Having been forged in the crucible of LTD-arguments past (koi_bito will forever haunt my dreams), I almost felt like certain changes in the Remake were there just to debunk some of the more obnoxious critiques waged against Tifa/Cloti (i.e., Tifa being Cloud's childhood bully/forcing him into the promise/guilt-tripping him about it).
Not to mention how much Cloud-->Tifa we got here. I had slowly been falling out of love with the pairing over the years, because the older I got, the more I felt like Cloud was sort of a jerk and Tifa deserved better, but the Remake completely changed that for me. There's the physical protectiveness, attention to her emotional well-being, all the melodramatic hand clutches when he feels like he's failed her. But what truly shook me to my core was that we now have multiple canonical instances of Jealous!Cloud and Cloud awkwardly initiating flirting (there's the "Beautiful," of course, but also all the random compliments dashed in throughout -- joking that she's light, would be good at keeping her balance, etc.) Stuff my middle school self would have never even dared to dream of. At times, it almost felt like the first thing Cloud did when he got to Midgar was buy a copy of 'How to Flirt with the Girl You Like 101.' He's so awkward at it, but it's so endearing.
Obviously, my shipping googles are on 24/7, but you could almost argue that Cloud's emotional arc in FF7R up until they break into Shinra building is about him wanting to protect/comfort Tifa, which culminates with the resolution scene at the top of Chapter 14. Of course, a big part of his growth in this episode is him opening up to other people in general, but there is just so much Tifa dispersed throughout the story. It also ties in with his broader arc throughout the series in relation to his identity, something that his true feelings for Tifa are directly connected to.
From a "cinematic" standpoint, the game also does quite a bit to draw attention to their scenes. There's the famous hand-grab atop the pillar that's slowed down for no perceivable narrative reason. When Cloud remembers the promise, not only is it the only memory that doesn't bring him pain, but the game also breaks the rules of its own visual language by showing us a flashback of a scene we've already played through (correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure this is the only time this happens during the game) when Cloud also recalls his earlier conversation with Tifa at the bar. More of a minor variation, but another instance is the close-up on their hands when Tifa saves him on the roof. There are so many wonderful subtle moments between them in the background, but there are also instances like these where it feels like the game is just screaming at us 'Hey! This is important. Pay attention.'
The revelation that Tifa's theme is actually a duet hit me like a freight train. I loved the way the first notes were tentatively played both when she saves him on the roof and also he has the flashback of her in Chapter 8. I'm probably forgetting something here as well, but I can't remember this happening with any other bits of the soundtrack. On another musical note, as much as the other side likes to use the instrumental Hollow playing in Sector 5 as ship proofz, I thought it was also very telling that the Main Theme AKA Cloud's Theme first plays in Sector 7. It's almost as if Cloud's subconscious feels like Sector 7, and Tifa in particular (especially at that point in the game) is home.
Timeline fuckery not withstanding, FF7R is the devs finally being able to tell the story they were always trying to tell and hopefully rectifying some misconceptions along the way. And I do think ending/clarifying the LTD is a part of that. For the audience to buy into Aerith's role in the game (Holy/Meteor, the impact of her death), you do not have to believe that Cloud is in love with her. That she's an important person to him, sure, and absolutely, but Aerith will be Aerith and her arc will be her arc with or without a romance with Cloud. On the other hand, for the audience to buy into Tifa's role in the game (i.e., the revelations in the Lifestream), you absolutely have to believe that Cloud is in love with Tifa. For some players of the OG, the Lifestream sequence might have felt like another twist, and I think that was probably the intention at least in part, given the 90s storytelling of it all and the game's desire to subvert expectations, but you can't have the same approach in a modern retelling. That Cloud was in love with Tifa all along has to feel organic, has to feel earned, and I think Part I of the Remake has laid a great foundation for that.
Which is why I'm not too worried about Tifa dying/Aerith living and getting together with Cloud in subsequent parts. SE's spotty recent track record aside, it just wouldn't make any narrative sense based on what we've seen over the past 23 years and their work thus far with the Remake. Final Fantasy 7 is not a love story and has never been a love story (says the person who's just written a thousand words on the subject - yikes!). That being said, Cloud and Tifa's relationship is integral to the overall narrative coherence of the series, whereas a happily ever after for Cloud and Aerith in life or death would more or less contradict the themes of the OG/entire Compilation. Why flush 23 years of work down the drain just to satisfy a small, albeit vocal, part of the fanbase? Also, I will have to say, if the intention of the Remake Project is to tell Cloud and Aerith's love story, then based on what they've set up in Part 1, the devs must truly be some of the most incompetent storytellers in the world, and as much shit as I've given them over the years, I do not think that is the case.
Yes, Cloud is mopey. But what about Tifa's character development in CoT/AC? It was non existent and relegated her to a professional worrier (as opposed to warrior!). She worries about Cloud, worries about Denzel, is heartbroken over Aerith's death and the destruction of Midgar and never really does anything of substance. The whole bit about Cloud being scared to tell her he went to visit the church is just petty. I know the creators wanted to portray her insecurities, but at the same time could they have given her character growth by getting over it and being more assertive? Instead of asking "do you love me?", have her tell Cloud that she loves him and trusts him to come talk to her when he's ready. Oh and don't get me started about her telling everyone NOT to help Cloud fight Sephiroth. Seriously?! It's because of AC that I still harbour some doubts about the remake being any good when it is finally completed!
There are a lot Cloud X Tifa out there in the wild!