Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier

[TurquoiseHammer]

So it looks like it takes place, at least initially, in 1989, four years after the retconned beginning of the Wutai War. Sephiroth could be anywhere from 7 to 12, though probably like 8 or 9 based on Dirge. Seems like a no brainer that he'll show up in the game eventually but I'm not convinced that's him in the trailer for a variety of reasons. Maybe Leslie's dad

 

[Fiz]

So far, all of the replies have been pretty tame. We should be the example we want to see in the world

So what should we ask?

"Will there be any lore to further explore why Cloti is the OTP?"
"Red XIII playable when?"
"Barret hand-gun mod?"
"When are you going to make real-life chocobo hoodies like the one in the game?" <---actually yeah, this is the right question.

I’d just go in there full WUM mode and ask them when they will be making real chocobos.

 

[Erotic Materia]

I’d just go in there full WUM mode and ask them when they will be making real chocobos.

I had to look up WUM. But yes, that is the right question. I want to ride to work (and everywhere else) in style, dammit.

People are speculating that the silver-haired SOLDIER at 1:27 -> 1:31 is a young Sephiroth. The timeline could be flexible enough (and either way, Sephiroth may have physically grown up unusually fast) for this to be possible but it could also just be a SOLDIER without a specific identity.

The secret to sexy Sephiroth's look: he stole it from some some nameless SOLDIER he once encountered as a child.

 

[Makoeyes987]

That's definitely Sephiroth. Sephiroth is left preferred but ambidextrous. He can change sword hands when necessary and I wouldn't put it past developers to do this to fake people out. They did it with Whisper Viridi to fake people out with the Loz reference too.

But that's going to be Sephy. Don't be fooled. Wouldn't be surprised if Shinra first tried to teach him to be right handed and then he finally just said "fuck it" went left dominant and started kicking more ass.

Also great to see our trio of hip, young scientists out to change the world for the better, getting a nice cameo too! What a ride!

Never been so excited for a game I'm going to suck so bad at

 

[Shademp]

Part of me thinks that if they were going to make a Young Sephiroth reveal it would be presented with more gravity and flair. The "reveal" in this trailer is too casual and ambiguous for a character so well-known.

The trailer does boost my initial instinct that the game is going to take place over a larger span of time. The trailer emphasizes that Project 0 started 30 years prior and that the First SOLDIERs came 12 years later, so gameplay could be taking place anywhere between 30-18 years before FFVII (or even later depending on how far they take things).

 

[ForceStealer]

Sephiroth may have physically grown up unusually fast

I really hope this isn't the reason, lol

 

[Eerie]

Never been so excited for a game I'm going to suck so bad at

I've already decided to just watch someone playing because yeah lolol, me playing this is not happening - I'd be stuck fairly early lol.

Also, we might get Vincent as a Turk... Why do they manage to make me excited about a game I *can't* play?

 

[Makoeyes987]

It 100% is the reason.

The purpose and hype of the trailer is the ambiguity and surprise at seeing Sephiroth but not being sure it's him

They're leaning into the logic of Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo being "children" yet physically developed and appearing as young adults. Being a Jenova spawn apparently means you physically mature at an accelerated rate and your looks stay frozen at peak perfection. Sounds lovely.

 

[ForceStealer]

I'd much prefer if they just finagle the timeline just so that he's like 14 or 15. 30 years before FF7, maybe he's a toddler as we don't have an exact birthdate, and then the game advances 12-15 years, and boom. Accelerated growth adds nothing to the narrative and is transparently "we wanted him in this game but couldn't make it work lulz."
The Remnants were literally manifested, I don't think that's very comparable.

 

[Makoeyes987]

Sephiroth could very well be 15 there. A very mature 15 year old.

I mean, your explanation could be right but what would it matter? Code name "S's" development and childhood is a black box and they can easily justify it with whatever to make his presence in this game possible. Accelerated development is a well known trope in sci-fi alien hybrid stories.

It's Species. Except instead of a hot woman, it's a hot guy. With a sword.

 

[Erotic Materia]

Being a Jenova spawn apparently means you physically mature at an accelerated rate and your looks stay frozen at peak perfection.

Now I want to be injected with Jenova cells what the fuck.

But like, 10 years ago.

 

[Shademp]

It's interesting that they are still pushing for a worldwide release in 2021. I guess we should expect more news on a specific release date pretty soon.

 

[TurquoiseHammer]

Is there anything in Remake so far that rules out the possibility of them changing Sephiroth's age to more like 35? That would also move Jenova's discovery and everyone's weird research programs back 5 to 10 years so it would have quite the ripple effect. We already have Rufus being made 5 years older... but that's a much more isolate event.

 

[ForceStealer]

Sephiroth's birth is always "around 30 years ago," so they have some wiggle room to play with even without major alterations.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Hey Tseng looked thirty when he was fifteen so why not Sephiroth?

 

[Makoeyes987]

Exactly.

Maybe Tseng has Jenova cells....

 

[TurquoiseHammer]

So did the press releases actually never specify that the game was set 30 years ago? We just assumed because of the trailer intro? When in fact it's only 18 years ago? Or am I misunderstanding? Question mark?

 

[Makoeyes987]

It never said the entire game took place 30 years ago. It only mentioned the beginning of the initiative to create SOLDIER 30 years ago.

 

[Eerie]

They clearly say that the first SOLDIERs appeared 12 years after the project started, 30 years ago.

 

[TurquoiseHammer]

Thanks, I was more asking where eveyone's assumption that that game would be set 30 years ago came from, and although I could have sworn it was in the release, I guess that conclusion was drawn solely from the first shot of the trailer.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

1. The area with the Chinese style gates - Corneo's unfinished mansion, or Wutai?
2. The area resembling a ruined Greek temple - where could that be?
Edited to add: a closer more careful second viewing of the video showed me they're both under the plate. I'm very interested in that temple. But maybe it's just a sim.

 

[Erotic Materia]

I feel like one thing we're really overlooking here is why is Midgar a literal warzone? Shinra is shooting up their own city to train SOLDIERs?

 

[Makoeyes987]

Pretty sure it's a simulated VR environment based on Midgar. Like the Combat Simulator.

....However, Shinra would be the last corporation I'd ever expect to be hesitant at destroying their own people and property.

 

[KindOfBlue]

Often in otaku culture, any age past early 20s and you might as well be retired

 

[ForceStealer]

Which is something that always appealed to me about FF7. That the characters were (barely) old enough to actually have backstories. But it's obvious people still join the military/Shinra very young. So a 14/15 year old Sephiroth is not something I would have a problem with. Considerably less than a 3 year-old Sephiroth who just grew up fast.