Jairus
Author of FFVII: Lifestream & FFVII: Reflections
There are many parts of the story in the OG that we either get only a few snippets or are simply explained in dialogue without ever being shown at all. What would you like to see more of or presented more in depth? For me, the attack on Cosmo Canyon and Seto's fight through the Gi cave would be very interesting to see. All we get in the OG is Bugenhagen's explanation, but to actually see it would make it more real.
Of course, it would obviously have to not be shown until we actually see Seto in the back of the cave after beating Gi Nattak, to preserve the moment of his reveal and Red's discovery of his father's true fate. But a flashback right after that point, when Bugen begins to explain, could work. And a playable flashback would be even better - imagine playing as Seto during that time, with the living Gi Nattak as a boss to parallel your fight with the undead version of him in the present time.
Possibly an initial flashback of young Red and the attack to show his father's departure from his point of view so we can better understand why he initially thought as he did, and then the other half, from Seto's point of view during his battle through the Gi cave, could be shown after you find him turned to stone at the back. And perhaps in a playable form, as I mentioned above. Then bring things back to the present after Seto's battle with living Gi Nattak and being hit with the poisoned arrows, to where Bugen asks Cloud to give him and Red a moment alone. That would make what follows even more impactful and emotional, I think, after having actually seen (and possibly played through) what really happened.
Another part of the story that I think would be interesting to see more of would be Aerith and Iflana's time in Hojo's lab, how they escaped, and how Hojo was able to track them down to Icicle Inn in the first place. We know he was waiting for Aerith to be born, but how did he even know Ifalna was pregnant? How did he know that Professor Gast had taken her north, and what caused him to leave with her in the first place? It could be interesting to see some of these things. And, it never occurred to me until today, but given that Aerith was a child in Hojo's lab for a time, and so was Sephiroth (having been a subject of Hojo's experiments himself), it may be possible that they met while they were both still there before she escaped. He'd have been older than her by at least a few years since she didn't arrive until after Dr. Gast, her father, was killed, and we know that Sephiroth knew Gast and respected him.
So I would guess that he was likely a teenager by the time Aerith came to the lab, but they still could have been friends during that time, especially if he found out that she was Gast's daughter. Given this was before his descent into madness, he was still human at the time. A bit cold and aloof, perhaps, but not the evil that he would one day become. It would be nice to see more of this side of him, so we know more of who he was before the events of Nibelheim, and more of his relationship with Dr. Gast so we can see why he had such respect for him. It's likely Gast treated him decently, as a human being rather than a test subject, which would have been a stark contrast to Hojo, who we know Sephiroth hated.
It seems to me that, in the wake of the disappearance of the only man likely to have ever treated him with kindness and decency, Sephiroth may have become more withdrawn than he already was. We know he felt different than everyone else, so it's not an unreasonable assumption, I think. Then one day he finds out that that man is dead and his wife and daughter are test subjects in the lab with him. I could see Ifalna trying reach out to him, maybe sensing the dark side laying dormant within him but not knowing of his origins any more than he did at the time. Sephiroth might have formed a friendship with her and Aerith back then, perhaps even helped them to escape when that time came, knowing how it is to be a lab rat and perhaps feeling he owed it to Dr. Gast for all the kindness he had shown him before he left.
Having all of that backstory and previous relationship with Aerith from their days together in Hojo's lab would make what happens between them during the present have even more of an impact than it already will. It's likely, given how young she was during her days in the lab and how many years have passed since then, that Aerith wouldn't remember knowing Sephiroth back then, at least not initially. But perhaps at some point in the journey before she leaves the group, she does, which would add even more weight to her decision to leave and face him alone, perhaps to try and reach him as her mother may have and help him as he may have once helped her. We know the outcome, but having this motivation on top of why she's already going, to pray for Holy to save the Planet and stop him regardless, I think would make it even better as well as the moments that flow from all of that and what he ultimately does to her in the end.
Obviously, more of Cloud and Zack's backstory would be great to see as well, whether it follows Crisis Core or not, especially if we get Zack playable in some of those segments. And more of Vincent's history as well. We saw it in Dirge, but we don't know if the Remake timeline will follow that or not, so it would be good to see and experience it in detail so we can know for sure. What moments and parts of the story would you guys like to see more of that were only hinted at or shown pieces of in the OG? I'm sure there's a bunch I haven't thought of, so feel free to chime in.
Of course, it would obviously have to not be shown until we actually see Seto in the back of the cave after beating Gi Nattak, to preserve the moment of his reveal and Red's discovery of his father's true fate. But a flashback right after that point, when Bugen begins to explain, could work. And a playable flashback would be even better - imagine playing as Seto during that time, with the living Gi Nattak as a boss to parallel your fight with the undead version of him in the present time.
Possibly an initial flashback of young Red and the attack to show his father's departure from his point of view so we can better understand why he initially thought as he did, and then the other half, from Seto's point of view during his battle through the Gi cave, could be shown after you find him turned to stone at the back. And perhaps in a playable form, as I mentioned above. Then bring things back to the present after Seto's battle with living Gi Nattak and being hit with the poisoned arrows, to where Bugen asks Cloud to give him and Red a moment alone. That would make what follows even more impactful and emotional, I think, after having actually seen (and possibly played through) what really happened.
Another part of the story that I think would be interesting to see more of would be Aerith and Iflana's time in Hojo's lab, how they escaped, and how Hojo was able to track them down to Icicle Inn in the first place. We know he was waiting for Aerith to be born, but how did he even know Ifalna was pregnant? How did he know that Professor Gast had taken her north, and what caused him to leave with her in the first place? It could be interesting to see some of these things. And, it never occurred to me until today, but given that Aerith was a child in Hojo's lab for a time, and so was Sephiroth (having been a subject of Hojo's experiments himself), it may be possible that they met while they were both still there before she escaped. He'd have been older than her by at least a few years since she didn't arrive until after Dr. Gast, her father, was killed, and we know that Sephiroth knew Gast and respected him.
So I would guess that he was likely a teenager by the time Aerith came to the lab, but they still could have been friends during that time, especially if he found out that she was Gast's daughter. Given this was before his descent into madness, he was still human at the time. A bit cold and aloof, perhaps, but not the evil that he would one day become. It would be nice to see more of this side of him, so we know more of who he was before the events of Nibelheim, and more of his relationship with Dr. Gast so we can see why he had such respect for him. It's likely Gast treated him decently, as a human being rather than a test subject, which would have been a stark contrast to Hojo, who we know Sephiroth hated.
It seems to me that, in the wake of the disappearance of the only man likely to have ever treated him with kindness and decency, Sephiroth may have become more withdrawn than he already was. We know he felt different than everyone else, so it's not an unreasonable assumption, I think. Then one day he finds out that that man is dead and his wife and daughter are test subjects in the lab with him. I could see Ifalna trying reach out to him, maybe sensing the dark side laying dormant within him but not knowing of his origins any more than he did at the time. Sephiroth might have formed a friendship with her and Aerith back then, perhaps even helped them to escape when that time came, knowing how it is to be a lab rat and perhaps feeling he owed it to Dr. Gast for all the kindness he had shown him before he left.
Having all of that backstory and previous relationship with Aerith from their days together in Hojo's lab would make what happens between them during the present have even more of an impact than it already will. It's likely, given how young she was during her days in the lab and how many years have passed since then, that Aerith wouldn't remember knowing Sephiroth back then, at least not initially. But perhaps at some point in the journey before she leaves the group, she does, which would add even more weight to her decision to leave and face him alone, perhaps to try and reach him as her mother may have and help him as he may have once helped her. We know the outcome, but having this motivation on top of why she's already going, to pray for Holy to save the Planet and stop him regardless, I think would make it even better as well as the moments that flow from all of that and what he ultimately does to her in the end.
Obviously, more of Cloud and Zack's backstory would be great to see as well, whether it follows Crisis Core or not, especially if we get Zack playable in some of those segments. And more of Vincent's history as well. We saw it in Dirge, but we don't know if the Remake timeline will follow that or not, so it would be good to see and experience it in detail so we can know for sure. What moments and parts of the story would you guys like to see more of that were only hinted at or shown pieces of in the OG? I'm sure there's a bunch I haven't thought of, so feel free to chime in.
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