We kick this countdown off with the biggest spoiler in gaming since "Samus is a girl": Aeris dies. Yes, every gamer worth their salt knows this plot twist, how at the end of the first disc of the game, Aeris bites the bullet. This scene has been parodied, mocked, dissected, analyzed to hell and back, to the point that it seems almost pointless to even bother discussing it. And yet, it's still one of the most brilliant moments in the game.
Aeris is the first character seen in the game, but she's the fourth party member to be fully introduced. The player first sees her as a flower girl walking the alleys of Midgar, a basket of flowers on her arm, as the camera pans up and reveals the rest of the city. Already the first time player has the image of Aeris burned into their memory, and the big question they will ask themselves is "who is that?" A half hour later (assuming the player finished the first mission in under 30 minutes) the player sees the flower girl again, getting knocked over by a panicking crowd. At this point, as it is likely the player is still going through one sitting, he or she is likely to say "ah! the girl from the intro!"
The game has given the player a taste for Aeris, and because her character model stands out, the player will always take notice of her. When the player finally gets to take control of Aeris, he or she will notice that she fills a very particular niche: she's a good healer and mage. Her Limit Break, Healing Wind, is possibly the best healing spell available to the player at that point.
Although Aeris is seen as this completely pure, completely innocent young maiden, the Aeris seen in the game is actually far, far more complex. Sure she's a kind woman, seen by how she not only helps take care of Cloud after he fell from Sector 5 but also by how she offers him her home for the night. And yes, many parts of the game demonstrate that she's not a physically oriented fighter, unlike Tifa. Yet it was Aeris herself who came up with the idea for Cloud to dress up as a woman to infiltrate Don Corneo's mansion. When he did this, Aeris could barely contain her laughter; while Cloud was worried sick about Tifa, Aeris was laughing because Cloud was dressed as a girl. Likewise, Aeris was strong willed, best exemplified with how she insisted on taking Cloud to Sector 7 to meet up with Tifa. When Cloud tried to dissuade her, she would have none of it. When he tried to sneak away in the middle of the night, she didn't catch up with him, she got AHEAD of him and forced him to let her take him to Sector 7.
Aeris also got kidnapped. Some might call her a Damsel in Distress because of it. But why did she get kidnapped? Because she saved a little girl, Barret's daughter Marlene, from getting killed in the destruction of Sector 7. As she was being held by the Shinra's goons, did she scream for help? NOPE! She took her one chance to talk to let Tifa know that Marlene was safe. She didn't scream for Cloud to save her, and in that moment, her safety was likely far away from her mind. Her priority was letting Tifa know that she succeeded in keeping that one little girl safe.
That's the thing about Aeris; she's a complex character. She's cute and feisty, she's calm and serene, there's both a mystique and familiarity with her. The player's spent at least two dozen hours of game time getting to know her. So when she dies, it feels like a person, not a character archetype, died.
Final Fantasy had been no stranger to killing off characters by the time they released Final Fantasy 7, and in fact Squaresoft had traditionally been killing off at least one character in the franchise since the second game. When Josef died in Final Fantasy 2, the series set a precedent for killing off one major character per game. Tellah died in Final Fantasy 4. Galuf died in Final Fantasy 5. General Leo died in Final Fantasy 6. Except for Leo, each of these characters was a main party member, and had been in the party for a good while (Tellah) or for at least half the game (Galuf). So, what makes Aeris' death so special?
First off, Josef's death was not nearly as impacting for a few reasons. First off, he was a minor character, and second of all, he was eventually replaced with someone else. Likewise, Galuf was replaced with his granddaughter Krile, who had all his stats. Tellah was fast becoming a nuisance to the player, becoming weaker every time he gained a level. And Leo? His death was more a loss of potential than anything else; sure it was sad, but players were more saddened at having lost the chance to have him be a permanent member of the party,
When Aeris died, the player was fully acquainted with her. They knew her family, her past, her personality, and her relationship with not just Cloud, but with Tifa (friendly rivalry) and Barret (mutual respect). She was friendly with Cait Sith and Red XIII. She didn't get to interact much with Cid, sadly, as he joined just a bit before she died.
But what about how the other characters react to her death? They are ALL upset. Barret sighs, lays a comforting hand on Cloud's shoulder, and walks away. Red XIII howls in agony. Vincent just looks at Aeris' corpse, then at Cloud, and then walks away, giving Cloud the space he needs to grieve on his own. Cid looks up at the sky, sighing to himself. Cait Sith tries to entertain Cloud with a little dance, but quickly gives up and sulks away. Yuffie cries her eyes out, holding onto Cloud's chest. Tifa caresses Aeris' cheek and runs off crying, the ONLY TIME she does that all game. And Cloud takes her body and buries it in the water.
But one thing you'll notice in this scene is that there are no speech bubbles; it's completely silent, save for the music. The graphics and music do all the storytelling needed, and it is POWERFUL.
But the main reason why this death scene is so brilliant? From a narrative stand point, it was risky as hell. Unlike Tellah, Galuf, and Josef, nobody ever replaced Aeris. Tellah was replaced by more competent mages, mainly Rydia. Galuf was replaced by his granddaughter. And Josef was only the second character to fill the fourth spot in the party. Aeris was a main party member, and her death leaves an empty slot on the party for the rest of the game.
So, what was the risk? Simple: that sort of thing had never been done in a Final Fantasy game before. In fact, only a handful of video games had managed to pull off something similar, only to have special ways to undo the loss. For example Suikoden 1 allows you to revive the one party member who has to die in story. Final Fantasy 7 allowed for nothing of the sort; Aeris' death was PERMANENT.
And this death, which seemed to defy gaming narrative conventions, stands out even more precisely because it violates said conventions. Why do you think people kept asking for ways to revive Aerith since 1997? Why do you think so many people STILL want a way to bring her back?
Ultimately, it's that feeling of loss that has made Aeris' death so damn famous. When she's gone, she's truly gone, and her death sticks to the player's mind for the rest of the game. And beyond.
The game has given the player a taste for Aeris, and because her character model stands out, the player will always take notice of her. When the player finally gets to take control of Aeris, he or she will notice that she fills a very particular niche: she's a good healer and mage. Her Limit Break, Healing Wind, is possibly the best healing spell available to the player at that point.
Although Aeris is seen as this completely pure, completely innocent young maiden, the Aeris seen in the game is actually far, far more complex. Sure she's a kind woman, seen by how she not only helps take care of Cloud after he fell from Sector 5 but also by how she offers him her home for the night. And yes, many parts of the game demonstrate that she's not a physically oriented fighter, unlike Tifa. Yet it was Aeris herself who came up with the idea for Cloud to dress up as a woman to infiltrate Don Corneo's mansion. When he did this, Aeris could barely contain her laughter; while Cloud was worried sick about Tifa, Aeris was laughing because Cloud was dressed as a girl. Likewise, Aeris was strong willed, best exemplified with how she insisted on taking Cloud to Sector 7 to meet up with Tifa. When Cloud tried to dissuade her, she would have none of it. When he tried to sneak away in the middle of the night, she didn't catch up with him, she got AHEAD of him and forced him to let her take him to Sector 7.
Aeris also got kidnapped. Some might call her a Damsel in Distress because of it. But why did she get kidnapped? Because she saved a little girl, Barret's daughter Marlene, from getting killed in the destruction of Sector 7. As she was being held by the Shinra's goons, did she scream for help? NOPE! She took her one chance to talk to let Tifa know that Marlene was safe. She didn't scream for Cloud to save her, and in that moment, her safety was likely far away from her mind. Her priority was letting Tifa know that she succeeded in keeping that one little girl safe.
That's the thing about Aeris; she's a complex character. She's cute and feisty, she's calm and serene, there's both a mystique and familiarity with her. The player's spent at least two dozen hours of game time getting to know her. So when she dies, it feels like a person, not a character archetype, died.
Final Fantasy had been no stranger to killing off characters by the time they released Final Fantasy 7, and in fact Squaresoft had traditionally been killing off at least one character in the franchise since the second game. When Josef died in Final Fantasy 2, the series set a precedent for killing off one major character per game. Tellah died in Final Fantasy 4. Galuf died in Final Fantasy 5. General Leo died in Final Fantasy 6. Except for Leo, each of these characters was a main party member, and had been in the party for a good while (Tellah) or for at least half the game (Galuf). So, what makes Aeris' death so special?
First off, Josef's death was not nearly as impacting for a few reasons. First off, he was a minor character, and second of all, he was eventually replaced with someone else. Likewise, Galuf was replaced with his granddaughter Krile, who had all his stats. Tellah was fast becoming a nuisance to the player, becoming weaker every time he gained a level. And Leo? His death was more a loss of potential than anything else; sure it was sad, but players were more saddened at having lost the chance to have him be a permanent member of the party,
When Aeris died, the player was fully acquainted with her. They knew her family, her past, her personality, and her relationship with not just Cloud, but with Tifa (friendly rivalry) and Barret (mutual respect). She was friendly with Cait Sith and Red XIII. She didn't get to interact much with Cid, sadly, as he joined just a bit before she died.
But what about how the other characters react to her death? They are ALL upset. Barret sighs, lays a comforting hand on Cloud's shoulder, and walks away. Red XIII howls in agony. Vincent just looks at Aeris' corpse, then at Cloud, and then walks away, giving Cloud the space he needs to grieve on his own. Cid looks up at the sky, sighing to himself. Cait Sith tries to entertain Cloud with a little dance, but quickly gives up and sulks away. Yuffie cries her eyes out, holding onto Cloud's chest. Tifa caresses Aeris' cheek and runs off crying, the ONLY TIME she does that all game. And Cloud takes her body and buries it in the water.
But one thing you'll notice in this scene is that there are no speech bubbles; it's completely silent, save for the music. The graphics and music do all the storytelling needed, and it is POWERFUL.
But the main reason why this death scene is so brilliant? From a narrative stand point, it was risky as hell. Unlike Tellah, Galuf, and Josef, nobody ever replaced Aeris. Tellah was replaced by more competent mages, mainly Rydia. Galuf was replaced by his granddaughter. And Josef was only the second character to fill the fourth spot in the party. Aeris was a main party member, and her death leaves an empty slot on the party for the rest of the game.
So, what was the risk? Simple: that sort of thing had never been done in a Final Fantasy game before. In fact, only a handful of video games had managed to pull off something similar, only to have special ways to undo the loss. For example Suikoden 1 allows you to revive the one party member who has to die in story. Final Fantasy 7 allowed for nothing of the sort; Aeris' death was PERMANENT.
And this death, which seemed to defy gaming narrative conventions, stands out even more precisely because it violates said conventions. Why do you think people kept asking for ways to revive Aerith since 1997? Why do you think so many people STILL want a way to bring her back?
Ultimately, it's that feeling of loss that has made Aeris' death so damn famous. When she's gone, she's truly gone, and her death sticks to the player's mind for the rest of the game. And beyond.
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