I'm almost 110 hours in now and haven't encountered it again, so you should be safe!
I've been steadily making my way through the manageable side content before seeing out the story. The final side quest was a bit of a pain - I'm not sure how I would have beaten the 3D Brawler fights without reading the pausing tip - but that's ticked off as well now. I was planning to finish off the protorelic quest, but I didn't know it had a recommended level of 65 until I made it there! Seeing Cloud is only at 49, I guess I'll be leaving that until I've finished the story.
Good to know, thanks. I'm only in chapter 7, but so far my reactions to minigames have either been 'Didn't like that, don't want to do it again', or 'that was neat for 5 minutes, but probably not going to touch this again unless they force me to'. The exception being Queen's Blood, but that feels like its own thing.
Then again, at the current pace, I expect the game has another 100 minigames (at least) to throw at me before credits roll, so wouldn't be surprised if some of them click with me more lol.
Should I replay remake before rebirth (I will breeze through with max level and götterdämmerung on normal). Or is the "story so far" button enough to understand references to remake exclusive characters if there are any.
How do you go from Gongaga back to Corel? I don't see a way. Also is it possible to access the side content in Gongaga to the west early on, the terrain is a bitch to navigate I can't cross to the west side
How do you go from Gongaga back to Corel? I don't see a way. Also is it possible to access the side content in Gongaga to the west early on, the terrain is a bitch to navigate I can't cross to the west side
I do have the Chocobo yeah but it's a pain to navigate.
I went back to the beach but didn't see anything indicating a transport. I'll try and look a bit more. Just didn't want to proceed through the story with so much side content left over.
I had expected the Shadowblood Queen to show up as a ghost like Lidrehl Balmon did, rather than to have chosen Regina as a host (though really, it was right in front of me the whole time given her name, not to mention the epic theme song already associated with her). Did suspect that the Gongaga region was originally her kingdom before being struck down by the Emerald Witch, though. Using the deck I had been getting by on for most of my later matches, I didn't stand a chance and had no idea what I was supposed to be doing so I admittedly looked it up and found out that you need cards that take advantage of enfeeblement status. Built a new deck centered on that, and won on the first try with that one.
Vincent FTW at the end after the match (was glad that he and Cloud could save Regina from the Queen's possession).
I do have the Chocobo yeah but it's a pain to navigate.
I went back to the beach but didn't see anything indicating a transport. I'll try and look a bit more. Just didn't want to proceed through the story with so much side content left over.
Wow, I completed every region and job quest but the last of the Protorelic ones yet I'm still 17 levels below the recommended minimum to finish that chain... screw it, guess I'll just go to the point of no return then.
Should I replay remake before rebirth (I will breeze through with max level and götterdämmerung on normal). Or is the "story so far" button enough to understand references to remake exclusive characters if there are any.
Wow, I completed every region and job quest but the last of the Protorelic ones yet I'm still 17 levels below the recommended minimum to finish that chain... screw it, guess I'll just go to the point of no return then.
Indeed, pretty much what I figured I'd go with while seeing other Gold Saucer outcomes and building more levels and materia (I usually like having a back-up file before continuing the story in case I change my mind and want to do things differently sooner than later).
That said, I'm looking forward to the QoL changes over how it worked in Remake.
Since I played Remake and mostly enjoyed it, I figured I'd jump in on Rebirth. So far, it's been cutscene after cutscene after cutscene. I walk 10 feet, cutscene. The pacing is killing me. I hit Chapter 2 and did a few of the initial main quests, but it's still a lot of talking and cutscenes happening. When is the game going to start for fucks sake?
Made it to Chapter 8, and kind of wish the game would let you choose who you 'controlled' in the overworld, at least based on available party members at the time. The section where Yuffie takes the lead was pretty fun. Chapter 7 in general was enjoyable; a bit of side stuff, but otherwise felt very main story focused. Looking forward to checking out the Gold Saucer next. Kind of surprised it comes up relatively quickly after leaving Costa Del Soul. Admittedly not too familiar with the pacing of the original, but suppose I was expecting a bit more a 'gap' between those 2 more recreational areas.
Since I played Remake and mostly enjoyed it, I figured I'd jump in on Rebirth. So far, it's been cutscene after cutscene after cutscene. I walk 10 feet, cutscene. The pacing is killing me. I hit Chapter 2 and did a few of the initial main quests, but it's still a lot of talking and cutscenes happening. When is the game going to start for fucks sake?
I finally beat Bonds of Friendship! The online guide I was using as reference recommended using the Genji Gloves, but you can only get that in a Hard mode playthrough and I wanted that to be the very last thing I do in this game. I had to settle for the accessory you get by beating the final Brutal challenge. The strategies essentially remained the same at least, just had more close calls and longer fights.
Took me over 6 hours btw. The key to victory was practicing the Odin fight by itself over and over again until I can solo clear it with Cloud. It is extremely vital to recognize his attacks and know which ones you should counter and which ones you should dodge.
The final Legendary bout, To Be a Hero, awaits. Fortunately, I heard that it's significantly easier, so this will be my victory lap for finally finishing all the combat sims. 😁
I finally beat Bonds of Friendship! The online guide I was using as reference recommended using the Genji Gloves, but you can only get that in a Hard mode playthrough and I wanted that to be the very last thing I do in this game. I had to settle for the accessory you get by beating the final Brutal challenge. The strategies essentially remained the same at least, just had more close calls and longer fights.
Took me over 6 hours btw. The key to victory was practicing the Odin fight by itself over and over again until I can solo clear it with Cloud. It is extremely vital to recognize his attacks and know which ones you should counter and which ones you should dodge.
The final Legendary bout, To Be a Hero, awaits. Fortunately, I heard that it's significantly easier, so this will be my victory lap for finally finishing all the combat sims. 😁
You don't have to finish hard mode to get the gloves though. Can just do the major monster fights per area and craft them. And if you only want the gloves, you can just do those particular fights.
You don't have to finish hard mode to get the gloves though. Can just do the major monster fights per area and craft them. And if you only want the gloves, you can just do those particular fights.
I had expected the Shadowblood Queen to show up as a ghost like Lidrehl Balmon did, rather than to have chosen Regina as a host (though really, it was right in front of me the whole time given her name, not to mention the epic theme song already associated with her). Did suspect that the Gongaga region was originally her kingdom before being struck down by the Emerald Witch, though. Using the deck I had been getting by on for most of my later matches, I didn't stand a chance and had no idea what I was supposed to be doing so I admittedly looked it up and found out that you need cards that take advantage of enfeeblement status. Built a new deck centered on that, and won on the first try with that one.
Vincent FTW at the end after the match (was glad that he and Cloud could save Regina from the Queen's possession).
I looked up what desk to use as well. I actually found it sort of irritating that it changed how things worked and that Shadowblood Queen was just a straight up cheater. It is possible that people were using the kind of deck that works for this fight but it really feels like they went out of their way to have people build/alter their existing deck to make a new one just for her. I sort of thought there would be a reward at the end. Either way, I'm glad it is over.
So I started Rebirth yesterday. I did everything in Remake except Weiss and was too lazy to replay it.
About chapter 1 as someone who played the og FF7:
I don't want to know where rebirth ends or when the og reveal it, so I am not sure when it will revealed that it was not cloud during that part. Still it is really uncanny playing as cloud in that way. In the og game you still felt that cloud is somehow different, but now when you even see his mimic and the other details it feels incredibly weird
Also I was spoiled about
that there are infinite versions of aerith and zack or possible parallel universes. That's why I was not super "huh why is this now like this" during the tutorial of the game. I hope this is not the only change Rebirth brings along and there are more suprises. But let's see how that will roll out.
Biggest letdown:
Going into the materia menu takes even longer than in remake and why they didn't include the ability to create sets is beyond me. Even ff12 remaster got the sets as patch later on, how CBU2(?) can't think of this idea is beyond me.
You don't have to finish hard mode to get the gloves though. Can just do the major monster fights per area and craft them. And if you only want the gloves, you can just do those particular fights.
Got through it all on Normal without dying; I even used some elixirs and hi-ethers!
I'd managed to stumble on enough spoilers to learn that the final final thing was a pressure DPS check, and that some people recommended saving a Limit Break for that. Held onto Cloud's and built it up to Level 2 with the synergy skills, seemed to get me most of the way there.
Overall the game was definitely easier than Remake, primarily because of boss aggro tweaks. Switching character definitely gives you more time to build ATB and cast before the boss gets in your face.
The intro sequence to the Gold Saucer was pretty cool. Feels like they had a lot of fun putting it together, and in general really liking the lighthearted moments of the game.
I managed to finish all the combat challenges a bit ago. Now I can finally tackle Hard mode with no regrets!
While the platinum is basically a lock at this point, I decided to also go for a 100% play log. This does mean I'll need to redo every side quest to get all the manuscripts, unfortunately. Outside of that and the classified enemy refights though it'll otherwise be a straight shot through the game.
And yes, I've experienced the Golden Saucer date 5 times already lol. I'm saving the final one, Aerith, for my Hard mode playthrough.
The open world section of Chapter 11 has been absolute breath of fresh air compared to some of the earlier sections. It's not too big, there's not too many map markers to visit, no Protorelic stuff as far as I can tell, and the region's chocobo is super fun to use to navigate the environment.
I managed to finish all the combat challenges a bit ago. Now I can finally tackle Hard mode with no regrets!
While the platinum is basically a lock at this point, I decided to also go for a 100% play log. This does mean I'll need to redo every side quest to get all the manuscripts, unfortunately. Outside of that and the classified enemy refights though it'll otherwise be a straight shot through the game.
And yes, I've experienced the Golden Saucer date 5 times already lol. I'm saving the final one, Aerith, for my Hard mode playthrough.
The open world section of Chapter 11 has been absolute breath of fresh air compared to some of the earlier sections. It's not too big, there's not too many map markers to visit, no Protorelic stuff as far as I can tell, and the region's chocobo is super fun to use to navigate the environment.
I only missed one Assess and it was one of the phases of the final boss. So long as I don't forget to equip Assess just before that point I should be good to go.
Man this game knows how to nail its big moments and setpieces. Ch 12 the Gold Saucer date, the play, then into the tournament with back to back fights with Corneo, the Turks, and Rufus was *chef's kiss* although Rufus was a pain to fight.
The open world section of Chapter 11 has been absolute breath of fresh air compared to some of the earlier sections. It's not too big, there's not too many map markers to visit, no Protorelic stuff as far as I can tell, and the region's chocobo is super fun to use to navigate the environment.
Some of the boss battles in this game are really hard. I'm stuck on the
Rufus boss battle. Its so insanely bullshit, can't hit him and he counters every move and I barely do any damage. So with the amount of damage I'm doing to him it will take me about an hour to do it, and I'm playing it on easy. This is not a fun battle at all. I don't understand why the developers keep designing shit like this.
I think I'm done with this for now its good but so frustrating in some areas sometimes.
Some of the boss battles in this game are really hard. I'm stuck on the
Rufus boss battle. Its so insanely bullshit, can't hit him and he counters every move and I barely do any damage. So with the amount of damage I'm doing to him it will take me about an hour to do it, and I'm playing it on easy. This is not a fun battle at all. I don't understand why the developers keep designing shit like this.
I think I'm done with this for now its good but so frustrating in some areas sometimes.
He's a "puzzle" boss. Don't bother trying to hit him when he's just chilling out, you want to count his shots, and hit him when he's reloading. I got into a kind of chill mode where I was calling out his attack names-Reload to help myself lol.
So, run/dodge everything, and you'll start to notice patterns of attacks that lead to a Reload. Once you've kind of figured it out, start getting closer to him (but not too close lol) so that your commands can hit him. The second you see Reload, you have about 1 second to slam him with either Braver or Focused Thrust. Bring it up in the tactics menu vs using a hot key. It'll basically pressure him close to stagger almost immediately, which is when you do most of your damage to him.
Save a limit break. Once he brings in his doggo, get rid of it ASAP with the limit break and anything else you have. Then finish Rufus off.
Maybe put on a set of revival earrings. It can be hard sometimes to build ATB with Rufus, and if you get caught without, he can corner you quickly and kill you.
You can do it! It's very satisfying when you do haha.
finished the game last night in a fugue state and slept on it. let the game ruminate in my brain for a bit while trying to write something long form.
gotta say, i loved it. i suspect i understand the reasons one might not, but i thought it was just about pitch perfect. i am very far away from an ff7 scholar, haven't read any of the compilation material and haven't played crisis core in like ten years. i don't think any of that was important. i am not interested in theories or speculation because i really do think there is a very compelling resolution that exists entirely beside it. in terms of how well the ending keys into the core themes of ff7 and especially around its characters, it really hit it out of the park.
for me the most resonant and compelling question was never about what's to become of the planet in ff7, or the life stream or the heady metaphysical questions about sephiroth, jenova, and the cetra. for me it was always about identity and how we find meaning in our lives, and how we learn to live with ourselves and for ourselves. everyone in the party is haunted by a deep trauma, and there is no easy answer that gives them escape or absolution.
rebirth codifies this as the central underpinning of its broader, more universal stakes. the fight at the end as i read it stopped being about aerith specifically and something far more psychological to cloud and most of the pillars he's anchored his sense of self to. it is a war for who cloud is and who will define him.
the really interesting to me is that fundamental contrast between how sephiroth denies cloud's selfhood yet aerith insists that there is something in him. it's the very cool thing about the materia that cloud is given at the end.
he has, of course, the black materia, the purpose that sephiroth is trying to fill cloud in with in lieu of a person. aerith gives him a clear materia, empty but something cloud presumably has to fill himself and of his own will. she will not dictate that to cloud, she trusts he'll find his own way.
I'm going through the thread, but I have to stop here to say this is a really interesting perspective that I also felt, but was never able to express so well.
People sometimes complain some stuff are confusing and not tightly logical, but it doesn't have to be if that's the aim of the game. Just an example, if Zack chooses the right path and then a rainbow light train flushes through the left path, it's all you need in order to know what kind of abstraction the game is aiming for. Is it then really necessary to dismantle such a scene, have tons of theories about what it means, and then discussing if it means this or that, then couldn't there have been a better way to present it and make it less confusing?
About the empty materia, the significance you're talking about would be awesome. Aerith is not receiving the white materia from Cloud in order for this world to have a chance, but it's more like she's giving Cloud the chance to write the future with the empty materia. The white materia is no doubt powerful as it inherits the power and memories of a future Aerith, but at the same time its power is limited and it can only do so much. Cloud's empty materia represents unlimited potential, but it's up to him to fulfill it and Aerith might have realized that prompting her to do this exchange. On the surface it plays out like the OG, she got her white materia and is doing the Holy stuff, but underneath it there is this unseeming transfer of something that will be significant in the next part. There is a shot from the end, where Cloud gazes at the empty materia, and unlike any other materia it so beautifully reflects the reality surrounding it... Maybe Cloud will realize it too?
Quick plot related question, I'm on chapter 11 (or 12?). For a while now the party (mostly Barret) keeps openly referring to Cait Sith as a Shinra spy but when was this ever revealed to them? Feel like I missed something because from the OG I remember this being a twist that's revealed much later on. My memory could be hazy though.
Quick plot related question, I'm on chapter 11 (or 12?). For a while now the party (mostly Barret) keeps openly referring to Cait Sith as a Shinra spy but when was this ever revealed to them? Feel like I missed something because from the OG I remember this being a twist that's revealed much later on. My memory could be hazy though.
So bonds of friendship, I've gotten to Odin twice. The Bahamut fight and the Odin fight are the main issues now. The others aren't really an issue unless something unexpected happens in the 2nd fight.
I'm kinda losing my mind here. I only got these two be missions and a hard mode playthrough and I'm done.
