PlayStation Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part II: Rebirth
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ESRB description is out, Beach PLOT hinted lol:
"This is an action role-playing game in which players follow the story of a mercenary (Cloud Strife) on a quest to save the planet from evil. Players explore fantasy landscapes, perform missions, and battle monsters and soldiers in frenetic melee combat. Characters use swords, staffs, guns, and magic spells to fight monsters and human soldiers; combat is highlighted by impact sounds, cries of pain, and explosions. Cutscenes depict further instances of violence, sometimes with splatters/pools of blood: characters impaled or slashed by swords, sometimes with slow-motion effects; an assassin throwing a spinning blade at a targeted figure; characters shot by soldiers. Some female characters are designed with revealing outfits (e.g., deep cleavage); suggestive dialogue sometimes accompanies camera panning/close-ups of characters’ bodies/outfits (e.g., “Just admit it. You’re obviously captivated by my bodacious beach bod.”). The game contains some alcohol content: as Cloud, players can drink a version of moonshine while at a bar; cutscenes sometimes feature drunk characters slurring their speech. A handful of scenes depict characters smoking cigars or out of hookahs. The words “sh*t,” “as*hole,” and “pr*ck” appear in the game."
"This is an action role-playing game in which players follow the story of a mercenary (Cloud Strife) on a quest to save the planet from evil. Players explore fantasy landscapes, perform missions, and battle monsters and soldiers in frenetic melee combat. Characters use swords, staffs, guns, and magic spells to fight monsters and human soldiers; combat is highlighted by impact sounds, cries of pain, and explosions. Cutscenes depict further instances of violence, sometimes with splatters/pools of blood: characters impaled or slashed by swords, sometimes with slow-motion effects; an assassin throwing a spinning blade at a targeted figure; characters shot by soldiers. Some female characters are designed with revealing outfits (e.g., deep cleavage); suggestive dialogue sometimes accompanies camera panning/close-ups of characters’ bodies/outfits (e.g., “Just admit it. You’re obviously captivated by my bodacious beach bod.”). The game contains some alcohol content: as Cloud, players can drink a version of moonshine while at a bar; cutscenes sometimes feature drunk characters slurring their speech. A handful of scenes depict characters smoking cigars or out of hookahs. The words “sh*t,” “as*hole,” and “pr*ck” appear in the game."
Dev Interview by gamesradar:
"We've done a number of fan events and signings here," Kitase-san tells GamesRadar at the end of the French games expo. "I think you really can feel that respect towards game creators [here]. A lot of people stay behind afterwards, and they really want to express how much they respect us and what we've made, and that's a bit of a different thing; we don't get that so much in Japan."
"The fact that it was their very first Final Fantasy really did leave a strong impression on people," Kitase says. "They've had those memories, and really cherished them, for over 20 years. There's a lot of expectation and we really can't disappoint or betray those fans with those expectations." Yet while Kitase and Hamaguchi agree on the importance of keeping the tone and the feel of 1997's Final Fantasy 7 intact, there was never any intention to do a straight remake of the original – suggesting recreating the original's most memorable moments would need to be done so in a "slightly different way".
Anyone who played Remake knows that those differences might not be so "slight" though. Without spoilers, the fates of certain characters have seemingly changed already, which could conceivably shift the direction of the entire story going forwards. Or at least, that's what many players expect – but the recent revelation that everything is still heading towards Advent Children throws everything up in the air. Just how much can the Remake trilogy change things if everything still has to ultimately line up with a movie from 2005?
"We are finally going to link up with Advent Children, that is going to be part of canon," Kitase confirms. "The overall storyline, the developments, will not go wildly out in a way that will not add up to Advent Children in the end. I don't think anyone wanted that, that's not what we're looking to create here. [But] to make sure it doesn't become stale and people know exactly where it's going, [that it] doesn't just follow the original word for word, we add in extra elements which add that little bit of doubt. Getting the right balance of that is so key. Ultimately, we're not trying to change the Final Fantasy 7 story into something really different. The overall balance wouldn't really allow for that anyway."
Advent Children isn't the only movie influencing Rebirth, though. Trilogies often face the 'middle chapter problem', where the second installment must build on the first, lead into the third, and somehow stand as a satisfying piece of entertainment in its own right. It's a notoriously difficult balance to strike, but one film in particular serves as almost a textbook example of how to do it right: The Empire Strikes Back.
"There is a lot you can learn from that film in terms of how to do a second part of a trilogy well," says Kitase. "You've got the setup, the setting, the characters, who they are, all explained in the first part. The real role of a second part of a trilogy is to deepen that, explore it further, go into the relationships between the characters and how they relate to each other a lot more, which is very much what we focused on here."
"Also, linking through to the third part, the climax of the trilogy, obviously you have to have the big twists, the unexpected aspects, the things that will throw people a little bit, get them motivated to want to see what happens in the end of the story. Like I say, there's a lot you can learn from that film. It's very good to bear in mind in terms of the right way of going about the second part."
Much as Irvin Kershner took over from George Lucas to direct Empire, so too is Hamaguchi stepping up to 'full' director on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, after co-directing Remake with Tetsuya Nomura. You might think that would be daunting, but Hamaguchi dismisses the suggestion. "In terms of pressure, I don't really think there's a lot of that," he says. "In certain ways, it actually feels the same." Talk about confidence.
Explaining his own stance on the middle chapter problem, Hamaguchi says: "I think the way I'm approaching this game may be slightly different to Mr Kitase and his perceptions and ideas about the second part of a trilogy. I think unless there is that twist, that change, that step up over the first game, the big trap here is that people … get expectations of what the third part is going to be like. You don't want that [expectation] to become lower."
"If we don't add in those changes and ramp everything up and make it that bigger and wider experience, then people just think they know what's coming. I want to avoid that. We want people to keep wondering. That's very much how we have approached the change from Remake through to Rebirth, just making everything bigger, more expansive, deeper. I feel that's my mission as the director now, to really ensure that that's where the game goes. In terms of the change in my approach to it, I think that's what I'm very focused on for this second one."
Some of the biggest changes players will experience in Rebirth will affect the combat system, with the introduction of newly playable characters Red XIII and Cait Sith. While Red XIII debuted towards the end of Remake, he joined the party as a guest character, and couldn't be directly controlled.
Cait Sith, meanwhile, had only a cameo role in Remake, and now joins the team for the first time in Rebirth. Both will feature unique play styles that will impact how players approach the game, such as Red XIII's revenge gauge, which charges by guarding against enemy damage before retaliating with punishing counter-attacks.
Given the playable characters in Remake – Cloud, Aerith, Barret, and Tifa – each had their own unique battle styles, expanding the roster with party members boasting even more distinctive control schemes was a challenge. Have them feel too similar to each other, and they almost become redundant; too different, and switching between heroes might almost feel like switching between games with unrelated systems. On top of all that, the game needs to maintain the feel of the original cast.
"That's a really difficult thing to do," admits Hamaguchi. "We had to put a lot of effort into it, but was definitely something we had to do right. The core of this is, the characters from the first game [have] very much got fixed roles in combat. Cloud has to be a close combat character. Aerith has to be a magic character – and more of a ranged magic character, at that. Barrett, again, is another ranged combatant but also more like a tank and has to feel different from Aerith."
"People… got attached to those combat styles. We couldn't do anything to really mix them up or change them too much because otherwise people would say 'why do they feel wrong?' For example, we could never make Aerith a close combat character in this one. And then we've got to add in all of the new characters there, and make sure that they don't change that overall balance either and upset that. For Cait Sith and Red XIII, they had to be fitted in and made to work in their own way too. That was difficult – the more variables you use, the harder it gets."
Hamaguchi praises battle director Teruki Endo for getting everything working smoothly in Rebirth. "He was really good at that," he says, "and ultimately I think we did get a great balance there, so [Red XIII and Cait Sith] feel like they belong in this system. They don't feel out of place even though they are unique. They slot in really well."
That's not to say the returning Remake cast don't get any love here. Hamaguchi explains: "We don't have to keep them exactly the same – we can, for example, within Cloud or Aerith, give them new mechanics, some new combat abilities, change them around slightly, as long as they still fit within that role as a close combat character or as a ranged character. If they feel like they still perform the same role, then even if they change a little bit, players will accept that."
Perhaps the biggest twist to Rebirth's combat is the introduction of 'Synergy Abilities', team-up attacks where any two characters can combine their skills for incredibly powerful assaults. It's an evolution of the system introduced in Final Fantasy 7 Episode INTERmission, the Remake DLC that introduced ninja spy Yuffie Kisaragi, ahead of her meeting the core cast in Rebirth. However, its origins were rooted in story and character development, more than a desire for a flashy new mechanic.
"The idea for the Synergy system came about when we completed Remake, before we went on to do Intergrade and INTERmission," Hamaguchi says. "Mr Nojima's first draft for the script, plotting out the second game for Rebirth, had already been produced. We were looking over that and seeing [that] in order to get to that scene with Aerith in the Forgotten Capital and make it dramatic and really work as a scene, we [need to] see the characters bonding with each other and growing to know each other [throughout the game]."
"I really thought we wanted to show that [bond] not just in the story sections and the other gameplay, but in the battles as well," Hamaguchi continues. "The idea for the synergy system is something which can reflect the overall theme of the storytelling in the battles."
Players can expect the battle system to continue to evolve in the still-untitled third game in the Remake trilogy, too. Not only will the cast expand further, with the addition of Vincent and Cid Highwind (who appear in Rebirth as guest characters much as Red XIII did in Remake; Hamaguchi says "we have to work out how they fit into that overall matrix now and work as combat characters – that's something we've started scratching our heads on recently!") but the creators will have to factor in response to Rebirth itself.
"Talking specifics about the battle system for the third game is something that we'll be talking about quite a way into the future - a lot of that is undecided," Hamaguchi says. "But the way I see my mission for the ongoing series is [that] I definitely want to add extra dimensions, evolve it, give it a new fresh feel, a new gameplay experience which isn't in this game. I really want to take everything to another level."
While Hamaguchi and Kitase alike remain tight-lipped on what to expect from the remainder of the Remake trilogy, there is, tragically, one important character who won't be returning: Hamaguchi's cat Musashi, who was snuck into Remake. "This is only in my head canon here," he says, "but personally I'd like to think that he was caught up in the Sector 7 plate fall with Jessie and that lot – he's probably not gonna turn up!"
"We've done a number of fan events and signings here," Kitase-san tells GamesRadar at the end of the French games expo. "I think you really can feel that respect towards game creators [here]. A lot of people stay behind afterwards, and they really want to express how much they respect us and what we've made, and that's a bit of a different thing; we don't get that so much in Japan."
"The fact that it was their very first Final Fantasy really did leave a strong impression on people," Kitase says. "They've had those memories, and really cherished them, for over 20 years. There's a lot of expectation and we really can't disappoint or betray those fans with those expectations." Yet while Kitase and Hamaguchi agree on the importance of keeping the tone and the feel of 1997's Final Fantasy 7 intact, there was never any intention to do a straight remake of the original – suggesting recreating the original's most memorable moments would need to be done so in a "slightly different way".
Anyone who played Remake knows that those differences might not be so "slight" though. Without spoilers, the fates of certain characters have seemingly changed already, which could conceivably shift the direction of the entire story going forwards. Or at least, that's what many players expect – but the recent revelation that everything is still heading towards Advent Children throws everything up in the air. Just how much can the Remake trilogy change things if everything still has to ultimately line up with a movie from 2005?
"We are finally going to link up with Advent Children, that is going to be part of canon," Kitase confirms. "The overall storyline, the developments, will not go wildly out in a way that will not add up to Advent Children in the end. I don't think anyone wanted that, that's not what we're looking to create here. [But] to make sure it doesn't become stale and people know exactly where it's going, [that it] doesn't just follow the original word for word, we add in extra elements which add that little bit of doubt. Getting the right balance of that is so key. Ultimately, we're not trying to change the Final Fantasy 7 story into something really different. The overall balance wouldn't really allow for that anyway."
Advent Children isn't the only movie influencing Rebirth, though. Trilogies often face the 'middle chapter problem', where the second installment must build on the first, lead into the third, and somehow stand as a satisfying piece of entertainment in its own right. It's a notoriously difficult balance to strike, but one film in particular serves as almost a textbook example of how to do it right: The Empire Strikes Back.
"There is a lot you can learn from that film in terms of how to do a second part of a trilogy well," says Kitase. "You've got the setup, the setting, the characters, who they are, all explained in the first part. The real role of a second part of a trilogy is to deepen that, explore it further, go into the relationships between the characters and how they relate to each other a lot more, which is very much what we focused on here."
"Also, linking through to the third part, the climax of the trilogy, obviously you have to have the big twists, the unexpected aspects, the things that will throw people a little bit, get them motivated to want to see what happens in the end of the story. Like I say, there's a lot you can learn from that film. It's very good to bear in mind in terms of the right way of going about the second part."
Much as Irvin Kershner took over from George Lucas to direct Empire, so too is Hamaguchi stepping up to 'full' director on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, after co-directing Remake with Tetsuya Nomura. You might think that would be daunting, but Hamaguchi dismisses the suggestion. "In terms of pressure, I don't really think there's a lot of that," he says. "In certain ways, it actually feels the same." Talk about confidence.
Explaining his own stance on the middle chapter problem, Hamaguchi says: "I think the way I'm approaching this game may be slightly different to Mr Kitase and his perceptions and ideas about the second part of a trilogy. I think unless there is that twist, that change, that step up over the first game, the big trap here is that people … get expectations of what the third part is going to be like. You don't want that [expectation] to become lower."
"If we don't add in those changes and ramp everything up and make it that bigger and wider experience, then people just think they know what's coming. I want to avoid that. We want people to keep wondering. That's very much how we have approached the change from Remake through to Rebirth, just making everything bigger, more expansive, deeper. I feel that's my mission as the director now, to really ensure that that's where the game goes. In terms of the change in my approach to it, I think that's what I'm very focused on for this second one."
Some of the biggest changes players will experience in Rebirth will affect the combat system, with the introduction of newly playable characters Red XIII and Cait Sith. While Red XIII debuted towards the end of Remake, he joined the party as a guest character, and couldn't be directly controlled.
Cait Sith, meanwhile, had only a cameo role in Remake, and now joins the team for the first time in Rebirth. Both will feature unique play styles that will impact how players approach the game, such as Red XIII's revenge gauge, which charges by guarding against enemy damage before retaliating with punishing counter-attacks.
Given the playable characters in Remake – Cloud, Aerith, Barret, and Tifa – each had their own unique battle styles, expanding the roster with party members boasting even more distinctive control schemes was a challenge. Have them feel too similar to each other, and they almost become redundant; too different, and switching between heroes might almost feel like switching between games with unrelated systems. On top of all that, the game needs to maintain the feel of the original cast.
"That's a really difficult thing to do," admits Hamaguchi. "We had to put a lot of effort into it, but was definitely something we had to do right. The core of this is, the characters from the first game [have] very much got fixed roles in combat. Cloud has to be a close combat character. Aerith has to be a magic character – and more of a ranged magic character, at that. Barrett, again, is another ranged combatant but also more like a tank and has to feel different from Aerith."
"People… got attached to those combat styles. We couldn't do anything to really mix them up or change them too much because otherwise people would say 'why do they feel wrong?' For example, we could never make Aerith a close combat character in this one. And then we've got to add in all of the new characters there, and make sure that they don't change that overall balance either and upset that. For Cait Sith and Red XIII, they had to be fitted in and made to work in their own way too. That was difficult – the more variables you use, the harder it gets."
Hamaguchi praises battle director Teruki Endo for getting everything working smoothly in Rebirth. "He was really good at that," he says, "and ultimately I think we did get a great balance there, so [Red XIII and Cait Sith] feel like they belong in this system. They don't feel out of place even though they are unique. They slot in really well."
That's not to say the returning Remake cast don't get any love here. Hamaguchi explains: "We don't have to keep them exactly the same – we can, for example, within Cloud or Aerith, give them new mechanics, some new combat abilities, change them around slightly, as long as they still fit within that role as a close combat character or as a ranged character. If they feel like they still perform the same role, then even if they change a little bit, players will accept that."
Perhaps the biggest twist to Rebirth's combat is the introduction of 'Synergy Abilities', team-up attacks where any two characters can combine their skills for incredibly powerful assaults. It's an evolution of the system introduced in Final Fantasy 7 Episode INTERmission, the Remake DLC that introduced ninja spy Yuffie Kisaragi, ahead of her meeting the core cast in Rebirth. However, its origins were rooted in story and character development, more than a desire for a flashy new mechanic.
"The idea for the Synergy system came about when we completed Remake, before we went on to do Intergrade and INTERmission," Hamaguchi says. "Mr Nojima's first draft for the script, plotting out the second game for Rebirth, had already been produced. We were looking over that and seeing [that] in order to get to that scene with Aerith in the Forgotten Capital and make it dramatic and really work as a scene, we [need to] see the characters bonding with each other and growing to know each other [throughout the game]."
"I really thought we wanted to show that [bond] not just in the story sections and the other gameplay, but in the battles as well," Hamaguchi continues. "The idea for the synergy system is something which can reflect the overall theme of the storytelling in the battles."
Players can expect the battle system to continue to evolve in the still-untitled third game in the Remake trilogy, too. Not only will the cast expand further, with the addition of Vincent and Cid Highwind (who appear in Rebirth as guest characters much as Red XIII did in Remake; Hamaguchi says "we have to work out how they fit into that overall matrix now and work as combat characters – that's something we've started scratching our heads on recently!") but the creators will have to factor in response to Rebirth itself.
"Talking specifics about the battle system for the third game is something that we'll be talking about quite a way into the future - a lot of that is undecided," Hamaguchi says. "But the way I see my mission for the ongoing series is [that] I definitely want to add extra dimensions, evolve it, give it a new fresh feel, a new gameplay experience which isn't in this game. I really want to take everything to another level."
While Hamaguchi and Kitase alike remain tight-lipped on what to expect from the remainder of the Remake trilogy, there is, tragically, one important character who won't be returning: Hamaguchi's cat Musashi, who was snuck into Remake. "This is only in my head canon here," he says, "but personally I'd like to think that he was caught up in the Sector 7 plate fall with Jessie and that lot – he's probably not gonna turn up!"
They posted more stuff:
Kalm
A halcyon hamlet kept safe from the outside world by a sturdy stone wall. Though it lacks a reactor of its own, it thrives thanks to a steady supply of mako piped in from the metropolis of Midgar, which is visible from atop the town’s famous clock tower.
Mythril Mine
A once-bustling mine that connects the grasslands with Junon. Though once prized for its rich mythril deposits, the quarry fell into disuse after Shinra developed a superior mineral of their own, and the miners that once worked its tunnels have been replaced with monsters.
■ New Characters
Broden (voiced by Mick Lauer in English, Shinshu Fuji in Japanese)
Owner and operator of the Inn at Kalm. He bears a grudge against Shinra, offering to help Cloud and friends escape their would-be corporate captors. His gaunt appearance may be due to his recent bout with an unknown illness.
Rhonda (voiced by G.K. Bowes in English, Rei Igarashi in Japanese)
Mayor and sheriff of Under Junon. Her home, once a prosperous fishing village, fell into decline after Shinra constructed a military fortress overhead and a deep-sea mako reactor offshore. Despite Cloud and friends’ status as alleged terrorists, Rhonda still allows them to pass through her town.
Priscilla (Voiced by Reese Warren in English, Rikako Oota in Japanese)
A cheerful young girl who lives in Under Junon, often seen swimming with the dolphin she trains. The offshore mako reactor has contaminated the surrounding waters, and Priscilla fears for the safety of her dolphin friend and other aquatic creatures.
Billy (voiced by Paul Castro Jr. in English, Yuusuke Shirai in Japanese)
Grandson of Bill, owner of a chocobo ranch in the grasslands. Having lost his parents at a young age, he and his sister were raised by their grandfather. This young ranch hand kindly offers to teach Cloud and company the ropes of chocobo wrangling—on the condition that they patronize his sister’s shop.
Chloe (voiced by Trinity Bliss in English, Hisui Kimura in Japanese)
Billy’s younger sister, she runs a shop on the ranch where she sells crafting materials and other curios. Warm and kindhearted, she engages politely with Cloud and company and is grateful for their patronage. At the same time, she is worried about her brother’s fixation on making money.
■ Combat
Red XIII
—Basic Attacks
Red XIII slashes at foes with his sharp claws. Hold down the button to unleash a wide-range attack that helps build ATB quickly.
—Abilities
Red XIII boasts a vast array of skills, from lightning-fast physical strikes to ranged magical attacks. Stardust Ray conjures an exploding orb of light that scorches all foes caught in the blast.
—Vengeance Mode
Block incoming attacks to fill the vengeance gauge, and unleash that energy to enter vengeance mode, enhancing his physical attacks and his evasive prowess. Siphon Fang delivers a powerful blow while absorbing some of the enemy’s HP—all without expending ATB.
Aerith
—Unique Ability: Ward Shift
Aerith can instantaneously warp to any sigils she has created, allowing her to move about the field with ease and maximize the impact of her magic.
New System: Synergy Abilities
Powerful attacks in which two characters team up to turn the tide of battle. More abilities will unlock as you increase the party level─ a numerical expression of how closely-knit your team is─and deepen the affinity between party members. Fill the synergy gauge by using abilities, then unleash a synchronized assault!
—Cloud / Tifa: Relentless Rush
Cloud launches Tifa toward an enemy to attack in tandem.
—Barret / Red XIII: Overfang
Barret sends Red XIII flying toward an enemy at high velocity.
New System: Synergy Skills
Two party members team up to activate useful abilities without consuming ATB. These commands can be executed while blocking, and provide a wide array of beneficial effects. Each pair has their own unique set of abilities; some deal damage, while others offer support.
—Cloud / Aerith: Spell Blade
Gather strength, then team up to unleash a charged magical attack.
—Barret / Cloud: Mad Dash
Team up to charge forward while guarding against incoming attacks. Activate in sequence to trigger a three-hit combo.
Kalm
A halcyon hamlet kept safe from the outside world by a sturdy stone wall. Though it lacks a reactor of its own, it thrives thanks to a steady supply of mako piped in from the metropolis of Midgar, which is visible from atop the town’s famous clock tower.
Mythril Mine
A once-bustling mine that connects the grasslands with Junon. Though once prized for its rich mythril deposits, the quarry fell into disuse after Shinra developed a superior mineral of their own, and the miners that once worked its tunnels have been replaced with monsters.
■ New Characters
Broden (voiced by Mick Lauer in English, Shinshu Fuji in Japanese)
Owner and operator of the Inn at Kalm. He bears a grudge against Shinra, offering to help Cloud and friends escape their would-be corporate captors. His gaunt appearance may be due to his recent bout with an unknown illness.
Rhonda (voiced by G.K. Bowes in English, Rei Igarashi in Japanese)
Mayor and sheriff of Under Junon. Her home, once a prosperous fishing village, fell into decline after Shinra constructed a military fortress overhead and a deep-sea mako reactor offshore. Despite Cloud and friends’ status as alleged terrorists, Rhonda still allows them to pass through her town.
Priscilla (Voiced by Reese Warren in English, Rikako Oota in Japanese)
A cheerful young girl who lives in Under Junon, often seen swimming with the dolphin she trains. The offshore mako reactor has contaminated the surrounding waters, and Priscilla fears for the safety of her dolphin friend and other aquatic creatures.
Billy (voiced by Paul Castro Jr. in English, Yuusuke Shirai in Japanese)
Grandson of Bill, owner of a chocobo ranch in the grasslands. Having lost his parents at a young age, he and his sister were raised by their grandfather. This young ranch hand kindly offers to teach Cloud and company the ropes of chocobo wrangling—on the condition that they patronize his sister’s shop.
Chloe (voiced by Trinity Bliss in English, Hisui Kimura in Japanese)
Billy’s younger sister, she runs a shop on the ranch where she sells crafting materials and other curios. Warm and kindhearted, she engages politely with Cloud and company and is grateful for their patronage. At the same time, she is worried about her brother’s fixation on making money.
■ Combat
Red XIII
—Basic Attacks
Red XIII slashes at foes with his sharp claws. Hold down the button to unleash a wide-range attack that helps build ATB quickly.
—Abilities
Red XIII boasts a vast array of skills, from lightning-fast physical strikes to ranged magical attacks. Stardust Ray conjures an exploding orb of light that scorches all foes caught in the blast.
—Vengeance Mode
Block incoming attacks to fill the vengeance gauge, and unleash that energy to enter vengeance mode, enhancing his physical attacks and his evasive prowess. Siphon Fang delivers a powerful blow while absorbing some of the enemy’s HP—all without expending ATB.
Aerith
—Unique Ability: Ward Shift
Aerith can instantaneously warp to any sigils she has created, allowing her to move about the field with ease and maximize the impact of her magic.
New System: Synergy Abilities
Powerful attacks in which two characters team up to turn the tide of battle. More abilities will unlock as you increase the party level─ a numerical expression of how closely-knit your team is─and deepen the affinity between party members. Fill the synergy gauge by using abilities, then unleash a synchronized assault!
—Cloud / Tifa: Relentless Rush
Cloud launches Tifa toward an enemy to attack in tandem.
—Barret / Red XIII: Overfang
Barret sends Red XIII flying toward an enemy at high velocity.
New System: Synergy Skills
Two party members team up to activate useful abilities without consuming ATB. These commands can be executed while blocking, and provide a wide array of beneficial effects. Each pair has their own unique set of abilities; some deal damage, while others offer support.
—Cloud / Aerith: Spell Blade
Gather strength, then team up to unleash a charged magical attack.
—Barret / Cloud: Mad Dash
Team up to charge forward while guarding against incoming attacks. Activate in sequence to trigger a three-hit combo.
Read this from FF VII On The Way To A Smile short stories by FF7 writer Nojima, Barret's Case, part of Advent Children's story thing:
* * *
The two quickly filled each other in on recent events.
"I left Marlene with Tifa. Since she's taken to her and all."
"Good for you. Whole world's clappin' you on the back. So Cloud's with Tifa?"
"Yeah. Tifa opened a bar, just like the old days. Cloud was helpin' out, but it sounds like he's got his own business keepin' him tied up now. A delivery service."
"Cloud? Run a business?"
"You can bet it's Tifa kickin' his ass into shape."
"I see. In the end, it's the women wear the pants."
"How's Shera?"
"Meh, she's about the same," dodged Cid.
After that he steered the conversation away by talking about how Red XIII kept dropping by, how Yuffie was teaching the wushu fighting style to the kids of Wutai, and how Vincent had stayed completely out of touch.
"So whatcha need? I'm a busy man."
"You're buildin' an airship, right?"
"That I am."
"Would you let me help out?"
"You? What's a tenderfoot like you gonna do?"
Normally Barret would offer an enraged retort, but he let it bounce off and told Cid about what he'd been through.
"If you had an airship, man, you'd have all kinds of saved lives on your hands. Like folk with the stigma. If they found a cure somewhere, you could bring 'em there in a flash. You could even fly guys in from all over the place who could treat it. Deliver loads of food. Anything people needed to live, ya know?"
"Well, now, you like to lay it all out." Cid brought his face closer to Barret's. "We're talking about using mako. Mako! You know how much mako energy it takes to make one short hop with an airship?"
"Hell no. But listen." Barret recounted what he'd been thinking about on his way there. Just can't be greedy. Use mako and you shorten the planet's life. True enough. But I'm not talkin' enough to change things down the line. Just a little. The planet oughta forgive us takin' just what we need to stay alive.
Cid's reaction: "Hooey. What happened to Avalanche's leader?"
Barret had nothing to say to that. As far as coming to terms with his past, he thought he'd had his own answer. But now that someone was calling him on it, he searched for the right words. The gloom took over deep inside, and he raised his right arm. He was ready to open fire, then realized he was indoors and stopped short. But he did scream.
"Grrraaaaaahhh!"
Everyone in the room turned to stare at Barret.
"Sorry. Uhh, as you were," he said to the people around him, faking his best smile. Then he hung his head, searching for the words to explain himself. Instead of words, tableaus from his past sprung to mind. That way-too-serious look on Biggs', Wedge's, and Jessie's faces. C'mon, say something. Go on, guys, blame me.
He shook his head as if to shoo the three figures away, then glanced up. Cid looked blurry.
"What the hell's with you? Cid asked, surprised.
"Cid, you gotta tell me. I dunno what to do. My past's like a minefield full of mistakes. But there had to have been things that were right. But what, which of 'em was right? Which was wrong? Which me am I supposed to be from now on? No, I wanna change. Am I not allowed, 'cause of my past? Huh? Am I supposed to keep this gun stuck on my arm, scarin' kids? Is that how I make up for my sins? I don't know anymore. Help me, Cid… What am I supposed to do?"
And in the end, Barret did open fire at the ceiling, tearing several holes in it. Cid looked up at the ceiling and said:
"Well, for starters, you can fix that."
Cid sauntered over as Barret was working up a sweat fixing the holes in the ceiling. Out of embarrassment, Barret chose to ignore him and continued the repairs. Cid sat himself down a short distance away.
"You all calmed down now?"
"'Scuse me."
Cid shook his head to say no worries. "I want your help with somethin'."
Barret stopped working and peered at Cid.
"First, mako. You hit the nail on the head. We'll take just a little from the planet, just what we need. We had the same idea. Truth is, airships are useful. 'Specially when the world's in the middle a' tryin' to pick itself up. If someday they tell me they don't need mine anymore, I guess I can just find me a spot with a nice view to set her down, and turn her into my house."
Cid went on to tell him about the current energy situation. As things stood, mako reactors around the world were at a halt. And that was by no means because the general public felt remorseful for mako usage shortening the planet's life. There was a more practical problem: upkeep was difficult without Shinra, who had run the mako reactors.
But the real reason no one restarted the reactors?
"By now, everybody knows that mako energy sucked out the Lifestream and consumed it," said Cid. "And that day, they all experienced firsthand how terrible the Lifestream could be. They're scared. Scared of pissin' the planet off."
Barret remembered the sight of it vaporizing Meteor closing in on Midgar, just moments before it would destroy the planet. The Lifestream's power was overwhelming, surely far beyond anything man could ever produce.
"Ain't nobody wants to touch mako with a ten-foot pole."
"So you're sayin' there's no way to make mako energy now?" asked Barret.
"Ayup. Prob'ly not. There's still some mako left that got sucked into Midgar's reactors and never got used. Right now, those mako reserves power every mako engine worldwide. Area leaders are managin' it, divvyin' it up to the people they figure need it. Mainly it's to get machinery runnin' that'll help with reconstruction."
"Yeah, I know. I was in Midgar. But c'mon, what's wrong with spinnin' just one of them reactors now and then? Forget how scary it is." Forgive me, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie.
"Won't get another drop of Mako outta the ground there. The flow of the Lifestream's changed."
"You checked it out?"
"Red told me. If he says so, it must be true enough."
Barret was at a loss for words. Was the planet telling them not to use mako anymore?
"Now, if we were to throw together a mako reactor in some other place, that's a whole 'nother story. But first we gotta find that place, transport all the materials... No tellin' when we'd finish. Then there's the matter of how to transport those materials in the first place."
"That's no good at all!"
"Ayup, once those mako reserves run out, it's all over. The world'll revert back to the age of coal. We'll just have to poke along in the good ol' steam trucks again. Go back to chocobos-are-the-fastest-form-a'-ground-transportation-thank-you-ma'am. Not that that's so bad, really."
"So you wanna live as a quitter? You say we gotta go through life facin' backwards? Yeah, we effed up big time, I know. Maybe it is best we don't go walkin' down the same path. So what? We just gonna tread water? Why can't we search for another way?"
"Which brings us to oil," Cid said with a grin.
"Oil? That useless goop?"
To Barret, who worked in coal mines, the mention of oil was a surprise. All it was ever good for was burning in lamps.
"It's only been useless since mako came along. Truth is, oil was supposed to usher in a new era. We even had us some respectable technology to produce different fuels from oil. But once mako showed up, the technology was carried over to mako applications. And so oil had up an' vanished from history."
But Cid continued, explaining how he and his team had pulled out old records and located an oil field. Luckily, it wasn't too far from Rocket Town. On site, they'd found facilities to drill for oil and refine it into gasoline—half-collapsed, maybe, but there nonetheless. Cid and his companions had restored the facilities to an operational status. But gasoline didn't yield enough power.
They needed a more potent fuel. They had persisted in efforts to that end, and at last prospects for making jet fuel were looking bright. In tandem with that, work was underway to revamp the engines to run on the new fuel. But that work wasn't going quite as well.
"When did you fools ever find the time—"
"After it happened. Right after."
"Well, damn, Cid! That's incredible!"
"Like I said, we had the records. There ain't a speck a' new technology. All we did was bring the old tech back to life."
"Whatever you did, this means the end of coal, don't it?" Barret, having grown up in a coal miners' town, had mixed feelings about that.
"Times change. We just happened to be born on the cusp, that's all."
"Can't say I feel one way or the other about that."
"Then how 'bout you feel lucky? The comin' age is our chance to try all kinds a' things."
"True that."
"The only unlucky part is..."
"What?"
"With so much to try, we're all gonna run outta time. Ain't that a bitch?"
The two quickly filled each other in on recent events.
"I left Marlene with Tifa. Since she's taken to her and all."
"Good for you. Whole world's clappin' you on the back. So Cloud's with Tifa?"
"Yeah. Tifa opened a bar, just like the old days. Cloud was helpin' out, but it sounds like he's got his own business keepin' him tied up now. A delivery service."
"Cloud? Run a business?"
"You can bet it's Tifa kickin' his ass into shape."
"I see. In the end, it's the women wear the pants."
"How's Shera?"
"Meh, she's about the same," dodged Cid.
After that he steered the conversation away by talking about how Red XIII kept dropping by, how Yuffie was teaching the wushu fighting style to the kids of Wutai, and how Vincent had stayed completely out of touch.
"So whatcha need? I'm a busy man."
"You're buildin' an airship, right?"
"That I am."
"Would you let me help out?"
"You? What's a tenderfoot like you gonna do?"
Normally Barret would offer an enraged retort, but he let it bounce off and told Cid about what he'd been through.
"If you had an airship, man, you'd have all kinds of saved lives on your hands. Like folk with the stigma. If they found a cure somewhere, you could bring 'em there in a flash. You could even fly guys in from all over the place who could treat it. Deliver loads of food. Anything people needed to live, ya know?"
"Well, now, you like to lay it all out." Cid brought his face closer to Barret's. "We're talking about using mako. Mako! You know how much mako energy it takes to make one short hop with an airship?"
"Hell no. But listen." Barret recounted what he'd been thinking about on his way there. Just can't be greedy. Use mako and you shorten the planet's life. True enough. But I'm not talkin' enough to change things down the line. Just a little. The planet oughta forgive us takin' just what we need to stay alive.
Cid's reaction: "Hooey. What happened to Avalanche's leader?"
Barret had nothing to say to that. As far as coming to terms with his past, he thought he'd had his own answer. But now that someone was calling him on it, he searched for the right words. The gloom took over deep inside, and he raised his right arm. He was ready to open fire, then realized he was indoors and stopped short. But he did scream.
"Grrraaaaaahhh!"
Everyone in the room turned to stare at Barret.
"Sorry. Uhh, as you were," he said to the people around him, faking his best smile. Then he hung his head, searching for the words to explain himself. Instead of words, tableaus from his past sprung to mind. That way-too-serious look on Biggs', Wedge's, and Jessie's faces. C'mon, say something. Go on, guys, blame me.
He shook his head as if to shoo the three figures away, then glanced up. Cid looked blurry.
"What the hell's with you? Cid asked, surprised.
"Cid, you gotta tell me. I dunno what to do. My past's like a minefield full of mistakes. But there had to have been things that were right. But what, which of 'em was right? Which was wrong? Which me am I supposed to be from now on? No, I wanna change. Am I not allowed, 'cause of my past? Huh? Am I supposed to keep this gun stuck on my arm, scarin' kids? Is that how I make up for my sins? I don't know anymore. Help me, Cid… What am I supposed to do?"
And in the end, Barret did open fire at the ceiling, tearing several holes in it. Cid looked up at the ceiling and said:
"Well, for starters, you can fix that."
Cid sauntered over as Barret was working up a sweat fixing the holes in the ceiling. Out of embarrassment, Barret chose to ignore him and continued the repairs. Cid sat himself down a short distance away.
"You all calmed down now?"
"'Scuse me."
Cid shook his head to say no worries. "I want your help with somethin'."
Barret stopped working and peered at Cid.
"First, mako. You hit the nail on the head. We'll take just a little from the planet, just what we need. We had the same idea. Truth is, airships are useful. 'Specially when the world's in the middle a' tryin' to pick itself up. If someday they tell me they don't need mine anymore, I guess I can just find me a spot with a nice view to set her down, and turn her into my house."
Cid went on to tell him about the current energy situation. As things stood, mako reactors around the world were at a halt. And that was by no means because the general public felt remorseful for mako usage shortening the planet's life. There was a more practical problem: upkeep was difficult without Shinra, who had run the mako reactors.
But the real reason no one restarted the reactors?
"By now, everybody knows that mako energy sucked out the Lifestream and consumed it," said Cid. "And that day, they all experienced firsthand how terrible the Lifestream could be. They're scared. Scared of pissin' the planet off."
Barret remembered the sight of it vaporizing Meteor closing in on Midgar, just moments before it would destroy the planet. The Lifestream's power was overwhelming, surely far beyond anything man could ever produce.
"Ain't nobody wants to touch mako with a ten-foot pole."
"So you're sayin' there's no way to make mako energy now?" asked Barret.
"Ayup. Prob'ly not. There's still some mako left that got sucked into Midgar's reactors and never got used. Right now, those mako reserves power every mako engine worldwide. Area leaders are managin' it, divvyin' it up to the people they figure need it. Mainly it's to get machinery runnin' that'll help with reconstruction."
"Yeah, I know. I was in Midgar. But c'mon, what's wrong with spinnin' just one of them reactors now and then? Forget how scary it is." Forgive me, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie.
"Won't get another drop of Mako outta the ground there. The flow of the Lifestream's changed."
"You checked it out?"
"Red told me. If he says so, it must be true enough."
Barret was at a loss for words. Was the planet telling them not to use mako anymore?
"Now, if we were to throw together a mako reactor in some other place, that's a whole 'nother story. But first we gotta find that place, transport all the materials... No tellin' when we'd finish. Then there's the matter of how to transport those materials in the first place."
"That's no good at all!"
"Ayup, once those mako reserves run out, it's all over. The world'll revert back to the age of coal. We'll just have to poke along in the good ol' steam trucks again. Go back to chocobos-are-the-fastest-form-a'-ground-transportation-thank-you-ma'am. Not that that's so bad, really."
"So you wanna live as a quitter? You say we gotta go through life facin' backwards? Yeah, we effed up big time, I know. Maybe it is best we don't go walkin' down the same path. So what? We just gonna tread water? Why can't we search for another way?"
"Which brings us to oil," Cid said with a grin.
"Oil? That useless goop?"
To Barret, who worked in coal mines, the mention of oil was a surprise. All it was ever good for was burning in lamps.
"It's only been useless since mako came along. Truth is, oil was supposed to usher in a new era. We even had us some respectable technology to produce different fuels from oil. But once mako showed up, the technology was carried over to mako applications. And so oil had up an' vanished from history."
But Cid continued, explaining how he and his team had pulled out old records and located an oil field. Luckily, it wasn't too far from Rocket Town. On site, they'd found facilities to drill for oil and refine it into gasoline—half-collapsed, maybe, but there nonetheless. Cid and his companions had restored the facilities to an operational status. But gasoline didn't yield enough power.
They needed a more potent fuel. They had persisted in efforts to that end, and at last prospects for making jet fuel were looking bright. In tandem with that, work was underway to revamp the engines to run on the new fuel. But that work wasn't going quite as well.
"When did you fools ever find the time—"
"After it happened. Right after."
"Well, damn, Cid! That's incredible!"
"Like I said, we had the records. There ain't a speck a' new technology. All we did was bring the old tech back to life."
"Whatever you did, this means the end of coal, don't it?" Barret, having grown up in a coal miners' town, had mixed feelings about that.
"Times change. We just happened to be born on the cusp, that's all."
"Can't say I feel one way or the other about that."
"Then how 'bout you feel lucky? The comin' age is our chance to try all kinds a' things."
"True that."
"The only unlucky part is..."
"What?"
"With so much to try, we're all gonna run outta time. Ain't that a bitch?"
Barret and Cid talking About life.
Nice little song from the game awards.
Need more Tifa PLOT lol
They posted pic on Gold Saucer Tifa date PLOT lol
They said this on the theater stuff
"Depending on your relationship with your fellow theatergoers, the person playing Rosa may even change - along with parts of the script."
They posted pic on Gold Saucer Tifa date PLOT lol
They said this on the theater stuff
"Depending on your relationship with your fellow theatergoers, the person playing Rosa may even change - along with parts of the script."
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So Biggs is gifted with FF 12 Balthier's "The Leading Man"'s Luck ? since they have the same VA lol :
Biggs (voiced by Gideon Emery in English)
“Why in the hell did fate pick me?”
After surviving the fall of the Sector 7 plate, Biggs awoke to find that he is the last remaining member of the ill-fated anti-Shinra rebels, Avalanche. Having recovered from his injuries, he now seeks revenge against the company that murdered his comrades.
“Why in the hell did fate pick me?”
After surviving the fall of the Sector 7 plate, Biggs awoke to find that he is the last remaining member of the ill-fated anti-Shinra rebels, Avalanche. Having recovered from his injuries, he now seeks revenge against the company that murdered his comrades.
probably the" surprise" stuff kitase said is
they are going to show the real promise land lifestream stuff being the place where eveyone will go when they die thus showing aerith more after her death there with Zack and probably they will show them fighting seph there too since he is using the lifestream