SPOILERS LTD Remake — It's like New Coke except ... no, it's exactly like New Coke

[ViolaaFox]

And she talks about how the first one married and keeps rejecting the second one in game. Do people even play.

About that... I saw Tweets that strongly implied that some people only watched some scenes on social media but didn't play the game by themselves...

I understand that people sometimes view media different which leads to different interpretations. But there is so much stuff in the games that was pretty obvious written, so that even someone with little media understanding could see it in the intended way.

 

[pxl_pushr]

The fact that some people absolutely don't understand that there's more to Zack learning about Aerith falling for Cloud is fascinating to me. Also what role in the LS lol.

Second fascinating thought is how CAs absolutely want Aerith to be the witness of how much Cloud yearns for Tifa. Absolutely hilarious. "I knew he liked her, but there's like and like damn".

And she talks about how the first one married and keeps rejecting the second one in game. Do people even play.

I agree with most of the video, and what's interesting to me is how he thinks there's only one Aerith in the Lifestream - it matches my own guess - and that she indeed was murdered by Sephiroth. I kept thinking about it, since there's no time and space per se in the Lifestream, and how it could work since well, the release I guess, and I've been thinking how it allows Aerith to "survive" Sephiroth. Of course there is a downside to this because plothole, if there's no time and space then this Aerith comes from the future and gets murdered. Which means that when our Aerith will reach the same point, then she'll get murdered too? Unless her fate has indeed changed and this was true!Aerith's plan all along (Sephiroth probably was referring to this). We can guess that reuniting with Zack before AC/C could change a lot of things, but it also means probably that our Aerith is indeed ACC!Aerith, while maybe true!Aerith we saw before she got stabbed was OG/COLW!Aerith. Maybe the dream date was even COLW!Aerith's answer as to how to meet Cloud and tell him what she wanted to tell him.

Someone tells this guy he missed the Weapons trying to protect Cloud's memories from the LS though, and Nibelheim looking quite different from what it was in game (maybe it doesn't matter though, must be another team working on it so could be different just because).

I know some people think the ending from Intergrade where Zack goes to the church looking for Aerith got cut or something, but I suspect it’s a part 3 scene where Zack learns that Aerith died or he finds her in the church after Sephiroth killed her. You then get a mirror to her death in the FC. Maybe where Cloud gets sad, Zack gets super pissed.

 

[Eerie]

About that... I saw Tweets that strongly implied that some people only watched some scenes on social media but didn't play the game by themselves...

I understand that people sometimes view media different which leads to different interpretations. But there is so much stuff in the games that was pretty obvious written, so that even someone with little media understanding could see it in the intended way.

I mean it's ok if you watch a full let's play as a fan, only clips don't cut it. A PS5 is expensive, not everyone will have the means to play this game. But watch a FULL PLAY not some clips. And from someone who doesn't favour a girl over another, who tries to give best answers to everyone.

I know some people think the ending from Intergrade where Zack goes to the church looking for Aerith got cut or something, but I suspect it’s a part 3 scene where Zack learns that Aerith died or he finds her in the church after Sephiroth killed her. You then get a mirror to her death in the FC. Maybe where Cloud gets sad, Zack gets super pissed.

I don't think it's the Remake church because it still has benches. IMHO it's closer to a CC church, just saying (and why I keep on insisting this is Aerith's Promised Land).

 

[Sacky]

I mean it's ok if you watch a full let's play as a fan, only clips don't cut it. A PS5 is expensive, not everyone will have the means to play this game. But watch a FULL PLAY not some clips. And from someone who doesn't favour a girl over another, who tries to give best answers to everyone.

I don't think it's the Remake church because it still has benches. IMHO it's closer to a CC church, just saying (and why I keep on insisting this is Aerith's Promised Land).

it matches the dream world church perfectly

 

[Ryushikaze]

This is why I don’t buy the whole « she’s alive somewhere, he created a new reality »

No. She’s dead. And Tifa’s POV is just to show us that the team is seeing all the blood while Cloud can’t. Because he doesn’t want to.

What he did was creating a world in his head. At best.

It's possible there's an "alive" Aerith out there same as there's an "alive" Zack, in that neither are technically dead but they aren't alive in the same way as Beagleverse folks are. Beagleverse Zack and Aerith are D-E-D dead, mind, and there's like a 99% certainty that was her ghost we were seeing in the end.

I've wondered why people think she's alive when they literally go to the body of water (or is it a lake? Pool?) they lay her to rest in, meaning her body is now underwater. She hasn't got a body to return to.

If her spirit, in another reality, were to exist and somehow try to come back, I hope she took some swimming lessons and someone warned her to hold her breath.

I'm not sure if anyone answered this and sorry if it's a silly question, but did anyone have a clue as to how Nanaki felt Aerith in that end scene? I simply thought like how Aerith felt Zack, Nanaki felt Aerith in the LS, but I realised Zack was touching the unconscious Aerith in the LS so now I'm not completely sure.

I this case I think the idea of a ghost wandering around like the ones in Remake makes the most sense.

Also come to think of it, wasn't one of those ghosts of a frightened Aerith as well? I wonder if she's dropping Jor-El esque mind copies of herself every so often during times of extreme duress.

 

[Eerie]

it matches the dream world church perfectly
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Wait up, isn't Remake church without any bench? I had this vague memory of a big free for all area to fight Reno lol? Am I misremembering?

 

[Yoru]

Wait up, isn't Remake church without any bench? I had this vague memory of a big free for all area to fight Reno lol? Am I misremembering?

You can see the benches placed against the wall on either side of the entrance.

 

[Xannis]

Just adding my thoughts --

I think some people in the fandom do not understand Aerith's character as well her character arc. Her relationship with Zack (especially her struggles with how she tries to cope with letting him go) is part of her character arc.

People misinterpret Aerith wanting to move on = Aerith moving on from Zack. However, they fail to see that Aerith's HEAD and HEART are in 2 different places. Yes, she wants to move on, however, she struggles to let go of him because she lacks closure. And when she thinks of falling in love again, she feels guilty because she thinks she'll forget Zack. But she also can't stop thinking about Zack. She is stuck. (This is explained in her monologue). We have further context in Gongaga, when she says: "He never gave her a reason to dislike him," (JP paraphrase) Its even more complicated when Cloud is a reminder of Zack at first.

On the surface it looks Aerith is moving on OR has moved on from Zack. (What the game is TELLING us). However, if we examine the scenes and look further, there is a lot of subtext that indicates Aerith has not moved on from Zack and may still linger for him. (What the game is SHOWING us). The problem is people just look at things at face value and will cherry pick anything that supports their head canon and confirmation bias.

I think the game does a great job in depicting Aerith's struggle regarding her conflicting emotions through the use of visual storytelling. (SHOW not TELL).

What we see on the surface is where Aerith's HEAD is at. If we look beyond the surface, we see where Aerith's HEART is.

I'd also add that it looks like the game is going towards something we never got in OG which is a ZA Reunion of some sort. Whatever waffling Aerith is having at the moment I doubt would survive an actual face to face meetup with Zack.

 

[Eerie]

View attachment 16924

You can see the benches placed against the wall on either side of the entrance.

Yeah so basically interesting mhhhhhhhhh....... this is not Remake church in the dream date or in Zack's final scene, it's most likely CC church for both...... yeah I'm still back at "this must be Aerith's Promised Land", sorry. XD It works even better.

 

[pxl_pushr]

Yeah so basically interesting mhhhhhhhhh....... this is not Remake church in the dream date or in Zack's final scene, it's most likely CC church for both...... yeah I'm still back at "this must be Aerith's Promised Land", sorry. XD It works even better.

Perfectly possible, but I can’t help but think we’ll have a brief tease at a happy moment only have it taken away to set the mood.

I was mostly joking about the whole “who’s Aerith” thing, but now that I think about it, Cloud’s mind blocking out any mention of Aerith like he did Zack would make sense. Rather than telling the audience how his delusions work, we’d have an example play out right in front of us.

 

[Rin]

Wait there are definitely benches in the Remake church though.

 

[Ryushikaze]

Perfectly possible, but I can’t help but think we’ll have a brief tease at a happy moment only have it taken away to set the mood.

I was mostly joking about the whole “who’s Aerith” thing, but now that I think about it, Cloud’s mind blocking out any mention of Aerith like he did Zack would make sense. Rather than telling the audience how his delusions work, we’d have an example play out right in front of us.

They probably won't do a who's Aerith, but they might do a "When Sephiroth [static] Aerith" moment, maybe Tifa angry as a Sephiroth projection, to drive that point home.

 

[Yoru]

Wait there are definitely benches in the Remake church though.

View attachment 16925
View attachment 16926

Damn girl. Mother of the planet and goddess of material handling.

She's way too powerful.

 

[Sacky]

Wait up, isn't Remake church without any bench? I had this vague memory of a big free for all area to fight Reno lol? Am I misremembering?

Top image is Zack at the end others are the Aerith dream date church.

 

[abzy1200]

Interesting how in interviews with the VAs, when it comes to relationships with Cloud, Briana (Aerith) seems to turn to interpetation, but Brit (Tifa) just says that Tifa loves him, and that there is a ton of subtext in their interactions.

Makes you wonder...

 

[Yoru]

She's actually right tho. Even without talking about not alienating anyone, the CA relationship is above all pretty based on each person's interpretation. Some see it as love. Others don't.

It's much more complicated to talk about interpretation with Tifa. Even more so now that ToTP is clear about her feelings.

Both girls are looking for the real Cloud. But not for the same reasons.

 

[abzy1200]

Yes, but if one side is up for interpretation and the other is undeniable...might be a clue as to where this story is going.

 

[nars305]

The story is going to where it seems to have always been.

I’ll just go ahead and officially call myself a Cloti now.

 

[Yoru]

Yes, but if one side is up for interpretation and the other is undeniable...might be a clue as to where this story is going.

We're talking about a game where one part of the love triangle dies in the first half of the game.

And the two remaining parties share the same feelings.

So yes... the story goes in the same direction.

 

[pxl_pushr]

She's actually right tho. Even without talking about not alienating anyone, the CA relationship is above all pretty based on each person's interpretation. Some see it as love. Others don't.

It's much more complicated to talk about interpretation with Tifa. Even more so now that ToTP is clear about her feelings.

Both girls are looking for the real Cloud. But not for the same reasons.

One girl is looking for the guy she’s like liked since she was 13 and the other is trying to not see the guy she’s been pining for 5 years for.

A Rubik’s Cube, this is not.

 

[nars305]

One girl is looking for the guy she’s like liked since she was 13 and the other is trying to not see the guy she’s been pining for 5 years for.

A Rubik’s Cube, this is not.

In all honesty I like the dynamic Cloud and Aerith have because of all the set up in Rebirth. I don’t doubt Aerith had feelings for Cloud at all, but they just aren’t what she felt for Zack. This might be due to the fact that she didn’t really know Cloud and also…Cloud is in love with someone else.

Like as much as I want to see the story of Cloud and Tifa I just as much want to see Aerith and Zack happy together.

omg and now I’m a Zerith.

 

[pxl_pushr]

In all honesty I like the dynamic Cloud and Aerith have because of all the set up in Rebirth. I don’t doubt Aerith had feelings for Cloud at all, but they just aren’t what she felt for Zack. This might be due to the fact that she didn’t really know Cloud and also…Cloud is in love with someone else.

Like as much as I want to see the story of Cloud and Tifa I just as much want to see Aerith and Zack happy together.

omg and now I’m a Zerith.

The reunion is now complete.

I definitely think Aerith softens Cloud up faster than if she were absent. It’s really cool how they’ve subtly made him more attentive towards her, almost like it’s finally gotten through to him that she really is the most physically normal out of the group.

They’re really trying not to under value her friendship with Cloud, a guy who has a very short list of friends, but those friends share a very strong bond with him. Also a nice compliment to Tifa who hints at being lonely in a room full of “friends” and struggles with the same lack of real friends but for different reasons.

 

[Stiggie]

Yes, but if one side is up for interpretation and the other is undeniable...might be a clue as to where this story is going.

Yeah, I've always been interested in exactly what is supposed to be left to interpretation in FFVII as well as remake, to what extent, and what form it takes, and this basically seems like the answer.
Tifa and Cloud love each other and end up together, that's beyond question. Same thing with Zack and Aerith. But the devs seem to think there is not really a reason definitely rule out the idea that Cloud and Aerith had feelings for each other since Aerith dies anyway. So while they strongly hint that Aerith is mostly either misidentifying the feelings she has for Cloud, or projecting her feelings for Zack onto him, or falling for essentially a lie, they won't outright state "we're just just friends" simply so people can keep fantasizing. Same with Cloud, he is portrayed as not being interested in her romantically but at the very least warming up to her, but the game will never outright have him say "sorry, I don't feel about you that way", since it doesn't have to. The characters know where they stand, and Cloud will end up with Tifa, so whatever you want to tell yourself about "what ifs", you can do it.

One girl is looking for the guy she’s like liked since she was 13 and the other is trying to not see the guy she’s been pining for 5 years for.

A Rubik’s Cube, this is not.

Very well said.

In all honesty I like the dynamic Cloud and Aerith have because of all the set up in Rebirth. I don’t doubt Aerith had feelings for Cloud at all, but they just aren’t what she felt for Zack. This might be due to the fact that she didn’t really know Cloud and also…Cloud is in love with someone else.

Like as much as I want to see the story of Cloud and Tifa I just as much want to see Aerith and Zack happy together.

omg and now I’m a Zerith.

Honestly, I don't. This might be weird to say since I am considered a Cloti, but I wish rebirth had spend more time setting up Cloud and Aeriths bond. Mostly I just ship 2 things, 1: A good story, and 2: People accepting the story for what it is.
And imo, the story would have been better if part 2 had spend more time showing Aerith and Cloud growing close. Right now, in my opinion, their bond was portrayed HORRIBLY. One of the reasons it feels so obvious that Aerith is misidentifying her feelings for Cloud and is still somehow coping with Zack is because that's the only thing that would explain why she'd feel anything for Cloud, a random dude who she barely interacted with, and has been consistently awful to her, and acting like a psychopath in general.
If we look at what happens in between Gongaga and Aeriths death, the idea that she might have developed feelings for Cloud is just....insane. And imo, regardless of shipping preferences, that shouldn't be.

 

[nars305]

The reunion is now complete.

I definitely think Aerith softens Cloud up faster than if she were absent. It’s really cool how they’ve subtly made him more attentive towards her, almost like it’s finally gotten through to him that she really is the most physically normal out of the group.

They’re really trying not to under value her friendship with Cloud, a guy who has a very short list of friends, but those friends share a very strong bond with him. Also a nice compliment to Tifa who hints at being lonely in a room full of “friends” and struggles with the same lack of real friends but for different reasons.

I like to think that without Cloud knowing it, he had an extension of the friendship he cherished with Zack through Aerith. Aerith and Zack are very cute and animated. They are like sunshine to the more gloomy characters. They both equally were robbed of time and another relationship.

I just always have a sadness when I think of Aerith and Zack. They both died in a horrible way and certain moments in the game made my heart sink when it came to them. So I just want them to find that happiness in their death.

 

[Yoru]

Aerith, in searching for the real Cloud, also proves to herself that she can still fall in love with someone. To put an end to this “curse” that has been weighing her down and preventing her from moving on for the past 5 years.

One of the first things she tells Cloud is that she's fine in Midgar after all. That she doesn't want to leave. She is still waiting.

I don't think we'll ever really know the meaning of her feelings for Cloud. At least, not in this updated version of FF7.

I think that's one of the few things they'll leave open to interpretation. Because they don't have to tell it. She's dead and can find her lost love. Cloud is already in love with someone, and it's mutual. There's no need to shatter some people's “dream”. They can imagine whatever they want, it won't change the finality of the story.