When you finally bump into Aerith, it's once again a very brief sequence if you choose to buy a flower, she'll pin it on Cloud's chest. The chaos is peppered with scattered flashbacks, as well as one very specific vision of Sephiroth-all of which are seemingly intended to establish one of the story's central mysteries. Nothing worth fighting for was ever won without sacrifice.' The Avalanche team wonders if they're indeed the baddies for wreaking so much havoc, and Barrett chastises them: 'Y'all gotta look at the bigger picture here.

You can see the reactor itself burning in the distance as you climb down from the rooftops. Instead of empty streets, the area around the Mako Reactor is filled with rescue workers, reporters, and sobbing children. When I arrived at that moment in Final Fantasy 7 Remake during my playthrough, I immediately noticed the differences. The encounter ends in an instant, but it's an important moment that establishes the bond between Cloud and Aerith, laying the groundwork for their subsequent relationship. The streets are mostly empty save for Aerith (referred to only as 'Flower Girl'), who asks if you'd like to buy one of her flowers. After an action-packed escape from the Mako Reactor-for my money one of the best opening sequences in gaming history-the music becomes melancholic, heightening Cloud's sense of isolation. I remember being struck by Aerith's first appearance, which comes very early on. While I will try and avoid overt spoilers wherever possible, please take warning. It felt grand in scope, and surprisingly emotional.įrom this point forward I will be referring to events that take place in the early hours of both Final Fantasy 7 and the remake. I was especially impressed by the often haunting atmosphere, which was backed by Nobuo Uematsu's mournful soundtrack. Given the emotional distance afforded by time, the visuals felt charming and nostalgic rather than outdated the art was expressive, the cast charming. Previous attempts to replay Final Fantasy 7 through the years had mostly been met with failure, as the old-school graphics would get to be too much and I would bounce. I did so out of love and nostalgia for the original, but I wasn't sure how long I would stick with it. Like many people, I started a new game of Final Fantasy 7 when it dropped on Nintendo Switch around this time last year.

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