The fucking Rufus in Gold Saucer boss fight is complete bullshit. Fuck this fucking game. I'm so pissed right now I have to take a break so I can get any enjoyment from the story. FUCK! I had to turn it on easy just to get past it. It makes my blood boil how shitty that fight is.

I actually don't remember specifically, but I think I played it mostly like the fight in the Remake. Keep moving and block when unable to dodge. I think it was easier than the Remake fight - Rufus wasn't so ruthless with timing and counter attacks, and perfect blocks prevent damage. Additionally, Cloud is able to quickly zip to an enemy from across the battlefield, which allows for more kiting until an opening to attack.

Every attempt of striking him would stun lock me and I can't get the timing down for the fight. Almost every attack was failing so I did the ranged attack to build ATB, keep health up, use limit break, repeat. It took me over 2 hours to beat him.

Chocobo Racing

Chocograss collection I'm at 43/50

(Shinra Mansion and Chadley, but I have all of the summons and completed about a third of the challenges)

(could be the points of interest and the pirate treasure in the sea

All of the treasures on land and choco stops will be marked on your map, with a marker to identify which ones you haven't found yet. There is an end-game quest for an item that will direct you to treasure at sea - it's basically a compass that lights up when you're close.

I don't know if the above includes chocograss - I found it all just adventuring around during normal play.

Yeah, that's the pirate treasure I was talking about. You get the parts to craft the compass and use it to get to the treasure island. I figured I was at the endgame.

That's cool about the choco stops. Knowing that the missing ones will be marked is fine for me. Makes me feel better about continuing at The Temple of the Ancients at the end of my stream today. I'm literally just inside after you fight the Shinra soldiers outside the temple, so don't spoil anything after that for me lol. I think I'll be beating the game tomorrow. I'll be streaming 7-ish hours.

- Use synergy abilities, they're like mini-limit breaks for damage + you get some benefit (one of the ones you had - Firework Blade - would raise limit level, which is huge). Every time you use a regular ability when you're at max synergy pips is "wasted."
- Level 2 limit breaks! Aerith's Planet's Protection will make all characters immune to physical damage: no more worrying about Octaslash! Cloud's Ascension does significantly more damage (used during stagger, it can hit the damage cap; used close to stagger, can trigger the stagger). If you've unlocked Cloud's lvl 3 limit break, it does even more damage and hits a number of times.
- Use Cloud's limit break! I think I saw 3 attempts, and you only used his limit break once (and it was lvl 1). Don't be afraid to use it early - you can probably use it twice if the fight lasts long enough. Also, characters are (mostly) invincible during limit break animations.
- Damage during stagger. This is the most important. Unfortunately, your damage output during staggers was a little lacking. Use limit breaks. Use Cloud's Infinity's End ability - though the windup takes a bit, and it uses two ATB charges, it is much, much stronger than doing Braver twice - it can very easily hit the damage cap. On your 2nd to last attempt, you would have won if you used Cloud's limit break during the final stagger (you were out of ATB and spent a ton of time just using basic attacks).
- Generally, you did a great job of avoiding damage and keeping the characters alive. You said Aerith didn't have any equipment or materia, which makes that even more impressive.

No Promises at Journey's End

What does that mean and is it a misdirection right after Cloud promised (Aerith/Ghost Aerith?) that he would defeat Sephiroth? Cloud also promises Tifa that he'd be there for her. Does that mean he won't be? Am I missing something?

Here is my take (taken from several of my posts on Reddit over the last couple weeks):

The biggest spoiler is that the Remake Trilogy is actually a pretty faithful remake/reimagining of FF7 that includes elements from the Compilation.

The "ambiguity" in the end of Rebirth is itself a red herring. I believe everything is actually very straight forward:

- Aerith is dead (her survival in other worlds doesn't really matter, but for the sake of completeness, it appears Sephiroth is hunting her down everywhere)

- Cloud's mind is broken. He is blocking out her death.
----- The status of the Aerith he is seeing in the Forgotten Capital doesn't really matter - whether a figment of his mind, a glimpse of an alternate world, or Life Stream Aerith - it doesn't change anything. To mind-broken Cloud, they are functionally the same.
----- The Aerith he sees in the area with the Tiny Bronco is dead/Life Stream Aerith - Aerith as she will later appear in Advent Children. She is actually talking to Cloud (telling him about stopping Meteor) and is sensed by Red XIII.

- The reason the other worlds don't matter is because the multiverse is just a vehicle Square is using to deliver fan service (largely in the form of Zack), and as a distraction that the main story hasn't changed.

The fact is that they did muddy the waters with the Whispers, calling it "The Unknown Journey," using the tagline "Defy Fate." Years of speculation about Aerith's fate, and yet here we are: the party at the end of Rebirth is in the same place as at the same point in the original FF7.
2/3rds of the Remake Trilogy is complete and the party is in the same place as at the same point in the original.

Sephiroth is still trying to acquire the black materia, summon meteor, absorb the life stream, and rule the cosmos. Some details are a little different, but the plan (and overall plot of the game) hasn't changed.

It is certainly possible that Cloud will play a larger part in shutting down the multiverse, but I suspect Zack will have to sacrifice himself somehow to shut down the alternate worlds. Possibly by returning to his Last Stand and dying there. There's some artistic symmetry if the sequence at the end of Remake where he survives is mirrored in one where the "proper event" takes place at the end of Part 3.

It also ties into the significance of that location: in Advent Children, Denzel asks, "Is this somebody's grave?"
and Cloud replies, "No. This is where a hero began his journey."

Zack needs to die there for Cloud's journey to begin (there is also symmetry with Zack, via the multiverse, beginning his final journey there). This is shown by his Cloud not waking up after Zack survives, and the other members of the main party getting wiped out. It is the prime point of divergence and alternate world that we see in Rebirth.

Using Zack to resolve the multiverse will allow the main party to stay on the main story path.

Ultimately, everything that implies otherwise is a red herring to disguise the Remake project as a fairly faithful remake/reimagining of FF7, incorporating the Compilation and other elements the developers were unable to include in the original due to technical limitations at the time.

The key giveaways are two statements by the developers:

- The Remake Trilogy will closely follow the original story.
- The 3rd entry of the Remake Trilogy will link up to Advent Children.

Distracted by red herrings, these statements can be interpreted a number of different ways. However, taken first, at face value, allows for identifying the red herrings and realizing the truth about the project.

"No Promises at Journey's End"

I still think this is largely a red herring, or at best a misdirection, but there may be a tie in with the performance of Loveless during ch12:

Attached File



No Promises at Journey's End because none are necessary. We know what we'll find.


Yes, my date was Tifa

Tifa is best Waifu. I also had the Tifa date.

That makes a lot of sense. The No Promises at Journey's end is a red herring, because none is necessary.

I'm not too enthusiastic about the multiverse stuff, but it's not too bad in the way it's implemented. Just a little confusing for me.

I watched the beginning and end of your video. I don't care enough about some random douchebag's opinion (not you, the guy whose video you played) to sit through a 20+ minute video, so I didn't watch that stuff.

I've skimmed Reddit quite a bit over the last two weeks since I beat the game, and haven't read anything that makes me question my conclusions in my previous post. Mostly people are trying to overcomplicate things (to justify 20+ minute videos )

For what it's worth, the limit break thing in the Jenova fight is something I didn't bring up directly, but had in mind when I wrote: "... the Remake project [is] a fairly faithful remake/reimagining of FF7, incorporating the Compilation and other elements the developers were unable to include in the original due to technical limitations at the time." (emphasis added). The desire to implement that effect was specifically mentioned in an interview by either Kitase or Nomura.

If you don't mind reading, there were good discussions in a few threads:
1) This is an early thread, where I was finalizing my feelings, but there's some good discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/FFVIIRemake/comments/1bav64b/i_finished_rebirth_his_morning_i_need_to_process/
2) This is my "final" thoughts on everything. Basically what I posted here, but there is some good input from others: https://www.reddit.com/r/FFVIIRemake/comments/1bgfmy9/spoiler_regarding_message_at_end_of_game/
3) This one isn't mine, but it goes a bit more in-depth on details that I don't necessarily think are important right now (but they align with my theory): https://www.reddit.com/r/FFVIIRemake/comments/1bj2dk6/ff7_rebirth_ending_exploration/