Bells
BACKER
20 || she/her
Jank builds character
Don't take my ratings and stuff too seriously, they're just indicative of how much I like something / how meaningful it is to me
A list of my favorite games
my Discord is jamiebells if you wanna dm me or something
Badges
Organized
Created a list folder with 5+ lists
Treasured
Gained 750+ total review likes
GOTY '23
Participated in the 2023 Game of the Year Event
Listed
Created 10+ public lists
Gone Gold
Received 5+ likes on a review while featured on the front page
1 Years of Service
Being part of the Backloggd community for 1 year
Adored
Gained 300+ total review likes
Pinged
Mentioned by another user
Shreked
Found the secret ogre page
Early Access
Submitted feedback for a beta feature
On Schedule
Journaled games once a day for a week straight
Epic Gamer
Played 1000+ games
Famous
Gained 100+ followers
Loved
Gained 100+ total review likes
Roadtrip
Voted for at least 3 features on the roadmap
Well Written
Gained 10+ likes on a single review
GOTY '22
Participated in the 2022 Game of the Year Event
Trend Setter
Gained 50+ followers
Donor
Liked 50+ reviews / lists
Busy Day
Journaled 5+ games in a single day
Elite Gamer
Played 500+ games
Popular
Gained 15+ followers
Best Friends
Become mutual friends with at least 3 others
Liked
Gained 10+ total review likes
Noticed
Gained 3+ followers
Gamer
Played 250+ games
N00b
Played 100+ games
Favorite Games
1435
Total Games Played
081
Played in 2024
1001
Games Backloggd
Recently Played See More
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Final Fantasy VII's globe trotting adventure isn't primarily defined by it's sense for theatrics, but by it's mellow tone and somber sensibilities. The towns you come across are oftentimes humble and restrained, carefully crafted with precision point environmental design and delicate cinematography. There's a tender sense of balance to found throughout the whole affair, as it seeks to comfort you just as often as it alienates you. That push-and-pull dynamic it shares with the player is such a key focal point as to what make the worlds of VII and VIII feel so utterly compelling to me, and I can't help but feel that the unquestioned contrast between the science and fantasy elements plays a major factor in how sheerly effective that relationship it is.
Aerith's fate is something I'll never forget, not just because of the effective dramatization found within that one moment, but because of how silent and truly felt her absence is across the rest of the game. A lot of people give this game grief for putting the snowboarding segment not even like twenty minutes later, but the fact that the game just moves on afterwards without dwelling on itself too hard is exactly what I think makes it brilliant. Final Fantasy VII allows its punctual moments to breathe and sink skin deep, and it knows that no amount of self indulgent dialogue commemorating Aerith would ever hit as hard as opening the party screen just to see a missing slot there.
Cloud might not be the person he says he is, but what he becomes through learning to open his heart to other people and show compassion makes him more of a hero than any mere SOLDIER could ever hope to be. He never has any major transformation in regards to physicality and utility, he doesn't have to. Just as he doesn't need to be told by someone that he's finally enough, he always was.
For every magnificent setpiece Final Fantasy VII has, there's a slew of soft spoken moments of beauty that truly make this game what it is, even up to its final moments. It ends the same way it began, a friendly face amidst a writhing future of uncertainty. That faint shimmer of hope shining just as bright as it always has.