Chapter 20 - Final (Fantasy Remake) Thoughts

Erin and Allen and good friend Josh Hinke return for a spoilerific episode covering their final thoughts on Final Fantasy VII Remake. Conversation delves into the wild changes made, their implications for the series going forward, and the fascinating yet uncertain future for the franchise as a whole. Follow Josh on Twitter: @joshywa9  Outro Theme by Alina Gingertail

We're joined by good friend and games journo Josh Hinke to take a big, extra-long episode look at the FF7 Remake. Josh provides an FF7 skeptic's perspective to our normal patter and we talk about our initial impressions of the game's faithfulness, the gigantic shoes it tries (and frequently succeeds) at filling, and our collective feelings on the franchise as a whole.

Join us for our goodbye to Disc One, and a temporary hiatus as we enter REMAKE WEEKEND. It's 4/10/2020 and we're very excited to tear into FF7R, but not before we deal with the most iconic scene in the original game - the events in the forgotten capital of the Ancients. We discuss our doomsday prep for the upcoming video game marathon weekend, how tamales for Easter are way better than ham, and we try to do our best to add some levity to what is, inevitably, a heavy episode. Intro: Listen to the Cries of the Planet, by Kannibal Outro: Aerith's Theme, S Generation arrangement  

Venture into the forest temple with us as Allen and Erin discuss the FF7 cast's Animal Crossing fursonas, what makes a good villain, yet more Kabbalastic musing, and how we as humans try to explain suffering. Also a stuffed animal makes a noble sacrifice. Intro: Temple of the Ancients, by Super Guitario World Outro: Who Am I?, arrangement by R3 Music Box

Love in the time of Coronavirus - with the news about the real world becoming increasingly upsetting, Allen and Erin retreat to 1997 to revisit Gold Saucer. We talk about the need for us to stay sane and reach out to our friends and neighbors, and the importance of mutual aid in these Weird Times but don't worry, it's just a ten minute intro and then straight into the Saucer shenanigans. In Game Land we're on about the abundance of fancy lads in this game, Erin's favorite book, and the difficulty of being a bisexual forced to make a decision. Intro: Cait Sith's Theme, jazz arrangement by michtopich Outro: Words Drowned by Fireworks, arranged by Patti Rudisill

The FFVIIR demo dropped and we dropped everything to play it, including recording the next episode about Gold Saucer. Minigames be damned, we're here to talk about the dripping honeycomb that is the delicious Remake demo. Hang out with Erin and Allen while we spend an hour talking the demo, politics, the coronavirus cancelling GDC (and maybe E3!), and what the difference in game design is between "evolutionary" and "revolutionary". If you want to go into FFVIIR unspoiled, feel free to skip this one and pick us up again in Chapter 16! Intro: Bombing Mission, Distant Worlds version Outro: Don of the Slums, Random and Lost Perception

Our next few chapters finds us cleaning up the last sips of content here near the end of disc one, starting with our ninja friend Yuffie's hometown of Wutai. As part of our SIDEQUEST EPISODES we talk about why "Magma Diver" is the worst Evangelion episode, how Erin is basically Roman from Party Down, and the tantalizing fantasy of a Platinum Games/Suda 51 collaboration adaptation of the classic 90's cyberpunk novel Snow Crash. Also uh, Wutai. Intro: Cid's Theme, cover by Andre Kane Outro: Wutai, cover by Andre Kane

The INSANE new trailer for the FF7 Remake just dropped and we're amped despite ourselves. Allen and Erin take a big chunk of time to talk about what overpriced version of this damn thing we're buying, one of the new characters debuted in the trailer, whether or not Advent Children sucks (which we've previously promised not to do), how much of a jerk we're letting Cid be, space travel disasters, Dunkaroos, and Erin also lets you in on her favorite materia combination, which is some lowdown dirty-dirty. Intro: Those Who Fight Further, The Black Mages version Outro: Oppressed People, cover by Dylan Barone

Allen and Erin make their way to Cloud's hometown of Nibelheim for the first(???) time as we talk player agency, the murkiness of memory, and Norse mythology. Allen is several glasses of wine in and thus is in the perfect headspace for being confused and finding a Hot Topic shift manager straight chillin' in a coffin in Shinra Mansion's basement. Intro: Anxious Heart, lo-fi chill version by Kannibal Outro: The Nightmare Begins, piano/orchestrated version by Lucas King

Hosts Allen and Erin spend the day in Cosmo Canyon, learning about planet science and the nature of the Lifestream - the metaphysical heart of Final Fantasy VII. Erin gives us a very brief introduction to the heretical teachings of Gnosticism and how it relates to many of our favorite pop culture artifacts, we kill a whole-ass boss with just a Phoenix Down, and we get decidedly serious talking about the unique pains of losing a parent. Intro: Cosmo Canyon, acoustic guitar version by Daisuke Minamizawa Outro: Great Warrior, piano cover by TPR