For better or worse, Final Fantasy 7 was one of the most polarizing and influential games when it released in 1997. It was the first game in the storied franchise that used 3D graphics, as well as the first Final Fantasy game released on the PlayStation. A candidate for many people not only the best Final Fantasy game but also one of the greatest games in general, fans clamored for a remake developed with modern technology.
Square Enix granted their wish with Final Fantasy 7 Remake, although the updated game would be split into multiple separate entries, similar to the original game split across three discs. By creating this remake, Square Enix took the opportunity to dive deeper narratively throughout the steel city of Midgar and present more of a focus on Shinra's death grip on the city. The expanded story allowed the developer to amaze fans with memorable moments and quotes that didn't appear in the 1997 game.
9 "Mako is the lifeblood of our world." - Barret Wallace
Leader of the Sector 7 branch of the rebel group Avalanche, Barret Wallace's main goal is to burn Shinra to the ground and save the planet. Since the opening scene, Barret explains how Shinra's mako reactors are draining the planet dry, and soon, the planet will wither and die.
While other characters like Tifa and Aerith share their own concerns about the planet's well-being, Barret is the embodiment of the planet's defense. He takes it upon himself to fight the battles others can't to try to stop the evil workings of Shinra.
8 "Is Tifa, like...your girlfriend?" - Aerith Gainsborough
Fans of the original will remember how tense the atmosphere was when Aerith and Tifa were in the same room together. Both women do their best to win Cloud's affection and there always seemed to be some sort of animosity between the two. When Aerith first finds out about Tifa, she asks Cloud if she's his girlfriend. Cloud already suffers from general social anxiety, so when he's asked point-blank about his relationship with Tifa, he clams up.
Once Aerith finally meets Tifa in Don Corneo's mansion, fans probably expected that same tension from the original, but it never came. If anything, Aerith and Tifa bonded more in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, as the two planned a shopping trip together. Tifa told Aerith how "Cloud can carry all our stuff" and Aerith compared him to a pack Chocobo. Budding friendship.
7 "He's my bodyguard. And a SOLDIER." - Aerith Gainsborough
The first time Cloud meets Aerith is shortly after the destruction of the Mako Reactor 1. After giving Cloud a real flower because things like nature don't prosper in the smog, dark, industrial environment of Midgar, Aerith departs after the Whispers attack them. Cloud runs into Aerith again after crashing through the church ceiling in the Sector 5 slums.
Aerith volunteers Cloud's services as her personal bodyguard to protect her against Shinra. Fans will forever debate whether Aerith or Tifa should be Cloud's love interest, but Cloud becoming Aerith's bodyguard is a key moment for both of them. Before meeting Aerith, Cloud didn't have much care about the planet, but after agreeing to protect her, his eyes open up to the world around him and he's determined to help her in any way he can.
6 "Promise you'll come and save me." - Tifa Lockhart
Cloud makes it a habit to agree to rescue people. When they were kids, Cloud breaks the news to Tifa that he plans on leaving their hometown to be a SOLDIER like Sephiroth. Saddened by the news, Tifa asks Cloud to promise her that when he becomes a famous SOLDIER that he will come and save her if she's ever trapped or in trouble.
Following the reactor's destruction, Cloud is eager to get his earnings and hit the road. Tifa convinces him to stay and help around Sector 7. While helping Jessie break into a Shinra facility, Cloud has a flashback to his promise of saving Tifa. After Cloud gets back from helping Jessie, Tifa asks him if he's planning on leaving Midgar soon. Cloud tells her that he made a promise to an old friend to be there for her. This moment begins Cloud's internal change from being an emotionless mercenary to a caring friend.
5 "This calls for a song! Duhn-duhn-duhn-duhn, duhn duhn, duhn-da-duhn!" - Barret Wallace
One of the major changes in Final Fantasy 7 Remake was the combat system. Instead of the traditional turn-based combat featured in the original, Square Enix elected for a hybrid system similar to Final Fantasy 15. By switching between party members, players have the ability to fight enemies in real-time or essentially pause the action to select a move like the turn-based format.
At the end of each battle in the original, the party would strike their respective victory poses with the victory theme song playing in the background. In Final Fantasy 7 Remake, most battles end lacking that same sense of accomplishment, but Barret rectifies that by providing his own musical ensemble. It's little callbacks and references like this that truly make Final Fantasy 7 Remake a special experience for returning fans.
4 "Whispers. Perhaps best described as arbiters of fate." - Red XIII
Throughout the game, a new, unknown enemy periodically intervenes with Cloud and his friends. Initially thought to be some new invisible monster created by Shinra, it's revealed that these creatures are called Whispers. Red XIII describes them as being arbiters of fate and that they are "drawn to those who attempt to alter destiny's course and ensure they do not."
Many thought the word "remake" in the game's title only meant that Square Enix was developing a carbon copy of Final Fantasy 7, only with a huge graphical improvement. But as the story unfolds, returning fans will notice that certain events begin to unfold differently than the original and these cloaked beings would interfere to set things back on track. When Cloud and the gang contemplate fighting against the Whispers and their preordained destinies, Aerith explains the only thing waiting for them if they succeed is "freedom...boundless, terrifying freedom."
3 "Within my veins flows the blood of Ancients. This planet...is my birthright." - Sephiroth
Square Enix decided to introduce the villainous Sephiroth quite early in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, earlier compared to the original, which dove into his story well after Cloud leaves Midgar. Throughout much of the first half of the game, Sephiroth plagues Cloud's psyche, tormenting him like an undead spirit.
After learning the truth behind Aerith and the Ancients, Cloud suffers another mental collapse and Sephiroth tells him how he's an Ancient and true heir to the planet. With his true heritage and intentions revealed, this is the moment Sephiroth became public enemy number one.
2 "A good man who serves a great evil is not without sin." - Barret Wallace
It's well-known the kind of trash talk that comes out of Barret's mouth, but every so often he says something so profound it shakes us at our core. On their way to rescue Aerith at Shinra headquarters, Tifa talks about the normal, innocent people who work for Shinra and aren't necessarily at fault for the mako reactors.
Barret explains to Tifa that even if these innocents aren't the ones pulling the trigger or pressing the button, they're still at fault for following the evil in the first place. The only way to redeem and absolve themselves is by recognizing their role and understand the horrifying truths they've been a part of at Shinra.
1 "Get down here, merc." - Barret Wallace
The first words said in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Barret calls for Cloud to jump down onto the platform to help fight the Shinra guards. Watching Cloud make his heroic entrance with the camera panning up to him is a moment fans have waited for over 20 years to see. Barret's short opening dialogue also provides quite a bit of character development.
Barret calling Cloud a merc already establishes he's a gun for hire. There's a hint of disgust or authority in how Barret tells Cloud to get down, trying to set the boundaries on who's in charge of the mission. It's a powerful opening scene with the perfect line by Barret that sets up the journey ahead.