Hmmmmm For this scene,yea its sephiroth......but also cloud Spoilers Cloud has a horrid habit of repressing traumatic memories.zacks death,his moms death,and just recently,aeriths death.aeriths words while wise and kind...the real cloud pushes this away cause it would cause him to confront those traumas @archaicbeliefs1114
@@Brandonweifu I dunno man. After the nibel incident 5 years ago Cloud and Zack have been spending all this time being experimented on by Hojo. Once Zack manage to free them Cloud is inconscious until he snap out of it near midgar with Zack dieing to his side. In a sense all this trauma was caused by the experiments being done on him during 5 fucking years, anyone would go mentally crazy at that point.
1:13:53 you thought just watching Ifalna die is so sad but Naoki Hamaguchi went full savage and said "nope, we're gonna make them feel it by playing as kid Aerith."
yeah that was the toughest scene in any FF game for me. I cried a lot. I also lost my mom to sickness. That scene was incredibly well done, ... and brutal, something about playing as a child and the walk back to her mom is sooooooooo long, and you can see her just laying there getting closer. Props to all the VA to.
2:57:06 Honestly Cait Sith’s explanation as to why he gave the keystone to Shinra is FAR better than him being a begrudgingly loyal employee. He thought that it’s better to lose Shinra lives than the lives of his friends.
He was so unapologetic in the og (Conversation on the Highwind) CS: "Hey guys, I've got some information" Barret: "What? That you a Shinra spy? CS: "Yes I've already told you that. But..." He was so sassily dismissive ha
53:40 The entire nightmare sequence was so heartbreaking to watch, but I completely broken by the scene with Aerith and her mother. As someone who had to take care of their single mother when she was fighting cancer when I was just 14 I can tell you I felt as helpless and alone as Aerith. I was lucky that we had help but I still felt like Aerith in that moment. It’s why I also loved her message of focusing on the future and not the past.
You know things are soul crushing when you find yourself going back and forth between Barret and Aerith on whose vision thing was worse. I do feel bad for Aerith experiencing losing her mother again, but Barret had a triple combo of his hometown blowing up, losing his arm, and getting to feel the joy of seeing his wife again (and her dying in his arms all over again). Just consecutive stabs to the heart, that whole sequence was.
Honestly I was holding it together until they made me walk through the street as child aerith asking strangers to help her dying mother….. just emotionally soul crushing.
Aerith trying to get someone's attention for her dying mom as a little girl was easily the most heartbreaking thing I've ever seen in a game. It legitimately hurt me
Aerith hits hard too because you know what they were escaping and couldn’t experience freedom together. It’s beyond tragic for a child to be locked up like that her whole life.
Everything about the temple was awe-struck hypeness. The Cetra Lore, Having all the Turks fight (And Tseng who we FINALLY see him fight after 27 years), the fricken teasing of what’s gonna happen to aerith later, and so much more. AaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHH I’m losing way too much in my mind in this chapter
Love the game, don’t get me wrong, but I kind of liked in the original when they had to read the hyrogliphs on the wall and they had to interpret what they meant. It ended with a clear picture of meteor being summoned. They went all out in hype department, but I miss some of the low key moments, at least that’s how I saw it in my head as a kid. Idk if that makes any sense.
This entire stream was such a huge story punch in the gut in the best way. First there’s all the trauma the team goes through. Each of them heartbreaking in their own way. Then you have Cloud… Holy shit this game is FUCKING UP Cloud’s mental state so much harder than the OG and it’s amazing. Not to mention the BIG Remake series stuff with the timelines and Sephiroth’s more dangerous scheme. Dude is even more terrifying and it’s great to see how right Max and everyone was with the theorizing.
Those Trial scenes were so sad. Aerith's in particular had me in tears. Aerith's speech was so good and of course Cloud being a dick about it had to follow it. Cody Christian was not kidding, Cloud was unhinged AF and it was genuinely terrifying. The bit where he's about to outright murder Elena had on edge the entire time. That final bit with Cloud chasing Aerith was crazy Also Anyone see the similarities between Aerith and her little dance and Yuna's sending from FFX 👍🏻.
For sure. I can't help but have a soft spot for animals so the one with Red really hit me as well. And realizing that's just the very first thing he did to Red. All I'll say is no matter how they kill Hojo off, his death will be to good for him
@@Laterose15 there was like, 2 or 3 main interviews back in like, december or november, almost none of what he's gone on record to say was ever in recorded interviews, only written down, but it shouldnt be hard to find em, he hasnt done THAT many for rebirth, there was one panel he was at where he kinda started to describe how weird cloud gets some of these later scenes but knew he couldnt go in too much detail cus it wasnt even out yet lol
During the trials, if you pause the game, the pause menu shows the character model you're controlling (including one-armed Barrett and child Aerith). I think their standing animation reflects their mental state, because Yuffi looked around scared during hers. From this, I think that the pause menu is actually the 'inner psyche' of the characters at any given time, and has subtle lore connotations in it's own right.
Amazing catch dude. Thats why I like sephiroths pause animation so much. Its like he’s bored during the nibelheim mission since nothing gives him a challenge
Aeriths trial will always make me cry like a baby, just the hopelessness of the walk back to your mom after everyone ignores your cries for help just is like a knife to heart every damn time 😢
This may have just been because I came into Remake not knowing a thing about the OG, but Yuffie's hurt the most by a landslide. Just hearing Sonon's voice made me want to turn my console off
I was so sad that max didn't tap L2 on more of the NPCs. It kinda took away from the impact of Aerith feeling like she truly tried to get help since he walked RIGHT past every intractable NPC who would give Aerith a response. Seeing how apathetic all those ppl were to a child needing help, or treating her like a simple beggar literally broke me b4 she even began her walk back to Ifalna. It reminded me of Aerith's monolog during the festival of lights in Cosmo Canyon, where she spoke about her childhood. Feelings of being watched, imprisoned, and even ignored. I really wish Max explored a little more in that moment. Especially for ppl who don't own the Game, and are playin vicariously thru him.
I love that Max is having the same reaction I did when we realized we're in the sleeping forest. How you know what's coming, but you're not sure if it's going to be the same or not, and you're not sure if you're ready for it yet.
The part where Sephiroth explains the nature of reality is absolutelly my favorite. He reached such a high level that he can mess with reality itself, beautiful. Thank you Max, if it wasn't for your videos back in the day, i probably wouldn't get into the Remake project. Rebirth is absolutelly one of the best games i've erver played
The music is spectacular in that sequence. I mean it is throughout the game, but holy shit. And I love the idea of Sephiroth basically intercepting Cloud on his way between worlds and it all happens in the brief moment when Cloud and Aerith are falling.
Everyone nailed the voice acting during the trials’ cutscenes. But, omg Aerith’s… I’ve always wanted to see that backstory explored further, and they couldn’t have done too much better of a job. 💚
Brianna is simply outstanding and you can watch her play the game. She streams on RU-vid and twitch. The strange rebel. I found her cuz her reaction to seeing aerith the first time in remake went viral in 2020
1:55:00 - 1:55:30 I didn't notice this during my first playthrough but the lifestream's essence enshrouds Aerith. Afterwards you'll hear of what I presume to be 2 voices of Aerith overlapping or possibly a lingering Cetra-spirit and then her voice goes back to normal. I know it's a very minor detail but then I wonder how many of these "details" have I miss throughout the game. Hidden hints everywhere...
I was so engrossed in the moment, I never noticed all the subtle changes to let you know what's really happening behind the scenes. Watching Max play it, and having already completed the story, I'm free to really take in the small details.
Not technically a multiverse, this is following more along the lines of how Ecco the Dolphin played out (or at least was meant to since that story never finished)
Aerith's dream is so nice, and also very sad. All she wanted was to love...to be happy...to have her dream. But Shina...her mom's death ...Sephiroth. Just let her have her happy dream, Cloud. But her dream...is also dying..(the tear in the sky). Poor girl..
It’s crazy how many streamers didn’t use the “ask for help” function in Aeriths trial. I don’t think I’ve seen a playthrough where they have. I was spamming that shit lol. Makes it even more heartbreaking imo.
I swear each time you see Sephiroth something is always up and is about to happen badly for Cloud and the others and that is the reason why he is like my favorite character and villain to play as in games.
Just noticed the place where everyone has a vision of their deepest sadness (except Cloud who hasn't had his yet) is called "The Hall of Resurrection." Resurrection has been one of my guesses for part 3's title.
I’m almost looking forward to your second playthrough of this section more. I’m sorry chat had to be turned off in this section of the streams because some people don’t know how to act. Loved your reactions.
The "choices" at the end, with Aerith, are just a figure of choices vs fate. Whatever you choose, you end up with something the "fate" (or the devs) want you to have. Perhaps a way of reassuring players that whatever story variations are imposed in Remake and Rebirth, they will end up with the Destiny story.
I want Cloud to go so far off the edge. I want the party to have to fight him as a major boss in part three. I love how he’s losing it throughout this game and unless he’s turned against the whole party at some point then as I see it he still hasn’t hit rock bottom and I need rock bottom cloud. Then (og spoiler ish incoming vaguely) the moment that must happen with him and another certain character can be the highlight of the whole remake project
I could see that Spoilers In the OG the group juat sits there warching him give seph the BM.this time the group with no other options fights him begging him to stop.even after defeat,seph gives him a quick power boost knocking them all aside and finally doing the task
dunno if you've seen any of max's after game thoughts but he's much in the same boat as I think most of us are, they are TEARING cloud down and it should culminate in being even worse than the og, like cloud REALLY should have different gameplay for the early portions of part 3 it would go so hard, give him a buncha moves and dark-ify them and get them back later but using good counterpart versions of them, they could do it so well I hope they dont mess it up now
that's awesome. I think all npcs can play a part too in his recovery, like Tifa looking for all npcs who helped by cloud over the world to pray for him to fill up his transparent materia, until it maxed and recovered his memory as a good guy cloud
@@shincy6219I actually really like that theory. I’ve been bothered by what they intend to do with the empty materia. My initial theory was that it’d become another black materia, since they go into the whole Gi section about how they made the original.
I can't lie whenever Cloud was chasing Aerith down I fully embraced the dark side and was ready to get Sephiroth the black materia by any means. Start 0:00 Aerith Cutscene 0:11 Aerith Cutscene 2:10 Aerith Cutscene 21:42 Cutscene + Start of Tseng and Elena Fight 38:03 Tseng and Elena synergy attack 40:42 Cutscene + End of fight + Group reunites 44:00 Cutscene 50:55 Cutscene + Start of trails 53:39 The Trail of Red XIII 56:00 The Trail of Tifa 59:30 The Trail of Yuffie 1:03:13 The Trail of Barrett 1:06:44 The Trail of Aerith... 1:11:05 Cutscene 1:19:45 The Trail of Cloud 1:24:00 Combat 1:36:49 Cutscene 1:42:19 Conversation 1:44:41 Conversation 1:47:09 Conversation 1:53:20 Cutscene + Start of Boss Fight 1:54:15 Cutscene + End of Boss Fight 2:01:33 Cutscene 2:03:18 Cutscene 2:08:39 Cutscene 2:09:14 Cloud's section... 2:14:50 Cloud cutscene 2:15:35 Cloud Cutscene 2:17:50 Rufus Cutscene 2:20:02 Zack Cutscene 2:21:29 Start of Cloud and Aerith section (cutscene) 2:23:16 Cloud and Aerith Cutscene 2:25:08 Cloud and Aerith shopping section 2:25:58 Zack Cutscene 2:30:50 Cloud and Aerith Cutscene 2:31:20 Zack Cutscene 2:32:57 Cloud and Aerith Cutscene 2:36:31 Zack Cutscene 2:37:46 Cloud and Aerith Cutscene 2:39:33 Cloud and Sephiroth Cutscene 2:43:00 Cutscene 2:46:55 Cloud and Aerith Cutscene 2:48:40 Cutscene 2:51:27 Cutscene 2:53:05 Yuffie COnversation 2:54:50 Barrett Conversation 2:55:26 Red XIII Conversation 2:55:53 Tifa Converstation 2:56:29 Cait Sith Conversation 2:57:03 Cutscene 2:57:58
I truly believe that Aerith is setting up as many plans as Sephiroth. She’s reminding me of Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series, he was setting up plans and backup plans that would activate much later in the future. I think that Aerith’s connection to the planet is somehow letting her collaborate with all of the other variants of herself. I mean everything that is being set up with the White Materia HAS to pay off in a major way.
@@Brandonweifu spoilers two? in the main world? idk about that, cloud doesnt technically have one on him by the end as it was the clear one, and aerith's normal one ends up how it normally does, unless I'm just totally blanking on something rn, cloud has an empty white and the real black one presumably
What gets me the most is when he looks back at everyone and tells them hes not like him he will never be like him after he kills the clone. Its like a piece of cloud inside is seeing this shit happen and he fighting to gain control again so bad. I feel so bad for him!
What’s interesting during this ark in the temple… you can easily tell when it’s Cloud talking and when it’s Sephiroth talking through Cloud. For example; when Cloud says to Aerith “Aerith I need you.” Which was in regards in needing her to activate each owns pathway to their own personal nightmare.
Aerith definitely has post AC memories (even the one in Beagle timeline to some extent). That explains quite a few things: 1. Why she's acquainted with everyone even before she meets them (this happens more than a few times in Remake) 2. Why she -seemingly- definitely knows about her fate in the forgotten capital, and keeps preparing Cloud for that 3. Her communication with Marlene \ Nanaki in Remake (in Rebirth she's unable to do that, seemingly due to her Materia running out of power) 4. Her affection for Cloud. Chronologically, her affection for him, as well as calling their church "their spot", can only be explained if Aerith knows what Cloud goes through after she dies (and how he lives in the church in AC)
The plot twist of the game is simple and so many people missed it. Aerith never forgot her destiny. She remembered the whole time and was pretending to have forgotten. Because even though she wants to change the fate of the world she does not want to change her own fate.
Is that true? I thought the twist was that the whispers took memories, specifically taking the knowledge of how to get holy activated and that’s why it’s a “clear” color. And it’s why cloud has to deliver her another that was full (w the clear material obviously playing a bigger role in the third game
Nah. I don't think she knew the whole time. I think she did forget and the whispers took her memories away. But I think that at the end of the game, she fully remembers it all. Expecially when she's able to control the white whispers herself.
why would she have given marlene and red the memory and idea of her death and the possibility of saving her then? I think she actually WANTS to live with everyone, but whether it be that cloud never deflected the blade in the first place or not, sephiroth and his whispers and his insane powers over time and shit just gave cloud no chance to have ever done anything about it all, what she MAY not have known is that holy cant be used from outside the lifestream and thats something that she later finds out in death and why it'll still be used anyways
Listen very carefully to Aerith choice of words during her speech in the Temple of the ancients. And also the words she speaks to cloud and only cloud throughout the entire game. The first time she let's it slipp that she never lost those memories is during her dating sequence in the gold saucer. She's been talking to cloud in subtext the entire game.
"I can't believe how good Temple of the Ancients was." They really outdid themselves here. To be honest, the beginning section of it felt like it dragged a bit with the separated parties and everything, but the game really hooked me once we got to the deeper areas with the trials n whatnot. Everything looked and sounded so foreboding. They legit made it feel like a freakin Indiana Jones temple lol
the music in the nightmare sequences was so insanely well done the composers and every single person working on this game put their hearts into this and it shows truly incredible
the last part where you are in midgard with only Aerith all the part where you are to choose, the game for me feel like it's telling me "no matter the choice you choose, nothing will change. You choose to go to the left? Ok but i will make you go to the right anyway and you can't do nothing about it.". The game show you some choice and no matter what they give you something you didn't wanted all the time. You will never obtain what you desir Cloud...
The trials are so well done, but Aerith trial is the one that hit the most, is so well done. And the date of Cloud, now that I looking it again, this whole date was not just to say what Aerith feels for Cloud, is to make understand the player that whatever they choose, no matter what they do, it will not matter the result will be the same, I really think is more cruel than anything because is preparing you for what comes next. And now checking all the scenes of Zack in all the other timelines, seems like the merging was happening in that exact moment, Sephirot enters the Church were Aerith is with Cloud, when they suppose to be in other timeline, and with that I will save the conclussion for the final episode Max upload.
It took me literal weeks to really process everything at the end of this game. Much longer than remake (and I thought that was a dumptruck of information to sort through at the time). Initially it was raw confusion then as I slowly started to put the puzzle together it made me have different feelings. I could not comprehend or truly feel what was happening during the whole dating sequence with Aerith at first because I was still trying to process a ton of other shit. But after a second run through I think the most heart wrenching scene in the entire game is right before Aerith pushes cloud into the flowers. Aerith just wanted to feel normal and enjoy time with the one she loves knowingly that fate will prevent her from ever being able to in the end and in this world it was no different. There are some out there that are upset that the events of aerith dying and eventual burial are all broken up or don't play out the same and thus they don't feel the same way they did all those years ago and I don't discount it either. This is much different and you have to do some hunting within the meta of the story to really understand how the theme of loss is portrayed and that isn't for everyone or wasn't the expectation. But, once things clicked for me, man this game was really something special.
Just the fact that many og lovers love this one shows what a massive achievement. For many og is a top 5 all time game, rebirth showed they can meet the expectations and even exceed it
I finished the game a week ago, and I still get teared up by the forest. Man, what a ride this game is. Before remake came out, I enjoyed FF7, but remake and Max's streams have awakened me to the awesomeness of the game, and Remake/Rebirth are definitely two of my favorite games of all time.
No joke... the crazier this game gets the BETTER it gets. I now know how Neo felt in the Matrix when he ate the red pill 😂 This game gets wild and I'm here for it.
Dude, I am beside myself right now. I feel like I need to lie down and soak in everything that just happened because that was incredible! And they brought back Demon Gate - I didn't get my Tankceratops fight in Gongaga, but they gave us Demon Gate, and I am so goddamn happy. Thank you so much for this playthrough, Max.
Can my guy Barrett get a break?! jeeez... They keep breaking his heart. Aerith got it really bad this episode too. Her asking for help for her mom while people laughed at her got me heated 😠
@@cic1470I feel like the most critical people are the ones who finished the game first while those who are invested took more time. Hence the knee jerk reactions were more negative. I feel like it’s going to be like Remake where people mellow out more with time to process and wait for the 3rd game
I always thought those worlds were just fuel and reason on how sephiroth will become safer sephiroth, since they're doomed to fade away and become one in the lifestream while also probably corrupting it with spite and sorrow.
@@sanddry738 Yea I’m sure people will warm up to the direction they’re taking the story, I just meant that it sucks that Nomura is always the one people point to when he’s not the one making these story decisions
People are overthinking it completely. lol I also don't see how it's confusing as the sequence of events are pretty easy to follow given how the game gives you context throughout it's scenes.
Did anyone else notice Aerith channeling another version of herself from the life stream as she was talking to Sephiroth before the Demon Wall? Her voice is literally double up to hee saying “No, You’re Wrong.”?
Everyone: *Going through extremely tragic and traumatic visions* Cloud: UGH. CAN WE GO?! I have to constantly live and remember my trauma because Sephiroth won't leave me alone! Vincent: ...Cloud, read the room.. You don't know anything about a tragic backstory, not after what I went through. Cloud: Oh c'mon, it can't be that bad-- Vincent: *Holds up Dirge of Cerberus while glaring daggers at Cloud then flips him off* Cloud: .....Okay, that's fair.
2:42:49 Ok so far everytghng is getting crazy! But I wasent prepared for Post Advent Children Sephiroth giving us a masive lore dump of the aftermath of what happens when you defy Fate after beatimg the Wispers back in FF7 Remake. And im strongly beliving that theirs two Sephiroths: the ome that is manipulating cloud & this one thats giving the lore dump. But now like Max says... the concept of the Reunion is having a whole different meaning now. And yo!!! That Advent Childern Shot! 3:00:12
Usually when there’s a part in a story where the characters have to go through personalized “trials”, it comes with some kind of character development. But in this case, the Cetra just went “fuck you all, go to the trauma dungeon. Because we’re assholes.”
2:13:00 never realised Sephiroth’s words until this watch back.. the black orb is but the key to the black Materia that is stuck between worlds.. the clear materia from the start!
