Final Fantasy VII - An In-Depth Retrospective

[@thedadliestman]

I was made aware that there is a piece of wrong information in the video regarding how Final Fantasy got its name, my apologies for this part. For the correct information, I'd like to refer you to the following article from Eurogamer where Sakaguchi explains the true story; www.eurogamer.net/final-fantasy-creator-debunks-myth-of-series-name

[@gogauze]

No worries. It's been shared as fact for so many years that it's regarded as such by most of the fan base. So it's totally understandable that it just seemed like a piece of common knowledge. Even though it's occasionally been debunked by various FF developers over the years, most of those interviews were fairly low profile. So, with FF7R and FF16 reigniting the discussion while folks are paying more attention, it was finally reported on in a way that was accessible. Nevertheless, I do appreciate your willingness to make the correction at all. A lot of creators don't have the journalistic integrity to admit mistakes at all. So, much respect 👍

[@thedadliestman]

@@gogauze Appreciate it, boss. 💪 In my opinion any feedback is good feedback so I'd rather people tell me than let it fester. Maybe it'll give me a good reason to redo the video in a few years.

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Awesome video!!

[@jaxxh6529]

final fantasy vii, viii and ix are on the nintendo switch now. even x and x-2 and xii the hole series is there 1 till 12 then.

[@jaxxh6529]

and its aerith. this is on the switch, pc, and other platforms.

[@commandershepard3967]

I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite FFVII review on the Citadel.

[@thedadliestman]

Thank you, Commander Shepard. And thank you for taking care of the Reaper threat. 😂

[@niceguy191]

You just reminded me of what used to be my favourite website for this game, FF7 Citadel. Looks like the last update was in 2022...

[@Chad_Thundercock]

Chad Thundercock appreciates how Commander Shepard announces his identity before he passes judgement. It pleases Chad Thundercock.

[@Usernamehear]

You big stupid jellyfish!

[@ProjectRedfoot]

For your service, the galaxy thanks you. 🫡

[@stevenbemrose5104]

The effort put into this video is truly impressive. If you keep this kind of effort up you'll have a silver plaque in no time.

[@thedadliestman]

Haha, thanks. The plaque would be a nice ornament but I enjoy making the content more. Thanks for watching!

[@superramio]

SO MANY people get the Zack’s memories thing wrong and you explained it perfectly! This has been a great video to watch while doing daily activities, ty for your work and your great narration 😊

[@thedadliestman]

Anytime!

[@gogauze]

Fun fact about the pronunciation of our beloved flower girl's name: It was initially transliterated faithfully from the original Japanese as Aerith. However, sometime during the the localization process-which was handled by a single person and, to put it mildly, was an absolute mess-they made the executive decision to change it to Aeris so it would sound more feminine to a western audience. The reason we know any of this is because, in roughly equal parts, the original credits, developer interviews from the last 25ish years, and-the real smoking gun-if you perform any unintended skips or glitches that bypass the naming dialogue, the name defaults to Aerith every time. I just thought that would be a fun story to share.

[@thedadliestman]

Wow! Thanks for telling me this, I knew about the story of the mistranslation but the main reason I'm making the distinction between "Aeris" and "Aerith" is because I have ideas about which way they're going to spin FF7 Rebirth and I feel that would be easier if I see them as separate characters.

[@phantasmrain]

@@thedadliestman Aeris was the case for me in FF7 (England), but when I played Kingdom Hearts 1 in 2002 they call her Aerith. I liked how you mentioned the discussion on Cait Sith's name for Rebirth. I heard it is supposed to be like "Ket See" as it's an Irish word.

[@thedadliestman]

@@phantasmrain it was one of the names I dreaded pronouncing when I was writing the script. I'm so happy that SE came out with that tweet and decided to go with the phonetic name.

[@gogauze]

​@@thedadliestmanI think it's a fair way to distinguish the two in later discussions that reference her character from the original. Though, I do think it's likely that you'll still have to call attention to the distinction at those future times. Mostly because people will assume that you made a pronunciation error. Either way, I think it's fine.

[@MugsyBrews]

Being only 11 at the time I was shocked by Aeris’ death. At this point I had been watching my brother play the lead save file, while I was still learning how to play an rpg. We both had to take a break and go outside after realizing she wasn’t coming back. My brother being older accepted her fate and moved on while I kept looking thru the strategy guide and on the then limited internet seeing if there was a way to bring her back. It was really heart wrenching and I learned how my brother and I process grief differently. This is my fav game of all time bc it showed the depths of storytelling video games could achieve.

[@thedadliestman]

Oh man, I had a sorta similar experience into disc 2. I was certain she had to be brought back alive somehow and I think I racked up my parents' phone bill that day because we still had dial up as I was searching for ways to bring her back to life. 😅

[@williamcase426]

Yeah, my brother and I had to take a break and go outside to fly a kite after Aeris died.

[@georgehatzimanolakis1904]

Aerith*

[@Vor_Tex_Sun]

I was 17 and balled my eyes when she was murdered. I'm not ashamed to admit

[@HoveKB]

Yeah I was the same age. Legit cried when she died.

[@ProdEBy]

Dude. I cannot thank you enough for this video! I wanted to experience the whole of the Original FFVII before I continued my journey with FFVII Rebirth, and your video was the perfect blend between covering the small details that the new games are referencing to, and also making sure you cover the whole story and explain the difficult parts! Thank you so much!

[@thedadliestman]

Anytime! So sorry I only got back to you now, the Studio app is really finicky with showing me messages. Thanks for the kind words. It makes it worth it while I'm working on the next vid. Cheers! 💪

[@TheDollar88]

I’ve enjoyed watching your whole video as much as playing it years ago; beautifully written and explained.

[@thedadliestman]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@7DragonEyes7]

There is many part in the game where you have specific lines depending on who is in your party. If you visit Zack parents with Aerith, she will be sad and not say she is the girlfriend. The game is filled with alternative lines and that makes the game really enjoyable to replay.

[@thedadliestman]

I realized that later during recording but by that time I'd stupidly already saved over my slot right before Gongaga 😔

[@Grieva-SeeD-]

Your comments about the overworks or "World Map" are exactly how I feel. I used to get such a great feeling traversing the world maps. I used to put music on and level characters, stopping at Inns to recover HP. I do miss that. I was absolutely over the moon when playing Ni No Kuni 2 and I sae they had a world map, it gave me that feeling again! This is a great video and a subject that I always feel needs a really long video on to really doit justice. Can't condense a 3 CD ROM game into a 10 minute video!

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks so much for checking it out! I'm glad I wasn't the only one who loved the world map. I'm excited to see how they're going to bring it back in Rebirth.

[@kaporal890]

The best part about it ? The world map give you this feeling of freedom and wonder...while actually NOT being "open world" ...at all!. Think about it ..Yeah sur after leaving Midgar you can walk around all you want....But you WILL go to Kalm, choco farm, Mithril mine ,then condor and Junon to costa ...ect ect ..there is no open world per say ..and yet walking around in the world map feel so majestic ..the music play a big part to make this a unique experience.

[@josesosa3337]

Ive seen plenty of story analysis essays of this game, and with regards to looking at everything in playthrough order, i think you did a really good job. Great vid. Can't wait to rewatch because because i've been waiting for a video like this.

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks! I know it's not a perfect vid but it's a good learning experience for future videos. Thanks for watching!

[@dylan5388]

hell yes I needed a new long video essay to help me sleep subbed and going to go through your other videos, thanks for your work

[@thedadliestman]

Anytime! Enjoy your sleep 😁

[@joetalentoh]

I fell asleep with KZbin on autoplay and ended up here and let me just say waking up to hearing a recap about Aerith casting Holy was peak. Definitely saving this video

[@Brittanyknuckles1427]

Ffvii is my favorite game of all time. I’m elated my favorite game got remade/retold in a 3 part series and so far the first two games have blown my expectations. Can’t wait to see how they wrap it up. This video was great, you clearly put in so much work into this and it shows!!! 10/10 my dude

[@MVGaming621]

How could I possibly skip such an amazing telling of this story start to finish. Excellent work!

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@MrTmm97]

I am watching this through the end of Remake, prior to Rebirth. I never played the original FF7 and only recently played FF7 Remake. I can’t believe how close to the original they were in the remake. From story points… to how everything looks…. To animations like Corneo jumping over the furniture to look at his “potential brides.” I know there are some changes but I am stunned by how faithful they were with the Remake. I’m even more impressed now than I was after just playing it the first time. I’ll come back to this video after I play through Rebirth. Really looking forward to the game and the comparison with your video. Thanks!

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks so much! Yeah, they took some liberties but I feel it's pretty faithful so far. Enjoy playing Rebirth!

[@MrRafique-y8g]

I feel sorry for you kids who didnt experience this masterpiece when it arrived in 1990's, great memories

[@BKWalrus]

This is FANTASTIC! I’m on my playthrough of Rebirth and appreciate the in -depth story from the original playthrough. Ohh the memories. Trying to understand such complexities as a teenager when I first played at release, now understanding more in depth as an adult. I’m falling in love with the story all over again, but for different reasons. Great video.

[@thedadliestman]

Thank you so much for the kind reply, appreciate it!

[@Dougcz]

Amazing piece, congrats! Watched this before sleeping for a full week and now I want more videos like that!

[@thedadliestman]

There's more coming, they're just a whole lotta work 🙃

[@frado9194]

Thanks for the vid man. such perfect timing, i just finished it recently for the first time. It was my dads favorite game, i can see why he loved it so much. Being 23 i think I’m gonna carry this game with me for a long time.

[@thedadliestman]

Aw man, I wish my dad played this game, but I can't get that man to play anything but Mario on the NES. Thanks for watching!

[@bradreed4414]

Perfect for while I work. Fav game ever lol

[@thedadliestman]

Awesome. Enjoy it!

[@truthseek3017]

Kabbalah, Tree of life

[@dinesculucian5723]

It's not the Honey Bee Inn Cloud disguises himself for and where the guards lets him inside with Aeris, it's Don Corneo's Mansion last time I checked, in Honey Bee Inn you get parts of the disguise based on which room you enter !!

[@thedadliestman]

I know, someone pointed that out to me after the upload, I unfortunately mixed up the locations. My apologies!

[@Eissey1879]

I played this game in '98 when i was like 13. It was the first RPG/JRPG I ever played and I remember the story sucked me in and I kept playing because I wanted to know what happened next. The sound track was also amazing. I remember I hooked up my TV to my Stereo and recorded my favorite songs on a cassette tape! Great video man, but I had to stop watching it, since watching this made me realize I don't remember much of the plot anymore, so I have a chance to replay it again and kinda be surprised. I'll come back and finish it then!

[@thedadliestman]

Good to hear about the memories. It's been a hot minute since I used a cassette deck 😂 Enjoy your playthrough!

[@Amp5150]

1:55:15 I was in 7th grade. Hooked on the game I woke up early to play before having to go to school. I had named all the characters after my family and friends. For me it wasn't Aeris who died. I just set the controller down there, turned off the TV and went to school in a daze all day.

[@thedadliestman]

I totally understand that. For me, I spent most of the game waiting for the moment she would come back to life and it never came. Having played a lot of RPG's with happy endings, it was a bit of a slap in the face.

[@joeb5958]

I remember thinking it couldn’t be permanent cause I was so far away from learning all her limit breaks and cait sith just came back from the dead so nothing was permanent.

[@kasperholtz]

This i by far the best Retrospective video on this game. You did a great job explaining the story and the feel for this game as it was when i played it the first time in 1997

[@thedadliestman]

Thank you so much!

[@myon9431]

This is a nixe recollection, I enjoyed listening to it a lot and I think I'll fall asleep to it at some point. Your voice is very calming!

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :D

[@TheFF7Encyclopedia]

I am actually impressed that you got Aeris picked by Corneo considering the limited ways and odd arrangement of items you need for it.

[@thedadliestman]

I was actually aiming for Cloud to get picked but I screwed it up with the minigame in the gym because I didn't know the button which "Switch" was mapped to.

[@TheFF7Encyclopedia]

@@thedadliestman That would have been my first guess on how you got Aeris picked ^_^

[@congoninja]

Absolutely love a nice long retrospective. Putting this on at work. And subscribed. Glad to have found ya

[@thedadliestman]

Thank you so much for checking it out!

[@TVanks1]

What did I do after Aerith was murdered? I set the game down for about a week.. partly cuz I was sad, and partly cuz I was pissed. I unlocked all the Limits.. had great gear.. and lost my healer! :(

[@thedadliestman]

Luckily you can make anyone your top healer using her materia 😂

[@Pimpgamer101]

35:33 Aerith is the proper spelling and pronunciation. The Japanese is translated poorly. The Japanese don’t have a “th” sound in their vocabulary, so they just say Ay - Ri - Su(with a sharpness that implies the “th” sound, japanese is wierd) but it’s a context thing. I don’t blame the translators. There probably wasn’t a lot of back and forth communication back in the day.

[@thedadliestman]

I'm pretty sure the initial translation from Japanese to English had to have been a nightmare. We're pretty blessed with how international minded the whole process regarding game design is these days.

[@luminousrogue4957]

If someone said their name was Joe then 20 years later they said they meant to say Jose…. Bro I’m calling you Joe to bad lol it would have been easier if they just went with aeris then trying to force the other way around.

[@Pimpgamer101]

@@luminousrogue4957 it’s all about globalization. They wanted her name to be the same all over the world. Since they’re Japanese they preffered the original name when doing remakes, remasters, and side content. Can’t really fault them for that.

[@luminousrogue4957]

@@Pimpgamer101 I don’t fault them, there’s just no way I’m gonna stop using aeris and when I hear people use it I just think they must be old school fans that played back in the day and people that use TH are newer fans, it kinda divides us but so be it.

[@Kid_Guru]

I never knew don corneo could choose cloud. That's cool to know.

[@danwillburn]

This video just helped me do one of the hardest combat challenges in rebirth. It calmed me. 10/10.

[@thedadliestman]

Glad it helped out and thanks for watching!

[@Sebastian1234xD]

THANK YOU! I'm ashamed to admit I never played FF7 until around a week ago, when I discovered Rebirth came out! I was vaguely aware of the general plot but it is CONFUSING. This retrospective was extremely helpful in getting to grips with the story (and tips for the game/ boss encounters) and was also highly entertaining. You've clarified so much and I can now truly appreciate the masterpiece. Many, many thanks from a new subscriber

[@thedadliestman]

You're very welcome! In retrospect there are some errors in the video which I wish I would have caught before release but I'll take it as a learning experience for the next ones. Thanks for watching and for subbing, appreciate it! I'm glad it clarified the plot of this classic a bit for you.

[@flyaroundyourfire]

This is an excellent retrospective 👌🏽 thank you for putting in the time and effort for us fans of the game that we cherish so dearly

[@thedadliestman]

Anytime! Thanks for checking it out!

[@The-Gildway1986]

Aerith’s death devastated me and when the screen went black and asked me to insert disc 2 I sat there and wept for a while and then felt this sense of rage and determination to avenge her death.

[@robdeskrd]

What happened between Cloud & Zack was the Jenova effect: she could copy memory & physical appearance to help its infiltrate into to native fauna groups on what planets it arrived on until it could find a way to summon the meteor to attack the planet core and then hijack the planet energy just like Sepharoth tried to do

[@R.R.R.465]

I cannot wait for your next video, keep going this is the best retrospective I have seen on FF, your introspection and completeness on all the story threads is in only one word, masterful. If you are happy to live up to your statement about covering FF8 I will be there to watch no matter how long that video is and I am looking forward to seeing more from this channel in the future, I will be checking out Alone in the Dark series next so see you there!

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks a bunch! I will get to FF 8 eventually but after I finish FF 10 I'm gonna be taking a small break from the series. I've got some games coming up which will be shorter in recording time to get some breathing room for another bigger project.

[@R.R.R.465]

@@thedadliestman looking forward to it, keep up the good work my man 🙌

[@The_RadicalOne]

This was an amazing watch. I haven’t played through Final Fantasy VII in years and had forgot most of the stuff after the party gets ti the northern cave for the first time. It was great going down memory lane again.

[@mattyvsmithy]

An excellent video, like you, FF7 meant a lot to me as a young lad and had a big impact on my life! Keep up the great work!

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks, will do!

[@mindofgod1543]

This was my first Final Fantasy. I had gotten $50.00 for Xmas from my Grandfather's younger brother ("Uncle" Francis), and mom took us to Best Buy in 1998 and only picked out a Greatest Hits Final Fantasy VII because of Cloud's Buster Sword on the cover; I thought it was another video game whose Demo I played a few months prior - a game I would learn was Ehrgeiz, also by Squaresoft. Could you imagine, for a moment, a ten year old starts up this game, and there is no PVP/E fighting style akin to Soul Caliber, but, instead, a world and story that would influence me for the rest of my life? That would compel me to want to play other Final Fantasy titles, and even play their MMORPGs? I am forever grateful I picked the wrong game that night. And, thank you, for making this video.

[@thedadliestman]

Oh man, I had the exact same experience when I picked up my first MegaMan title. I remember it was the Americanized box art which made it look epic and then I was treated to one of my favorite games of all time even if it didn't match the art on the box. Thanks for watching and telling your story about the game!

[@MikeTheBike]

Honestly one of my favorite analysis of this game I'd love to see a full analysis of the remake series when it ends even though I'm aware such a project would be an insane undertaking

[@thedadliestman]

The remake series idea might be interesting when the last part drops. I might actually do that. Thanks for the idea!

[@tonychampagnejr2197]

This video was phenomenal! Pure nostalgia!!!

[@thedadliestman]

It's got its flaws, some things I'll carry into improving the next one but thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed it. I appreciate it! 😁

[@deadseveredheads]

Excellent presentation! I will keep coming back to this. ...I've always thought of Vincent Valentine's Galian Beast as a Were-Behemoth! Cheers!

[@thedadliestman]

That's definitely one way to look at it. For some reason I always think back of that scene where Michael Jackson turns into a werewolf in Thriller when I see the Galian beast.

[@deadseveredheads]

@@thedadliestman Oh man! I was about 4-6 years old when that video came out (I know, I’m old! Haha) and it scared the buhjeebus outta my little booty! Haha

[@RARufus]

Excellent work man!! This really is fantastic. I didn't care for Chocobo racing much either, but you needs it to get the Gold Chocobo in order to make your way to where the Knights of the Round materia is, so I worked it through until I got one specifically for that materia. IIRC, the Gold Chocobo can go anywhere over land or water which is why you need it since the KotR materia is located in a volcano I think.

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks so much! I remember distinctly how much I hated the hoops I had to go through to get KotR. I made an effort to do it for this playthrough but I just couldn't anymore. 😅

[@chrismesser820]

I started my Final Fantasy journey with U.S. Mystic Quest when I was 9 or 10. I know this gave is pretty reviled, but I have a soft spot for this "beginner rpg" ( Probably like baby's first rpg.). It was Christmas and I didn't get the Snes with Super Mario World. I did it up and to surprise I had a have telling me a story ( I know that's a stretch to call that game's scenario a story but imagine the time 30ish years ago.) It taught me how to play rpg that had confounded me in the nes days when I would rent something like Dragon Warrior. I honestly thought I was doing something wrong when a random battle started and couldn't understand what had happened. My character was walking on a empty field, then boom monster. I added to Mystic Quest's story in my imagination and had a blast. Then FF6/3 came out when I was 12-13. I got it for my birthday. I spent the whole birthday party at Ryan's pouring over the 70+ Page manual. Finally, when I got done with the forced socializing and got home my mind was blown. FF6 was like a movie with it's intro and the story in the first hours was tense with suspense and mystery. Playing through 6 made me a lover of rpgs ( Which I still content I would never had wanted of not for MQ). Flash forward a few years and I'm a teenager. I was too cool for games I thought until I saw a FF7 spread on a magazine. Nostalgia hit me and with my first paycheck I bought a PS1 at a pawn shop. I had to wait two weeks for another check to buy FF7 (At least I got RE2 with my purchase, not an awful way to spend the time.). Once acquired, I never regretted the purchase. Still a favorite and it made me a lifelong gamer. I would never think I was overaged for gaming again. Today in 43 and still gaming strong, even if my time is often to limited. Counting down for Rebirth, took the weekend off to start.

[@thedadliestman]

I did the adding to the story itself in my as well. Especially since mystic quest was so barebones back in the day. I can totally find myself in the manual reading, those things were a blast to read through back in the day 😁

[@corporateGH0ST]

I had watched my brother play through the first disc before I had reached that point. When I had finally reached that point, I teared up. I was 8 years old, FF7 taught me how to read and was also the first piece of art that I can remember that made me emotionally connect to characters.

[@thedadliestman]

I love hearing stories like this. It's nice to hear it left such an impression on you.

[@corporateGH0ST]

@@thedadliestman until FF7, I had actually never played an RPG. It was a complete accident coming across that game. One night, I had rented Tobal No. 1 and they actually had thrown in the demo disc of FF7. I fell in love with the demo and ended up playing it more than Tobal. Then my brother’s birthday came up. I went with my mom to the store and ended up telling her that he wants FF7 for his birthday, he didn’t.

[@cerileyn]

I played this game back in the day, and it took me a week to boot up disc 2. I couldn't bring myself to finish the game, and for a few days after the end of disc 1, I strongly considered never finishing it.

[@thedadliestman]

That sounds familiar. Disc 1 was a gutpunch for sure.

[@BH-oq7hv]

18:30 I just relized the title screen is a setup for how the game ends. With metoer over midgar just about to hit it. Wonder if it was intentional?

[@thedadliestman]

I think you might be on to something. It makes sense with how it ends with Aeris looking at the camera as well.

[@louisminati]

Damn dude not even done yet but you retell everything so well. I remember playing this in 2004 and when the end of disc 1 happened, i went from tinkering with the game from time to time to just all out being on a mission to finish. What a sense of emotion from a video game. Glad i was able to play this in a semi-spoiler free era. Edit: incredible job. Bravo. So much i didnt realize i missed in two playthroughs. Im do for another go around

[@thedadliestman]

It's not the perfect video I wanted as some people pointed out some flaws but I'm glad you enjoyed it! 😁

[@theloniuspunk383]

I love Rebirth and Remake but you just cannot get better than OG FFVII, the art and environments are all so unique and emotive, I love how rusted everything always is and the use of wood

[@thedadliestman]

The static bitmap backgrounds just hit differently.

[@Destroymaster100]

i was 5 years old when this game released but 8 when i played it. my older brother ended up getting it for his ps1 and i always watched him play it. now im going back to play it for the first time since 8 years old lol.

[@thedadliestman]

Definitely let me know how you feel about it after so long. It was a treat to play through it again.

[@walmcs]

Good job man. Im hoping for more nostalgic in depths videos from you!

[@GaugePlays1980]

Thank you for this video. My original playthrough of FF7 was on PC when it first released for PC. In completing the game I somehow missed a LOT of the Zach and Cloud backstory and have been for decades confused by the dynamic that went on there. Wondering how Cloud ended up with false memories, and how Tifa who knew him had played along so to speak with his inconsistencies in the his recollections. This is an amazing and info packed video.

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks so much for watching! I found some flaws within the video but I hope they're corrected enough in the comments and description. Hope you'll enjoy the next ones!

[@withbravado1548]

I really really enjoyed your video. Thank you for putting these out. I know it’s thankless but your videos are really awesome! Have a great week!

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks so much! Don't worry, it's not thankless at all. I'm having a blast seeing everyone respond.

[@terraventusaqua123]

1:23:50 I noticed you went in to the Fair Family’s home with Tifa and Barret. One thing to note is that had you entered the house with Aeris/Aerith in your party, it also would’ve triggered a cutscene with her as well. By pure coincidence, I had both Tifa and Aerith in my party at the time, and they both ran out after hearing Zack’s name. This was the part of the story where Aerith revealed that her SOLDIER boyfriend was in fact Zack Fair. Just thought you might want to know. Also, I paused the video when I heard you talking about this scene, so if you bring it up later in the video, egg on my face.

[@thedadliestman]

Nah, you're on the money, I just barely ever had Aerith/Aeris in my party so the cutscenes never triggered. I made a save right before but i realized I saved over the file when i got near the end of disc 2 🙃

[@LAG90]

Before this part at 1:55:13 I was a kid I thought I did something wrong and restarted the game from a save and look up could I have stop it. Took me a couple days to continue playing

[@thedadliestman]

That makes total sense. I didn't stop playing since I thought she'd get revived later in the game but no dice. 🫠

[@JPG.01]

It's really interesting that they thought that western players would have no interest in in RPG, considering that basically the entirety of modern japanese fantasy has it's roots in Dungeons and Dragons. For example look at orks in any japenese media, they are big, bulky, pig faced humanoids. Much like orks were in the first edition of DnD, where modern japanese fantasy stories began.

[@thedadliestman]

I agree, I thought it was strange as well which led me to think that either they hadn't done market research in the West or they went purely off of sales numbers with only a few titles.

[@drownthepoor]

Turn based RPG's on a console that's real-time 3D was counter-intuitive. This game would not have become the landmark that it is without all of the artistic effort put into it. This was the first RPG I ever played, and when the first battle with those Shinra soldiers happened I was very much put-off by the combat. Had there not been so many other strong components to this game, the combat system would have been less inviting. A lot of people still didn't play it because of that. Also, the fact you had to read everything would put a lot of people off. For me, FFX was kind of icky feeling because the characters had voices. I still haven't finished the first part of the remake because it just doesn't do it for me.

[@max1311]

It’s so sad they felt the need to change the story for remake, this story deserved to be retold in a proper remake akin to what Capcom is doing. Or at least a good remaster for OG fans, that way it would be easier to accept there will probably never be a proper remake for this amazing story.

[@thedadliestman]

Well, you never know what they're going to do. I think we'll actually get a good sense of how the story will pan out after Rebirth releases.

[@travelsizedlions]

You should check out Tim Rogers' take on why they made that choice. He supposes that the task of making a 100% accurate repeat of the story would be a philosophical nightmare for Square Enix, because they could never make the game feel *just* like it did for every fan back in the day, and the hype for the remake has been around for almost 2 decades. They essentially decided to circumvent the issue by accepting that they can't make the exact same story twice, and instead make the best version of the story they can with the tools they have today. It's a fascinating retrospective.

[@thedadliestman]

@@travelsizedlions I'll definitely check that out. Thanks for letting me know! It makes sense considering if you're gonna make a 1 to 1 remake, I don't actually see the need to play it myself. I like the fact they're trying new things.

[@pp3k07]

Thanks for keeping me entertained for the past 3 hours while i've been feeling ill. I Love FF7

[@thedadliestman]

Anytime! Hope you feel better soon!

[@pp3k07]

@@thedadliestman Cheers man. You did a great job of explaining everything too. Was a good vid 👍

[@Tr0nNick]

I absolutely loved this video!! I thought it was so well done! Please do videos on VIII and IX!

[@thedadliestman]

VIII might definitely be on the table someday. I'm currently working on the video for FFX. Unfortunately I've never fully gone into IX but I might get to that one eventually. I think after X I'm gonna take a quick break from the Final Fantasy series and play something else 😁

[@andyd3447]

I recently watched an entire playthrough of the game after beating it in the 90s and about 10 years ago and I fell in love with the game again. Cant wait for rebirth!

[@thedadliestman]

Same here and it's only about a month away!

[@eliezerlevergil]

thank you so much for this video, its very well done

[@TheFF7Encyclopedia]

Also minor Correction. Aeris goes to the City of the ancients on her own. not the Temple, She actually goes with you to the temple as a mandatory party member

[@thedadliestman]

Another error caught. Thanks for letting me know!

[@MrRamziaB]

4:40 As someone who was growing up in the time that the early FF series was being made, and who was an avid gamer, and had friends who lived in Japan part time, and in NY the rest of the time, I can tell you without a doubt, Square believed that Americans were too dumb to understand how the games worked, and that because of how "dumb" we were the games would be too hard for the stupid Americans, and would be reviewed poorly. There was then, and still is today, a lot of prejudges against the West and Americans in particular in Japan, even today.

[@thedadliestman]

That's good information to know. I suspected it might be true but there was a lot of conflicting info about it online and I couldn't match it up with d&d being so popular in the West during the 80's/90's

[@celineosthaus8032]

I think I read that somewhere as well. Honestly, considering how many people don't understand the situation between Zack & Cloud and think Cloud was a puppet the entire time until the LS scene, that doesn't surprise me. The point is literally that Sephiroth is gaslighting everyone. You're not supposed to agree with him😅

[@Debbie-qs2xo]

39:14 🤨 "..in a car going toward Walmart." ?? 😀

[@me99826]

I fell asleep to this video about 4 times, finally finished and really enjoyed it. Time to start another play through on my ps classic.

[@thedadliestman]

Hahaha, thanks for watching, I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy revisiting the game!

[@Valborn_]

What a well put together video! Thank you! If you're going to make a Remake/Rebirth video in the future I'll be sure to catch it.

[@kaporal890]

I know everything there is to know about ff7 and yet i still enjoy watching reviews and retrospective, this one is very good and interesting , thank you Dadiest dude

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@TheFF7Encyclopedia]

Fun fact. You do not need Cid in your party to get Tifa's ultimate weapon. If you go there without Cid you get no cutscene and just get the weapon

[@thedadliestman]

I'm gonna have to boot up my save for that section. I always had Cid in my party for this and from his involvement in the section, I wholeheartedly thought you needed him for it.

[@eck0unltd853]

enjoyed your zelda video, looking forward to this one

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!

[@theadma184]

1:55:19 You're 100% right. The screen cutting to black after the aeris scenes and You're just left seeing a faint reflection of yourself before you realize what the text even says, trying to process what just happened. As you grow and experience loss irl you realize how well square nailed that process, You're not gonna be finished with the grieving process before you realize that you can't wait for that feeling to end before you have to keep going. Life doesn't wait. To this day ff7 is the only game to have made me shed real tears. The end of disk 1 is beautiful sadness in game form.

[@reloadpsi]

Remake puts a nice little twist on Tifa's whole "training in the mountains" thing. The very first place you can use her in combat is the local landfill, but the Japanese word for that is literally just "trash mountain." The sign is even left in Japanese to reflect that. (It's the one they squat down by to listen in on Johnny and the soldiers. Not the exact same area, but it's the only one with a visible sign.) It's probably just a coincidence but it sticks out to me.

[@thedadliestman]

I'm gonna have to replay remake before rebirth comes out but I'll definitely keep my eye out for this. Thanks for letting me know!

[@JoelIvoryJohnson]

1:55:20 - the death of Aerith was traumatic! The finality of her death didn't sink in until I got that prompt to insert Disc 2. Even then, there was a sense of denial and hope that she would somehow find some way to come back. With the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake and the deviation from the 1997 story, I'm still hoping she comes back somehow.

[@publius791]

The games are not called Final Fantasy because it was a final attempt to make a game. It was originally supposed to be called Fighting Fantasy but there was a game in the west already called that so they had to change the name, however Sakaguchi wanted to keep the abbreviation FF (Effu Effu in Japanese) so Final Fantasy was chosen instead.

[@Anu_Sol]

The 'final game' story is more interesting so let's stick with that.

[@ursaminor2732]

@@Anu_Solit’s not

[@grantsmith6906]

I have never played a Final Fantasy game, I just have surface level knowledge about it. But I watched the whole thing, very well put together and interesting. I really enjoyed the video, keep it up

[@syn3232]

Amazing job. Thank you so much for this. Not gonna lie, watching at work, right now getting ready for FFVII Rebirth next week.

[@thedadliestman]

I'm so excited for it. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@AshenGray]

Course I see this right as I have to head to bed, will definitely be watching this in the AM!

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks for checking it out, sauce boss!

[@krum1985]

That was my first long-form video in a while. Good job making this so enjoyable to watch 😊 I loved Final Fantasy 7 as a kid (and still do), I think I've finished the game dozens of times over the years, which makes it hard to remember some details from my 1st playthrough.... I distinctly remember Aerith dying, of course, and the Nibelheim incident, but as for which party members I preferred, aside from Aerith until she dies, and never unlocking Vincent my first time through, I really can't remember 😅 There were a few things I was obsessed about in this game. One of them was chocobo raising and chocobo racing. I spent countless hours breeding chocobos, and I felt iffy about the inbreeding, so I always went through the trouble of getting entirely new family lines for each colour. So, by the time I had the golden chocobo, I had caught 8 yellow chobobos with the right stats 😂 I also remember seeing a rumor about how to breed a white chocobo and how it would work like the gold one but with the diving from the u-boat in addition. I spent countless hours trying to get that to no avail as it never existed in the game. There was one white chocobo model in the game from a village, which is why I thought that rumour was true back in the day 😊 I also loved the materia system, and when I finally noticed that equipment had different growth for the materia (which happened embarrassingly late in my X'th playthrough 😅) I started to go for those huge materias, freeing up slots to make even better synergies. I don't think I have ever beaten all the weapons on a playthrough before, though... hmm... 🤔 seems I need to play through it again sometime this year 😆

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks for checking it out! Yeah I just never really got into the whole chocobo aspect of the game, I think the racing bit just turned me off of it so much.

[@RealEvilLordExdeath]

3 hours and 15 minutes well spent. Thank you

[@thebuckeyegamer7443]

This is probably one of the best retrospective videos I’ve seen on anything, period. I’ve never been a diehard final fantasy fan, but it’s a series that’s growing on me.

[@thedadliestman]

Aww thanks! I notice the mistakes after posting but it's a fun learning experience. Thanks for watching!

[@phantasmrain]

Look forward to watching all of this. Ever so good so far.

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks for giving it a look. Hope you enjoy it!

[@danhedgehog]

Brilliant video, always enjoy this type of informative content. Especially since this game means so much to me personally too

[@thedadliestman]

Thank you! The game has a special place for me as well so I felt like I had to make it.

[@PiePie453]

There's a lot of off info in this video that doesn't totally ruin my enjoyment of it but makes it harder to enjoy fully. It's like an itch that I have no control over scratching

[@thedadliestman]

Trust me, going back over it after releasing it is enough to make me slam my head on the desk.

[@PiePie453]

@thedadliestman it's only small things. Also, this is a great recap but a retrospective? Would have loved for you to go deeper on the themes and meaning and so on for everything, background and so on. This video is edited well and voiced well, it just doesn't end up saying a lot that isn't just what would go on the Wikipedia article.

[@thedadliestman]

That's actually a big reason for me to make this videos, it helps me practice my writing and research. I'll improve it bit by bit, this video alone has given me good feedback.

[@PiePie453]

@@thedadliestman Maybe I'll watch again and find all the parts that irk me so we can both be satisfied :)

[@thedadliestman]

Definitely do if you want. I appreciate all the feedback! 😁

[@komrademoses]

One important thing about 1:44:38 is that the party didn't willingly accept Cait Sith back. He threatened Marlene (after playing an audio recording of her) and coerced them into it.

[@raggamuffinmcgee]

Really enjoyed your version of the story. I don't know why i like hearing the same story told over and over but it's a nice hit of nostalgia.

[@thedadliestman]

To be fair, one of the big things that drew me to this format was to hear the plot to older games I played while working. 😁

[@MajestyXXII]

Hi there I watched the video few days ago and I am commenting on how great the video is, I will be subscribing for more

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks so much! I hope you'll enjoy the new stuff coming out as well!

[@nateken]

Didn’t Cait Sith remain in the party after his betrayal because they had Marlene held hostage? I can’t recall that part 100% but I believe that was why, and not because the party was acting out of character

[@JoKad17]

A correction about rpg history: by 1987 the west already had his smash hits rpg. Or rather early crpg. Bard's Tale, Ultima and the Wizardry series had already were already quite successful, managing in the best case scenario to move around half a million unit, an enormous success at the time. As the name imply crpg are made for computer and often have more complex control schemes than jrpg which historically were made for console. Basically there was the perception (probably correct) that western audiences were split between console players and computer players, the former enjoying reflex based game while the latter enjoyed very complex games (even "action" titles like the first Wolfenstein relied more on tactically navigating a complex maze while managing resources and taking notes). Obviously FFI, if released on the west, might have swayed the console market since it was a well made and quite intuitive (for the time) rpg but ultimately Square decided that a console rpg wasn't viable in the west and a port for the Apple II or Amiga wasn't what they wanted.

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks for clearing this up. I ran into so many conflicting stories when researching the Final Fantasy localisation stories. Sometimes it was timing, then financing and then the issue that I mentioned in the video. I'll have to check back if I said RPG or JRPG because I specifically meant JRPG for the video since it pertained to Square. CRPG's weren't even in my consideration during the video because I played most of the titles you mentioned in your comment so I knew they were popular. Thanks for the info and thanks so much for watching.

[@jeditone14]

Great video just in time for rebirth. I’m so hyped.

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks for watching! February is going to be a hell of a month for JRPG fans 😁

[@joshfulcifan1015]

Thank you for your Insight in this epic RPG. You couldn't have done it any better. Well done!

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks so much! I appreciate you watching!

[@lowgman384]

You raise a lot of good points, particularly about the Clock Hallway being a Broken Time Machine. Thinking back, I assumed that that particular area of the Ancients was in greater disarray given the blocked paths. Another assumption of mine was that that whole area was in a stand-still state, and that may be why the spirit of the one Ancient still lingered, that the Ancients would rather that technology be perpetually broken than have Jenova use it for greater ill. I still feel we were lead to think of Remake as a Sequel, and the sum of all of the compilation to that point. No matter what happens in Rebirth I'm sure we won't be disappointed.

[@Xxandrew01]

I still haven't seen the entire video at the time of making this comment, but MAN! From what I watched so far I gotta say this is an amazing analysis of one of the BEST video games of all time. I know you said you also plan on doing FFVIII, so I hope that means you also plan on doing FFIX and FFX (My favorite FF in fact) as well.

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks so much for watching! I actually put out a vote about a week ago and FFX will be the next one that's going to be covered.

[@Xxandrew01]

​​@thedadliestman No problem. And nice! I can't wait!

[@Rhomagus]

2:10 Honestly I think it's the Quality of Life aspect of what Shinra provides via Mako that is the crucial aspect to why they even have the power they have in the first place. Shinra is amoral, as is the Planet. The humanistic endeavor of Shinra has roots in humanities insecurity and ultimate longing for a "paradise" free from predators.

[@thedadliestman]

That's actually an interesting take. You could approach Shinra's plan as initially having humanity's best intentions in mind but gradually losing sight of their original goal.

[@max1311]

Great video, I loved it. Im sure you know this but to anyone that doesn’t, if you bring Aerith to Gongaga you get some extra dialog about her and Zack. Also the story about Shera and Cid never made sense to me, she is supposed to be in danger from being burnt in the rocket, but the rocket ignites with her still in it, both times and she doesn’t die.

[@thedadliestman]

Thank you! I know about the Zack section in Gongaga but I honestly never really used Aerith in my playthrough and by the time I remembered that part, I was already omw to the Temple of the Ancients. 😅

[@Tootbook]

Subscribed. I can tell you're gonna get me through my long hours on third shift

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks a bunch! Hope your shifts are going okay!

[@Xykel-]

Will never understand why people willingly ignore the correct pronunciation of words. Its Aerith, the og was mistranslated and EVERY form of official media relating to the ff7 compilation corrects this mistranslation. Why arent we calling the villain Sephiros? Cuz its not his name, thats why.

[@thedadliestman]

I'm already dreading the pronunciation of Tidus when I drop the next video.

[@asdfghjkllkjhgfdsa8725]

I'll never understand why you care so much. Aeris is the shortened version of aerith. They are both real names meaning flower girl. It would be like flipping out because people call a character named Robert "bob". People will tend to use the name used when they were introduced to the character. It's really not a big deal especially here.

[@ursaminor2732]

@@asdfghjkllkjhgfdsa8725it’s only one letter shorter.

[@asdfghjkllkjhgfdsa8725]

@@ursaminor2732 point is theyre synonymous.

[@rickn6923]

Dude i remember all the resurrection rumors.. and all the get a sephiroth clone in the party ones by getting all the 1/35th soldiers.

[@thedadliestman]

The playground rumors about this game were wild. I'm learning new ones with every comment 😂

[@rickn6923]

@@thedadliestman haha I’ll have to look around and see all the other ones. Made me think of the infamous shadow kills kefka in one hit by throwing the ragnarok/ atma weapon rumor, or after FF Tactics came out 6 months after FF7 the Rumor that cloud had a second level 4 limit “Cherry Blossom” (his strongest ability after Omnislash in tactics) 😂

[@Itstwistedroots]

1:55:28 I pressed the power button because I was stupid and didn’t know you could just… open the damn disc tray 😅

[@claytose01]

Witnessing Aerith's death was the day I became a man.

[@thedadliestman]

I mean, comparing to some other death scenes in games this was actually pretty tame but I was surprised by how many people still remembered that scene so distinctly even after all these years.

[@burnheart2965]

Because the connection was much stronger. Other games dont do that as well

[@StoryTime333]

Enjoyed every minute. Good job man.

[@thedadliestman]

Thanks!