Where we dropping folks? THANK YOU for being so patient. As you can see by the LENGTH of this beast, it took a hot minute to edit. Still, its out now and I hope you enjoy it! Go check out my twitch for more shenanigans, I'll be there a LOT this month so check it out. Stay safe, I'll see you all next time!

square is so dang good at realistic animation, all those little facial expressions are an amazing technical achievement

So wait. Sephiroth kills the President, leaving the murder weapon in his back. So did he have 2 swords, or was there is an off-screen moment where he's like "Ah Shit, I forgot my sword!" And sheepishly goes back to Shinra Inc to reclaim it?

God I'm so glad i gave you those gackt prints at mag LMAO

Fun fact: if you fail to clear out the train in the time limit during the 2nd reactor run Tifa will jump out on her own since Cloud doesn't reach her in time. The result is not getting those affinity points for Tifa's scene later in the game

My obvious bias aside (thanks again for letting me do a little voice cameo!) these FF7 videos may very well be my new favorites on your channel. I know these longer videos are a lot harder/more time consuming to make, but hot DAMN. Great job, seriously. I'm especially intrigued by the idea of Hojo being the final boss--I hadn't thought about it before, but that'd actually be pretty lit. Also, Aggrevesuko is GOLD.

That "Smash reveal" joke with Sephiroth at 23:18 aged well, lol

That Sephiroth Smash announcment joke... Oh my how naive we were...

"Got your beans, Cloud" was a missed opportunity to say "Shall I give you dis pear?"

Zack: Wait... was that all of them? Me: Look how they avoided massacring my boy!

God how I missed the original "Sephiroth in the Shinra Building" part.

Agree with Hojo being the final villain. Technically speaking he's always been the man behind the curtain

I like how Sephiroth went from jaws (og FF7) to sharknado (FF7R).

I wouldn't be surprised if the video is just 54 minutes of clemps sweating over tifa lol

It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed so hard about a joke in a KZfaq video. Congrats for the Reeves & Aggretsuko crossover, man

I completely agree that keeping Sephiroth hidden would have been more impactful, even knowing that he's coming.

Very much agree on the Jaws stuff. Cinematic and narrative "tricks" work not just the first time, they work by themselves. Good movies still work after you've watched them once, after the surprise is gone, in the same way we stil feel tense for characters in a story even when there's no way they're going to lose at the end. Think any Disney movie, of course Cinderella will end up with the prince, but you're still worried about her! The good part isn't that you didn't expect it, the good part is how tension is built.

One thing I really love about the remake is that it does put the characters personalities back in the public mindset, Cloud can be a goofball who was trying to act cool again rather than being a weird stoic loner who's entire team dresses in black leather. Plus there's a veritable cornucopia of Tifa porn on the internet now that she's back in the public eye.

I could listen to Clemps talk about anything forever.

Clemps talkin bout story with the depth we all know and respect. Me goin, "He got Pat to do a soundbyte."

In the famous words of phillip j fry "I'm scare-roused"

Oh God that Pat bit had me dying

Very well made fan fiction - of fan fiction - of an original story from 20 writers that was held together with twine. I have many, many criticisms of both versions of the game. The main criticism of 7R is how hard it is for it to stand on its own two feet (reference intended). It feels more like watching a cartoon that's trying to keep its PG rating and all the main cast alive by the finale. It's also a shame that Sephiroth, after all this time, has totally lost what little - very little - humanity and real personality he once had, and has degenerated into being a cardboard anime villain that just loves fuckin' with people and ruining character introductions with self-insertions because the scenes are famous to the audience. You really need to *not* despise the compilation material to maintain an interest in the convoluted, schlocky fan service nature of the retelling. As is the rallying cry of such things, "It knows what it is." It's good. Not as good for the time it was made as the original, certainly. But it's... good?

I hope they do Cosmo Canyon justice made me cry as a wee lad and still did last year.

It's also important to keep in mind that the guys in charge of the remake are pretty much responsible for most of the Compilation as you know it. I don't know if it's "research" as much as it is "i made that"

on Aerith's friendly sassiness, i've recently played the original with a fanmade retranslation patch and gotta say, she was indeed like that in the original, but the official translation lost a lot of that i recommend anyone try out the fantranslation

Honestly, a changed FF7 I'm fine with,I just hate the metaphysical fate elements. It's not like Fate was even a theme or implied to be a factor in the original story or ANY of it's branching stories. What's more, it holds the original story up as almost messiah-esc, an all important story that MUST happen or all is wrong with the universe. This is also really at odds with the fact that it retroactively ruins the motivations for the characters initially. Suddenly now it's hard to believe that the characters are where they are because of their choices and determination, but instead because an arbitrary force had been pushing them towards that goal. Bare in mind "Making your choices and not backing out" WAS a theme in the original game, with the phrase "There ain't no getting off this train" often thrown around whenever the characters needed motivation to keep going on the path they choose. I really hope aren't meant to represent fans, since it's also a huge middle finger to fans that actually saved SE, since the original FF7 was a last ditch effort to stop the company going under back when it was Squaresoft. I can't think of a single good reason to include them if that was the case.

Insanely well done video, my man. I was completely enthralled for the whole runtime.

Why does Xehanort call him self sephiroth in this game?

"Midgar Zolem... With a Gun!" I legit did a spit-take on that joke.

Clemps , your comments about Sephiroth directly mirror what the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock had to say about suspense in general. To quote Hitchcock's own hypothetical story situation: "We are now having a very innocent little chat. Let’s suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, “Boom!” There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o’clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: 'You shouldn’t be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!'" The best suspense for audiences comes about when the audience knows things the characters do not. The audience knowing everything about Sephiroth is no excuse to just throw the suspense in the trash. In fact, that just demands the storytellers be even more miserly with Sephiroth's appearances. I understand that because FFVII Remake isn't just one game, that they HAD to show him at least once, but it should have never been more than that. I didn't think it needed repeating but apparently it does: Writing your story with people in mind who already know everything about your story is a terrible idea. You can easily see it in the reaction to this game. The people who know the story are talking about all the gotcha moments, and all the story line divergences, and the people who don't have absolutely no fucking idea what the former group is even talking about, and who only know that these story points don't really make any sense from an outsider perspective. The almost universal newcomer reaction to seeing Sephiroth the first time in the Remake was "who is this, and why should I care?". That's not a good reaction.

I liked the "grounded" and "down to earth" story that FFVIIR told vs the meta / destiny / multy parallel universe stuff. So the disparity between fan reactions can be brought down to that. They can tell the most interesting meta wankery imaginable. It does not matter. There will always be people (like me) that just want a good, straightforward story.

Yeah i am amazed how incredible the cats were in this game. They look like whoever was in charge of their facial and body animation during the cutscenes really was a cat fan.

So I was just finishing up watching your reviews for the Kingdom Hearts games. Glad to see this up! Also, Biggs is daddy AF

I find it crazy that they think "everyone knows Sephiroth" when its a game that came out in 1997 and gaming as a medium has more than tripled its audience since. This was a LOT of peoples first experience with Final Fantasy 7. Like sure most people have seen an artwork of him and know his name but they have no idea what he's about or why anyone cares other than being a handsome bishie boy. And I feel the remake just kind of screwed up on this hard.

I kept checking the video length and being absolutely relieved to see a good chunk more left. It was so fun, insightful, and funny (aggreevesuko was the hardest I've laughed in a while), and mirrored a lot of the opinions I also have about the ending. Thanks so much for an excellent video!!

There was no hope for me to be scared of Seph anymore. Having seen him fight with Cloud for years over and over, and having beaten his ass as every other FF protagonist, as well as a 14 year old boy with a key, I really can't be creeped. What I do enjoy about him is that he's funny. Every time he shows up it's like a gag. He, like everyone else, is thirsty for Cloud. Everywhere Cloud goes Sephiroth is there smiling warmly, and ever since Cloud smacked his sword on the door frame I can't not see these moments as comedic relief. My issue with having Seph as a final boss is more on behalf of newcomers to the FFVII story, but let's be honest, the game clearly isn't for them at all. This isn't a stand-alone story. The fact that you fight a final boss who we honestly don't have much reason to dislike is only acceptable once you know the og plot. As a newcomer, the only bad thing you *heard* that Sephiroth did is destroy Cloud's town and loved ones, but without being there and having only heard about this in a mental hallucination it doesn't hold much weight. The only other thing the audience could be mad about is his attempt at killing Barret, but since that was random, in response to Barret charging at him, and didn't actually come to pass, it's kinda whatever. Beyond that, Sephiroth's just been a bro. Talks mad shit sometimes, but doesn't really do much to be concerned about. He wanted to give us a hug, and killed President Shinra for us; the ACTUAL hate-able villain of the game. When Aerith talked smack at him I was like " *gasp* don't you talk to him like that!" I love our new best friend Seph. Now give me a Hojo x Jenova final boss, and then we'll talk.

Being worried of everyone being alive this time is totally justified, since they brought everyone in KH3 back from the dead just cuz they could. I mean, can't people die these days and STAY dead!?! It gets cheaper and cheaper each time it happens.

The most crucial piece of information from the dev interviews is that Nomura can still pull off the Kpop boyband mopcut. Bless this tiered, silly, salty man

I agree with your view on Sephiroth, Clemps; I think Sephiroth's effect would be more impactful with how Cloud reacts to Sephiroth's voice in his head. Showing how easily he can break Cloud with his voice. How the sight of Sephiroth drives him mad.

When I got to the part with Zack I was just like "no... No no no no don't give me this hope...." When I played crisis core as a kid I fought for three and a half hours in the final stand hoping for basically that exact ending, so I was pretty happy (In actual tears) when I saw my boy walking into Midgar after so long. Also I too am very frightened and aroused. Without fates guidance there are so many more ways things could go horribly wrong.

48:40 You might joke, but I could totally see Square Enix having a final battle in this multi-part series where Advent Children Cloud (Timeline 1), Remake Cloud (Timeline 2), and a powered up Zack (Timeline 3) all end up in the same weird portal space we saw near the end of this game for a final battle against multiple forms of Sephiroth, which somehow also all exist at the same time as well. The fan-service opportunity just seems too tantalizing to pass up. Also, as an aside, I think minimizing the responsibility Avalanche had in the initial bombing run was a narrative misstep that invites both character and story-based plot holes.

I'll always wonder what a recreation of the entire original story would look like in the remake engine.

Loved the vid Clemps! What I don't love are the people who keep saying they didn't buy the remake looking for the exact same game as the original to defend it. That they'd be bored if they played that version of the remake and that's understandable in a way. But unless you spoiled yourself on how it's different, many people bought this looking for a game with the same FFVII experience/feel but with better graphics, expanded elements and characters, and new gameplay. It's like how people want the RE remakes to be faithful and change not too much with the exception of combat. And I dunno how to feel about this whole fan theories and speculation either. If you're not that big into that sort of stuff like I am, the remake comes across as an eye roll or frustrating imo. And like I get what they're doing. They're keeping fans guessing what may be in store in the future to reignite new interest. But I'm worried that since everyone has a potential grim reaper looking over their shoulders without destiny swatting him away like ya said, the writers will rely on fake out deaths or do something like say kill off Tifa instead of Aerith just to divert expectations from the original.

One thing I'll always love about the Sephiroth fight is that Every time Cloud's sword clashes with Sephiroth's, it sounds hollow. It sounds like an empty plastic baton smacking pure steel. It goes to show just how above them Sephiroth REALLY is.

Weird how well Made in Abyss' 1st Layer goes with the image of sephiroth floating down from the sky.

Honestly, I completely agree with your points of Sephiroth’s over saturation. But for me personally, when Cloud first ran into him after the Bombing Mission. How he slowly looks up at the towering monster in front of him... The sheer SIZE of him intimidated me.

I’m kinda pumped for the future events of the series because I can see them changing things in MAJOR WAYS that still align with the original game, but slowly start to break things off. One theory I have about the future that doesn’t seem to be talked about yet is that in the next game instead of Wutai just being a place you visit that didn’t really have any significance other than on the past, I think Rufus and Heidegger are going to fucking declare WAR on Wutai. They’ve already firmly convinced citizens that Avalanche are backed by Wutai, and odds are they could TOTALLY pin the entire assassination of President Shinra on Avalanche entirely. By showing that Cloud and Co escaped the city in video recordings, I think they can claim that they fled to Wutai all Edward Snowden like. Then Shinra, claiming Wutai is holding enemies of the government, they declare the war they were hinting about in the first part of Remake. This would also explain why there’s a huge military parade and mobilization at Junon, they’re mobilizing for war. It could also make for an interesting tie in to Yuffie, since her nation is under siege, and she has no choice but to help the group in order to try and save her country. Could also really play into why Reeve joins the group, because he feels he HAS to stop Shinra from creating another war with Wutai. The one biggest issue I always had with Shinra in the original game is that you don’t feel the broad reach of Shinra very much in the original game. Sure you’ve got places like Junon, their weird mini game invasion of Fort Condor, and their impact on the ending, but other than the Turks, you barely see the massive military that Shinra actually is. I think they could really up the stakes in the game by showing just how much Cloud and company changed things because of how much wanton death and destruction Shinra are willing to go through just to prove a fucking point. Plus, Shinra is a megalomaniacal corporation and you best BELIEVE they would benefit from a war economy. They have mechs and soldiers and super soldiers all lined up and no war to fight, they would attack Wutai in a MILLISECOND if it meant more money in their pockets. I also think this could be a great story arch for the entire of the second part, and would make for a good way to bridge the part of the game that is arguably one of the more uneventful (other than the flashback in Kalm... guess that’s important too) In the end, I am PUMPED for what this series has in store, and I will never regret picking this remake up.

Continuity Ghosts™

Yes, Church of Tifa welcomes all newcomers.

Them cutting off the maniacal laughter killed me.

That person who hadn't seen advent children in reference to the ending you mentioned? That'd be me. And I gotta say it left me genuinely bewildered. I didn't even see red XIII's puppies in the shot ingame as they seem to be obscured by the effects layered on top of the scene, so literally all I got out of it was "Here's this guy! Yup! Future sure is scary huh?", and adding it to the context of the other scenes shown in those reveals made it make even *less* sense. I genuinely didn't know the scenes were from advent children until watching this video, assuming they were either cutting room floor work for later parts of the remake or something similar. It's one of the moments in the game that fell flat entirely for me and made the ending feel a bit slapdash and unfinished. Seeing this additional context does have it make more sense, but it's still a bit concerning that I needed this context to comprehend such a front-and-center part of the ending at all. Worth mentioning that despite that this all definitely has its hooks in me, and I'm definitely going to snatch up FF7R2 whenever it comes around.

New Theory: Cloud dies and new timeline Zack shows up and takes over as party leader

The new Sephiroth presence hit me much differently. I think they actually did pull off the "Jaws" effect by having his final form lyrics whispered into the intro as we see Aerith in similar yet different framing/direction from the original intro. It's both reminiscent of a tragedy you know all too well yet confusing in the way it signifies new unknowns.

15:45 "I turned myself into a computer Vincent! A computer! IM COMPUTER HOJO" Barret: n' it was jus' the funniest @#*! thing I ever saw, ya gotta see it!

Barret without his glasses is just...so goddamn heartwarming. And when he gushes about Marlene, especially with he finds her in Aeriths house, oh my lord, you wish he was your dad. But a small theory; if you noticed, during the scenes where Cloud is 'told things' by Zack in the original FF7, that doesn't happen in 7R. He gets some minor headaches, but nothing like the original (save for Reactor 5 and his flaskback to the Nibleheim reactor). I'm not sure if they just couldn't figure out HOW to implement Zack talking to Cloud. But the scenes I'm referring to are; -Reactor 7, before planting the bomb (minor headache) -meeting Aerith (we clearly see it's Cloud talking to Cloud, because of the full body shot and same VA, which turns into Sephiroth) -the playground scene where Aerith talks about Zack (once again, minor headache at the mere mention of Zacks name) Now, why even include the scene of Aerith saying Zacks name and Cloud responding by getting a migrane if it didn't mean anything? Aside from it being a nod to the events that happened between Zack and Cloud under Hojo; they could have just went straight into the chocobo carriage carrying Tifa. There IS the new scene of Hojo telling Cloud he wasn't in SOLDIER, but here's where my theory stands. In this timeline, Zack didn't die. Because the Whispers were defeated and Zack somehow managed to beat the Shinra troops, he managed to take Cloud to Midgar. I'm guessing there, he leaves a nearly comatose Cloud with the Buster Sword and fucks off to GONGAGA to see his parents. Cloud fully wakes with the SOLDIER uniform and Buster Sword, and his mako addled mind assumes he was part of them. The mention of Zack by Aerith triggers something in his brain as a defense mechanism (to keep the illusion going), and Hojo nearly breaks through those defenses before the Whispers take him away. Fate and Destiny have a funky way of playing with you, and it could be that Cloud and co. were pre-destined to destroy the Whisper Arbiter (an Arbiter of Fate, by Barrets own words), because if they didn't, Zack would have never survived and Cloud would have gotten Zacks words in his head in those specific scenes. Because you can't truly defy your own fate, no matter how hard you try. Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, Aerith. They all still have death flags, because they are destined to die fighting to save the planet. Just this time around, fate has something else in store for all of them. Sounds wonky as fuck, but once we get the Nibleheim incident in Kalm, we'll hopefully know more. For all we know, that entire event could have played out differently?

The 7 seconds part is alluding to the seven seconds before meteor it is said in the game chapter description. Maybe you have said and I missed it but just a clarification for people in the comments. Also great video!

So, I went and replayed the final chapter in Japanese. The party's reaction described at 39:16 is not them thinking that Red running with his children is a bad thing, but rather, apparently, their thinking that "throwing away the potential future" in which Red runs with his children might be a bad thing -- the reaction is explicitly to Red's statement that it is "我々が捨てようとしている風景だ" -- Google Translate's representation of that isn't bad ("The scenery we are about to throw away" -- the word "風景 (fūkei)" or "scenery" is being used in a slightly idiomatic sense). Barret's saying "What the hell did I just see?" is his confusion that he's seeing visions, not his thinking the content of the vision is bad. Having first played the game in Japanese I will probably never know if the reaction of this video is idiosyncratic or one I would have had too, but the words on the page don't seem all that problematic. I have a great deal of sympathy for the translators of this game -- they changed a lot, and the majority of clients who pay translators in Japan would accuse them of butchering their work (because they don't understand that translating words and sentences directly will hurt the overall reception of the entire text, whereas changing them will better convey the message of the entire text), so for most J-E translators their work is hardly intuitive. (Actually, I'm partially jealous of them in that they get to convey great art that non-Japanese-speakers will appreciate, without having to worry about non-English-speakers second-guessing all of their "mistranslations" -- but I also have to imagine that creating inventive translations day after day must be a pretty intensive day job that takes a lot out of you, and if creative video game ISN'T their day job it must be a pretty drastic switch.) BTW, sorry if this bursts anyone's bubble -- it kinda did mine -- but Aerith doesn't say "Yeah, so what? Screw him." (like at 42:35 in this video) in the Japanese. Cloud's "He's tough." is a pretty straight translation of "強いぞ", but Aerith responds "うん　でも行こう", which word-for-word means "Yeah. But let's go.", and a more idiomatic but still faithful translation would be "Yeah, maybe. But let's take him down anyway!" The line -- especially the delivery, which pauses before, and emphasizes, the 行こう！ part -- conveys the character's resolve and force of will, and I can't recall being bothered by it on the first playthrough, but it definitely is not as memorable as the English.

Have to wonder if the oversaturation of Sephiroth was intentional. With the story changing in the ways it has already, and how enigmatic the one at the end is, it kind of makes me wonder if Sephiroth is going to be a more active character in the story. The enigma's still there, but instead of the fear of 'Who is Sephiroth?' we have the apprehensive curiosity of 'What is Sephiroth doing?'

I felt exactly the same about Zack's survival, torn. Ultimately, the fangirl in me prevails, though. MORE ZACK!

I honestly hate the story in this game, not the parts where they were expanding the original or just adding little bits here and there that part's fine, the part I'm talking about is that whole meta-commentary about the fan base and basically the Developers saying screw you and blowing them all up. This game truly isn't a Remake it's a bizarre time travel meta commentary sequel to the original and it's not what the vast majority of fans wanted and I think that's the biggest problem with this game: the fact that they marketed it as a remake, because when most people hear that there's going to be a remake of a game they're expecting something a whole lot closer to Resident Evil 2 remake where it's the same story but completely new gameplay and graphics, but this is something entirely new and the fact that you keep saying over and over " I don't know what's going to happen next" is proof that this isn't a remake it's it's own game and I personally LOATHE this game's story. It's a meta commentary that bashes the people that made this game a success in the first place the people who were begging for a remake for years and years, and it personifies them as incompetent ghosts who can only meddle and interfere with the "Creative Visions of the Authors TM" and that pisses me off! Not to mention that none of my friends or family members who have played this game and or watched a let's play have liked the ending, and the consistent view is that it's going to be something akin to the Final Fantasy 13 sequels level of garbage time travel or the worst aspects of the Kingdom Hearts metaplot levels of time travel. So in conclusion I have absolutely no interest in even keeping up with the next part of this game, it's artsy, it's meta bashing people who like the original and wanted a prettier version of the original for the remake, and it's giving me bad flashbacks to all the terrible comic book retcons that have happened in the past decade.

Avalanche was always a huge organization. It was implied in the OG and it was further shown in Before Crisis, which by the way the Avalanche HQ have the exact same outfits in as in the Remake.

Oh, THAT'S an excellent solution to the Sephi Problem. I was so sad that he had no mystery at all.

I really loved the remake. I’m very excited to see where they’ll take the storyline. This was also a fun analysis/review, great job Clemps.

Honestly, I'm not a fan of the meta commentary arguments, it feels like a lazy out-of-universe way to explain why something in-universe doesn't really make sense. The alternate universe destiny stuff feels like Kingdom Hearts level of convolution that is often just a crutch for poor writing/continuity(Or cheap emotional stunts like killing characters just to undo it).

I have a feeling that the Sephiroth you actually fight is the whispers themselves, giving you the finality of their test of your capabilities by taking the form of the ultimate threat, instead of it being him controlling them. This seems to be implied by the pre-fight cutscene, where you actually see the whispers coalescing before Sephiroth appears, instead of them gathering to him. The one afterwards is definitely something different, though.

if it's of any comfort, roche has been confirmed by hamaguchi to appear in future parts of the game! that being said, i absolutely LOVE every single one of your review videos, clemps...and THIS is no different. really interesting to see your takes from start to finish. keep up the fantastic job as always

I don't know if anyone else ever thought of this, but I think that Final Fantasy 7 remake is actually a true sequel. At the end of Dierge of Cerberus Vincent defeats Omega, but I don't think he actually prevented the end but merely postponed it. Omega's job is to take all life on the planet and start over somewhere else right? Well what if that literally is what happened? That would explain why Aerith is having visions of things that already happened, because everyone returned to the life stream and is doing the same song and dance again, and the cloaked figures are like moderators trying to make sure you follow the script.

PERSONALLY as someone who's never played FF7 I was really looking forward to seeing just a more dynamic and engaging version of the original. Pretty sure no one was asking for plot hole ghosts to "fix" anything they thought needed fixing. Maybe it'll still be really fun for me but it's very scary thinking about spending that much money on these games and the story ending up being KH levels of cringe.

Avalanche being a much larger organization isn't actually new, because it was established in Before Crisis.

As a huge fan of the compilation, one of my deepest desires for the remake sequels would be additional playable characters. Zack being alive kinda reinforced this. What if apart from the og cast, this time around we got a second team comprised of other big players like Cissnei, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, Roche, Johnny, among others all lead by Zack instead of Cloud. I also kinda felt like maybe, Sephiroth may actually turn or be a misunderstood bad guy. A lot from the remake struck me as having kingdom hearts elements (which is not always a good thing). Although Nomura didn't write 7R, you can tell he had his grubby little hands all over this. And i'm worried 7R will turn out like kh3 where "everybody comes back, no one really died, and the bad guy was good all along." Knowing how popular the characters of 7 are, I'm worried they'll be too chicken to take risks. I'm just hoping the ending doesn't derail it and turn it into what kingdom hearts became.

This is one of the best reviews for the _FF7 Remake_ that I have had the pleasure of watching. You are literally the _only_ person I've come across who ACTUALLY mentioned the OVEREXPOSURE of Sephiroth. Like, this bugged me to _NO END_ . Sephiroth in the original game was this terrifying figure looming in the shadows, watching and waiting. But THIS Sephiroth, (as you've hilariously pointed out) was quite literally _EVERYWHERE_ . I actually became _SUPER ANNOYED_ at this. Like, _DANG_ can we keep at least SOME mystery about him? I HATED this new flirty, fanservicy Seph. Like yes, he's SUPER HOT and I still have a crush on the guy, but MAN. Tone it down! I like my mystery men to be...you know... _MYSTERIOUS_ . Great review! Thank you for making this vid and uploading! ♥️

13:34 I also would have accepted Korg from Thor Ragnarok's "PISS OFF, GHOST!"

40:15 Right? I mean, if Cloud can cut a train in half with his sword, what were we doing spending so much time in the Train Graveyard?

I like the idea that 7 Remake has essentially become "7 Alternative." There was no way a completely faithful remake could replace the original. Going a totally different direction, for all the balls that decision took, is a decision I adore. I don't have the same nostalgia for the original, I played it relatively recently, and I loved every second of it. I didn't want to just play an HD version of the same game. Hearing how different it was was what made it a buy for me.

That "on your left" edit is actual pure gold I almost died from choking on my chewing gum

No matter how many times I hear their actual names, I will never be able to remember any form of address for the Advent Children villain squad other than "the Sephirettes".

23:20 This has aged tremendously well

I'm waiting. The waiting is agony, but god the orga-- I mean the reveal of that Final Fantasy 9 review is going to be so worth it.

23:19 Wow this bit aged really well.

Calling it now, Rufus Shinra is going to be a party member in the later installments.

Let's just say I began my FF adventure with watching a FF7 remake lets play. It...wasn't a good choice, I don't understand most of what's going on.

This game is in a weird place where later installments will determine whether it's an 8/10 or a 10/10 for me. Everything that stops it from being 10/10 for me is either excellent setup to an exciting new journey or the beginnings of a terrible, terrible mistake. I agree with your point of view on character deaths. For me, the real purpose of the whispers is to act as a tool to re-introduce stakes, They exist so they could be destroyed and the safety net of knowing when and where a character dies no longer applies. I'm totally convinced Aerith wont die at the point she did in OG-7 but probably still will at some point after when we've been given some hope she doesn't need to.

I just really reallllly hope the next parts don't disappoint me I am interested in the new meta parts for now but that can go down so fast, there was good and bad which you mentioned and I agree with so let's hope for the best from here.

As we all know, time travel and alternate universe stories are always great and fulfilling. Oh wait ... no ... oh no ... ... ....

"It'll be fine, guys. These exact writers who have produced nothing but fanfiction tier garbage with the FF7 property for the past 23 years totally deserve a chance to impress us. It MIGHT be good THIS time." Bless you, Clemps.

Amazing stuff! You walked the line perfectly between the "Love it" and "Hate it" direction-wise camps explaining the fears of both sides. The note about a remake having obligatory parts akin to the Disney worlds of KH really made me appreciate the amount of work that is going into these game. they truly feel like love letters to the compendium with the "Remake" concept allowing them to use stuff that really worked and drop the rest. Fellow Dirge guilter here too haha!

Seeing a new upload from Clemps at this time feels like Christmas coming early! Thank you so much for your videos and stay safe!

23:18 you predicted sephiroth in smash.... you are amazing

I don’t mind Square blowing their load early just as long as they are good for a multiple rounds right after.

goddamn what a very personal review, which all reviews should be. not setting up a bar or setting expectations but more on a personal level, i like this review its, well polished as well

23:20 Clemps is a prophet confirm

God I just realized how much Roche looks like Aloy from HZD and it's weird. I am uncomfortable.

The AggReevesuko bit made my laugh out loud! Great video as always.

i was already howling w laughter at the Sephiroth jokes but fcking gongaga just killed me 😂😂😂

I think, eventually, as the story continues you realize there are some things you CAN’T change.

“I’m not here to tell you how to feel” thank you so much Clemps. God I’ve been getting agitated by the number of ppl I’ve seen proclaiming anyone who doesn’t/does like the story to be ‘morons, assholes, cowards, etc” Ppl need to just let others enjoy/dislike things.

That was amazing! Nice to see the podcast guests contributing a little extra in your video. Extra props for the Asobi Asobase footage being used.

I'm enjoying this as an intellectual, humorous, loving, analytical whole bUT THAT AGGREEVETSUKO INSERT IS SO SMART AND CUTE I HAVE TO DO THE KZfaq THING AND POINT IT OUT

I get the meta-narrative. I get the commentary on fans of the series and how they don't want things to change. You get hammered with it from the first hours of the game and just keeps coming back, on and on, becoming a nuisance. And whether or not this means Nomura and the team sees fans as a life-sucking annoying specter is off to debate. What I do know is this: the fact that you managed to weave your commentary on the series through out the story and we all "got it" doesn't mean its good. The final hours of the game become just a malformed mess, the characters start speaking with a whole different tone, they very quickly just accept the fact they are fighting some abstract concept given form and roll with it. It's an ending for a different game, not the one you had been playing. They HAD to force in Sephiroth thru the whole game to justify those final hours. And in the aftermath instead of wanting more you are left with a feeling of dread of what they might try to conjure up next. This also taking into account the backlog of this writing team and the many missteps they've taken in other projects. The ending is not the worse one ever, not even close. But it has effectively killed any enthusiasm I might've had for the revival of this series. Now I'd rather keep my distance and maybe return to it once this whole project reaches its conclusion, if it ever does.