Final Fantasy VII Community Playthrough 2015

[Mayo Master]

Spoiler: Chapter 4 ramblings...

Wutai
When Yuffie pulled off the materia theft, I had Cid in the party and he made his feeling known in no uncertain terms

Then the whole quest in Wutai is quite fun, I really liked the mood: Yuffie as bratty as ever, the Turks being really chill, Don Corneo being his usual self, and the way the quest was wrapped up. Well, the “no materia” challenge in that quest makes fights a little obnoxious at times, but that's fitting the story so no complaints.


Seemingly aimless wandering
I find it odd that, at this point of the story, you would know that Sephiroth wishes to enter the Temple of the Ancients. I find it even weirder, story-wise, that a random dude on an excavation site in the Northern area would know what Sephiroth is up to, where the Temple of the Ancients, what contraption you need to get inside, and who might be possessing said contraption. I guess it belongs to the plot elements which were acceptable and forgivable back when the game was released, something cold_spirit aptly qualified as “whimsical”, whereas it would be really strange to have such situation in a modern game. I don't really know how that part should be remade, maybe have the players wandering aimlessly before finding the Temple of the Ancients where the clones of Sephiroth are in search of the entrance key (or Jenova/Sephiroth might straight tell it to Cloud – it would actually make sense).
Anyway, I arrived at the Temple of the Ancients first (without the keystone). It's actually very funny, because I had the chance to visit the site of Chichen Itza less than a month ago (which was pretty awesome).


Gold Saucer
Wonder how Dio is going to look like in the remake... will he be just hanging around in swimming trunks while flexing his muscles?
Didn't do great in the Battle Square to entertain Dio though. Think I lost at the 6th fight. Meh. I had forgotten you get stuck in the Gold Saucer because the ropeway broke down... would Cait Sith have had a hand in this?
Ok, time for the date... and the winner is... Aerith (well, I had decided to play it straight). I liked the dialogue in the gondola, because at first you don't quite get Aerith's point, whereas in hindsight (once you elucidate Cloud's personality problems) it makes a lot of sense.


Temple of the Ancients
I really like all the concepts and the storytelling in this sequence. Having to go through a maze-like structure, solving riddles, and finally confronting Sephiroth and beginning the descent into madness. Things I wish for in the remake:

• have the maze structure of the temple be much more confusing, where finding your way would take some effort (or more guidance from Aerith)
• wonder if the fresco from the temple of the ancients should follow another art style. This one is very strongly inspired by Egyptian sites, it seems a bit odd: I feel it would be nicer if the fresco would show the signs of an “otherworldly” culture.
• I would like an added mini-game where the player controls Cait Sith as he's solving the riddles to shrink the temple.

Aftermath
Really appreciated the scenes showing Cloud in emotional distress. It's still uncommon to find heroes with so much self-doubt. Things are now looking very ominous. I remember that when I first played the game, I thought I would be able to rush there, and arrive just on time to rescue Aerith and save the day

 

[Ami]

Spoiler: Chapter Four

All right, so chapter four...

Exploring a lot on the world map right now, trying to get to Wutai in an attempt to get that portion over and done with since it's so lengthy.

But right now, I'm in Bone Village. Such fun digging.

Okaaay. Stopped somewhere and Yuffie's ran off when Shinra soldiers came running. Now what I don't get is how they can appear as blue out of battle and then red in battle. Like, is it so hard to just stick to one colour!?

The little bitch stole my Materia! TIME TO HUNT HER DOWN.

The monsters in this area are really tough, but I'm glad I've got a few Tents. Just hoping I don't run out soon!

And finally made it to Wutai!

Great, so I found her and now I have to chase her. Again. Ugh.

Haha, Corneo's back! It's amazing how much of this game I've forgotten.

So the soldiers attack us. Um yes, ok...

I love how the beginning of the game over theme starts to play and Cloud's all, "I don't care."

That boss battle was hard because he kept wiping me out, but Cloud's limit break saved the day!

Took out the first four battles on the Wutai Tower. I'll come back later, as I want all four Enemy Skill Materias to get Trine.

So now I'm back on the Bronco and I think I want to explore the Nibel mountains a bit more, as I was in a rush to finish the last chapter...

All right, play time is over. Let's get to Dio and see what on earth's the sitch with this Keystone.

So the tram's broken and now we get to relax at the hotel for a while. Phew!

Now's the moment of truth... who knocks on Cloud's door?

IT'S TIFA! YES!

I've never had the Tifa date before.

Oho, she doesn't even give you a choice!

My Cloti heart is filling up right now. <3

I really hope we still get the date options in the remake. I want to see these scenes in glorious HD.

I bet Tifa wanted to confess she has feelings for Cloud...

And Cait Sith is a spy. I felt utterly betrayed at this point the first time around. Poor Marlene, being held hostage.

Ok, Temple of the Ancients time.

Haha, Tseng has a thing for Elena. Cute!

I can't wait to see this scene in the remake.

Time to rest and save, I think I'm going to need it.

I've acquired the Nail Bat, but I don't think I can honestly equip it with no Materia slots...

"Someday we'll look back on these hard times and laugh." Just wow, Aerith. Wow. You really don't know.

And there we have the very first WTF CLOUD moment. Oh dear. I really can't wait to see the interpretation of this scene in the remake.

I like how Cloud doesn't remember what happened then, so Aerith and the other party member don't say anything.

BOSS BATTLE TAIMU.

It was over in 30 seconds, thanks to Cloud's Overdrive.

Acquired the Bahamut materia. Now all I hear is Fang's voice in my head.

Next boss battle. Let's go!

So Cait Sith is taking fortunes before his impending doom and Aerith wants to know how compatible she and Cloud are. Tifa's huffing and puffing! I want to see this in the remake for sure.

Poor Tifa? Haha. Perfect for each other? Even funnier.

I liked Cait Sith #1's ending. It was quite touching. ;-;

And there we have the child Cloud. Yet another scene that's going to be interesting to view in the remake...

It makes me now realise that the voice Cloud could be hearing in his head from earlier on in the game is his child self, his true self. Interesting.

Oh no, here's where it goes downhill for our protagonist. Coddling him isn't helping, Aerith.

That scene with her in the forest does seem like a final farewell, even though I didn't realise it at the time when I was younger.

It's interesting how Cloud was brought to Gongaga of all places when he's doubting himself.

So it's been a pretty deep chapter, even though it's felt shorter than the others so far. It's just hit me that Aerith's no longer a permanent party member and that iconic scene will happen in the next chapter. I mean, I know I'm a Cloti at heart, but my heart's going to break when it happens. It comes back like a boomerang, that feeling. You think you've conquered it, cast it away and then in that one moment, the emotion will come rushing back again.

Least I have a bit of time now until I get to it now, eh?

 

[Flintlock]

Should I be doing something? Lex asked me to put a couple of chapters up while he's away, but when I asked for more information, he didn't reply, so I'm not really sure. Could someone who is up to date on the playthrough (I'm not) tell me when chapters five and six are/were supposed to be posted?

 

[Mayo Master]

Should I be doing something? Lex asked me to put a couple of chapters up while he's away, but when I asked for more information, he didn't reply, so I'm not really sure. Could someone who is up to date on the playthrough (I'm not) tell me when chapters five and six are/were supposed to be posted?

Mmh. I think Chapter 5 should be posted around now, whereas Chapter 6 should be posted in about 4-5 days in theory. However, I would personally suggest we postpone chapter 6 (I'd rather start next week) because a/ I'd like to have more time to get through that portion of the story (IMO one of the most important part) b/ It wouldn't hurt to give more time for people to catch up.

 

[Ami]

From analysing the chapters themselves (you can see the links to the posts on the original post on first page), chapters were posted on Tuesdays and Fridays, with the next target on the following Tuesday/Friday (all dependent on the day posted if you get me). So I'm assuming the next chapter would be posted today, deadline for this Friday.

I wouldn't oppose to it being postponed to allow others to catch up either. We could wait until Lex got back and he could maybe post it on Saturday, as I believe that's when he's back? Of course, if you got the info from him, that's ok as well. I don't mind either way.

 

[Flintlock]

^ My whole point was that I didn't get any info from him.

So, I should either put another chapter up today, or postpone it as you two have suggested. Any more opinions?

 

[Jason Tandro]

I vote for postponing it at least one more day because I haven't been able to find my PSP charging cord and haven't finished the last little bit of Chapter 4 that I have left.

 

[Kionae]

I also vote postponing... mostly because I'm still in Corel Prison and need to catch up.

 

[Jason Tandro]

So I finally got my PSP up and running and have finished chapter 4. A couple things that I always seem to forget whenever I play this game.

1: How is Reeve redeemable as a character if he pretty much just kidnapped a little girl in order to stay with the group? Was something else going on there that I just missed?

2: The Nyum nyum guys in the Temple of the Ancients. I always forget about them, and I find them both weird and slightly creepy in a way I can't really explain.

3: How cruel is it that Aeris gets her ultimate weapon and she gets to use it like twice. At least her final limit break you can get outside upon getting the Tiny Bronco and use it... somethetimes, maybe? I mean something I want to try on another playthrough now that I think about it. Consider how OP Great Gospel is. Full Restore + Invincibility? Now imagine how well she might do in the Battle Arena. I'd like to take a maxed out Aeris for a run in the Arena one of these days. All I'd need would be that Enemy Skill Materia, some curatives and pray to god that Break Command Materia doesn't show up in the slots.

 

[Carlie]

About to stream. Commentary here.

 

[Carlie]

I stopped for a bit but I'm back again. Commentary here.

 

[Clement Rage]

Hi guys! Still crawling through chapter one.

Spoiler

Aeris starts out with her limit gauge filled a tiny bit. Hmm, who did she kill before I got here?

Got Turtles Paradise poster, resisted urge to steal five gil. Got talking to all passers by. 'This guy are sick' has what look like trophies in his pipe. Interesting.

Wow, Aeris doesn't waste time, immediately wants to know if Tifa is my girlfriend. Said yes, because the only other option is to deny it forcefully.

Aeris is still awake when I try to escape, wonder why?

"I thought the Turks had come back! Get some rest!" Could've sworn last time I played this she said something else.

Hell House actually kills Cloud on the way to Wall Market, surprised me. So we're here. More subtle foreshadowing in the park.

Now, I know a lot of people love this mission, but I never really found it funny or entertaining, so I usually just powered through as quickly as possible. One thing I like about it is that despite appearances, it's not a damselling, Tifa would probably be fine if we left her alone.

What it does do is give some personality to Wall Market, though, the materia store guy hates the Inn Guy, the dressmaker is a drunk, the gym run by Big Bro.

Nice detail, Aeris' dress model has her materia in her hair.

Dammit, I was hoping Aeris would get picked, but he's gone for Tifa in almost all of my runs.

Got to hand it to Corneo, he's a slippery bastard. Made the best of a very bad situation.

And we're in the sewers. Missed that Aps actually belonged to Corneo in my first playthrough, looking at it now, it does have broken manacles and a collar.

Cross-Slash already? Could've sworn that normally comes much later in my normal playthroughs.

And we hit the train graveyard and save. Until next time, folks

Oh and about this...

1: How is Reeve redeemable as a character if he pretty much just kidnapped a little girl in order to stay with the group? Was something else going on there that I just missed?

Because he didn't harm her or have any actual intent to harm her. If Tseng can be redeemed for feeding Aeris to Hojo, he's well on the good side of the moral event horizon.

 

[Flintlock]

I probably should have put a chapter up yesterday, sorry that I didn't. I haven't been home but I still could have found time to do it from my laptop or phone. If Lex hasn't done it by the end of tomorrow, I will.

 

[Lex]

Don't worry about it Flint.

Hey guys, I'm back. I see we've all had a rather chunky time to catch up

I had zero internet on my phone while I was away so there's absolutely no way I could have posted a chapter. I made one post about something random and responded to a couple of PM's when that one elusive spot of where I was staying allowed me the relief of one bar of 3G, but other than that I was pretty much internet-less for a whole week.

Ideally I'd like to keep posting chapters on Monday/Tuesday then Friday, so the next chapter will be up on Monday. Take a leaf out of Scar's book and Be Prepared

 

[Mayo Master]

Spoiler: Chapter 5 ramblings...

Bone village
I wonder if they will rectify the English localization of the name in the remake
The mini-quest is fun, gotta love triangulation. Although, if the Lunar Harp is so easy to find, why hasn't it been found earlier? The people on the dig site did show an interest in the artifact, so...
By the way, I got to wonder: how many Lunar Harps exist in the world? Aerith and Jenova/Sephiroth sure went past through the Sleeping Forest without a hitch, so...


Sleeping Forest and the Forgotten City
I love these environments, the Forgotten City in particular. It conveys so much the feel of an eerie, otherwordly place. I also love the fact that there's no battle in the Forgotten City: it feels like the calm before the storm. It feels too quiet. I think it helps building tension.
Then, the whole sequence (Cloud losing is mind, Sephiroth impaling Aerith, the battle while Aerith's theme plays, then the parting ritual) is awesome. I'm playing a graphically modded version, and having more detailed characters helps a lot for conveying the emotions. I think this scene will be quite challenging to do during the remake – although it looks like Square has worked quite a bit on making CG people crying in a believable manner.


Icicle Inn
I like the idea of the winter resort, however it seems odd that there's no apparently easy way to get there. The idea of placing locations in an artificially remote manner is an outdated gameplay practice, IMO.
Then, all the backup of Gast and Ifalna. Something I was wondering: Ifalna refers to the Northern Crater as the “Knowlespole”. Is “Knowlespole” a bad phonetic translation from Japanese, from something that should have been named “North Pole”? I would greatly appreciate an educated answer on the topic
Then comes Elena Klutz, and the snowboarding session. Didn't do well to catch up all the balloons, although I did manage to fall very few times.


Great Glacier / Gaea Cliffs
Actually I really like these zones. I really enjoy the fact of having to find your way with a map and without any kind of GPS. However, I didn't recall that if you wander too long, you pass out and get rescued by Holzhoff! I had to return to the Great Glacier in order to fetch Alexander
Then I enjoyed the climb up the cliff, maybe because I'm a mountain man at heart


Whirlwind maze
Again one of my favorite environments, because it looks so otherworldly and fantastic. It also conveys an ominous atmosphere, great for building tension. I remember that, on this occasion, the mere fact of having 3 PlayStation discs was acting as a spoiler: if not for that, it would have been very easy to imagine the Worldwind Maze would lead to the final boss battle.


... and everything goes to shit
I'm really curious about how they're going to describe Cloud's descent into madness. In the OG, with a bit of perspective, I feel it's a bit a shame that the other party members didn't do much to stop Cloud from giving the black materia to Sephiroth. I feel it could have reinforced the shock value if Cloud had to go berserk, and cut down the other party members in order to retrieve the black materia (or at least, be compelled to switch to an aggressive and threatening attitude). The closing cutscene is pretty epic, one of the most spectacular moments of the game IMO.


Aftermath
Actually, I was thinking of something regarding the OG and remake: for the party, things start to go really downhill after the episode at the Temple of the Ancients. Aerith goes missing, then is killed. Then Cloud's brains get fried, and he disappears. Then Barret and Tifa are to be executed.
Things barely begin to look up when Tifa escapes, but before that, I was wondering about making the situation even more dire for the party before it goes up again. For one thing, I don't see why Red XIII, Vincent, and Yuffie would slip out of Shinra's grasp. Cait Sith, and to a lesser extent Cid could bargain their way out and be the only “non-threatened” party members at that point.
One could imagine the other captives being transferred to one of Hojo's “research facilities” (implying more quests for rescuing them later, besides). It would ultimately fall on Cait Sith and Cid to save the day (which would be very well the "Cait Sith redemption" part of the game).

Anyway, I'll make my escape in the next chapter.

 

[Lex]

Chapter Five: Eerie Silence

The save point for the end of this chapter is specifically at this point where Tifa joins you if she isn't already in your party.

Target Date: 31/07/2015

Digging! Forgotten Capital! Big events and big story stuffs! Interesting scenery!
Personally I'm super excited to see what they do with this section of the game in the remake.

Gear up folks, it's full steam ahead for the rest of the playthrough!

 

[cold_spirit]

Woofta, it's been a while. I'm also guilty of slacking on my playthrough, but can you really blame me when Danganronpa and The Witcher are such great games?

I did manage through Chapter 4 so here are my thoughts:
I forgot how much questing there is to do between acquiring Cid and The Temple of the Ancients. In fact, this chapter may become one of my favorite parts of the game. The feeling of adventure is so strong because you have the entire cast and world map available. I found myself battling Beach Plugs for Mighty Guard on the southern shores of Gongaga, then traveling north to the Sleeping Forest to find Kujata, and finally saving up enough gil to help my bros over at Fort Condor. It was hard to put the controller down because there was always one more task to fulfill. I really hope the remake adds some mandatory and additional quests to this area of the game. There desperately needs to be more scenes involving the entire party together and I find it sad that the only one currently available takes place at... the Ghost Inn.

The Temple of the Ancients was a good challenge for me. I've modded my game so that I only receive half the amount of exp and gil, so I was sure to prepare well before entering. Unfortunately, even with a nerfed Trine, the Enemy Skill materia is still overpowered.

I'm really curious to see if the remake will be able to capture the surreal theme of the Temple's level design. Hopefully the rolling boulders mini-game will remain, I actually like it a lot

I really admire how clever Square was with Cait Sith's death scene. I remember reading in an interview that his sacrifice and revival is supposed to fill you with a false sense of security about how the game handles death. Being placed just before Aerith's departure is not a coincidence. The fact that Cait Sith even has a cheesy, final goodbye and his subsequent "oh hey I'm back!" makes you feel as though nothing bad is ever going to happen in this adventure. It should also be noted that Aerith's death is very un-"Hollywood" like because there are no final words shared between her and the main characters. She's simply taken from you in a blink of a eye, never to return. It really shows how much thought and planning Square put into this game.

 

[Clement Rage]

I'm almost finished chapter 1!

Spoiler

The train graveyard is actually pretty generous with the hidden items in the barrels. Not much to say about this sequence, you all know how it goes.

Is the Eligor a ghost or a machine? A haunted machine? How does it use magic?

Train guard guy is one day from retirement. Other one is terrified but holding to his/her post for the sake of some cute girl.

So...Tseng didn't know that they knew each other? Seems like bad planning to use a complete stranger to AVALANCHE as a human shield.

Pick up Sense materia, wander around. I'm now barred from the HBI for being into castration. Hmm.

According to the TV, Sector Seven had 'no civilian casualties.' Hah.

"Daddy, don't cry! Your whiskers hurt!" Awwww.

Oh, cool, got a turbo ether from not stealing 5 gil. Didn't know that happened.

Love the climbing music. Saving in front of Shinra building. Next time might actually finish chapter 1.

Wow, Midgar has some dedicated graffiti artists. What does 'AVERLS' mean?

 

[Kionae]

So close to finally catching up...

Spoiler

I just reached the base of the cliff after Shinra showed up at Icicle Inn. I'd forgotten how terrible I was at snowboarding.

Aerith's death was still emotional... even knowing it was coming. I'd forgotten that her theme plays all through the battle against Jenova. I'll be very curious to see how they handle it in the remake, seeing as it's such an iconic scene. Will there be blood, or will they keep it (bizarrely, I've always thought) bloodless like the original?

 

[Sprites]

Im almost ready to catch up, I've been trying to get bits in throughout my time, lots going on IRL at the moment

 

[Lex]

Glad people are catching up, keep it up folks!

I myself have a shitload to do too. I'm going to do super long streams both tomorrow and Saturday <3

 

[Jason Tandro]

Im LB spamming to get my party even. just outside the Lost Capitol.

 

[Clement Rage]

Chapter one is finishedm folks, I'm now marginally less behind the rest of you.

Spoiler

I always take the stairs, the banter is fun and there's that elixir to think about.

'retard'. Reckon they'll change that in the remake?

Y'know, it makes a lot of sense that Barret gets tired- how much does that metal arm weigh?

What was Tifa's 'heh heh heh' for?

My 'spare human lives' policy took a dent when I went back down to the lobby, you can't escape from random encounters down there, apparently. Oops.

That advertisement of the specs of Shinra vehicles are interesting, anyone know if they actually make sense?

So... mighty guard, machine or armoured suit? Seems unlikely that machines would need keycards, and its the same model as humans, but 'destroy the intruders' makes me think machine.

Hi obligatory sleepy guard!

Floor 60 -sometimes this can be difficult, but one try was enough this time. Sleepy guard guy seems to have been found out quick enough, the guards all congregate in what looks like a monitoring station once you're through. Unless it's a break room.

61- OK, talk to various NPCs. Yep, I'm maintenance. I'll give your regards to Aeris the receptionist. Also, I get confidential info because I'm cute.
62-Domino. Never really understood how this puzzle worked.
63- air vents ahoy
64- head of security is working out. Diligent.

Annd... save. Pretty much nothing happened. Oh well.

 

[trash panda]

*parks Highwind at the Northern crater*



*notices no one is here*



*continues reading Outlander and shopping for things on ebay*



I know the world is in peril and it's about to be destroyed by a giant meteor hurtling through space but I HAVE to find out what happens at the end of Outlander before make my descent.

 

[Lex]

Chapter Six: A Hole in the World

Chapter Target:

Save when you gain control of Cid, prior to the Mt. Corel mission.

Target Date: 04/08/2015

I always lament that it's a shame we don't have control of Tifa for a longer period of time, but I enjoy the novelty of traversing the world with her.

It's worth your while floating around in various places and talking to the NPC's, because a lot of them have differing dialogue in the small window that you have control of her. Try the Icicle Inn