For years now, games have been trying to find a way to make their environments feel more realistic and immersive, andFinal Fantasy 7 Remakehas hit the nail on the head with its major city, Midgar. Of course, like any game, there are still certaintraits that break the immersion, but Square Enix’s clever use of NPC dialogue really lends towards making the player feel as though the people around them are real and that their actions have consequences. Hearing the reactions of various citizens after each quest the player completes can be one of the more interesting parts of the game. NOTE: This article may containSPOILERS.
For the uninitiated,Final Fantasy 7’s NPCs of Midgar constantly react to the things that Cloud does. Whether they hear about him slaying a pack of rats or see the reactor bombing on the news, each of his (and by extension, the player’s) actions seem to have a tangible effect on the world and the people around him. Cloud, in typical edge lord style, doesn’t seem to notice or care much for how he is making these changes happen, but the player and some of the other characters do take note of it.
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Chapter 3 Sidequests in FF7 Remake
Perhaps one of the better early examples of this quality inFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis during theChapter 3 sidequest portionwhere Tifa teaches Cloud the ins and outs of being a merc in Midgar. As soon as the gang gets off the train, they hear countless people reacting to their actions up on the plate. What makes this so interesting is these conversations feel like overheard gossip, as there are so many going on at once it can be difficult to keep track of them all even with the text keeping record of everything that is said.
Furthermore, there seem to be a vast array of opinions of the whole event. Fresh off the train, most of the dialogue is people feeling relieved that their friends and family have made it back safely, but there are those that still have yet to make contact with their loved ones in Sector 8. Later, it is revealed that some citizens of the lower plate detest Avalanche for what they did, claiming that they are threatening the peoples' way of life, while others seem more sympathetic. Even among the supporters, there are those that truly believe inAvalanche’s cause of saving the planetand those that simply are in it to stick it to the “platies.”
Public Opinion of Avalanche
The public opinion of Avalanche is so varied that it is impossible to summarize in one word. On the one hand, many find their actions completely abhorrent and despise them for putting so many innocent lives at risk. It is worth noting that Jessie and Avalanche never intended for the explosion to be so devastating, butShinra pinned the damage on the eco-terrorist organizationnonetheless. Truly, Avalanche’s actions did cause many deaths and injuries, and has had further economic and social repercussions on the people of Midgar beyond that.
On the flip side, the people of the slums clearly detest the “platies” as they refer to those living on the upper plate. Though Shinra provides them with power and electricity, the people are not blind to the harshness of its military and the way the company treats them. People throughout the slums will make comments saying what if the rich people decide it is safer to live beneath the plate and the like, clearly appreciative of Avalanche’s efforts in undermining Shinra. That said, purely undermining Shinra as a reaction to anger at those better off is not Avalanche’s goal and doesn’t look good for them.
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FF7 Remake NPCs React to Subquests
Another wayFinal Fantasy 7 Remakemakes Midgar and its inhabitants feel real is by the way they react to Cloud’s accomplishments and side quest completion. Yet again, Chapter 3 serves as an excellent example of this, as each side quest Cloud completes will see him recognized by more and more NPCs. Despite his accomplishments at the time (taking out rats, dogs, and the like) seeming small to him, the people ofMidgar’s Sector 7 slumsseem to really appreciate how much safer things are with Cloud around.
What differentiates this from other games is that the people all talk from a realistic perspective, looking out for themselves and their loved ones rather than mindlessly congratulating the player on their accomplishments. For example, though citizens may thank Cloud forclearing out the Talagger factory of Drakes, it is because they are scrappers that need access to it in order to make a living selling what they can find. On the flip side, certain characters won’t say anything about it as it doesn’t really affect them in any way.
Where Final Fantasy 7 Remake Falls Short
There are some areas whereFinal Fantasy 7 Remakecould improve to make its world feel even more engaging. For one, should the player decide to complete all side quests in an area (or simply get lost), they will have to go through certain areas multiple times. The magic fades after hearing an NPC make the same remark numerous times, though it is understandable why they do this. Furthermore,Final Fantasy 7 Remakecould learn something fromThe Last of Us,which makes itsenemies feel like real people by giving every character a name.
One example of a moment in which characters don’t follow through is at the very beginning during the Opening Bombing Mission. Cloud is distracting the Shinra guards so thatWedge, Biggs, Jessie, and Barrett can move forward and the guards call out to Cloud, telling him “freeze, or we shoot!” Despite this warning, even if the player makes no movement whatsoever, the guards will open fire on Cloud. This can be explained away to an extent as Cloud still looks very threatening and even eggs the guards on, but it would have been a nice detail to see these enemies show a little more personality rather than being mindless Shinra guards.
Final Fantasy 7 Remakeis available now exclusively for the PS4.
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