hi i finished rebirth with tears in my eyes and i truly don't know where to start because i- there's so much to say and none of my thoughts are coherent. i'm still digesting everything. i love this game so much. i love this story so much. i love these characters so much. i love these characters to death. they're so complex, and I want to put each one of them under a microscope and analyze their character and their relationships with other characters. FOUND FAMILY MY BELOVED.

i never played the original so i knew aerith was going to die (it's the worst kept secret in the fandom) but i didn't know she was going to die in the middle of the story. i cried. aerith's death? yeah it was pain but beautiful and impactful. it changes the whole tone of the game. playing the final game won't be the same. it'll feel empty because aerith isn't there. IT'S GOING TO HURT. aerith meant so much to everyone and everyone meant so much to aerith. i have so much to write about aerith and how important she is as a character and AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM THROWING UP MY FEELINGS. just seeing everyone mourn her death hurt. i have so many thoughts i'm :,) i want to write about every character, about tifa, cloud, barret, nanaki, yuffie, cait sith, cid, vincent, just everyone so many characters.

Tifa? still Laurencore. I love TIFA SO MUCH.

as much as i love the side content, it was a lot of side content. probably too much. i love the idea of the open world concept because remake in confined to midgar. after being in midgar cloud and everyone finally get to see the outside world. it feels freeing it's a new adventure. from a story standpoint it works, but for side content it's a lot. it's too much and i got tired of it halfway through the game. OK BUT QUEEN'S BLOOD IS 10/10 GIVE ME MORE QUEEN'S BLOOD. another pro about the open world is is continues to build on the amazing world-building.

i will write a better review one day for now i'm still trying to figure out how to consume the music because it's a meal. i'm also still trying to gather my thoughts on the ending :,)

preparing myself for rebirth by replaying remake, intermission, and crisis core reunion. VERY EXCITED FOR REBIRTH. I've never played the original (but i know tidbits because internet), so it will be interesting to dive more into the story. I have a much better appreciation and love for characters I originally didn't click with. I'm sorry Cloud ;-; BUT I LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH MORE NOW. Tifa was always my favorite character, and still is, but wow, it's impossible to rank the characters in a tier list because all of them are so good and complex WOW. Anyways Tifa continues to be Laurencore. Characters who look tough on the outside but are actually kind and empathetic and cares for others and puts others before themselves and doubt themselves throws them in my pocket because they deserve so much and determined LAURENCORE

Was able to complete 17/18 chapters on hard mode. Next time I'll be better prepared for Sephiroth. Rufus fight went from probably my most hated fight to my most loved fight in the game.

I'm still amazed by the world-building, and the soundtrack proceeds to consume them I'm SO EXCITED to step out of Midgar and see more world-building. Midgar's world-building is really solid, and I'm just excited to see more of the outside world because it's going to expand the game tenfold. THere are so many thoughts. Putting them into coherent sentences? Literally impossible. It would take me days.

This game is truly for the bisexuals.

Intermission does A LOT despite it being short. It offers a different perspective of the story, expands the world-building (specifically Midgar), and introduces Yuffie! A different perspective from other members of Avalanche and from Wutai - both parties affected by Shinra's actions - and new areas greatly expand the world-building. It’s really interesting how we start in an area we aren’t familiar with - we’re familiar with the landscape - but then once we reach areas we’re familiar with, those new areas feel familiar. The new areas feel like back alleyways. Does this make sense? I’m not sure, but I hope it does.

Jumping from remake to intermission was weird because I’d try to switch characters - due to reflex - but the game makes it impossible because Sonon isn’t a playable character (squeenix are you FORESHADOWING?????)

The DLC does a fantastic job of introducing Yuffie and sets up some really interesting stuff for her character in rebirth. I never played the og, so I’m really interested to learn more about Yuffie because of the small crumbs the game lays out (family dynamics/her relationship with her dad) and see how the events weave into rebirth. I WANT MORE YUFFIE AND SONON BECAUSE THE DYNAMIC!!! I want to see Yuffie deal with internal conflict due to Sonon projecting his sister onto her. I have many thoughts and ideas haha like what if Sonon isn’t dead and Nero somehow makes Sonon into a puppet, and Yuffie has to fight Sonon wow I’m sowing the ideas for angst. I’m also really interested to see how knowing the plate dropping will affect her and her relationship with the others. Yuffie isn’t from Midgar and puts Wutai as her top priority because that’s her homeland, but at the end, you see Yuffie in shock over the plate dropping and “says it’s too cruel”. Confused about why Shinra would sacrifice so many lives of their people, you see Yuffie’s sympathy and compassion for the people, which develops by interacting with Avalanche, walking around Sector 7, and forming bonds.

Waiting for rebirth is painful.

Fun fact time! When I was 14, I was really interested in Final Fantasy, but I convinced myself my parents wouldn't buy me a PlayStation, so I watched a Crisis Core playthrough instead. It's wild how, a decade later, I got to play Crisis Core (reunion).

Crisis Core (Reunion) is heavy on themes and symbolism, and the game's central theme is legacy. The story's odd pacing at times, combat (DMW), and some symbolism side eyes LOVELES and Genesis weaken the game, but not by much because what makes the game extraordinary and impactful is CC(R) enhances FF7(R)'s story and does not let FF7(R) overshadow it. If you uncover the layers, FF7(R) carries CC(R)'s legacy just like how Cloud carries Zack's legacy "you're my living legacy." UGLY SOBS IN THE CORNER IN THE FETAL POSITION

Zack sets forth Could's story, and yes, that's part of why the game was made, but CC(R) is not about Cloud; it's about Zack, a naive, optimistic, and motivated young boy whose ideals and beliefs are challenged and questioned by the company who deems "putting mako reactors in Wutai will be beneficial (we're totally not trying to put a reactor here to force our beliefs onto Wutai and take control over the land)" and "heroes" many young boys admire and consider their role models. For Zack, his mentor Angeal, who teaches him about honor at Fort Tamblin begins to sow the seeds of confusion. (Wutai warriors actually sow the seeds before Angeal if you interact with the Leviathain statue right before the boss battle).

Zack's ideals and beliefs are constantly challenged throughout the game as his mentor has "betrayed" Shinra, and layers upon layers of the truth are uncovered, causing Zack to feel lost. It also pushes Zack to mature. After Zack kills Angeal, he changes his hair, representing his growth from naivety to maturity. He's not that naive young boy anymore. Angel isn't there to hold his hand. It's a wake-up call to face reality. Despite the continuous internal conflicts, Zack is still that same optimistic young boy you meet in Chapter 1 who dreams of becoming a hero even after uncovering the hidden secrets in the shadows, making him such a charming and loveable character. Zack's charm and optimism are due to Angeal's guidance. Even though Angeal left Shinra, he doesn't become an antagonist. He is still Zack's mentor and guides him, giving Zack hope. In times of internal conflict, Zack asks what Angeal would do, and AAAAHH I love how Angeal doesn't become an antagonist AND IS STILL THERE FOR ZaCK. And it isn't just Angeal; the relationships he's formed along the way also give him hope, and the DMW represents that WHICH IS SO COOL despite having eh feelings about the mechanic. DMW makes the combat really unique but relies on luck. The concept and design are interesting; slot machines inspire DMW, and slots are a game of luck (And you know what number is associated with luck? 7.) I went off on a tangent...

Much symbolism and themes in CC(R) (you can tell my brain is struggling to be coherent just from this sentence). Buster Sword, LEGACY. Angeal and Genesis see their wings as shackles and conclude they are monsters, but I see wings symbolizing two ideas: 1) freedom and confinement and 2) hope and despair. Angeal and Genesis left because they were test subjects, but their wings are different colors. Black wings symbolize Genesis's confinement and despair after learning the truth. The degradation continues to eat away at him, and he further descends into a delusional state of mind. I believe Angeal called himself a monster to justify betraying Shinra. Unlike Genesis, his wings are white, and the white wings symbolize freedom and hope. Both were part of Project G, but Angeal always keeps sight of what is right because he has his honor, and he passed his honor to Zack, and now Zack is carrying his legacy. Sephiroth and Lazard are the same. There isn't a significant connection between the two, but they reinforce the symbolism (I hope this makes sense hahaha).

Legacy means honor, and honor means dreams (AND HOPE; I'm sorry, I've used hope too many times). Follow your dreams, follow what you believe is right because doing so gives you the most freedom. Angeal passes on his legacy to Zack, and Zack passes his legacy down to Cloud. Zack has his honor and dreams to direct him on the path he goes down, which gives him freedom. Also going back to the wings, Zack's envious of Angeal's wings and wishes he could have them because they symbolize freedom and wowowowowowowowowowowwwwwww ahahhhhhhhhhhhh. So many characters are shackled by Shinra. SOLDIER, the Turks wow pain.... Cissnei puts her job before her feelings because the Turks do the job no one wants to. They have to push aside their emotions but they're still human ;-; you see moments where their feelings define their actions. Cissnei lies to Tseng for Zack. I love the moments when the Turks release their emotions.

BACK TO ZACK BECAUSE I HAVE MORE THOUGHTS ABOUT ZACK. I had a thought while I was replaying CCR. Zack does so much. He does so many amazing things throughout the game yet no one talks about SOLDIER First Class Zack in FF7(R) and his accomplishments WHICH MAKES ME SO SAD because he's kind-hearted. The only two people I know (I've never played the original) who acknowledge Zack are Aerith and Cloud (the Turks can't say anything ;-;) No one remembers him because Shinra has the power to twist the narrative all to get the people to continue to trust them. THE ARMY GOES AFTER ZACK AND KILLS HIM WHILE THE TURKS ARE SEARCHING TO PROTECT HIM (I ASSUME) I HAVE A LOT OF EMOTIONS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS AAAHHHHHHHHH REBIRTH IS GOING TO DESTROY ME IF MY THEORIES HAPPEN. Cloud carries Zack's legacy, and I'm totally normal about ff7 series :,) HAHA AND THEN AT THE END WE GET THE BEGINNING OF FF7(R) WITH CLOUD ON THE TRAIN I WANT TO FUCKING PUNCH A WALL.

I hope rebirth rips out my heart and throws it against the wall CC(R) has one of the best video game endings 10/10 i cried thank you for reading this and fail at not screaming. I have so many more thoughts but it's impossible for me to write them all my brains out of power.