Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - Aerith Death Scene

[@magicomethkuon]

6:27 *You'll never see the truth with such CLOUDED eyes.* Man just spent half his time in the lifestream thinking of delivering that pun

[@Tubeviewilhm]

Killing Aerith doesn’t even work with his plan now but he still had to go through with it just to make this pun sting more.

[@My2Cents1]

**Slow clap** Tetuya Nomura is a terrible director and the king of cheesy dialog. FFS religate that hack to designing background graphics like he did when he started.

[@Sonicisbadazz]

​@@My2Cents1He didn't direct this game. Nice try though.

[@lakkuh]

@@My2Cents1 He didn't direct the game, nor did any of the script. The script was written by Nojima who also did the OG FFVII script. Every change of the new game was WANTED by the ORIGINAL director. Nomura WANTED to do 1:1 original remake but Kitase wanted to spice things up. So summary, all the changes were wanted by the original and most important part of the crew. This is also just a localization where. 90% chance the japanese to english dialogue directly translated means totally different.

[@AnomalySource]

I’m really disappointed we didn’t get Cloud speech here “Aerith is gone. Aerith will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry...... or get angry......What about us...... what are WE supposed to do? What about my pain? My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!” Ok so I rewatched this a few times and see the cuts between where he’s talking. I really hope we hear his speech in a recap or something in part 3.

[@SwobyJ]

We did. He had it blocked out. They'll amplify it in the third game like they will the flashback at the start of Rebirth.

[@enzo.g4843]

Yeah, there's a lot of things I like about this version but not having cloud speech is kinda sad, I hope we'll have to see the real scene, (because this one seems to be from cloud pov) in the third game. Even if cloud can still see her, I think as players we get to see her "alive" too much after the scene (like during the last fight and when cloud tell her to wake up) and it makes the scene less impactful and sad imo.

[@Rydiculous]

They'll probably start out part 3 with a cinematic of this.

[@xwf80]

He will say it if Aerith dies in his hands, for now, at least in his eyes, Aerith isn't dead. As such, you won't heard it. Furthermore, pay attention to the titles, Remake, Rebrith, and Reborn. Who was been rebrith in this title, who will be reborn in the next?

[@ElysaraCh]

​@bloodtotemz8899 Because Sephiroth is being reborn. He's factually dead at the start of FF7.

[@Oh-Ben]

Cant wait for snowboarding right after this

[@CDJaramillo92]

And riding a golden Chocobo to find Knights of the round materia

[@jpk9902]

snoboad?

[@Iwnwnwk]

U ain't funny blud

[@raidengoodman8754]

Can't wait for Cloud to be in a wheelchair geeking out like an Alzheimer's patient

[@jpk9902]

oh look we got an expert here@@Iwnwnwk

[@eepysneepy]

can’t stop thinking about how deranged cloud must look to tifa at that moment, holding what appears to be a lifeless aerith’s bloody hand to his face…

[@rsoxboy]

4:35 small detail but very nice little touch that Cloud turns his back to protect Aerith from the blood spilling from Sephiroth's sword

[@earlyriser03]

Gamers: “We saved her!” Rebirth: “Psych.”

[@danzoEX]

lol they stole HAPPINESS FROM ME!!!

[@antoinejunior3353]

Broooo I just lived that moment live as I’m commenting lol. It still on pause

[@cloudxz92]

THAT'S THE WRONG NUMBER.😂

[@avengedlol6698]

​@@cloudxz92"I'm not a rapper"

[@Esfuerzo31]

I believe they saved her in one time line at least.

[@earlgaytea]

it's barret and tifa's reactions that really broke me tbh

[@НикитаСимонян-ж5е]

Because cloud thinks she is alive lol

[@serenitythelightone7541]

That; "I'll kill you." was from a tormented soul, and it pained me to see Barret that hurt.

[@DoolanderN7]

💯

[@xeonaught6942]

Tifas reaction is fucking insane from an animation standpoint

[@anactualamateur8618]

Barret has suffered so much over the course of these two games, arguably more than Cloud. First he lost his wife before the events of the game, while also thinking he lost Dyne. Then he lost Jessie Biggs and Wedge, as well as his home. On top of that his reputation was ruined with people thinking he’s a terrorist who dropped the sector 7 plate. Then he had to leave Marlene. Then return to his home village, Then he found out Dyne was alive, only too have to fight him and watch him die again and finally this. I feel like his losses are underplayed among the fans because of how he copes with them so well.

[@ExemplarKyle]

I was left so confused that the emotional impact was completely lost.

[@cherxiong8064]

😂😂😂 Frfr. This totally explained how I felt too. I had one tear and I was like… “wait… this doesn’t feel right, I’m supposed to be bawling!”

[@fabesey2016]

Same man, same.

[@nathanscott2871]

The boss fight was too long, it damages heavily the pacing of the scene. They should have just left it at fighting jenova.

[@MANJYOMETHUNDER111]

That's because you're stupid. Sephiroth is the original Sephiroth going back in time and fucking with key events in his own past to break time and control it. It's not that complicated.

[@Chris-qh5tz]

Same. The game lost me with this moment and made me start believing we wouldve been better off with an actually remake instead of them ruining a perfectly good story. The impact just isnt there as it was in the original.

[@Just_A_Random_Desk]

I like how they made Sephiroth sound more psychopathic than usual here

[@DropoutJerome]

As someone with little FF7 knowledge Sephiroth went from this god-like entity that truly seemed like he was just above everyone, to in rebirth just being a pouty pest who acted like the quiet kid in class who was able to find an AR-15 and was into nonconsensual puppy play.

[@AliHamza-sv4ni]

@@DropoutJerome you didnt have to write that you had very little knowledge about ff7. we can tell.

[@DropoutJerome]

@@AliHamza-sv4ni ok 🤓

[@Alucard-mj6yj]

@@DropoutJerome "As someone with little FF7 knowledge" yeah that checks out

[@DropoutJerome]

@@Alucard-mj6yj please explain how that checks out, correct me, if you can.

[@dekaynine6347]

notice the tears when cloud was holding aerith, it kinda shows which timeline is which. one had tears coming from both eyes, one had coming from only one and one from none

[@camello321]

Wait this game has 3 timelines going at the same time? I havent played the original 7 either, i just knoe this happens and i was wondering if she dies in this game too or they changed it out of curiosity

[@dekaynine6347]

@@camello321 im just speculating, no definitive answer right until part 3

[@nathanscott2871]

​@dekaynine6347 there are many timelines, the infinities is what sephiroth talks about, there's three maybe 4 different types of stamp. Timeline where zack goes for aerith, goes for biggs, goes for cloud. They info dumped way too much in the final chapter and it takes away from the scene. In my opinion. Still can't looking forward to 3 though

[@parasitone0814]

I mean in one he mourns aeriths death and cries, where as the other I think he does the speech we all know from the moment

[@9thmaggot]

There is no "timeline" question anymore. That it's all worked by Jenova, Cloud is so messed up that he is starting preparing field for his imaginary Aerith. Timelines are infinite, and Jenova is making Cloud see through all those other Clouds' that could exist. Yes, it involves timelines but just for exposition, because storytellingly speaking they become less-important now.

[@edg8-eddylikescake312]

4:57 Roxas: Who will I have ice cream with 😢

[@Aergia90]

Exactly. This is Final Kingdom Fantasy Hearts...

[@danica1227]

tetsuya nomura moment Edit: [you owe me a pizza joke]

[@ezorde]

I understood that reference!

[@astraldirectrix]

*_GODDAMMIT_*

[@user-mf3ip7no4d]

​@@danica1227nomura only did the character designs like the original 😭 why is everyone hating on him

[@PixieSprite48]

Here we go, my FFVII trauma starts again. Now there are voices and more detailed facial expressions involved. 😭

[@ronrr2334]

It's a good thing they rewrote beheading her in the remake.

[@leeroyleeroy]

Well it sucks compared to the original so

[@BK-mk3vi]

Sephiroth: "However...you'll never see the truth with such *_clouded_* eyes." Cloud: "SHUT UP!"

[@lylel.j.plummerjr.2094]

Me: I'm gonna make Sephiroth pay for what he did to Aerith Gainsborough.

[@yourtypicalbot1926]

Honestly that was one of the best shut up's ive ever heard

[@youngclueless7364]

I might be wrong here but I noticed that Cloud sees the timelime where Aerith is alive because she touches him When Cloud is crying while holding Aerith's body, Aerith reaches out and touches his face. Cloud then starts smiling and from then on, he sees her as still being alive, unlike the rest of the gang. This reminds me of Remake when she did the same thing to Marlene and Red XIII to calm them down

[@VeryNormalGuy9]

Here, I will give you another perspective. No, timeline stuff here in this scene, just same old Cloud’s mind is fucked up beyond believe. Every scene with rainbow filter (Cloud block the sword, Aerith didn’t get stab but somehow fall down to the ground, Aerith somehow woke up to comfort Cloud after Sephiroth spill the blood on his blade at him to mock him), all those scenes are in Cloud’s mind, his fantasy, what he cope so hard he believe it’s reality. On the other hand, every scenes with glitching effect or scene with no rainbow filter, all of those are what really happen, hard cold and bloody reality, something that Cloud wasn’t strong enough to face just yet. 5:09 This scene where it show what happen from perspective of Barret, Tifa and the gang, you can also see pool of blood under Aerith’s body, the girl is dead still in Cloud’s arms and of course…no rainbow filter to be seen.

[@tune-iw9qo]

@@VeryNormalGuy9I think you could be right but I’m just a little confused on the last part where it shows Barrett’s pov, aerith is still touching clouds cheek

[@AgentNoun]

@@tune-iw9qoIf you notice, it flashes back and forth between her hand being bloody and not being bloody. In reality, Cloud is holding Aerith's hand up to his cheek. In Cloud's mind, she reached up to touch him herself.

[@tune-iw9qo]

@@AgentNounoh I see, tysm

[@JaceWD]

@@VeryNormalGuy9 hehehe, i thought i was only one with this theory...all i read on internet is just marvelmultiverse kids, coz multiverse and timetravels are so popular now. But in actual reality, nothings been confirmed. What I see, is same as you. Just the mind of a crazy schizophrenic cloud who belongs in a psych ward, his mind if glitching and pulling tricks on him. What we see, and what he sees, is not reality. But he makes stuff up along the way as he sees fit. He is on very high dosage of copium. Same way he didnt know who zack was. And suddenly in nibelheim he sees zack drowning. He is making it up as he goes along. Theres many arguments for this theory. 1) when we see aerith dying and talking to cloud, thats not what tifa saw. Tifa saw a motionless and covered in blood aerith. 2) theres hints from sephiroth as well. He clearly tells cloud that cloud cant see the reality becoz his eyes are "clouded"...and in the final battle, he even clearly tells cloud "is this even reality"...and cloud is like "those tricks dont work on me anymore"...game is throwing us so many curveballs, we are supposed to not believe sephiroth anymore. But what if this is actually the truth. The final fight in remake and rebirth are happening inside his head, and mind. Theres no sephiroth other than sephiroth cells in him, that he is battling with and he is imagining "aerith" joining him for the fight... 3) sephiroth kills aerith. his mind glitches into thinking he saved her. But than the materia started falling and his mind glitches again into her talking to him. 4) the scene where zack and cloud in different worlds are winning and both waving the sword and saying the same words...at first i thought it was supposed to mean some brother/friends stuff...but what if it actually is trying to show us that there is no zack. theres just 1 person doing the motions and saying the words? 5) aeriths body is sunk into the lake like in the og 1997 game. ff7rebirth did not show us this, deliberately. but they were sitting near the lake mourning for a reason. but clouds mind glitches and we see her sitting next to him. 6) endscene, only he can see her. his mind is telling him, she is not dead. and only he "can see her". the "others cant" but thats becoz she is from another dimension/ world... 7) only he can see the rift becoz the rift doesnt exist. his mind is tricking him so he has purpose to continue the journey. to chase sephiroth. 8) he doesnt have the white materia. it fell into the lake. he has the black materia. his mind glitches into thinking its white. its special. its from aerith. aerith gave it to him. when he snaps into reality for a split second and sees it is black materia, his mind instantly glitches again. 9) final conversation with aerith...all her lines are lines that she spoke before in remake and rebirth. not a single line is new. exactly how a person remembering someone who is gone, can only remember lines that that person used to say before. not new lines. either that, or they didnt wanna reveal the ending to aeriths voice actress so she didnt had any endgame lines and they recycled some early lines for ending.

[@rockrobster27]

Holy f**k Tifa’s reactions are still so devastatingly heart breaking…

[@marinomele4575]

Yeah and Cloud's speech is so painful to hear with such great VAs... An no wait. They cut it.

[@darkknight2864]

animation team went nuts

[@BlackStarSeries]

@@marinomele4575the speech is being saved for part 3. ETA 2028 confirmed or 2029 for ps6 exclusive.

[@26Blackshirt]

lol this dude didn't understand the ending@@marinomele4575

[@williamjarvis3295]

​@@BlackStarSeries2027 for the 30th anniversary

[@asimb0mb]

My interpretation is that Cloud refuses to see the truth of what happened. In his mind, he saved Aerith. But we all know that Cloud's mind is totally fucked. At this time, he still believes that Zack died in Nibelheim and that he was a SOLDIER. Sephiroth straight up tells Cloud, "you'll never see the truth with such clouded eyes". Basically, Cloud won't see the truth until he comes to terms with what truly happened. Both in Nibelheim and here at the Forgotten Capital.

[@benn93z28]

But then there's that line Aerith says at the start of the final fight vs Sephiroth: "Cloud, I saw what you did back there ... thank you". This makes the whole "Saving Aerith was all in Cloud's mind" theory precarious.

[@jamesellis33]

Except, that Red XIII sensed Aerith.... Uh ohhh. there goes your theory out the window. lol

[@benn93z28]

I've had a change of heart thanks to re-watching Tifa & Cloud in the Lifestream sequence near the end of the OG FF7. Tifa was able to see Cloud's false memories of Nibelheim when he assumed Zack's identity. In Rebirth, Tifa has already been in the Lifestream and what she saw with Aerith being bloody/not bloody is the same scenario: Tifa seeing false memories created by Cloud's mind to avoid the mental trauma of the event. Aerith's words that I referenced in the above post could also be seen in the same context -- she's seeing the false memories created by Cloud's mind and knows that if he could have acted to save her, he would. That .. is what she might be thanking him for. The false memory of saving Aerith sets up AC nicely as it directly addresses the guilt he feels all throughout the movie until the very end when Cloud tells Aerith "I let you die" and later, she flat out tells him "I never blamed you ...not once."

[@Bluntteh]

​@@jamesellis33 he didn't save her in the prime timeline. The partys grief is that much apparent. The whole section with zack even shows the splintered timelines and how they form.

[@campylooksnice]

Cloud essentially got mind control by Sephiroth power. Even though he's clearly fully capable of existing but it's ineffective for him to resist as he already got thrown in the Mako in the first place. Even patches of his memories are resisting due to fake stories whenever facing huge battles.

[@DQZantetzuken]

They’ll bring it back full circle to hit us all at once in the third game when cloud finds out she is truly dead and accepts that she died, it will Hit like a truck

[@BlueMoon56832]

Wait...the materia...it didnt turn green, does that mean the prayer wasn't answered...oh fuck

[@DevilHunter1994]

Aerith does say that she's going to keep praying at the end, so it'll probably turn green later.

[@Intoxicatedmeta]

Aerith has to die so the planet can live, the lifestream needs a guide. Cloud saved her, but the whispers made her die anyway, thats why she says thank you.

[@badreedinebedro]

@@Intoxicatedmetaisn’t the opposite because when she was in coma the whole planet started to fall apart

[@ssppeeaarr]

lol the earth said they aint worthy of saving...yet. keep going seph. im rooting for ya.

[@1981mrdavid]

We never see it turn pale green in the og until we revisit with Bugenhagen and use the key in the music box.

[@MyUnitProcess]

I just completed the game and I’ll say I haven’t cried to a game in a long time. When her theme started playing during the boss fight. I had to pause a few times to wipe tears off my face. Great game can’t wait for part 3

[@monsterblacklable]

i'm playing with my tears

[@leestacey970]

I finished last night this and cosmo canyon had me crying my eyes out. What a game!

[@nathanscott2871]

I thought the scene was very poorly executed but the music score is just heartbreaking, it is the best composition of that song I've heard, it hits like a truck. Especially when the strings come in during the boss fight. What they needed to do was reduce the boss length, I think that damages the scene. I spent about 1hr fighting bosses which is about 45 minutes longer than any other battle.

[@MyUnitProcess]

@@nathanscott2871 I will agree the ending boss fight to this game did kinda hurt that scene. There was way too many stages. I’m hoping we get the cloud speech in part 3 where he said she can’t laugh, cry or get angry.

[@nathanscott2871]

@@MyUnitProcess when I replay in preparation for three I will be slapping it on easy for sure! It will help speed up that ending. To be honest one sephiroth fight would have been enough (would rather none) but the jenova fight with the music was great! Just all the fights after mess it up.

[@26Blackshirt]

Nice little hints here and there. Anyone notice how Cloud is the only one who doesn't have a full limit gauge at the start of the fight?

[@sbj6781]

what happen?

[@dannylopez5976]

​@@sbj6781I think the implication is he used it already. He used to stop Sephiroth's attack and doesn't have it even after the timeline correction.

[@iam4026]

@@dannylopez5976or that because Aerith still appears alive to him, so he isn’t as pissed off as the rest of the party

[@Qarth56]

@@dannylopez5976 The implication is that Cloud is convincing himself that Aerith isn't actually dead. He's constructed a reality in his mind, the scene we see initially, where he saved her. The rest of the party have full limit breaks as they are furious about her death, but Cloud is still in denial. That's also why everything is so unsettling at the end where the party is broken but Cloud is still bizarrely relaxed talking to an Aerith no-one else can see. The main questions are whether that Aerith he sees are just a coping mechanism or a Jenova illusion in an ironic reversal of how Sephiroth was trying to convince Cloud about Tifa being a fake.

[@haihuynh8337]

Because his imaginary friend Aerith communicated with Cloud and consoled him. His gauge is emptied afterward. But if the Lifestream works as suspected, that term "imaginary" is as "real" as anything.

[@EnglishICE]

Look closely at the shot of sephiroths sword before the transition.. the angle of the sword changes and also the floor pattern.. Aerith is very much alive in another timeline

[@astruis529]

I havent cried at a video game like this since 1997... I really hoped she wouldn't die this time. My anxiety was through the roof at first thinking we actually saved her, then i saw the blood and cried through the Jenova fight, then she fights Sephiroth with you and i was hoping the whispers saved her, then we see her laying there, then cloud says open your eyes and she does, then everyone is crying, this was the biggest emotional Rollercoaster i think ive ever been on and i dont know how to feel about it.

[@kaitlynhernandez6340]

EXACTLY how it went down for me

[@nathanscott2871]

I actually disliked this as it was a bit too jarring. I think if they reversed the glitching it would have been better I mean if we see her bloodied dead version and as cloud goes to speak it glitches to a clean version of her, then back to dead, then as he says wake up it glitches to the clean version where she opens her eyes. The gang run up and see the bloodied version but it glitches and shows cloud is in his delusional broken world at this point. But the worst part of it is the boss fights, took me an hour and apart from jenova the rest felt disconnected for me and because they weren't easy it interrupted to heavily the tone they were trying to set. At least for me that is. Great ideas, but poorly executed or at least could be executed better.

[@xmant8842]

I was crying as well. Though I feel like it's kind of perfectly set up for her to come back at some point in the third game probably, especially with zack telling cloud to save her. Chances are cloud made another timeline by trying to block sephiroth's attack on aerith, given the effect used after he blocked it

[@nathanscott2871]

@xmant8842 well the world state will be ready for advent children, confirmed by the writers. She is dead in advent children. I personally love how refreshing and different it is to have a strong fan favourite character die. Well I hate it but I love it. She is better as a character you wished lived rather than actually living, much like zack. It also allows for the game to make the player experience every emotion even the bad ones, from anger and sadness to happiness and joy. By removing her death you remove some of the emotional connection the player has to the game.

[@bri6859]

it was confusing because cloud is in denial that she's dead.

[@axmr97]

I'm tearing up in a Chinese buffet.

[@KL4NNNN]

you missing a lot. An italian buffet is 1000x times better

[@RayoSombrio78]

To be honest, I still had some hopes she would survive in the remake...

[@IcedCube0310]

Honestly Jesse’s death scene got me bawling this scene just got me confused while my eyes were watering

[@bri6859]

its because cloud couldn't accept it. Its sort of the same thing with Zack when he got thrown away in the waterfall. Its why sephiroth said you'll never see the truth with the such clouded eyes as he's .

[@revit4909]

were seeing cloud make more fake memories, he'll completely break down in the finale, part 3. also sephiroth really be flirting with cloud

[@cloudxz92]

What happens here is even worse then in the OG Game. Sephiroth/Jenova let Cloud thinking that Aerith is still alive. He thinks he saved her. So is not even able anymore to get over her Death and face it. When Sephiroth drops the truth, Cloud will be complety fall apart. This will be much much worse then in the OG Game when he did. Cloud complety mental breakdown will be very heartbreaking this Time. He can't remember how Zack died and he can't remember that Aerith died. Sephiroth will make that very clear to him.

[@tg.tyrant2302_]

Wdym. Cloud's seeing into the opposite timeline; Jenova isn't making Cloud hallucinate

[@cloudxz92]

@@tg.tyrant2302_ Cloud's complete Character is a fake from Jenova Cells and his Wishes.

[@dangerousdoings8066]

⁠@@tg.tyrant2302_how do we know clouds seeing into an alternate timeline? only HE is seeing these alternate timelines, not like the other characters are (this whole alternate timeline thing could be emphasizing how fucked up clouds mind really is)

[@mrseppy]

@@dangerousdoings8066well they’re pretty much in the OG timeline, Aerith is death, that’s 100% confirmed, cloud’s mind is just so fucked up he didn’t wanna probably accept that she’s dead, that’s why all the other party members immediately knew what’s up, they knew she died, a good indicator is when you actually fight Jenova, everyone but cloud has their limit, in a way, they’re pissed, angry, sad, grieving, but cloud doesn’t wanna accept the fact that Areith is dead so he doesn’t really loose his shit here, but it’s implied that his mind is so fucked up. Yeah there’s probably a timeline thing that Numora probably did but that’s what I took away from this.

[@blueeyeddrago3540]

Oh! That would be soul destroying if that does happen. So Sephiroth was the one who manipulated Cloud and us to thinking that Zack is alive, basically?

[@GenesisJames]

One thing that I really appreciate about Aerith's death here (and just Rebirth in general): they do a GREAT job at showing us this moment through Cloud's eyes. We're experiencing the confusion and tumultuous emotions that Cloud has, and are also literally witnessing his denial coping mechanism in real time. The glimpses we get through the static show Cloud delivering his speech, but he's blocking it out because he doesn't want to accept it. He's the epitome of an unreliable narrator at this point. When the time comes to have Tifa help Cloud sift through his memories in the Lifestream in Part 3, I guarantee we're gonna relive this event with total clarity alongside Cloud. It might even be possible that he did split the timeline into one where she does end up getting saved. However, if Sephiroth is to be believed (and Zack's timeline can back this up), every timeline that branches off from the "primary" one is fated to end in destruction, so I'm super interested in seeing how it plays out. Aerith also seems to be a spirit that's connected to the Lifestream now in this timeline. It seems like only people really attuned to the Lifestream can feel her presence like Red and Cloud; Cloud especially so since he appears to be somewhat dimension-hopping in order to bring an intact Holy into this timeline since this Aerith didn't have hers for some reason. His schizophrenia is also probably, funnily enough, heightening is senses to Aerith. She's most likely just gonna help the crew from the Lifestream from here on out. They're definitely banking on some big reveals in Part 3, the acceptance of Aerith's death included. I loved this game and Remake, so I trust them to stick the landing!!

[@irathebeardie5720]

I thought I wrote this but you did. Totally agree

[@pigster1813]

Agreed

[@reimichacha]

This is beautifully well thought out. I was extremely at a loss to the emotional impact of Aerith’s death but “He’s the epitome of an unreliable narrator” really helped me to connect the dots especially when you can see flashes of what was suppose to be vs. what we are seeing.

[@GenesisJames]

@@reimichachaFor sure! Whether this setup pays off or not definitely depends on what they do in Part 3, but they haven't done us wrong so far imo, so I'm gonna let them cook! I thought it was also a good way to keep some surprise and emotional intrigue for people who knew what was gonna happen to Aerith. Aerith's death is practically unavoidable in the video game sphere; even people who have no idea what Final Fantasy's about have probably seen or at least have heard about Aerith's death, so at least for me, I probably wouldn't have had a big response to it here other than "that sucks, but it was expected". However, with the way they handled it, I now am WAY more invested purely because I don't know what they're gonna do with this moment going forward, so it kinda rekindled my intrigue in this part! They were going for a different emotion here compared to the original, so it's almost hard to compare them despite being essentially the same plot point, but I thought it was super interesting. Cloud's schizophrenia and broken mental state were always super interesting to me, so I was super glad that they're leaning into it here. It's gonna hit hard if they make Cloud accept her fate in Part 3!!

[@reimichacha]

@@GenesisJames I remember when the game was still in development, I forget who but someone in an article stated that they were nervous about whether or not players would get the ending of Rebirth and if they would be satisfied with it. Gotta say; their feelings are so valid lmao cause now I’m right there with ya, super excited for what they’ve got planned for part 3!

[@monn-tan]

I felt that the devs want the audience to feel shock. But most felt confused lol I truly wish they could've handled it better. The direction for this scene felt so off

[@mettatonneoex]

The Shock was the Near Fakeout. I just think the mystery could have had more time to brew

[@BryanOrion-m5i]

100% agree. I just finished the game and the whole ending segment dragged on and just kept getting more confusing. Aerith is still with everyone at the end, even speaking to Cloud like nothing, it's just everyone else can't see her. Way to completely cheapen the DEATH OF A MAIN CHARACTER.

[@xtreme65]

​@user-ju8hg9iq8h Thing is, in Advent Children Cloud was always able to have chats with Aerith, I think Rebirth is playing more into that, so I really didn't mind the part how only Cloud can see her as it still in tune with the established canon. It's the long drawn out boss segment that downplays everything. I mean for crying our loud the way Cloud and Yuffie joke around during the Jenova fight was what really took me out of the moment. YOU ALL SHOULD BE SAD OR MAD!!!!!

[@raidengoodman8754]

@@BryanOrion-m5iuse your noggin there, champ. Obviously Cloud's mind is screwed up immensely, more so than it was in the og. He coped over Zack's death by adopting what he thought his personality was and forgetting all about what had happened. Here he's coping with Aerith dying by pretending she didn't

[@BryanOrion-m5i]

@@raidengoodman8754 Dude I understand what happened and what they are doing....I'm saying the way they handled it and played it out was terrible. I didn't feel sad when the moment came, I felt confused....like wtf is going on here??

[@spartanhawk7637]

The QTE was perfectly done IMO. For those that haven't played it, the haptic response on the triggers actually fights you inputting the buttons so that it feels like you're fighting against them. Follow that up with the initial victory against Sephiroth only to have the timeline correct itself made it hit super hard.

[@Rydiculous]

Cloud clearly saved her in one of these realities/timelines. If you look at where Cloud is standing after he blocks the attack. Seph's sword is long but not so long it would extend past that. Cloud also could not overpower Sephiroth except for that time he killed him. So maybe he could have here but there was no effort on Sephiroth's face while Cloud was pushing with everything. When Sephiroth attacked the weapon its the only time you saw him show any physical effort/exertion. This makes me believe he wanted Cloud to save her in one reality. Even in the final fight I don't think he's trying to kill them he's just playing with his food. Like in the first game. He just leaves when he gets bored/finishes F'ing with them. He wants her alive and he's been going as far as to even save Cloud from death in at least 1 reality. He wants her alive in 1 reality because her death is what stops him.

[@TonyKanameKuran]

In reality, Aerith is dead. In the alt timeline, Aerith is alive... as well as Zack.

[@nathanscott2871]

They are just illusions/copies/manifestations of sephiroth not the real deal. Remember in the first game it was just a black robe, the fights with him here are happening in a sort of dreamscape.

[@vincentlyons5858]

He had the high ground he was always gonna win that

[@bradkeen9760]

In remake it was obvious that he wasn’t fighting seriously, but I think it was different here, after defeating sephiroth, he was pushed back and even on one knee, I think he tried to rush his plans (whatever they may be) by killing Cloud and Aerith then and there, but they proved superior. But he knew it wasn’t over yet so he left. I think the biggest evidence of this is at the end of the fight, no taunting or cryptic statements, he chuckled a little and just left

[@Rydiculous]

@@bradkeen9760 He did look pissed off or at least annoyed at the end of the fight. I still think he just left cause he felt like it. The end cinematic in remake duel with Cloud he looked like he was doing some 1% power Freiza stuff with Cloud so unless were supposed to believe Cloud gets a LOT stronger between the end of remake and rebirth I don’t know that it was that Cloud and Aerith bested him.

[@danzoEX]

Bruh I literally said YEEEEEES!!! when I thought Cloud saved her and then said NOOOOOOOOOO!!! when it was revealed that he actually didn’t

[@Ohne_Silikone]

I think it shows aerith is alive in the life stream (like in the OG ending). Cloud can see her and listen to her because he fell into the lifestream, got infused by it and is special that way. He got exposed to both Jenova and the lifestream and both are battling it out inside of him. But here the lifestream is finally winning, stricken by his grieve and the encouragement of aeriths legacy. That would be very true to the originals plot. Cloud is a bridge between realms, pinnacle of the battle. Red also can sense stuff (but not see) because he is close to the planet as well, be it differently and in his own right, more animalistic. I think this is a Fulcrum in time. At this stage Aerith dies to safe the planet, be it by sephiroth or other, maybe even more mystical factors. (She knew this and warned Cloud not to fall in love in Remake). In all situations she lies motionless in Clouds arms. One sword runs bloody, the other one doesn’t (this might refer to the original game, in which there was no blood portrayed), but in all situations Aerith lays there in the same position, with Cloud portraying different types of grief. There might even be a timeline in which he himself cuts her down. Notice also that both black and white whispers come together in this situation.

[@tg.tyrant2302_]

Yeah I like this theory the best

[@loregasmic]

2:16 Rainbow aura around Cloud frees his hands. 2:23 Cloud blocks Sephiroth's sword. 7 seconds.

[@Ramiel1point0]

Would you look at that...huh!

[@LidiaVTuber]

Wow

[@loregasmic]

Time enough for him, perhaps. But what did he do with it? Let's see.

[@goddangcuz628]

The jenova cells in clouds body lets sephiroth toy with his mind, truly diabolical to make us see aerith saved then take it away 😢

[@am4x]

Yeah, i believe cloud not trusting tifa was a big hint about what might come now with aerith

[@thiagoleonheart1769]

It Will be when Sephiroth Will Appear and make The Nibelheim memories appears to be created. And It Will convince him (Cloud) and Tifa about this, Just like The OG.

[@AnakhaSilver]

People really haven't noticed Sephiroth is PURPOSELY creating fractures in the timeline, have they?

[@blueblazer9991]

No they have, they can just understand why that's stupid and a massive cancerous blight on the story

[@ElysaraCh]

with regard to the "Sephiroth is a time traveler" fan theory: If this was true, why would he say "Seems I've underestimated you"?

[@robertbrighton9797]

Basically wants to be omega god over all of time and space instead of just 1 planet in 1 time

[@kahir8642]

@@robertbrighton9797 "What if Sephiroth was more like Ultimecia?" was certainly not a question I ever wanted a Final Fantasy writer to ask.

[@Alucard-mj6yj]

​@@blueblazer9991cope

[@dw5731]

So I analyzed the death scene and there's definitely another world/timeline where Aerith lives and Cloud did block Sephiroth's sword evident in the rainbow color fog thing u see like the one in the sky. Unfortunately in our timeline she still dies.

[@tg.tyrant2302_]

Basically yeah. In remake, Zack's timeline was created when they changed fate, and in Rebirth, Aerith's alive timeline was created when Cloud blocked Sephiroth's sword.

[@corjonbett]

The rainbow fog is showing that it's just a delusion Cloud is having. his mind is failing him, as it has been since the beginning.

[@David-dv5ov]

But why would that timeline be different? They were both right there to stop Sephiroth, why would she die in one and live in the other

[@judgeoftruth6058]

Nah she dies, its like she fated to die, just as biggs wedge and jessie, and zack too probably in pt 3 but if u recall the "zack" who choose to save biggs or cloud/aerith gets mobbed by soldiers as well just like his og timeline . Even aeriths alt timeline dies in the church

[@anon8373]

@@tg.tyrant2302_ i think you are right. Aerith is still alive in another timeline. The Aerith that helps you fight Sephiroth at the end. Aerith said to Cloud that you'll meet her future self during the beach chapter.

[@yannispirou101]

I kinda wish it was less convoluted because it raises different theories that don't make a lot of sense, however, I think what they're going for with her death in rebirth is absolutely fcking genius. The entire thing is basically Cloud's POV and how his mind is completely shattered after witnessing her death, to the point where he doesn't even know what happened. I love this idea and I genuinely can't wait to see his progress in the third game, it's gonna be devastating.

[@linkshunter608]

Yeah, that's what I think too. Cloud being so delusional that he can't accept Aerith died is really interesting to me. The theory of Cloud seeing two timelines at the same time or whatever is ridiculously horrible. Cloud has lost his mind right now, he's all messed up.. If it's revealed that he was right the whole time about Aerith ACTUALLY being there (not just feeling her through the lifestream like Nanaki did or how Barret felt Wedge in the lifestream at Cosmo canyon) would be so stupid. An "I told you so" moment would be BAAADDD, wtf is the point of mental health being a huge theme if he wasn't even wrong..... But Cloud's delusional pov and watching his journey of getting worse and worse until he hits a breaking point where he'll then recover has me hooked.

[@KatzProductionsYT]

This game sucks u r coping

[@yannispirou101]

@@KatzProductionsYT boo hoo

[@anon8373]

@@KatzProductionsYT stunod

[@anon8373]

@@linkshunter608 crappy take

[@JHemp12]

What a confusing mess. Trading one of the most heartbreaking moments in video game history for some suprise mystery box is she or isnt she dead bs. Clouds lines "my hands are tingling, my mouth is dry my eyes are red", Barrett nearly shooting Cloud because he thought Cloud did it. None of that is here. The one thing they did improve on here was Tifa's reaction but dam I really hate this multiverse whisper bs they have in the remakes.

[@Pacifica_909]

Imagine if Sephiroth offered Cloud some donbei right after killing Aerith

[@Redhead_20567]

Sephiroth: Cloud! Have a unlimited edition bowl of “Despair Donbei”

[@haileeraestout5567]

@@Redhead_20567 Cloud: I DONT WANT YOUR DONBEI (Hugs A Dead Aerith)

[@kurtandrietorrejos9652]

fvck it,it's a cannon event

[@thegamercat9809]

Was looking forward that scene where cloud was carrying Aerith and letting her sink to the life stream

[@tg.tyrant2302_]

They're probably saving that/Cloud's speech for 3rd game. It's clear Cloud still thinks Aerith is alive so when he truly finds out she's dead it's gonna hit hard and maybe we'll get some flashbacks or smth

[@hishouha]

I also feel like the scene will appear when Cloud realizes what actually happened. Probably after Modeheim’s scene

[@Wing-Zero-si1eu]

My grandfather passed away a year ago. Since then, I hadn’t cried like this until this happened on my first played. And boy it hurts so bad that a part of you just died.

[@WanderingWind71]

6:02 the theme here is so sad, but then the trumpets turn it into an almost hopeful anthem of how Aerith's plan is going to save the planet even if she's not there in person. Hopefully we see Aerith come back this time. Cmon Square, let us save the girl this time.

[@Heavenly_Father]

Naah, her death is one of the best moments in the game (not in a good way but still...). And also never players must also experience the trauma we had 25 years ago. THEY MUST FEEL THE PAIN

[@nathanscott2871]

It's such a better story with her death, it is a very integral aspect of the cycles of the lifestream and of life in general. And as much as it sucks she died she dies a hero, and with cloud we learn to accept it. Look at zack, he dies a failed hero who never achieved anything of what he desired in life. Hence is dying thought being "was I a hero?" Aerith death also sets cloud down the path of self discovery with the aid of tifa.

[@corjonbett]

They can't.If Aerith survives, Meteor destroys the entire planet. Like it or not, her death was required.

[@SunriseFestival]

Having all party memebers enter Jenova boss fight with full limit breaks was just brilliant.

[@andreadicamillo6449]

guys, I think that it's just simple to understand. Cloud's just crazy and his mind is fucked, he can't process aerith's death so he still thinks that she's alive or that, in a way or in another, she's always with him. Yeah the ending was maybe quite confusing, but at the end all the pieces are in the right place and you can clearly see that Cloud's thoughts are just fucked up, because of all the events and problems he's been through.

[@tg.tyrant2302_]

It's way more complicated than that. In short, sephiroth's alien DNA somehow turns him into some metaverse God who can see between universes and shit. He creates tears in the timelines and basically Cloud can see into another timeline where Aerith would've survived.

[@Oddfosshaugbagi]

Alright so he dosent know how his mom died and not if zack died and dosent know that aerith is dead

[@Rolland77]

Wasn't this scene more subtle and emotionnal in the original? Or is it just me being old and nostalgic?

[@squallx840]

Yes and yes. Also same here. Not sure if I am already mentally prepared, or the lack of the MIDI theme, lol

[@TheLongBrook]

I think the idea is that they're not necessarily telling THAT story. I interpreted it as Cloud actually did manage to save Aerith, created the alternate timeline, and experienced all of the emotions that went along with that. Which I think is why he is not effected in story or gameplay (all the party members start the fight with their limits ready, but Cloud doesn't). But ultimately, he is pulled back to the OG'ish timeline by the white whispers with all of the memories of saving her intact. It was alluded to in Remake when he shed a tear when he had a premonition of Aerith's death that he could actually feel the emotions from different timelines.

[@dekaynine6347]

the scene where aerith hands the white material hits harder maybe because of the music, but they changed the vibes with that scene especially with the music probably bc aerith doesn't really die so it wouldnt make sense to make it as dramatic as OG. Ok, she does maybe, but like shes kinda still with us spiritually? idk

[@anastasia8214]

It's not you, they stripped the scene of many things: first, we don't even see Aerith being killed. They also removed Cloud's speech afterward, which is a shame in my opinion. And they also removed the iconic scene of Cloud lowering her in water.. so really, in Rebirth's version, there isn't much to be sad about. It's just confusing. Honestly I don't see the point in this remake. They seem to mostly follow OG's progression, and yet they manage to ruin every important scene.

[@dekaynine6347]

​@@anastasia8214 ok i wouldn't go as far tp say they ruined ALL of the important scene unless youre just talking about aerith's death... they made and did everything else better including the forest scene and others. But hey on the bright side, maybe it will all connect in part 3, the devs had to have a reason to purpose omit most of aerith's death. If they kept everything 1 to 1 then it wouldn't make sense in the "remake" trilogy. Let's just hope they fill in all the gaps in part 3

[@NordicWiseguy]

Cloud actually managed to save Aerith in forgotten capital. When Cloud blocked Sephiroth's sword a bright rainbow colored light appeared out of nowhere and then Sephiroth's sword flies into the ground. Then the scene switches into main timeline where he kills Aerith. We see Aerith being covered in blood when Barret and the others arrive to the scene. When we see them crying around her body there is no rainbow light anywhere to be seen. Then after the final fight is over Cloud walks to check on Aerith, the scene changes and Barret and the others mysteriously disappear and Cloud is suddenly alone with Aerith and this bright rainbow colored light is surrounding the altar. We learned from Zack's actions that this light symbolizes the creation of parallel worlds. Also Sephiroth said that everytime the fate gets breached it leads into the creation of another parallel world. This is what we see when Cloud blocks Sephiroth's attack in forgotten capital. The scene goes back and forth implying that there are two parallel realities where Aerith died and survived. Main timeline Aerith is dead but Aerith from that timeline Cloud's actions created is alive and well. When this light is surrounding the altar we see that Aerith is uninjured. There is no blood to be seen around her body. Cloud asks Aerith to wake up and she opens her eyes and smiles at Cloud. Main world Aerith's spirit also thanked Cloud for saving her during the last fight "I saw what you did back there Cloud, thank you." and Cait Sith's first fortune reading heavily foreshadows this moment: "Things are looking up so throw your caution to the wind. Place your trust in others and the last minute twist may pleasantly surprise you." I love this ending. Cloud finally saved her. This is the ending i wanted to see. Even if it happens in parallel timeline i'll gladly take it.

[@mariogirl8100]

BASED!

[@sydniusalminia5364]

This is more or less my thought on this scene too.

[@mettatonneoex]

Sephiroth: all according to plan

[@NordicWiseguy]

@@mettatonneoex Zack Fair: The thing with plans is that they are prone to backfire.

[@mettatonneoex]

@@NordicWiseguy Exactly even if we get the Best timeline all the biggest threats are going to be let loose. The Planet loves Fate and Aerith and Sephiroth go directly against it's wish

[@ChestinysDialed]

I teared up more at helpless litte Aerith losing her mother than this.

[@Adamatronamus]

I think the directors just didn't want to make a decision on whether she lives or dies.

[@TheQiuetOne]

Fuck...you see him try to deflect the blade and you think you've won this time....EVIL! Considering we all knew what the outcome was... but then the QTE...the fact that you see him deflect the blade...made me so hope that... unlike the last time, this time I got it right ya know...

[@NerdGeekTalk]

Wow they turn cloud to a schizophrenic

[@aloneinthelight7754]

He heard voices in the original too.. so nothing new here

[@paul-nj1ig]

​@@aloneinthelight7754he also gaslight himself

[@tg.tyrant2302_]

Best way you could've put it😂

[@chrisdavidson5044]

I think he has saved her essentially. The effort that’s gone into creating such confusion, like everyone has said, ruins the impact of her death. It seems unlikely the development team would be unaware of that unless it was just completely necessary.

[@TigraSpartan]

The way Cloud holds sword over Aerith head and the music...ABSOLUTE PERFECTION

[@xaby996]

...riiiight 😂😂😂

[@vergil726]

I’m gonna admit I cried for like a good 5 minutes at this scene

[@enas7547]

The white materia losing it's original green color is a clue this probably is an alternate timeline that Cloud merged into at the end of RE. It could be that the two timelines are merged into one (confluence) so it means the others are experiencing the one where Aerith died and Cloud is in the one where he saved her. the "7 seconds" could be the moment where Sepheroth wanted to use the pain cloud and the others felt when Aerith died from the original to fuel his own power in the same way the souls of the geostigma did.

[@jeremyfields9009]

The White Materia is used to speak directly with the Planet and once the Planet receives the message, the Materia glows light green. It is used to summon the "Ultimate White Magic", Holy. If it’s still white that means the planet didn’t receive the message. Aerith also said she didn’t know how to pray to the planet. Her mission isn’t done yet Aerith will return in part 3

[@SiestaYonJyuGo]

still cant use a phoenix down huh?

[@WallyWachell]

-10 points from Gryffindor

[@Desolas_]

"you have the downs!"

[@vexozap]

​@@Desolas_watch out for the pointy bits

[@princenoah21]

Phoenix Downs remove KO status, not revive the dead.

[@hopecolpan5074]

Phoenix downs only work if you're near death. Not dead.

[@SpanishFly120]

People who got into FF7 recently don't get how rough this is for those of us who played FF7 in Fall 1997. For over 26 years, we tried to find ways to bring her back. For over 26 years, people wrote stories about saving her. And after more than 26 years, we hoped we could change it. To be told "No" after all that time is like having a wound from our childhood re-opened even after we've grown up.

[@LindaKruegel]

It’s not that serious.

[@CojaGamez]

​@@LindaKruegel Stop being so bitter

[@miguelangel6362]

Wait till third part, who knows what awaits at the end

[@lyndongaming]

we werent told no, in fact we were given a canon universe where she survived now. not only that but zack too. hopefully the third game will tackle this.

[@bradkeen9760]

Nothing is truly over Not yet We wait for part 3 Say I’m in denial, but I don’t care, like the song “no promises to keep” they will meet again, and cloud will never let go. I can’t say I’ve been waiting for over 26 years like you, but I have been ever since Kingdom hearts 1, and how they reunite in the credits (so subtle but true) and I will not rest until they meet again and are together

[@Arday60]

One of my favorite parts about this whole scene/battle is the very subtle change Aerith's theme goes through, from a just a single piano to a piano, a horn and a slightly faster beat that changes it into a battle theme. Excellent work.

[@hpesojogladih9782]

100% that the Aerith Ghost Cloud sees is real even if he is mentally unstable from losing her. While Aerith 1 did died, her spirit lives on and can still interact with the living in some way or form at least in the ending. Aerith 1 having her white ghost minions with her during the final battle shows this 👍.

[@zeldaoot23]

Maybe... but it's at least interesting that all the scenes with her waking up and talking to Cloud are conspicuously omitted from the ending credits. I wonder what that means? It can't just be that it's in an alternate reality, because the ending credits show a lot of those scenes from alternate worlds/timelines. There's something else going on.

[@judgeoftruth6058]

That's what she does in advent children which was unexplained how cloud can interact with her and zack in the film, i think they are just connecting the dots

[@potterrulz111]

I thought this was a lot more impactful than the original. In the original i wasnt invested probably because of the way the characters looked; you cant see or feel the emotion as much. They made Aerith so lovable in the remake; this hit so hard.

[@doggypi1532]

I really like how you can feel the teamwork in this rebirth... The benched characters in original can remain bemched but in this it'd be a good idea to build them up too~

[@BelebayChan]

Is it just me, or is the music while walking up to Aerith the Hymn of the Fayth?

[@Silverfish-qv8ig]

I don't get why people are confused here... It's very simple. She is not a ghost at the end, simply a version of the timeline where she survived and Cloud prevented her death. Cloud can see her because of the universe bleed he experiences (why he can see the rift, whilst others cannot). The clue is in the rainbow motif (signalling that a change in the timeline has taken place). It's clever, as by having Aerith stay in the Forgotten city 'praying' it allows both sets of fans to be satisfied in the next game, without having to make two versions of the game (one with Aerith always present, one without).

[@muhdhaikal4113]

I think the reason Cloud can see Aerith is because he holds the White Materia. Marlene can see the future that Aerith dies is probably because she was so close with the White Materia when she hugs Aerith. The White Materia probably contains the memory of Aerith of some sort.

[@mostcreative3680]

The only reason I don’t think she’s alive is because she does actually interact with the others. They just can’t see her. Red Xiii senses her presence though. He wouldn’t sense her if it was a timeline shift. He senses her spirit.

[@Saz103]

Nah she is spirit in the livestream, its just confusing knowing how convulted they made it.Its why red is the only one who senses her and why barret and tifa think cloud has completely lost it.

[@GodOfAI_]

So all this multiverse thing is to bring her back in the third game or will it connect to advent children as the developers stated?

[@Tw0tson]

Not confused, it’s just stupid

[@zaine117]

So there's three timelines. It seems like in the current time line, Aerith is dead. Second time line Aeirth is alive and third time line, both Cloud and Aerith are dead.

[@josephhall9457]

Where is this third timeline you speak of?

[@user-mf3ip7no4d]

​@@josephhall9457zack's timeline

[@tg.tyrant2302_]

Yeah they've done the Endgame time travel theory where if you change fate, an entire new timeline is created. This one has a little twist to it though since you basically get cloned if you change fate

[@Off_White247]

"Phoenix down" DAM IT CLOUD, YOU HAVE THE DOWNS

[@rejectgodhood3219]

Tbh they completely ruined the saddest moment of video game history by confusing us with those switches of different timelines, then Aerith is alive then she isn’t. Nothing will beat the OG moment now.

[@mitch6962]

Yeah the way they did it here is really dumb

[@mynameisntimportant1374]

Idk about saddest moment but surely one of the saddest

[@thiagoleonheart1769]

This is The Remake. They Will not Just do The exactly same thing. They Will include somethings.

[@mitch6962]

@@thiagoleonheart1769 Yeah and they made it suck.

[@rekijitsu89]

I loved this game but I kinda dislike how this ending was handled tbh - Whispers overall obstructing the vision of what should be Aerith’s moment not “but what if wacky fate ghosts” moment - Banter toward the end of the Jenova fight ranges from just acceptable (Tifa/Cait) to outright atrocious (YUFFIE WHAT THE FUCK SOMEONE JUST DIED STOP TALKING ABOUT YOURSELF FOR ONE SECOND??) - Contrasting above, Yuffie for example is supposed to need to cry and a hug by the end of it all when she leaves Aerith’s body at the altar, and I just don’t feel the party’s mourning like in the original In the original the Jenova fight is completely silent for technical reasons, but I think it would have been nice to emphasize the impact of fighting through a party member death. Instead I came away wishing it had stayed silent.

[@tg.tyrant2302_]

Yeah, Cid and Barrett happily singing along fixing the Tiny Bronco while everyone else is crying felt kinda weird and wonky😂

[@corjonbett]

The entire game is Cloud reliving it and trying to change things. That's my opinion of why the game is suddenly super goofy, and that party members who were useless in the original are suddenly turning badass.

[@CPT85]

We thought things would be different, but in the end, we were still given an illusion of choice.

[@Ignirium]

Aerith death and alive Scene where she dies and doesn't die, and you see it and don't see it happen. wow

[@manu200x9]

THE MULTIVERSE my friend

[@nathanscott2871]

​​@@manu200x9 not the multiverse, they use different effects such as white feathers and stamp to showcase multiverse, this is the mind glitching effect from cloud to cope with what's happening. Hence when she reaches for his face it glitches when tifa shows up and its actually cloud holding her dead hand to his face, the start of the chapter is shown in first person perspective, I think this illustrates we are seeing things the way cloud is seeing things. Cloud is heavily in denial and being controlled by sephiroth, we will see the truth of this scene in the 3rd game when cloud regains control of his mind. We will then see what he says in those glitched scenes as they are the reality. We will also see cloud laying her to rest in the lake, another thing cloud blocked out as it doesn't fit the narrative he created. However they are all sat by the lake and cloud thinks aerith is there, however, she isn't. Obviously this is speculation, but the multiverse is temporary and just subversive. Nothing is all that different from the original when you ignore the multiverse stuff.

[@manu200x9]

​@@nathanscott2871Friend I'm using a translator so I'm sorry if you don't understand me in a few words XD. I am guided by the visual, It is seen when Cloud manages to prevent Sephiroth from being killed by the yellow glow when a new reality is created. As happened with Zack Furthermore, it is seen that the position of the sword when it falls is different from when reality is "FIXED" Not to mention when Cloud finally sees Aerith, he sees the sky split. sign that you are seeing another reality that is destined to be destroyed. also the effect of the cloud mind failure It also appears when he can "see the future" as in the remake where he sees Aerith's death and when he tries to remember Zack in Nibelheim's room. My theory is that Cloud can see between realities, either because Sephiroth gave him that ability when they were falling through the worlds or because of the J cells that connect him to Sephiroth.

[@ElysaraCh]

@@nathanscott2871 It's not multiverse. It's Cloud being completely delusional. Cloud is so broken and traumatized by everything that's happened to him that he's unable to process or understand what's right in front of him. He can't accept reality so his brain is substituting its own. It's completely in keeping with the original story.

[@jankaveron]

@@ElysaraCh No they are using a rainbow effect when different outcomes / options are present. Zack deciding which route to take - to Biggs in Sector 6 or to Hojo in the Shinra building gives that rainbow effect.

[@himmy.]

The impact of this scene was lost because of those unskippable cutscenes between each bosses when you die. Especially the sephiroth fight. So fucking aggravating

[@Henson222]

They should have mixed the sound different here. I remember only hearing the music in the original FF7 and only a few sounds from the fight. The fighting sound are to loud. I didn´t remember seeing anything through my tears either back than. This scene was one of the four emotional moments in my gaming history since 1975.

[@linkshunter608]

I solved this problem at the very start of my playthrough. Music volume and voices at 10 and all of the combat SFX and whatnot at like 5 or 6. The music fucking slaps the entire game ofc I want it blaring in my ears 🗣️

[@freebritney89]

It hit me in the 90s And it hit me harder seeing Tifa hurt by Aeriths death.

[@lunastarz8703]

When abridged series does this scene better than the game

[@masamune2984]

They really should have turned off the in-battle dialogue/chat for the JENOVA fight. It really robs what little emotion this remixed version of this scene still had left (especially Nanaki’s new “real” voice…they really massacred our boy)

[@Ashendrot]

his real voice was always like that in the og game, it just wasnt translated properly to english

[@linkshunter608]

Agree except for the Nanaki part, asking for that is essentially asking for a totally different character, that's not how how he'd behave in this situation. Seeing the woman he actually trusted immediately, the only one that he knew wouldn't treat him like a child, die? He'd be in so much pain I think he'd sound even younger.... Also the voice lines didn't take away from the sequence for me really, but hearing "Gotta love it!" "Suck on this!" "That was a good one!" "Get lost!" felt out of place for sure lol. They changed all of Barret's lines for the dyne fight and that made it so much better, definitely should have done it here too

[@chrnocrusader21]

Glad to see this game changed nothing

[@MacenW]

This is the moment i gave up on Final Fantasy. I tried to give this franchise a chance but the only enjoyment i got out of it was 4-7

[@ElysaraCh]

I think there's some massive, understated absolute fucking genius here in making Cloud SUCH a broken and unreliable narrator that even the PLAYER is unable to understand or process what happened here. We are in Cloud's head and it is confusing, painful, and uncomfortable here. You can fit SO much trauma in this bad boy

[@mattcrawford5215]

At this point we have to question everything we see as it is all from Cloud’s perspective and he has already demonstrated that he is an unreliable narrator because of the degradation.

[@ionel2921]

“You ll never see the truth with such clouded eyes” The truth is she s gone, she s not saved and there is no timeline where she s alive. Everything else is just in Cloud’s head and apparently also in fans head

[@jamesellis33]

You stupid there is another timeline, I suppose Zack is in Clouds mind and the empty white material that the Aerith from the other timeline gave cloud was in his mind.

[@corjonbett]

Yes, the entire series is taking place in Cloud's subconscious during his Lifestream swim in the original. It'll probably end with him waking up.

[@Makvandar]

2:49 Green trail of Aerith's spirit entering the Lifestream.

[@MoonlightBrillance]

I hate how they changed this scene so dramatically. It really doesn’t hit the same :(

[@bri6859]

its because its from cloud perspective, he think she alive but cloud is delusional. Sephiroth says youll never see the truth with such clouded eyes.

[@tg.tyrant2302_]

They should've showed Sephiroth kill Aerith then cut to the ending. There was no need for the whole Sephiroth Reborn and Cloud's dream and all of that

[@Michaelpatrickwarren]

All the modern graphics and voice acting can't make this hold a candle to the original.

[@TheLeon1704]

This endless fight really killed the emotions here I think it would be way better when they fight Sepiroth after the "Funeral" (and we even didnt see it....)

[@darrenklein6090]

Back in my day, the sword went through. And she just died, none of this parting words mumbo jumbo. And, frankly, that hit a lot harder.

[@travisparks9289]

At 5:09 we are seeing the scene through Barrett’s eyes and there isn’t any blood on Aerith and her head is looking up so you can’t see her face, 5:15 we are seeing Tifa’s view and no blood on Aerith and again can’t see her face then the Jenova static hits and at 5:17 there is blood under Aerith and the next few seconds flashes through several scenes showing Aerith without blood at first and the covered in it all from Tifa’s viewpoint. The other party member’s perception of reality is being tampered with at this time. At 5:52 darknes starts spreading out from Sephiroth as he begins his speech about merger worlds and at 6:06 Aerith is awake again and encouraging Cloud to go fight Sephiroth then goes comatose as he lays her down, at 6:16 two white whispers begin circling Aerith creating a barrier that separates her from everyone else, and 6:25 shows the party looking at Cloud through this rainbow barrier. Sephiroth at 6:29 is looking over Cloud’s shoulder at the party as he says “However, you will never see the truth with such clouded eyes.” Bear in mind he has been mostly talking to the party at this point and had in his previous statement pointed out their negative emotions in that moment were leading to the confluence of worlds and emotions, it’s not just worlds coming together it’s the emotions and memories associated with them. These scenes are warning the viewer not to blindly accept the party’s version of events going forward and that everyone in the group is an unreliable narrator at this point.

[@haileeraestout5567]

I'm Imaging Cloud Picking Up Aerith And Doing The Tandava Dance Due To How F*CKING Mad He Is

[@toda003]

@toda003 1 second ago THIS. Great take. The static occurs during Tifa's view, and look how confused Tifa is after all the static. Everyone thinks Aerith's dead but she's not actually dead. Can't tell fact and fiction at this point, all are unreliable narrators. Who says OG has to be the main timeline anyway?

[@maf_axe189]

POV: You're cloud genuinely tweaking

[@LARK-ht7kd]

@@maf_axe189 lol

[@tigermunky]

Wow, they fucked with Aerith's death. The most memorable scene of almost any game ever. Well, I call it...they'll just bring her back to life again in part 3. Also, I predict that act 3 will just have non-stop whispers flying around you for the entire game. I seem to be the only person who finds the whispers annoying. Like someone crashing your house party, and they won't go away. Actually, Aerith will be the final boss...and a giant whisper.

[@connormorgan6884]

This scene made no sense. Were told by the end of remake if we beat the Arbiter of fate then the events in the original game would not play out. Opening a door to new possibilities. Then rebirth introduces a multiverse, giving us the hope we can save Aerith, we see Cloud barely at the last moment blocks Sephiroth's blade from impaling Aerith, we know we saved her and then suddenly sephiroth (or Jenova technically) still somehow killed her??? This ending was complete bs. Its like if you are going to introduce a multiverse in ff7 you better have a new original story prepared otherwise, giving us the idea things will be different is false advertising. The whole point of a multiverse is that there are literally infinite possibilities, whereas aerith may die in one timeline in another one cloud saves her, thats how multiverse works. Honestly this new trilogy started off interesting but it went downhill real fast.

[@haileeraestout5567]

The MUSIC F*CKING HURTS If They Played No Promises To Keep I'd Go Crazy

[@loganmancuso3100]

Don't think it's as simple as she's dead or not. A lot of timeline shenanigans going on and alternate world stuff. I disagree a lot with people saying the emotion was taken out of the scene. If things happened exactly the same way it would be lacking emotion anyway. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a happy ending but I like the idea that there's a possibility that aerith isn't just dead. I've played the original and loved it for what it was and I've played rebirth and love it now for what it is. All I know is that there was nothing more I wanted than to save Aerith while playing this game and these series of events definitely made for an extremely emotional conclusion. But that's just how I see it, can't wait for part 3.

[@thatkingdomheartsguy9615]

3:00 I'm sorry I didn't know sephiroth had cheat codes activated.

[@samtengfungtse]

4:17 ‘My fingers are tingling, my mouth is dry, my eyes are burning!’’

[@Calm1ty]

The original's less was more.

[@DomRobinson-ru9xg]

Agree

[@gameexpert133]

You both don't understand that the remake is implying a lot more.

[@Calm1ty]

@@gameexpert133 Yes! They sacrificed pacing and drama for implication.

[@PowerGamer76]

@@gameexpert133stop getting your feelings hurt man it’s a video game lol

[@shauh7666]

@@gameexpert133 I agree, people forgetting that they are building Remake out for 3 parts. OG was final, Aerith is gone and players have to live with it. Rebirth has another purpose which is setting up for the 3rd game. The two cannot be compared.

[@Tdzone33]

Throughout the entire game - I felt like everything had been done right until this point. I expected her to die and I knew I would have been accepting of it. When I saw Cloud save her, I got SO excited. I thought to myself “There is no way that they are rewriting one of the most defining scenes of video game history right now, I can’t wait to see what’s next.” Then she was still dead, and I said, “how did y’all manage to make the most important scene in the entire franchise, the only thing that’s less visual / descriptive than the original”. Then she was still alive and I decided to give up on thinking. Overall, Clouds dialogue from the original was so impactful to anyone who’s experienced the death of someone close to them. I was disappointed not to hear it. They had a chance to make me completely bawl here, and they flopped it. Fighting Jenova in modern graphics while hearing Aeriths orchestrated theme definitely still hit me in the feels a bit, but definitely not as much as it could’ve. My hopes right now are that they sacrificed the ending of the second for the sake of the third so that they can really focus in on cloud’s breakdown. Up until this point we see every character except cloud get the closure they need for the time. If the third really focuses on clouds closure, I think that the decisions, could have been made in the best interest of the game’s experience. We’ll see… so far have really enjoyed the 200 hours or so I’ve put into remake and rebirth. It’s literally a childhood dream come true experiencing this game.

[@godaddy9837]

This death was supposed to be a sad moment but devs wanted us to feel confused what a bummer

[@BlackStarSeries]

It was sad.

[@TheFuckencio15]

@@BlackStarSeries yeah, it was pretty sad watching them butcher this scene with their multiverse bs.

[@unknownuser4816]

​@@TheFuckencio15it's really such a disappointment this multiverse bullshit, makes every kind of media so pointless. Marvel, dragon ball and whatever else might be there. Just tell the story in one way, make a point, not this nihilistic bullshit.

[@SilverStrumer]

@@TheFuckencio15also wasn’t a fan of them cutting off Forgotten Capital’s theme in favour of a Whisper fights.

[@antoinejunior3353]

I’m just got to this scene in the game as I’m writing this….as an 90s kid this broke my heart. Sephiroth pulled an izanami on everyone. My gf is also pissed that I cried for this than with her on movie nights lol. Joker voice: she wouldn’t understand.

[@GodOfAI_]

Just make the multiverse thing not connect to advent children and we are good.

[@Arkhamfrost]

It is tho, in ff7 remake there’s a vision about advent children’s timeline and with red saying “a future if we fail here today” they are trying to make advent children not happen

[@GodOfAI_]

@@Arkhamfrostwhich means there’s a possibility of a happy ending right?

[@Arkhamfrost]

@@GodOfAI_ yea or a very similar timeline…who knows? Sephiroth is trying to merge the timelines I think into one “All shall be one” Idk but it’s just a theory

[@Aergia90]

​@@Arkhamfrost Lol probably will be inconsequential red herring as we can clearly see with rebirth..never trust these guys' writings

[@Arkhamfrost]

@@Aergia90 probably, But I do know they are fighting against fate…they are literally changing the timeline as we go! Which I think is brilliant

[@Jayfive276]

Ah man, Brianna’s going to be in bits when she gets to this bit in her stream…

[@WimzorTheGreat]

This death scene is extremely tame compared to the original. It's like they said: won't you think of the faint of heart audience we've created over all these years? What a disappointment. Just stab her like in the original. This has no impact at all.

[@KrystalRoseMG]

Remember when Bugenhagen showed the team aeriths death in the original and explained the white materia? Im hoping theyll use that as an opportunity to show the original scene or....what actually happened without the multiverse crap. 😂

[@kitezzz360]

the worst thing about this scene is it gets you asking if she even died or not, you can't process anything because you are confused instead, it's absolutely horrible

[@antoinejunior3353]

Agreed to a certain extent. OG fans were hoping this moment would be the answer to if the developers would go with what’s was an original idea to keep aerith alive. Tho I agree with ya frustration about not showing the defining moment of the stab, they showed us 3 timelines. Cloud created a timeline where aerith is alive, just not in his world. Tho let’s not forget the jenova cells and degradation

[@zeldaoot23]

@@kitezzz360 Or maybe that's the most brilliant part of this scene. We don't even get closure on whether she died or not, because Cloud doesn't have that closure yet. It serves a different purpose than it did in the original game.

[@Bpace777]

Synopsis of my 100 hour journey: You’ll never see the truth with such clouded eyes

[@obamaorb7426]

Bro this shit is straight up fanfic at this point

[@brotatodgawd3232]

I liked this scene Square doing a good job to build up Cloud's break down