the character who points at things devs want players to notice. Instead of spreading it to various characters, she's the only one doing this, so she comes across as a little naive.

Edit: I should add that this pose less problem in JP/FR because Aerith sounds more childish and cuter there than in EN. So the girls are rather balanced.

 

[Makoeyes987]

That's because she's being used as the character who points at things devs want players to notice. Instead of spreading it to various characters, she's the only one doing this, so she comes across as a little naive.

This is literally what that is, and I would think people who have played JRPGs would be familiar and savvy about such a thing. Because it's part of the genre, or hell any video game where exploration and progression is mostly player directed.

Certain characters take the role of stating things meant to be pointed out to the player. Hell, the OG did this all the time with either Barret, Aerith, Cid or whoever was the designated "obvious lookout." This isn't something deep or meaningful to her character. It's not even in a custscene. It's a function of this all being a video game, not a movie. Functions of gameplay and level design will have characters just casually observe or state things that might be obvious to more experienced players, when it's meant to call attention to the key parts of the game and its progression. It's not a big deal.