Talk About A Coincidence!

FFVII Remake Easter eggs and compilation continuity - Part 1: BEFORE CRISIS

     AVALANCHE!

In Chapter 4, a group of Avalanche members helps Cloud, Wedge and Biggs to fight against some Shinra troops. The design of their uniforms is the same of the BC Avalanche group. 

     ATTEMPT ON THE PRESIDENT

During Chapter 1, while Heidegger and President Shinra observe the attack to Reactor 1, Heidegger mentions an assassination attempt on the President. He might be referring to the episode that took place on 30th February (yes, 30) 0001 in Junon. 

“These sewer rats appear to call themselves Avalanche, sir. We are currently investigating whether they belong to the same group that made the attempt on your life.”

     LEAVING MIDGAR

In Chapter 8 Aerith tells Cloud she once tried to leave Midgar. This happened in BC, on 9th August 0002, but Avalanche tried to kidnap her before she could leave the slums.

“You know, I thought about leaving once... But...in the end, I couldn't.”

     TIFA’S CAT

One of the side quests in Sector 7 includes the research of three cats. They’re white with a pink collar, like the cat Tifa had when she lived in Nibelheim.

     HIDEOUT IN WUTAI

After blaming Avalanche for the tragedy in Sector 7, Shinra divulged rumors about their allegiance with Wutai. It was showed in BC that Avalanche established there their HQ since it was the only remaining anti-Shinra country of the world.

“The sky is falling and Avalanche is to blame! But wait! Did you know Wutai is the one funding their activities!? For all their claims about fighting for the slums...they're nothing more than pawns of Wutai”

This alliance is confirmed in Intermission with Yuffie and Sonon cooperating with Avalanche to infiltrate Shinra.

Sonon: Gotta admit, I'm surprised you agreed to work with us.

Nayo: We're just doing what we think is necessary...to build a brighter future. That's all there is to it.

     RUFUS

It was established in Before Crisis that Rufus conspired against his father providing intel and financial support to Avalanche. In Itermission, when Zhijie was questioned by the Shinra guards, he made fun of them but actually said the truth when he confessed the informant was Rufus. 

Officer: Now spill it! Who gave you that information!?

Zhijie: Oh, his name was something like...Heidegger? (...) Alright, alright, I'll tell you. It was Rufus. (...)...Or was it Hojo?

Moreover Scarlet started suspecting of the presence of a mole in Shinra, since Wutai knew about their secret military projects.

Yuffie: That's enough, Sonon. I got this. Alright, lady, out with it. Tell us where you're hiding the new materia. Don't play dumb now. We know you've been cooking up something super-powerful.

Scarlet: Well, well... Wutai must have some highly skilled intelligence operatives. That...or we have a mole in our midst.

ALLIANCE

It is shown since Chapter 16 that there’s a particoular link between Rufus and the Turks. Indeed in BC Tseng, Reno and Rude were sentenced to death by President but Rufus saved them in exchange for their loyalty.

“The VP needs us.”

FINAL BOSS

The Whisper Harbinger appearing in Chapter 18 bears similarities with Zirconiade:

- They both have to be faced at the end of the highway after entering a flashing portal

- The shape of the body of the Harbinger (just like Whispers Rubrum, Viridis and Croceo) shares some similarities with Zirconiade

- Both battles take place in an alternate dimension with shattered environment

- After their defeat they emit energy blasts and explode with a shockwave

- After the explosion, sparkling particles fall slowly from the sky, like snow

-

For the other parts refer to the masterpost

Part 1: Enter, Ex-SOLDIER! [A Complete Analysis of Final Fantasy VII]

Masterlink: https://hartmonkey.tumblr.com/post/674955243020238848/a-complete-analysis-of-final-fantasy-vii

This is the first post in my chapter-by-chapter analysis of the entire Final Fantasy VII. Each chapter will be primarily based on the 1997 game, with discussion of the Remake and other entries in the compilation where relevant (ie. when they pertain to the original story). Aside from a spoiler-warning for the entire FF7 (this is the only warning I’ll give on that regard), I want to note a few things before we start.

Keep reading

https://youtu.be/TbZCGCd1nK8

Hi, thank you for your brilliant insights. Maybe it's just a coincidence of the English localization, but do you think there is any thematic relation between Cloud and Tifa's Promise and the Promised Land? (meaning the PL as a state of enlightenment and fulfillment, and considering the Promise with all it's consequences in the story, not just as two separate elements)

I have to be honest here about the limits of my knowledge. I don't speak Japanese so I don't feel comfortable making a hard conclusion about that. That having been said, I believe so yes. As far as I can tell "the promised land" is a pretty literal translation of Yakusoku no ji (約束の地)

Yakusoku (約束) literally meaning promise, "no"(の) meaning "of" and "ji" (地) literally translating to ground or earth. Personally I highly doubt that that would be an accident, and I think the meaning is pretty clear. If we look at the concept of the promised land as a state of supreme bliss, then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how that might apply to Clouds case. The core desire of true Cloud was to be capable of protecting people, specifically Tifa, his failure to do so is what leads to his fake persona and eventual AC depression. "The promise" is in itself something that is highlighted as being of special significance both inside the game and out. It's routinely mentioned in Ultimania, and if you remember back to the FFVII:remake announcement it also had the line "the promise has been made". The promise, reunion, the promised land, these things are all more significant than just words, they're returning concepts that have had real thought put into them by the developers. Concerning the promise, it is all about protecting Tifa, which is Clouds deepest desire, it is his state of happiness, to be the hero Tifa can depend on. When Tifa and Cloud enter the lifestream together, Cloud returns to his true self, and along with that realization comes the reveal that Cloud did come for Tifa, he fulfilled his promise, not as a soldier, but as his own flawed human self. Through his return to his true self, he fulfills his promise, thereby reaching his desired state of being, which then directly leads into his coming together with Tifa underneath the highwind. Sometimes I find myself thinking "what if this is all a happy coincidence, what if SE simply struck thematic gold without realizing it?", but this is one of the cases where I think it's just too perfect for it not to be consciously intended. In one fell swoop Cloud fulfills his promise, breaks through his fake self, obtains the inner power needed to vanquish the external threat, obtains that which he has been seeking, together with the girl named after the sefira of balance between strength and beauty? A girl who lives at the 7th heaven. Who is also thematically linked to Valkyries, aka, the lovers of heros?

No, that's all too big of a coincidence, I know I said I didn't want to make too definite of a conclusion, but I feel like these things have to have been by design. If they weren't, I wouldn't just be shocked, I'd be disappointed.

Aerith inspired by the works of Mucha

Study i got carried away with

Tifa’s interrogation: the flashback at Kalm

The flashback at Kalm represents the first time Tifa truly comprehends the depth of Cloud’s delusions. Some fans see Tifa’s behavior during this episode as complete head-in-the-sand avoidance of the issue. 

But… this is a misinterpretation. Tifa isn’t avoiding Cloud’s crisis at Kalm, even if she does opt for subtlety (a necessity, given what transpired at the train station). Tifa tries to use the Kalm flashback to gather evidence to disprove Cloud’s version of events… but she unfortunately discovers that the situation is not so clear-cut.

Tifa’s behavior makes her intentions obvious. As soon as Barret asks Cloud to tell his story, Tifa keeps silent, fidgeting restlessly with her hair. And in contrast with Barret and Aerith, her only dialogue is “…”s:

 As we know, Tifa hasn’t yet had the chance to hear Cloud’s side of the story: at the train station, he reacted violently when Tifa questioned him; at both the bar in OG and Remake’s Alone at Last, Cloud brushes off her questions. Kalm marks Tifa’s very first opportunity to gather information and understand the nature of Cloud’s inconsistencies. The fidgeting is a sign of Tifa’s anticipation/dread; the ellipses represent her listening intently to Cloud’s story, giving him the space he needs to speak without her contradictory recollections setting him off.

Indeed, Tifa’s very first remark is only in response to an interruption:

Barret: Yo wait a minute!! Isn’t that, um…? The name of Sephiroth’s mother… I remember Jenova. That’s that damn headless spook livin’ in the Shinra building.

Cloud: That’s right.

Tifa: Barret, would you please let us hear what Cloud has to say? You can ask questions later.

Barret: Tifa, I was only…

Tifa: OK Cloud, continue.

Aerith: The childhood friends reunite!

Cloud: …I was really surprised with Tifa.

(watch here)

Tifa abruptly cuts Barret off in a way that takes all three characters aback–why is she so uncharacteristically brusque? Cloud, Barret, and Aerith all verbally react to the outburst, as the devs want the player to notice how unusual Tifa’s behavior is. While a first-time player may not understand her motivations, a seasoned player will: at this moment, Tifa doesn’t care about anything but hearing Cloud’s story and figuring out what’s wrong with him.

Tifa continues to listen in silence until Cloud reaches her house. Suddenly, Tifa asks Cloud about everything he did there:

Tifa: Cloud…? Did you go into my house?

Cloud…? Did you go into my room?

Did you play my piano?

(if you check in the drawers to find the underwear…) …Cloud. We’re talking about something really important here.

Did you read it? My letter?

Do you remember what it said…?

Cloud… Do you remember all of it?

(link to the full sequence in Tifa’s room)

These questions may look trivial, like a frivolous Tifa trying to ensure her girlish modesty was maintained five years ago. But it’s the last two questions about the letter which reveal what Tifa is truly doing: she’s subtly interrogating Cloud to determine if he was truly at Nibelheim. If Tifa’s primary motivation is to lessen her embarrassment, then why does she explicitly prompt Cloud to restate the entire letter in front of the entire team five years later?

The full content of the letter is information which Tifa is intimately familiar with, information that only she–or someone who truly was in her room that day–would know. If Cloud doesn’t know about the objects in her room or blatantly bullshits in response her questions, then Tifa has all the more evidence that Cloud wasn’t actually there. But if he does know the answers to these questions, especially regarding something as temporary as a letter, then… what does it mean? That Cloud truly was there, even though Tifa doesn’t remember him being there…? What does that say about Cloud’s memories…? What does that say about Tifa’s…?

The fact that Cloud passes her “test”–that he knows private details of her room, and gives an accurate account of its contents–leads Tifa to recognize that there is more to Nibelheim incident than just her recollections, and there is more to Cloud’s side of the story.  Tifa doesn’t have a full understanding of the situation, and as long as she can’t explain the discrepancies between her memories and Cloud’s, she can’t simply refute Cloud’s version of events. Like it or not, Tifa realizes that the Nibelheim flashback has become a “he said, she said” situation. And who knows… maybe this confident, capable Cloud is correct, and she’s the one who’s wrong?

Now… how do we know that Tifa’s questions about her room are intended to represent her attempts at fact-finding? How do we know that they really aren’t just a trivial cutesy gameplay mechanic to break up the monotony of the flashback?

And the answer is… it’s because Cloud’s answers to these questions are referenced during a critical scene: Sephiroth’s illusion at the Northern Crater.

Cloud: The town hadn’t changed at all. What did I do? Oh yeah…

Cloud’s lines are directly influenced by the actions that Cloud took during the Kalm flashback. After the above line, Cloud can make any number of statements:

“I saw my mom. I saw the people in town.”

“Yeah, I went to Tifa’s room. There, I…”

“I played the piano!”

“I looked in the drawers!”

“I read the letter addressed to Tifa!”

Based on how much or how little you did, Cloud will say more (or fewer) of the above statements.

For example, in this player’s Nibelheim flashback, Cloud met his mom and went in Tifa’s room, where he jammed on the piano and raided her dressers. But he never found the letter. So during the Nibelheim illusion, Cloud only makes statements 1-4.

On the other hand, this player’s Cloud experienced everything during the Nibelheim flashback, so Cloud makes all 5 statements during the Nibelheim illusion.

But in this player’s Nibelheim flashback, Cloud went to Tifa’s room but did the bare minimum. Didn’t say “yes” to anything or even see Cloud’s mom. So Cloud only makes statement 2.

With this easily-missed callback, it proves that Cloud himself recognizes the purpose and utility of Tifa’s questioning back at Kalm, and emphasizes how Tifa interrogated Cloud during the Kalm flashback to try and find incontrovertible proof of his presence on that day.

Final thoughts:

>> Tifa’s final question. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Tifa’s final question at Kalm. After Barret leaves the room, Tifa speaks up one more time:

Tifa: …… Cloud…? How bad was I when Sephiroth cut me? Cloud: I thought you were a goner. …I was really sad. Tifa: ……

There are four ways to interpret this exchange:

The first is how a first-time player would experience it: it’s an exchange which both builds Cloud up as a reliable narrator and suggests that Cloud was relatively indifferent towards Tifa. (Seasoned players will recognize why this moment is played down this way: to build up the shock of the Lifestream reveal, where we learn Cloud isn’t a reliable narrator and that he was deeply affected by Tifa’s injury because he revolves around her.)

The second interpretation is that Tifa’s asking Cloud one more question to confirm if he not only was in her room, but also in the reactor that day–in case you missed visiting Tifa’s house, it’s one last factfinding mission to prove that Cloud was truly there.

The third interpretation is that Cloud’s confidence and accuracy during the flashback leads Tifa to doubt herself; she wonders if the severity of her injuries may be the reason why she misremembers the day’s events. This question alludes to her uncertainty; perhaps she’s performing some factfinding for herself by comparing more of her recollections to his.

The fourth interpretation is that Tifa always knew how badly she was injured, but this is the very first time she learns that Cloud was there when she was injured. Tifa hoped that Cloud would be emotionally impacted by her injury (due to the Promise), which is why she prompts him about it. Unfortunately, his indifferent response is very disappointing. (This could be another reason why her reaction to this moment in the Lifestream is so pronounced and why she brings up the Promise.)

While I think interpretation #1 is definitely what the devs want first-time players to get out of this conversation, I’m not sure if seasoned players are supposed to take #2, #3, #4, or something else away from it. I’ll leave that to you! I hope Remake (or a future Ultimania) gives us some greater clarity here.

>> PS: Undies. Tifa’s not really mad about the underwear–note how her response isn’t something like, “I can’t believe you invaded my privacy like that!” but it’s actually, “Cloud!!! […] …Cloud. We’re talking about something really important here.” Tifa is exasperated that Cloud’s talking about some inane pervy bullshit while she’s TRYING to figure out what’s wrong with him. Come the fuck on, Cloud, a little seriousness here!!

>> PPS: Undies, round 2. Cloud really DID look through her underwear drawer. He wasn’t kidding, because he legitimately uses that fact to prove his existence at Northern Crater. (“I looked in the drawers!”) “I simp for Tifa, therefore I am.” Oh Cloud.

"With you by my side, I'll never give up no matter how bad it gets."

Zack’s Last Stad 

Find the differences!

CRISIS CORE vs FF7R comparison