Final Fantasy VII Remake Spoiler Special - Renegade Arcade #3

Join Keona, Josh, Kristal, and special guest host Millenial Mike from the Exiles Network as they discuss the hit video game, Final Fantasy VII Remake, developed and published by Square Enix! This is a SPOILER special, which means if you haven’t finished the game, you may want to come back to this show in the future!

That said, you all know how much I love this game. It’s my personal favorite game of the year thus far, and I have doubts that anything will overtake it. Maybe Cyberpunk, but we shall see how that one turns out.

I’ve gone through many reasons why I liked FF7R so much in my review and during this podcast, but I wanted to highlight five things I didn’t really cover as well as I should have prior to this episode. So, let’s make a list!

Barret’s much-improved characterization

All of the main party members shine in this game, whether it be through combat (Tifa, the badass of the game and most fun to play), personality (Aerith, who’s goofy and playful and I love her so frakkin’ much), deadpan dialogue delivery (Cloud, who has some of the best lines in the game), or just being awesome (Red XIII, who I consider a party member even though we didn’t get to control him directly *sob*). Barret, however, is a standout, and I’m not just talking physically. Though he is the biggest dude in the entire FFVII Remake universe, with a personality to match, Barret isn’t just a caricature. He’s loud and bombastic, and a downright jerk towards Cloud in the opening of the game, but he also loves his daughter Marlene to bits. His loving protectiveness toward her really brings out his softer side, but his confrontations with President Shinra, Heidegger, and even that Middle Manager buffoon bring out his snarky edge. Barret is also portrayed as a far better leader in this game, in my opinion. His revival preacher-esque monologues to Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, and an unmoved Cloud are some of the best moments in the game, and you can’t say that he lacks passion.

Also, he made me tear up in Chapter 13 when he thought Marlene was dead after Shinra dropped the Sector 7 plate on the slums below. I couldn’t believe how emotional that scene was! The amount of emotion that actor John Eric Bentley put into portraying Barret just hit me in the gut. Such an incredible moment.

Red XIII’s appearance during the final two chapters of the game

Yes, I know we didn’t get to play as Red, and that really sucked. Still, he’s just such an awesome and intriguing character that I’m happy he made an appearance and fought with us (though I do wish his combat AI was a little bit smarter). Red’s a character with a far deeper backstory than I expected, and he’s definitely going to become more integral to the party and the player’s experience of the narrative in future installments. I wonder if they’ll change anything, considering how willing the developers at Square Enix seem to subvert expectations. I kind of hope not. Red’s character arc is one of the most intriguing and emotionally resonant subplots in the original FFVII. I’m eager to see what the developers do with it.

Also, I love his smile! It’s such a goofy moment, but it reminds us that Red may be enigmatic, but he has an innocence to him that’s so charming. I love that cute little Lab Rat Dog, haha!

All the theory-crafting that’s going on in the FFVII Remake community

I know this game’s ending has been pretty divisive, and I understand the concerns that fans who wanted a pure one-to-one remake of the original Playstation game have. However, the ending worked for me, even though it was initially confusing. Immediately after finishing my first play-through of the game, I started looking for reactions to the ending, and found many on Twitch, Reddit, and Youtube. I’ve come across many interesting theories, as well, which have definitely been fun to engage with and explore on their own terms. Ultimately, who knows where Square Enix will go with this story? The fact is, I’m on board to see where this crazy train rides off to, and what it’s final destination will be.

Sidebar: I know I’m being purposely vague here, but we discuss a bunch of fan theories during the episode, and I hope you take a listen to our speculation there. Also, I haven’t had this much fun talking about and researching ideas surrounding a game since Mass Effect 3. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve encountered this kind of depth. Remarkable.

The absolute joy and profound wackiness of Wall Market

In Chapter 9 of the game, Cloud and Aerith find themselves in the town that never sleeps, Wall Market. A den of iniquity run by the lecherous Don Corneo (perfectly voiced by veteran actor Fred Tatasciore), Wall Market is the game’s sketchy take on a miniaturized version of Las Vegas, all centered around two particular venues: Corneo’s Colosseum and the Honey Bee Inn, a nightclub run by the fabulous Andrea Rhodea. The Colosseum is a great place to level up characters, gain items, and even learn new skills like additional Limit Break attacks for Cloud and the rest of the party, while the Honey Bee Inn is… Well, let’s just say Cloud has a night he won’t ever forget there.

Wall Market also features not one, but two of the most hilariously suggestive sidequests I’ve ever seen in a video game (or any form of media, for that matter): Madam M’s “hand massage” scenes, and the “Sauce” quest. The former occurs when Cloud and Aerith need to find a way to get into Corneo’s mansion in order to save Tifa, while the latter is mostly a way for the game to encourage players to explore Wall Market in its entirety. The aforementioned Madam M runs a “respectable establishment” that specializes in “hand massages” (I think we all know the metaphor here, right? I mean, maybe Cloud doesn’t), and for a price, she’ll give Cloud the ride of a lifetime.

Meanwhile, the quest for “the Sauce” begins when you and poor, Tifa-smitten tag-along Johnny search just about everywhere for a “mystical” elixir called the Sauce, which pretty much does everything a man could want. It’s not really clear what the Sauce is, but considering the guy who wants it is the weird hippy Materia vendor… well, you can take that idea to its logical conclusion.

The point is that the entire time we spend in Wall Market is marvelous. It’s hilariously over the top in its suggestiveness, and it provides some stunning character-based moments for Aerith and Cloud, culminating in the splendiferous Honey Bee Inn sequence. I cannot wait to see the Gold Saucer in future installments of the Remake. It’s going to be grand.

Aerith’s relationship with Tifa

Aerith and Tifa are my favorite characters in the Remake, and it’s all because of their refusal to hate each other just because they both love Cloud. Aerith, in particular, knows what will happen to the planet if they fail, and she embraces Tifa as a comrade in arms rather than a romantic rival. And Tifa, for her part, seems to pick up on the fact that Aerith isn’t a threat to her relationship with Cloud pretty quickly. I love her intuitive and empathetic nature in this game. In fact, I’ve always loved that about FFVII: even though there is a love triangle at the center of its story, both of these women are mature enough to see the bigger picture, and both of them work together to save the planet, as well as Cloud’s heart and soul.

Well, there you have it, folks. Perhaps our final word on Final Fantasy VII Remake, other than a few more hot takes on the next Renegade Arcade. What a game. I completely understand the issues and concerns and gripes people have with it, but personally, I couldn’t be happier with the end result. There’s so much heart and character to this story, so much charm and joy, so many emotionally resonant scenes… I can’t wait to see what the developers have in store for us.

Thank you so much for listening to this special episode of the Renegade Arcade, part of the RPC Podcast Network. Check out our Facebook Group for more, and be sure to visit our special guest host, Millenial Mike, on The Exiles Network podcast and website! Don’t forget to check out our previous episode of the Arcade, and for more on FFVII Remake, read our review!

Stay safe out there, and be good to each other!