The Story of Final Fantasy 7 .. So Far | A Comparative Analysis of the Original AND Remake

[@Aleczandxr]

PLEASE READ: - The sequel to this video, The Story of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth | A Narrative Analysis and Retrospective: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3zUkJaMo6mqjqM - Here is Part 2 to this series, my take on the Yuffie Episode: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npjClKCbd96fmdU - This video is a gigantic and very varied rumination and exploration of both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the original Final Fantasy 7. It covers personal reflections and anecdotes, character/theme/setting analysis, theories, speculation, discussions about the intent of the games and criticism and praise about the story. There is a lot in here, so if you’re not interested in a certain topic, you can use the Table of Contents below to skip through. - KZbin really screwed me with the compression of the video quality, so please watch on 1440p to limit the amount of visual murkiness and pixelation! - Something to clarify is that I say within this that Sakaguchi’s mother died in 1988. However, while this is a year I found on multiple websites, there are no concrete sources to confirm the year 100%, and the only thing that is for certain is that she died during the development of III (since Sakaguchi confirmed that himself). Table of Contents: 0:00 - Introduction, Disclaimers, and My Personal Experience with FF7 8:52 - The Music of FF7 11:44 - The Bombing Mission, Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace and the Mako Conflict 26:38 - Sephiroth Discussion and Theories + The Approach of the Remake + The Whispers 44:48 - The End of the Mission + Tifa Lockhart 53:26 - Midgar 56:54 - Jessie, Biggs, Wedge and Chapter 4 1:08:51 - Shinra and the Second Mission 1:12:33 - Aerith Gainsborough Discussion and Theories 1:28:36 - The Sector 5 Slums and Wall Market 1:42:22 - The Sewers and the Train Graveyard 1:52:23 - The Plate Drop and the Turks 2:05:47 - The Aftermath 2:12:10 - The Remake's Character Resolution Scenes 2:19:13 - Chapter 14 and Shinra Headquarters 2:31:27 - The Interlude and the Trail of Blood 2:42:02 - Rufus Shinra and the End of the Original's Midgar Arc 2:45:53 - The Remake's Ending - Discussion, Theories and Interpretations 3:03:15 - The Remake's Final Scenes + Concluding Thoughts, Interpretations and Speculation About Future Parts 3:17:36 - Personal Conclusion Sources: ⁃ A link to Lorerunner’s FFVII playthrough, which helped form some of my thoughts on the original game and also doubled as a source for the footage for the original Final Fantasy VII playthrough: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXPboJ2Bpr9ga7M&ab_channel=LorerunnerStreamArchives ⁃ Source 1 for the footage for the FFVIIR playthrough, as well as the source for some Crisis Core footage: kzbin.info ⁃ Source 2 for the footage for the FFVIIR playthrough: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHTYgIumra-dfdE&ab_channel=dansg08 ⁃ Source 3 for the footage for the FFVIIR playthrough (Mentioned in the video as Gameplay Garage but have since changed their channel name to "Cipher"): kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4qtqHyhgcx2eKc&ab_channel=Cipher ⁃ A link to a podcast entitled "Dropped Frames" that helped me gather my thoughts on the ending of the Remake (the discussion I mentioned about the Lifestream chapters starts at about 22 minutes in): kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmSoqWt_gcZ9d6M&ab_channel=itmeJP ⁃ Lifestream Black and LifeStream White excerpts, translated: thelifestream.net/novels-novellas/on-the-way-to-a-smile-lifestream-black-and-lifestream-white/ ⁃ Two Twitter threads translating important bits of the FFVII Remake Ultimania: mobile.twitter.com/aitaikimochi/status/1255553713260789760 twitter.com/istanleyff7/status/1256005845222961153 ⁃ A link to the Final Fantasy wiki, which was used for some fact-checking: finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Wiki ⁃ Additional lore tidbits provided from reading a physical copy of the original Final Fantasy VII Ultimania ⁃ An interview with Sakaguchi about the theme of FFVII: www.ff7citadel.com/press/int_sakaguchi.shtml - Let's Mosey: A Slow Translation Of Final Fantasy VII: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnTIf2WBn7d7kM0&ab_channel=Kotaku ⁃ My video on Barret: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqSZnJ6mdtGUbs0&ab_channel=Aleczandxr

[@justmyopinion79]

Holy sources

[@easschung9442]

How was this comment posted 4 days ago...

[@yemmohater2796]

Haven’t finished FF7 yet so I’ll just play this in the background and come back later

[@calcelmoanayru5870]

@@easschung9442 KZbin has a tool for that

[@pox9127]

I recommend playing dark souls 1 or persona 5 if you haven’t

[@FrffyVsBoredom]

I can’t imagine how much work you’ve put into this. It’s personal, funny, nostalgic, & introspective. I don’t know what else to say besides amazing work!

[@Aleczandxr]

Thanks so much mate!

[@CaribouCoon]

I haven't played either game but I know the feel of finishing something this huge. Congratulations on getting this one released!!

[@cvatvbizarreadventure]

Who ate you

[@JPG.01]

You can get the original on almost any platform. OG FF7 has been ported almost as often as Skyrim by this point. You can get it even on iOS and Android for a around 20$ I believe.

[@ricklopez4703]

Original is great.

[@pandamonium9255]

Cloud: "I don't dance..." Cloud a few chapters later:

[@etinarcadiaego7424]

Boy knows how to shake his stuff.

[@AsbelLhant100]

Hoo boy, see you in 5 years for part 2

[@ShinRaChamploo]

Im right here with you guys

[@stevenpeeckford5999]

I think it'll release in 2022/2023 honestly

[@henriklarssen1331]

Who cares about the Fan Fiction Story of the Remake. There is only one real FF7 Story.

[@stevenpeeckford5999]

@@henriklarssen1331 Yep, and it continues into the remake, like it or not :)

[@henriklarssen1331]

@@stevenpeeckford5999 Why would anyone like it the Remake is a bad Game like all the newer FF Games, Squaresoft hasnt done anything great since forever. Maybe if you are a console peasent and dont have access to good RPG Games, but otherwise its a joke.

[@youngclueless7364]

1:13:00 The "scraped knees" line is a callback to a key moment in Cloud's childhood when he tried to follow Tifa up Mt Nibel but ended up falling and scraping his knees while Tifa fell into a coma. This indicates that it is the real Cloud still inside him that is trying to reach out to him and not other parts of his personality like the Jenova cells

[@Fall-oo6mt]

it's so funny to me how they both fell from such a big height, yet cloud only got his knees scraped and tifa almost died 😭😭

[@avibi]

This is one of the few games I really really regret having spoiled for myself, both the original and the remake. At least I got to watch this video on account of that.

[@TiggZ_]

With the following parts going off script, at least you'll have the chance to go in blind and enjoy them 1st hand!

[@jupiterbullish2520]

​@TiggZ_ I only played half of the og ff7 back in the day and half of the remake. I don't know what to do I dont want to spoil it but people say play the og, but I like playing the remake sort of blind. I only have a basic understanding of what's going on, all of the plot twist I have seen from back in the day are hazey and I can't remember😊

[@ThwipThwipBoom]

Hope you didn't spoil Rebirth for yourself lol

[@tiph876]

FINALLY! I know you worked on this one like crazy, thank you AJ

[@hvassios]

Tell me why i was just thinking about watching some final fantasy 7 content a moment ago...and now i see this in front of my eyes. THANK YOU

[@TuskyBaby]

Bruh, how did you know I was fiending for more FF7R content? Unreal. After watching the video, I'm amazed to find that you had a nearly identical experience with the original and the remake as me.

[@PowerMatrixAnime]

Monstrous video, it must have taken you ages to script and finish. We appreciate your work ethic!

[@dtorma]

I can't believe I thoroughly enjoyed this 3 hour long monstrosity so much - thank you for making such effort! :)

[@Aleczandxr]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching the entire way through!

[@paulsmith9192]

@Aleczandxr why majority of ur content not games?no reviews except this.no other reviews on other jrpgs or newer games

[@Aleczandxr]

@Paul smith No videos on JRPGs and other games aside from this one…? I’m not sure why you say that with such confidence because that isn’t true at all lmao kzbin.info/aero/PLf2MkVBhqRMiiaZbq3-4x8oEYlWe6LrCZ

[@PetarBladeStrok]

Hell yes!!! This was such a pleasure to watch through and through. You covered all the nuances. The good and bad. All with such depths. I wonder, have you watched SleepEZ's FFVIIR videos? Amazing eloquent stuff, just like your content. I would love you two to collaborate.

[@felldoh9271]

Thank you for mentioning this channel I subscribed

[@pikaboom6539]

Wow…this analysis and breakdown is INCREDIBLE! I just love how appreciative that you are, and you’re not someone who instantly defaults into being a hater toward any change. Change, in the case of FF7: Remake, is good!

[@Aleczandxr]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed.

[@bobbyzamora6389]

It's crazy how a video comparing them like this hasn't come out until now, at least not that I'm aware of. Awesome.

[@pocheycho9056]

Just when I was searching for long comprehensive, meaningful analyzations of my favorite game. Aleczanderdxr came to the rescue. You my good sir have my deepest thanks

[@Fyrre84]

You hit so many notes with this video for me. Your insight is right on point and your breakdown is everything I wanted to see in one. You are truly a kindred spirited fan. Awesome work!

[@Aleczandxr]

Thank you very much!

[@TheTrumanator]

This is beyond amazing and makes me want to replay both games again. Your dedication and hard work you sunk into this project was palpable in the resulting video. I never thought I’d end up watching a 3 hour video but here I am. Thanks for putting in the time and sharing it with us. Amazing work man 👍

[@Aleczandxr]

Thanks a ton!

[@popat918]

Time to watch a 3 hour long video about a game I have never played in my life.

[@HomeDefender30]

I’m about to watch a 3 hour video on a game I have played on and off for the past 25 years... one I know inside and out, one I have watched hours of videos on and spent countless hours playing and watching extended universe games and content for... more than likely he will have nothing to say in this that I haven’t thought myself or heard from others.... and I am still extremely excited for it!

[@jkatzrapsss]

It must feel amazing to complete a project of this size. Can’t wait to watch this one.

[@tarutso]

1:53:00 extremely good points re plate drop, very well articulated. Totally agree

[@AndiTheBassman]

Thanks for the awesome video. Looking forward to nearly 9 hours of Rebirth 😂

[@Aleczandxr]

Thank you! Hope you enjoy!

[@Vaga-Bard]

Your mention of areas that lacked content in the original really sparked my imagination. You referenced the train graveyard particularly, but other areas like the prison, nibelhiem was only the mansion, gonoga could be awesome, honestly you've raised an excellent point and I hope the development team does take advantage of the areas to the fullest. Just imagining the temple of the ancients and demon wall is exciting.

[@Aleczandxr]

Hopefully they start strong with Kalm! Not that it has to be a gigantic city here, but just a substantial and rich realization of the peaceful little place.

[@brentt6714]

@@Aleczandxr I can't wait to see Kalm in Rebirth. I'm hoping to see several allusions to Kalm's hidden history that we learned about in Before Crisis.

[@orginn]

I still have nightmares of that damn demon wall

[@benzohhhhh]

Kalm ost is gonna be instant tears

[@ExtraCheese94]

Great video, there's so many ideas and theories I never considered while playing. Always a treat to get such an in depth analysis of something like this

[@Aleczandxr]

I'm very happy you enjoyed it!

[@benzohhhhh]

This video is special man. The rebirth vid will feed family’s for generations to come! Hearing u say “how will they top this?” about the ending… man rebirth is special they really did it 😢

[@Aleczandxr]

Currently putting in major hours on that Rebirth video! It’ll still be a long while before it’s ready, but it’s well underway!

[@montanajoe4636]

genuinely amazing video. perfect narration and the visual attention to detail is impressive, not to mention the sheer length of the video. 10/10

[@Aleczandxr]

Thank you!

[@Shyai]

I really like the idea that this games sephiroth and aerith are experiencing the story again with knowledge of the first time it happened to them I think it’s a good way to get a super nuanced look at both characters and how they handle situations they’ve been through already

[@justmyopinion79]

Me too, I've always thought it's the only thing that makes sense due to their subtle actions and changes

[@naytay9668]

Fantastic video. Thank you so much for putting so much time and love into this.

[@Aleczandxr]

It was my pleasure!

[@Ronin11111111]

To me, in the night scene with Tifa, judging by his facial expressions, it's like Clouds emotions and his original peraonalty are on the verge of breaking out, but just can't find their way out of his fractured mind. He looks like he wants to cry with Tifa but dosen't know how, and can't quite understand what's happening inside him.

[@deiseiken6262]

Thank you for you effort and appreciation to make this video, despite all the hardships of editing.

[@C4DNerd]

Had to watch this video in the course of several days due to limited free time, but having just finished it, this was a really great video! To be honest, a lot of the implications of VIIR's ending kind of soured the whole experience for me unfortunately, but watching this video helped me remember and prioritize all the things that the Remake did superbly well (many of which were things I wasn't really confident they'd be able to do as well as they did). I think a lot of my final thoughts on this are really going to depend on exactly what they do with Part 2, and how well it is executed. But I am definitely more optimistic, after having sort of revisited a lot of this game vicariously through this video.

[@StarGazer4003]

Been saving this video for a gaming session, I'm buckled in for the 3 hours :D

[@jimmyichigo7410]

Finally finished it after a few days! Loved it, congratulations

[@Aleczandxr]

Thanks a lot!

[@tolisdrs330]

I find your Videos amazing since nearly 2 years .. the depth in those are always appreciated

[@jamesgravil9162]

"Cloud is essentially a 17-year-old in a 21-year-old's body due to being submerged in Mako unconscious for four years." I'm a 17-year-old in a 36-year-old's body, and I don't even have the excuse of being experimented on! XD

[@jesse1086]

Submerged into Mountain Dew unconsciousness

[@56Tyskie]

lol I hear you brother

[@cynicalidealist11]

I like Zack’s new voice a lot more than the old one. The new one captures that goofy, puppy energy so much better.

[@Aleczandxr]

That’s fair! To me it’s no competition and I was really underwhelmed with it in Remake. Rebirth is a different story of course.

[@tailedgates9]

Cloud's line read of "I've got skills!" might be my absolute favorite out of most of his lines, OG AND Remake. Lol Dorky Cloud > Moody Cloud.

[@randomwhitedude9227]

This lol it always disappoints me when people think of cloud as just some super serious mercenary on a revenge quest. Hes got so much depth to his character

[@Fall-oo6mt]

I like moody Cloud, specially on Advent Children. It's just bad how people think he was always like that.

[@Slayheim]

Wow, great work. This is amazing. Well done sir!

[@Aleczandxr]

Thank you kindly!

[@FantonHike]

Damn you can really get me immersed in something I have little investment in through these long-form videos. I’m very tempted to play the remake when part 2 comes out, I think you were right in saying it could be something really special despite the departure at the end of part 1.

[@itsmorphinetime]

This is SUCH a fantastic analysis, and love the way you compare the two and offer your insight on each. One thing that you mention a lot and that I kept thinking all the way through my playtime is that events are just so needlessly drawn out and padded. I get that they needed to make this a full game experience, but I do feel like it hurt the experience more than enhanced it as a whole. With that said, the jessie chapter was fantastic, and easily the best addition for extra content in the game.

[@monty1754]

In the character resolution scene with Aerith, I don't think she communicating from Shira HQ. I think she's already dead and speaking through the lifestream. Mainly because she doesn't fade away like a dream but fades away as the lifestream with the green glow. Also, there's no other mention of it later when they rescue her from HQ. It just goes as normal and there's no dialogue about this scene between cloud and aerith. I could be wrong and this gets touched on in part two, just my thought.

[@SteveCancel78]

Really good theory!

[@Fall-oo6mt]

i feel like the rebirth only strengthens this theory. probably this aerith is the same one that helped cloud in the final fight against sephiroth

[@aboyandhisdogRE]

​@Fall-oo6mt totally agree! Very Late to this video too 😂

[@thedark1owns]

Thanks!

[@aSinkingShip]

I am grateful for the time you took to give this game the detailed dissection it deserves. It truly has a great story that's told obtusely because it's part 1 of however many. It sets up just enough story for the new player to get invested, and give the avid fan enough to speculate on.

[@kirkcavanaugh1493]

This was excellent. Possibly perfectly done. Good job. Can't wait to see your future stuff.

[@Aleczandxr]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@timmoh]

Great watch! I like to believe the destruction of Fate just gives the developers an ingame excuse to allow themselves more creative liberty in recreating/fleshing things out/slighty altering some parts of the game. It also makes it kind of exciting what to expect and might really emulate the feeling of playing Final Fantasy 7 for the first time again since you don’t 100% know what’s to come. I’m also on team “Tifa is best girl”. I love how gentle and just so full of kindness she is, yet is still willing to fight for what is right.

[@DutchDread]

Same, it always seemed clear to me that there is an obvious distinction between Midgar and the rest of the game, which makes it more difficult for the rest to be adapted faithfully. I think the developers understood that and created the whispers as a way to justify those changes. The most obvious example of this concept I think is when you get a 4 (5) party team near the end of the game. Before that we naturally had a 3 party throughout the game, but as soon as the 4th is added, the game needs to start taking liberties in order to excuse why you're only controlling 4, like splitting up the party, or having Barret get shot. The ending especially shows the problems you run into with this increased freedom, where they had to make a bunch of cutscenes for Tifa, Aerith, and Barret, depending on who is with you to fight Sephiroth. If you have so many problems with just 4 characters, what about when you have a full party? Can't make a 100 variations on each cut scene, can't ignore 60% of your characters either, stuff will have to change. And that's just when talking about Party members and cutscenes, it doesn't even address the differences in worldbuilding you'd run into after Midgar. (Oh, and yes,Tifa is absolutely spectacular in every way)

[@Cman04092]

@@DutchDread oh i never thought of that, I kinda assumed they would have us keep the out of use party members in our back pocket until cutscenes thought. I mean, games have to take some liberties, especially considering they already do this with inventory, otherwise I'd have to have a uhaul van for all my shit, lol.

[@DaniPooo]

Obviously, but they still had to think of a way to make sense of everything right.

[@crashoutfm]

As a die hard original fan. Im extremely excited for what’s next. They fooled a lot of us in a ballsy way, and bamboozled is into a sequel instead of a remake in a crazy way. Im ready

[@N.Valentine]

Well now we are after the Rebirth which proves the entire verses are changed and that Cloud of 7 is really ex solider and not just Zacks memory, also give chance for Athens to b alive

[@jlabella211]

This video deserved the like it got from me because you talked about how good Barret's elevator speech was.

[@binglee8000]

Amazing video man holy nuts what a great analysis on the original and remake honestly mate

[@Aleczandxr]

Thanks very much!

[@Kiriakus1]

Amazing video as always, watched it all in one sitting, can't wait until the second part!

[@Aleczandxr]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@boctama6626]

This is actually exactly what I needed right now lol. I just finished a replay of FF7 and I was just about to start watching videos

[@G_Rez]

Loved this video, had to watch it twice! I really hope to see part two this year, your content is immaculate

[@Aleczandxr]

Glad you enjoyed and thanks for checking it out!

[@RadinV1]

This was a brilliant video, you touched on a lot of details and I really appreciate the effort you must have put into this.

[@Aleczandxr]

Thank you very much!

[@soundwave-815]

Fantastic work!!! I’m just finishing this video after having played through OG and remake, Halfway through CC Reunion now! Can’t wait till Rebirth!

[@Aleczandxr]

Thanks! Me neither!

[@Braveheartbronie]

a better use of my time then watching Wonder Woman 1984

[@felldoh9271]

I heart you for saying this.

[@bobbyzamora6389]

LOL YES

[@itsnotonepieceitsthatpiece]

Indeed

[@AG-en5y]

This is work of art homie. Much love from Vancouver

[@Aleczandxr]

Cheers!

[@jovix7334]

Literally just finished the game and 5 minutes afterwards I came right to this video. FFVll holds such a dear place in my heart from playing it as a kid and this remake pretty much reinforces my feels for it, and in an industry filled with lazy remasters/remakes it’s so fulfilling seeing how much love and care was taken into making FFVll Remake. Anyways great video as always that 3 1/2 hours flew by.

[@JuliusCaesar103]

Hey Aleczandxr, this is one titan of a video and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. It gave me a new appreciation for the story that I didn't have as someone who didn't play the original. Incredible job, I can't even begin to think of how much planning this video took but I want you to know that I enjoyed every second. Thank you!

[@Aleczandxr]

Perfect! Glad you enjoyed it so much :)

[@alfredhigglestein2828]

At first I was a bit hesitant to watch a 3 hour video, but since it's FF7 I thought why not and I'm glad I decided to sit through the whole thing. Partly because I agree with alot of what you say and ideas you put forward and because of how well structured the video was, never feeling like you were wafting on or jumping too much between different ideas. I only played the original a few years ago and I loved it, I played the remake and it's the first game I've ever replayed back to back. The characters, gameplay and new story ideas just drew me in and make me excited for the future. While I think some people may be upset that the game will be going in a different direction, I don't think it will take away from the magic of the original nor will it tarnish the legacy it has created. Great vid, looking forward to part 2, both the remake and your own video on FF7

[@Aleczandxr]

Cheers, I’m happy that you enjoyed!

[@hassan12010]

Amazing video it gave me chills at points, well done chief

[@Aleczandxr]

Much appreciated!

[@veedycastro1]

MY MAN YOU ARE ARE GREAT!!!

[@veedycastro1]

THANK YOU FOR THE TIME AND EFFORTS YOU PUT INTO THIS PROJECT....

[@Aleczandxr]

Many thanks for watching!

[@JuliusCaesar103]

I just finished the game and my body is ready for this video which I know I'm going to absolutely love!!! Love all your vids Alec

[@Aleczandxr]

Awesome! Hope you enjoy the video and I hope you enjoyed the game!

[@JuliusCaesar103]

@@Aleczandxr I adored the game. I thought Barrett was easily the star of the game and I was so sad at the moment where he was stabbed and "died", I almost quit the game, I think he elevated the game really high in my opinion. Aerith I wasn't the biggest fan of since I found her to be a bit too weird of a person, Tifa was the best though, how can you not love her. And Cloud was very weird, in the beginning I thought great, another edgy edgelord, but in the end I was rooting for him and came to love him as a character. Sephiroth as a villain I really enjoyed although I hope some questions are answered in the sequel(s). The story I found to be good although it got truly good only at the end, the world/concept was very interesting and the gameplay was just euphoric. Great experience for my first Final Fantasy game!! Also I'm 40 minutes into the video and I'm enjoying it immensely. I'll probably finish it in the upcoming days, and will watch the Barrett video right after. I hope to hear high praise for him otherwise I'm gonna be pissed lol

[@rhael42]

three hours of aleczandxr? oh hell yes!

[@Zehruk]

This video is so long I need to prepare with time and popcorn just to watch this because I really wanted someone to do this comparison.

[@mxttstrxfe]

2:30:00 I have a theory about this scene. This is what Sephiroth is planning to do to them, from Meteor to Barret and Tifa's deaths. We actually see one of these fulfilled or, seemingly fulfilled when Barret is stabbed in the presidents office, its the same kind of scene. One to other hand Tifa being stabbed might be what Sephiroth is planning to do to her or a reference to what he did to her back at the reactor 5 years earlier.

[@Aleczandxr]

Oh yeah, I definitely think his intent is being conveyed very forcefully through that scene.

[@johnpaulcross424]

Oh baby, this is the big one. I can’t wait to dive into this

[@Nexuish]

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie are one of the biggest successes of the remake. The time spent with them was enjoyable and made me care more about them. The extra scene with Jessie’s parents deserves praise for pulling so much narrative weight at once. Roche is a character that, at least imo, shows that Soldiers are psychotic. It kind of gets us, the players, to see how normal people see Soldiers since or frame of reference is limited. I’m hoping they use him to talk about the quality of life for a Soldier ( shortened lifespans and reunion stuff ) On the train graveyard, I totally agree. I think this tone should’ve been saved for the Temple of the Ancients if you take Tifa ( assuming the game lets you pick )

[@justmyopinion79]

I have a feeling that Roche will have a bigger role to play in the upcoming parts.

[@Fall-oo6mt]

They kind of did what you wanted. I mean... I won't spoil it in case any of you haven't played Rebirth yet, but they definitely touch on the consequences of being a SOLDIER.

[@ChocolateKieran]

Watched the WHOLE video! I love the way you structured this, looking forward to more around this topic. 😁 also as somebody who never played Crisis Core I think I preferred the performance of the new VA more, something cheeky about it that feels like it fits Zack for me? It could be because I’m more familiar with him from Kingdom Hearts though.

[@Aleczandxr]

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed! And that's cool that you prefer the new VA, I'm definitely willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and see how he does later!

[@perrydunetz882]

@@Aleczandxr surprised Zack was the one you felt was a problem, I thought he sounded close enough to the original, I thought the only performance that was aggregious was Reno, with him being a much less fun character than the original purely due to the performance, quinton Flynn gave Reno a certain charming playfulness, you want to hate him for what he did but he’s hard to hate, the remake made him more whiny and less playful

[@perrydunetz882]

Try crisis core if you ever get the chance, decent gameplay, and makes Zack into one of the most endearing characters in the series

[@Aleczandxr]

@@perrydunetz882 That isn't quite true actually. As I said in the video, I also think Sephiroth's voice was pretty disappointing. His voice wasn't quite menacing enough and it was a bit too thin and bland. Zack's voice was weak in the little bit we heard, I don't hear much of a similarity at all, it's far higher and lacking in weight in the example I provided IMO. Reno's was fine for me.

[@Senyuno]

I'm not convinced Zack isn't a part of this timeline as we know there's a million ways time travel writers circumvent time paradoxes. For all we know, Cloud took Zack for dead and Zack has been hidden away under Aerith's Church for five years or etc etc

[@chaosstorm8307]

I'm not convinced Sephiroth is actually time traveling.

[@KCaldwellBlue]

Love this video! You did a good job at describing the events of the story

[@easschung9442]

I am back here after the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth trailer.

[@tarutso]

Just finished this video. Amazing work. Thanks so much. Will definitely share this around w friends

[@Aleczandxr]

Awesome, thank you!

[@easschung9442]

I'm laughing at the fact that you just said "fuck it" when it came to including the background music for this one xD

[@justmyopinion79]

lmaooooo

[@truthcompels]

You have single handedly impressed me. You genuinely captured everything i was feeling at the whole gnawingness of it all. You hammered down all my thoughts into words and it was just so good. Damn, now its 2am and im downloading remake to play it again

[@Aleczandxr]

So glad you enjoyed!

[@truthcompels]

@@Aleczandxr I am eagerly waiting for your next video in the series. Thank you so much for taking the time for this. seriously.

[@Aleczandxr]

You’re welcome, and the next video is right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npjClKCbd96fmdU

[@truthcompels]

@@Aleczandxr Ohhhhhhhh you best believe I saw it already :)

[@truthcompels]

​@Aleczandxr , I told you, I am EAGERLY waiting. Please tell me youre beasting through this RIGHT NOW. Haha. Dunno how long youre going to take but I really want a thorough breakdown (no spoiler version) of how much all of it was just neat observation and which parts of it was just sheer savant insight. Please I must knowwww (waiting for the pc version XD)

[@dudevruhwhat6352]

GODAMN I’ll make sure to watch this later I’m sure it will be 11/10 peak fiction

[@KittyKatBobcat]

Well here's your reminder comment. ;)

[@bobbyzamora6389]

Same ^

[@juneyu945]

I loved this video! It’s well thought out and very eloquently put. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute and look forward to part 2 !

[@Aleczandxr]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@chainclaw07]

You nailed it about the train graveyard, its like they made it separately from the rest of the story, I believe the story of eligor and the kid ghosts in conjunction with exploring Aerith and Tifas characters and the dynamic of their friendship was a good thing and could've basically only been done at that part of the game, they really should've incorporated the urgency of the plate drop and discarded the ghosts playing with them, discarded the ghost boss and make it more compact.

[@miss_tempest]

Simply incredible. Thank you for this retrospective. I've platinumed both games and have thousands of hours in the original and you've helped me learn an incredible amount.

[@Aleczandxr]

You’re very welcome!

[@__G__-]

Dude. It took a few days but I watched the entire thing.

[@blardarius]

YES I have been waiting for this for so long!!!

[@Eneshi2071]

Aerith is also aware that, due to the genetics of his species, Red is effectively the equivalent of a child by their standards. "This child is not a threat." You could maybe get away with saying she could sense Red's intentions with her Cetra voodoo, but how the shit would she know Nanaki's age and lifespan by looking at him? Something screwy...

[@OlanDurai]

Love your take, insights and depth of analysis. I may have just skipped to a few bits and listened to the conclusion but I could easily play this in the background and wouldn't want you to sacrifice a minute of your perspective that you have carefully curated and shared with us. As somone who was 13 when the game came out and I managed to beg my family for a Playstation, FF7 (followed by an rf adapter and memory card after my system was shut off in the first day overnight and starting over another 6-8 hours) I can say that you nail it from someone who loved the originals and was moved and excited and nostalgic throughout playing the remake this past couple of weeks, finally. Thank you for your efforts on making the world a better place by breaking down and summarizing one of my favourite stories, ever.

[@Aleczandxr]

This was incredibly nice to read, thank you for the kind words and I’m very glad you enjoyed!

[@acidfruitloops]

Hopefully it wasn't one of those madcatz memory cards LOL I remember getting into legit fights with the kid across the street over either him or his little sister erasing our progress on crash 3 only to find out years later it was the shit card itself that kept wiping our files.

[@ocram3333]

Sigh... Asking Squenix for a remake of this game for literal decades was never about getting an exciting fresh new story; the whole point was to bring the story we love to life. Luring fans of the og with this idea and then deciding to do their own thing is, in my opinion, incredibly dishonest and disrespectful. Anyone saying that this is what they wanted, "after all it's a remake, not a remaster" is a liar. No one asked for this, it is just fortuitous that you are super excited about the potential new story and anticipating it instead of dreading a very likely disaster. Funny thing is, after all these months arguing and being called a "purist" or some other word meant to say "spoiler of fun", It seems that what really separates people like me and people who are all in on remake is perspective. After all, I find myself pretty much agreeing with about 95% of what is said on this video. Same criticisms where the game doesn't do that well compared to og and even the same praises for what the remake does super well. A lot of people agree that the things I dread they'll mess with should not be messed with (obvious example: Aerith's fate). Difference is, people are unexplicably super optimistic about the future when, from my perspective, there is way more reason to be pessimistic. Here's a prediction: In one of the next installments of this "new and improved" FF7 something will happen that will be universally hated (If you follow NSP, think Zack and Cloud brandishing a blade made of lifestream to defeat Sephiroth together). By then, It'll be too late to do anything about it; the series will have been damaged beyond repair. Should have seen it coming, people like me warned you about it but you insisted on just accepting this shit. I will forever blame you, the remake "fans" for what happens next. It is obviously best for all of us to have loved this game together but, failing that, we could at least have hated it together. We could have called squenix's BS together and demanded they give us what was promised 6 years ago: a remake, not a stealth sequel or some BS alternate timeline, a remake. (RE2 and RE3 managed to stay faithful to their originals so don't come at me with the BS argument "It's not a remaster, it's a remake") For what it's worth, I really hope I'm wrong, that my prediction is just alarmist nonsense. I hope the next installments make me eat my words and that I look like a complete fool 10 years from now.

[@ocram3333]

@@michaelyu6250 Sure, maybe I am being a bit harsh but I'm kind of sick of trying to remain civil while the other side keeps flinging shit at the first sign of dissent. Really hard to do when most people critical of remake have suffered such vitriol that they've been practically bullied out of the conversation. Back to my point, the fanbase just accepting the fate ghosts and refraining from questioning the direction of what was misleadingly adverstised as a remake will eventually backfire. Every fan of og has a line that cannot be crossed; it varies from person to person, but it is much closer to where I draw the line than people think. They will eventually cross it for most of their fans. When that eventually happens, the fans will have no one to blame but themselves, they should've demanded better than being sold a game under false pretenses. Just look at the news we got today. We are getting some Yuffie DLC and, honestly, It looks freaking fantastic. Just one caveat though... Deepground soldiers, and, from the looks of it, a Weiss fight in VR, cause, you know, everyone wanted more Dirge of Cerberus, right? Nope, this was their chance to scrap compilation and just focus on the core story everyone loves but no, have some DoC. It's gonna start like that you see, Nomura (yes I know it's not just nomura but I'm gonna use him as shorthand for the team without Sakaguchi) is gonna keep pushing it until it breaks. Then we have ever crisis, which is a slap in the face. A chibi reskin of the original game and compilation on mobile is not a remake just as much as FF7R is not a remake. I bet they're trying to appease people and some of you will use it as ammunition, I can already hear it: "wELl tHeRe's yOur 1 to 1 reMakE". Nope, that's a middle finger to those of us who believed you on your 2015's "promise".

[@ocram3333]

@@Lilithsblackm00n I'm not that familiar with Gundam but I get your point. As for your point about Sephiroth's plan... Look, I get a lot of people trying to explain to me what they think Remake is setting up. I have looked at inummerable theories and watched literal dozens of hours worth of videos of theories. Thing is, all of that is completely beside the point of contention: a remake was promised in 2015 and what we got is not that. Change is not the problem either, no one is complaining about the underground lab or Madam M or the Jessie mission are they? They are complaining about the characters being literally hijacked by the devs to say their metacommentary on creative freedom and threatening to tell a new core story that is incompatible with the original. The threat is then made very much credible by alternate timeline Zack and possibly all of the avalanche trio surviving.

[@hikaruright6419]

I just don't like how filler this game is. the story beat don't drive the plot. I didn't like it at all.

[@ocram3333]

@@michaelyu6250 You know what? sure, my bad. I'm way too used to entering this conversation on the defensive. It's still just my opinion and, unfortunately, there's really no corteous way of saying "Your love of this game might eventually destroy the franchise".

[@ocram3333]

@@hikaruright6419 I can for sure understand this perspective. The tedious filler is objectively true. In my case, the nostalgia value and the excitement coming from reliving what is not just my favorite game but close to "My favorite thing, period" blinded my from most of the game's problems. That is, of course, excluding the whispers; Their presence and the ending spoils the rest of the experience for me. That's kind of the saddest thing to me, I was completely biased towards loving this game, even if it came out with a bunch of flaws. My problem is not that this is a flawed game, my problem is that it is not the game that was promised in 2015, it's another compilation title and we all know that compilation is pretty much shit (at least 90% of it).

[@kasumigrl]

Was looking for a long remake positive analysis just like this. Excited to have found your channel!

[@Aleczandxr]

Awesome, hope you enjoyed!

[@DecimoTDG]

Best 3 hours I've ever spent

[@twilit8162]

I’m only a little ways through this behemoth (ahem) of a video, and thus far it is fantastic, as most of your videos are. I don’t know if it is brought up later, but I would recommend listening to the Easy Allies podcast, which also includes Maximilian Dood, and goes suuuuuuper in-depth to the plot and has a lot of theories. It covers a lot of different material than the Dropped Frames podcast, but is still great. Goes over and supports a lot of your theories that I’ve heard thus far.

[@calwinlol]

Holy moly, the point about jessie being the first person to make cloud smile in the game! I totally missed it. Hope to see more jessie in FF7P2!

[@harleyquinnigan7808]

Absolutely awesome video. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the insight and loving criticism. Thank you for taking the time to make this, it really helped me enjoy and understand the game. Just awesome ❤

[@Aleczandxr]

My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed, currently working on the Rebirth video as well!

[@harleyquinnigan7808]

@@Aleczandxr Hell yeah, can't wait! I'm a relatively new fan of the FF7 and I'm foaming at the mouth for more. I just finished Crisis Core Reunion and I got attached to Zack, so I can't wait to see how he reappears in Rebirth!!

[@Aleczandxr]

The Rebirth video is now out! 9 hours long!

[@darkknight4726]

Nojima has stated in ultimania that cloud is actually mentally 16. Cloud is 2 years younger than zack who was 18 when he was experimented on. I just thought I should point that out.

[@xTraexEdge]

Finally watched this whole thing and man this is really well done. Enjoyed watching from start to finish.

[@Aleczandxr]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed and I appreciate you checking the whole thing out.

[@Gundam_90]

oh man, a 3 hour plus video, doing a comparitive of remake vs original. Well it's 1:30 am here. Going to save this video to my watch ASAP playlist.

[@juten6020]

Great video i agree with almost completely, even your background with ff7. This is immediately one of my all time favorite games. These storytellers know what they’re doing. We may not be able to experience FF7 for the first time ever again, but we can experience FF7R for the first time.

[@Aleczandxr]

Cool, thanks for sticking with such a long video!

[@kyobuuu]

About to enjoy this :)

[@jordanw.97]

Great points. Especially about Tseng and Reno during the plate segment of the original. Then she’s sad about his death although he recently physically abused her. Totally incongruent representation of Tseng, even if you only saw him in the original. Also to be fair, I wasted a lot of time farming Ghost hands and a Striking Staff during the train graveyard segment of the original. But I agree, I was thinking wtf, get to the pillar!

[@corbinmarkey466]

I was watching your Harry Potter video for the third time when I saw this pop up. It's my favorite FF7R video I've seen, great work 👍

[@Aleczandxr]

Thanks!

[@Dontdoit_]

I know what I’m listening to at work tomorrow

[@dgtsm9217]

yooo bro i remember you from your Kuruko's Basketball vid and i've been on a Final Fantasy binge lately so this is a godsend

[@obbobo2317]

Holy fuck, i knew you made 1 hour long videos but this is a new record, even for you Congrats on getting this one out

[@markyboy3749]

This was the best breakdown I've heard anywhere! Keep up the great work

[@Aleczandxr]

Thank you!

[@derekhogan9685]

All I want now is a game of the Zack lives world.

[@perrydunetz882]

You do realize that would mean we would have to see Zack watch aerith die right?

[@jodie5497]

@@perrydunetz882 it could be an Aerith lives world too

[@omensoffate]

Fuck that zack dying the way he did was why he was compelling.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

@@omensoffate If the most compelling aspect of a character was the way he died, that means he wasn't a compelling character in his own right.

[@SaberRexZealot]

@@imveryangryitsnotbutter Zack was very compelling. His death had contextual significance for Cloud, but beyond that he was a fun and likeable character in his own right.

[@Graver81-69]

I got my hands on Final Fantasy 7 in January 1998 when I was 16. It was the first game I ever played that drew me in to the point that I couldn’t stop playing it. That game gave me some of the best memories of my life

[@tuhkakasa1917]

Interesting analys, thought I am more Cloud and Aerith fan. I was affected more when she give Cloud the flower, same when she asked that Cloud should not fall love in her. Cloud don't have Zack feelings, they are his own. Aerith is the one who has open him all game and is getting throught his armor. To me orginal game was they tragic lovestory.

[@ilhamputrangga21]

Totally agree with you

[@Someguyonline7732]

You’re both wrong and inherently stupid.

[@morbidgull8922]

I use to be as well but it's hard to ignore the issue with cloud liking tifa since he was a child. She also clearly had feelings both are bad at sharing those emotions. Later on with the whole lifestream swim they both learn this, I also just dig zach and aerith more they feel so right.