Nickolaidas
Member
I am midway through the game (chapter 11) and I can't help but notice how respectfully and tactfully and at the same time tongue-in-cheek this game gets with the main characters and various NPCs.
The Cloud/Tifa/Aerith dynamic is so well done it gives me vibes of Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman. There is an amazing balance between love, respect, teasing and friendship with those three. While the love triangle is nothing new to the story, in the remake it is done masterfully. You can actually believe that Tifa and Aerith become both friends as well as rivals (though this is much more subtly displayed), and generally great care has been taken to make them look like actual characters rather than mere caricatures.
But what amazes me is that - due to the times - there is obviously a lot more girl power served into this game than the old one, but it is done AMAZINGLY. At no point do I feel it was forced. Even in the infamous Don Corneo quest, I was expecting a lot of cringe - and at some point the game does seem to give the 'men are all pigs' vibe, but it is masterfully subverted immediately afterwards
.
There are many moments where Cloud feels like a badass, but subverting the Male Hero Saving the Damsel in Distress, there are moments where the girls are saving him, and I don't just mean in the gameplay aspects.
There is true equality in the roles, and at no point do I feel that a character is placed only to make another character look good - said character also does important things and saves the day as well.
But what truly amazes me is that the girl power scenes, the macho man scenes, all is done in a way that doesn't feel force-fed. There's no moment where the game is lecturing you on how you should behave or how this is good and this is bad in terms of SJWism and power fantasies.
As much as I loved Horizon Zero Dawn, I couldn't help but cringe twice or thrice at moments where an NPC or Alloy would imply, insinuate or flat out state discrimination of gender or the 'women are just as strong as men' trope. Making me feel as if I was the receiving end of a political or social message.
Final Fantasy VII Remake manages to get the point across - that both sexes are amazing (heck, that the third sex is amazing, for all its overtheatrics) - and it does it with as much grace and respect as a Japanese video game can.
I loved Final Fantasy VII back when I was 18 years old, and I love the Remake in my forties. Those are the characters I grew up with, cried with, got smitten with, but improved and deeper than ever. I consider this game a prime example of how respect between the sexes should be in gaming and pop culture, without making it look cringy, fake, or forced.
What are your thoughts on this?
The Cloud/Tifa/Aerith dynamic is so well done it gives me vibes of Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman. There is an amazing balance between love, respect, teasing and friendship with those three. While the love triangle is nothing new to the story, in the remake it is done masterfully. You can actually believe that Tifa and Aerith become both friends as well as rivals (though this is much more subtly displayed), and generally great care has been taken to make them look like actual characters rather than mere caricatures.
But what amazes me is that - due to the times - there is obviously a lot more girl power served into this game than the old one, but it is done AMAZINGLY. At no point do I feel it was forced. Even in the infamous Don Corneo quest, I was expecting a lot of cringe - and at some point the game does seem to give the 'men are all pigs' vibe, but it is masterfully subverted immediately afterwards
when an NPC helps the girls by giving them their gear back
There are many moments where Cloud feels like a badass, but subverting the Male Hero Saving the Damsel in Distress, there are moments where the girls are saving him, and I don't just mean in the gameplay aspects.
Aerith and Tifa save his life by holding him when he loses his balance, while he also saves them at another point.
But what truly amazes me is that the girl power scenes, the macho man scenes, all is done in a way that doesn't feel force-fed. There's no moment where the game is lecturing you on how you should behave or how this is good and this is bad in terms of SJWism and power fantasies.
As much as I loved Horizon Zero Dawn, I couldn't help but cringe twice or thrice at moments where an NPC or Alloy would imply, insinuate or flat out state discrimination of gender or the 'women are just as strong as men' trope. Making me feel as if I was the receiving end of a political or social message.
Final Fantasy VII Remake manages to get the point across - that both sexes are amazing (heck, that the third sex is amazing, for all its overtheatrics) - and it does it with as much grace and respect as a Japanese video game can.
I loved Final Fantasy VII back when I was 18 years old, and I love the Remake in my forties. Those are the characters I grew up with, cried with, got smitten with, but improved and deeper than ever. I consider this game a prime example of how respect between the sexes should be in gaming and pop culture, without making it look cringy, fake, or forced.
What are your thoughts on this?
