@@anzeg- It is not made to be simple. It was made to be full of plots and twist and turns. Almost everyone who played this the first time was confused until you finish the game. Some still do not understand the story because they did not read of pay attention to the dialogues.
@@OGUA-camEnjoyer I first time played this in 1998, when I was 10 years old and with limited English language knowledge. So yeah, it can be hard to understand depending on your age etc 🙂. But me and my friends still played it so many times, because the first playthrough blew our minds. We had never experienced a game like this before. I still love to replay FF7, a true masterpiece.
Lol yeah once someone told me that Cloud has Zacks memories THAT made shit make sense for once. I only remember loving this game for being my first rpg. I liked the story even though it wasn't clear at the time ..
It was quite convoluted!!! I played through it 2 times, but it's been at least 12 years since I played it. I remember the game giving me goosebumps when certain revelations were made, even though I never exactly understood every single thing that happened throughout the story. This is a great video, and makes me want to play the game again. I do have the "remaster" on my PS4-Pro, and I need to get around to playing it before the "remake" drops.
@@MiguelRPD i finish the game when i was 13 and it was an italian version i had no idea what i was doing but kept doing it over a year my older brother helped me which also he couldnt understand a single italian word i was stuck for months finding lucretia's body since then i never been able to finish it
Just the badassery that is sephiroth. Just downloaded the remake on ps plus. Sephiroth and M. Bison are the 2 villains I hate the most and I clap them cheeks every chance I get. Bison, because he literally beat me into tears as a kid (sf2) and sephiroth because he killed aeris in the original ff7, though I believe she survives in the remake. But seph is dope
@@mmoarchives2542 because him becoming a villain is based off a lie told to him by Hojo. That’s one of the things I wish Remake would cover, cause I wanna know how Sephiroth would act if he was taken in front of Lucretcia and she told him the truth. That’s what he deserves, if he still choose to be the villain then so be it, but at least give Sephiroth the opportunity to find out his true origins. Personally I think it would be dope if he has a Darth Vader moment at the very end and goes out as a hero and apologizes to Cloud for all his wrongdoings before sacrificing himself. Cause if you played the original game, for a good portion of the game, Sephiroth is portrayed as one of the good guys, he was Cloud’s hero before he turned into a villain, again, key point here is he’s only a villain BASED OFF A LIE.
@@ZoninOut707 he knows the truth dumbass, that's why he burned the village, it's why he suddenly felt like a god, because his jenova cells reacted to his experiences and took over, he's not even human
@@mmoarchives2542 ??? Was calling me a dumbass necessary? Not once did I say anything aggressive nor insulting. If he knew the truth then he would know Jenova isn’t his real mother, he never mentions Lucretcia once which leads me to believe Jenova might be suppressing that from him. Btw, You’d never get away with saying that to my face, you’re a toxic keyboard warrior that should be flushed down the toilet, but it’s alright you’re not mad at me, you’re mad at your dad, I forgive you. No one taught you manners.
I always thought it was weird that Tifa just sat through Cloud's retelling of the Nibelheim incident without ever interjecting or pulling him aside later, just to be like, "bro-- you okay? cuz it did NOT happen that way!"
I think she was worried Clouds mind was already confucked up enough realizing he was on a very short fuse of having a full mental breakdown...also plot necessities...lol
@@mattcadenas8628 So basically- this dude is clearly unhinged, let's just put him in charge of this insanely important mission. What's the worse that could happen?
She does tho, she asks cloud if he's alright all the time. She knew from the very start when they first meet again that something messy was going on with cloud memories cause he thinks they last met 5 years ago (by Tifa's account it was 7 years ago)
I would attribute Tifas memory loss or fuzzyness rather to the trauma that happened in Nibelheim. She lost her father, everyone she grew up with, the entire town and everything she had known was set a blaze, on top of being mortally wounded. No one left to reinforce those memories she has other than Cloud and Sephiroth.
Aerith’s death really made me cry as a kid because I totally fell in love with her as an 11 year old in 1997 when this game came out. It’s still my fav FF game of all time.
Honestly. I never played Final Fantasy before this game (the Sephiroph inclusion in Smash got me into it) and I don't regret it one bit. Aerith is probably my favourite female character in any video game... and that from one playthrough. XD It's feels kinda silly to fall in love with a fictional magic woman but well here I am. She is literally the definition of "best girl" And the way Cloud tries so hard to flirt with her is just cute. Argh I can't get over it. If they don't get together in the sequel of the remake I'm going riot. Lol. And yeah I know what is supposed to happen to her... but I want it. Pls Square Enix. :(
@@Kronse2601 It was impressive back then how they managed to get you to fall for a small bit of polygons based on her writing and tiny blocky animations. Of course I fell into the role of Cloud as a young lad and falling for Aeris/Aerith was definitely easy for a boy. Still the first time I remember a game being able to make me really emotional, so FF7 will always have a special place in my heart because of the story, and the revenge and catharsis you manage to achieve by the end of the game.
@@casedistorted I can only imagine how beautiful that must have been to grow up with memories like that. Like I said, I didn't care much fore the series till, thankfully, Sephiroth was included in Smash, cause that amazing trailer made me a fan so I wanted to know more. Turns out I devoured the game (the Remake that is). I literally played through it non-stop, even all through the night. And I love every character. I even tried to avoid building to much of an emotional bond with Aerith, due to me knowing what is supposed to happen to her. But I failed miserably. After two hours of running around with her I shipped her with Cloud so hard, and with him, I fell in love with her. Never thought I could seriously fall in love with a woman from a video game but her I am. She is easily one of my, if not my favourite female videogame character of all time. Just from one playthrough. And that even though Zelda had that spot since I was a little kid. I just know that, if they should kill Aerith in the sequel, what I'm hoping they won't but I have the feeling that most players wouldn't be sadisfied with that, I'm gonna be emotionally scared for months. Heck I watched Advent Children today for the first time and everytime she appeared and her theme started to play I almost cried... it hits me hard. And I'm not a person who cries easily. Sorry for the essay. Just had to tell someone who understands. XD
man, hojo is the worst thing ever without his shenanigans, sephiroth would have been a normal kid but no, let's inject him with the cells of an alien who killed the ancients and see what's gonna happen
I imagine Hojo would have also kept him pretty much secluded from the outside world so he could focus on experimenting on him and turning him into a killing machine. Imagine growing up as your own psychopathic dad's favorite lab rat with 0 social interaction, completely unable to find any other meaning in life, and finding out your "mom" is actually an alien whose cells were injected into you. There's no way you'd turn out even remotely fine, plus add on top of that the fact that those cells in your body wanna go back to said alien mom so she can wipe out an entire planet, and i don't think the blame would be on you. tl;dr fuck hojo all my homies hate hojo
Lucretia was also completely okay with experimentation on her kid... so let's not just blame one side as the asshole here. Again, she could have fallen for either Valentine or Ghast; she chose Hojo. Maybe she missed a letter and thought he was a snack cake? Also, going to point out that there's a difference between complexity, and convolution. I'd say since fully half (yea I know; but how else would you describle 20 mins off a 40 min vid?) of the video explaining the story is BACKSTORY. I'd say the needle swung just a little too far one way. Also think the whole Zack/Cloud thing is a bit weirder than it had to be. Especially since a lot of people will canonically chase Aerith, who's mostly only interested in Zack. It's fine to have the super powered girl end up alone because her boyfriend dies. Cloud in my mind should end up with Tifa. (Not touching the death bit, that was just out of nowhere for sake of being a dick - the devs, not Sephiroth, but him too)
I remember watching my older brother playing this game as a kid. I would get so lost in the game as he played, daydreaming about the cool characters, the story line and the “good graphics “ at the time. I’m so excited to grab this game now that I am older and can now truly appreciate it, even more than I did then.
this is incredible...i remember as a kid thinking "wow i would really read a novel that told the entire story of ff7 since there were some loose ends in my knowledge" but now here we are 20 years later and someone has done it in video form. amazing, and thank you so much for your work. the most important part to me here is that while yes this is the plot of the story, the emotions shown through the game are only truly experienced through the gameplay. now, i was young at the time when i first played it, but also played it again my senior year of college, but this game really does wrap you in emotionally. i cant wait for the remake. thanks again
@@IHSchwingo Final Sephiroth was a joke provided 1 person cast knights of the round and the rest mimic it. Now the weapons on the other hand...OMG...they were hard! Ruby and emerald UGH!
She is the only character with absolutely no purpose to the story what so ever (maybe some history and lore) but if you think about it, Cid Highwinds only purpose is to create a part of the story to get the airship, and so that Barrett didn't have to be dunno g his big ads over the world map when you lose cloud and Tifa from your party.
@@Xygor yep for this video alone you get a like and a sub! Very good pacing and great transitions, full and simple story retelling is really what makes this
I just finished playing the original game for the first time and I am so thankful for this summary. Amazing game but a true headache. You put all the events in a line and it was really helpful. You're awesome
Environmental destruction, living in balance. Super forces (Meteor and Holy and the lifestream) canceling each other out and what remains of that (life continued on in balance as suggested by the Midgar destruction at the very end). As an adult now the implications of falsified memories from the Blade Runner universe seem more impactful as I watch this. I definately need to play this game through again. Good timing cause the remake is just around the corner. I hope the story line is expanded on however to account for all the prequel and sequel material that followed this game. I was in high school when this game came out and I had barely began to explore science fiction themes so this story line was difficult to swallow. I look forward to revisiting this with an adult perspective.
zfoxfire sorry to disappoint you man but it’s quite hard to take the remake seriously with an adult perspective due to the childish writing. Pretty gutted about it
Will be worth it. People will complain and cry about it, but I would rather they take their time and polish the game to its max potential than shit out a poopoo full version
@Tamer Ciftci lmao Square is not gonna suffer from this remake. Imagine if they released the entire game. Would be about like 250gbs and bitches will still complain.
@Tamer Ciftci maybe before complaint that it suck and already judge it before the full game out, can you just kindly wait for all full game out then go critic it? because we havent seen the bigger picture yet why they make it separate episode.
Tamer Ciftci everyone like you is a complete dumbass. The remake is meant to be a tool to flesh out more of the original’s story while at the same time keeping it fresh. Having a 1:1 copy to the original is just what nostalgia goggle wearing fucks want.
@@malalford The definition of several is more than two but not many. I personally don't think he's using the word exactly correct, but he is no where near as far off as that.
This was an absolutely FANTASTICALLY well put together video, dialogue AND with chronological order. I LOVED this game as a child. Has so much depth to it.
Honestly, that was much my experience as well. I understood the events of the game but the backstory left me confused and I didn’t even pay much attention to it as a result. Just a bunch of nature loving nonsense I thought with my young teenage mind. All these years later, I’ve formed a new appreciation of the game due to the depth and richness of its game world and story (just speaking of the original game, I’ve seen the movie but haven’t played any of the other compilation games).
Intricate and good story. The music in this game put it over the top in drawing you in and hitting emotional notes. Hearing it here instantly takes me back.
On my second playthrough - 7th Heaven mods have made it a lot clearer - and Thank you for making the storyline a lot clearer - I understood some, but never all of the complexity of the plot - GREAT JOB.
Slight correction: the fall in Mt. Nibleheim happened before the promise at the well. Years before, even. It's assumed that Cloud was disallowed to interact with Tifa by her father because they blamed him. He was always an outsider before then, but it's said he started fighting after he failed to save her.
There are many events that occur in the background in the game, especially after Aeris’s death .. For instance, Aeris failed to summon holy while she was alive but when she returned to the life stream she maintained her self awareness and through her will power became so powerful she was nearly sentient .. this is why holy was summoned at the end just as meteor was hitting the planet even though Aeris failed to summon it while she was alive, the reason she’s able to pay Cloud a quick visit at the place where they met .. It’s also possible that it’s partly the reason why the life stream itself intervened in the end, even though the idea was brought up and immediately dismissed in the game .. This game never ceases to surprise and amaze, I first played this game over a decade ago and I only found out about this recently
Yeah, I never really understood what was going on most of the time because of how complicated the story is, and also how much it relied on flashbacks and false memories. This is despite playing the game through twice. Now I think I got an idea. Once FF7 remake is ready, we can then experience it fully, with full awareness of what is going on.
Its not a hard storyline to follow. You just need to be able to put the puzzle together as well as paying attention cause final fantasy stories are ALWAYS told in puzzle pieces
I still remember, 20 years ago, the first time I saw the scene of Sephiroth showing Cloud the picture in Nibelheim. The thought of that, the memory, still gives me chills everytime. It's better than any book I've read, any series I've seen or any movie I've watched. The picture in Nibelheim makes FFVII my favourite game of all time
I literally read this at about the 17-minute point asking myself "Wait, is this seriously before the game's intro?! Jesus, I forgot how big this game was."
If you do everything right and skip through all of the talking when you play as Tifa in Cloud's memories that alone takes half an hour. Yes I've timed it out. So think about that for a while. Anyone who has beaten FF7 or plans to do so should know there is no less than 30 minutes of your life you can never get back by watching things in a video game. You can watch a tv show with commercials in the time it takes to get through a section of talking in FF7
the way this game built sephiroth up was epic. You hear about him a few times...but don’t see him tell hours in the game. It made each encounter with him epic
I dont blame the remake for it. Sephiroth is probably the most popular villain in video game history. May as well include him as much as possible. @@NamelessWayfarer
@@joshboy88420 Yea I can see why Part 1 was like that, since it only covers til the end of Midgar, which Sephiroth had yet to be properly introduced, gotta fit him into the game somehow.
@@NamelessWayfarerI mean it didn't throw it out the window, its a different story. And you have to admit, only seeing breadcrumbs of Sephiroth for 2.5 games of a trilogy doesn't hit the same after Sephiroth is already one of the most famous villians in gaming for 25 years. That kinda storytelling wouldn't hit the same The devs knew this, so they made something much smarter imo: Here's Sephiroth early on, except its not the one you remember from the original and his overall goal isnt known to the player anymore. Oh also, you just set the events in place where anything can happen now, better or worst than the original, for the next 2 games. Have fun with that emotional rollercoaster lol I understand why some people don't want that kind of meta storytelling, thats fair. But I give them tons of props for attempting to make this trilogy of remakes so personal to existing and new fans, but clearly respecting the original game if you wanna just stop with that and not engage with Remake's meta stuff (unlike the awful ret-conning and nonsense world building done by Crisis Core and Dierge)
@@PantsaBear Oh, I appreciate what they're doing unlike many of the purists. Gonna wait and hold my judgement until the whole trilogy is out. Rebirth looks fantastic so far.
I wasn't planning on watching this whole video because I have stuff to do but once I hit play, I couldn't stop. Awesome work, man. This gave me that feeling I felt at 13 years old when I first played this game. Nostalgia overload. I really hope the FF7 remake becomes a reality and lives up to its hype.
@@absi49 good guys beat bad guys. 😂 Anything can be generic when you boil it down to the highest level concept. People who say it's generic probably couldn't even write a single page of a story with more depth than a childrens book. Haters just hating because they don't want to be on the bandwagon.
This was a well done chronological sequence of the story. Even as a super fan with several play-throughs, there were a few dots you connected for me. Can’t wait for rebirth.
Phenomenal work, I'm very impressed. I've been playing this game for 20 years, I have it on ps1, ps2, ps3, I have the platinum trophy for it on ps4, I've played it on mobile, on tablet and pc, today i bought it for my switch. I thought i knew it all, but it turns out i knew nothing! But thanks to your excellent work, I FINALLY understand the story! Thank you.
@@georgetek that’s because the remake is only the early part of the game right now, and you don’t find out about his backstory till later. Not much later, but later nonetheless.
Too bad it's a video game and not a book or movie or something. Because the actual gameplay is a boring chore that people have to suffer just to see what happens next in the story
I was like 15 and man does this game bring back memories.... 25 years I've waited for this moment when the release is in 2 weeks....... I can now die in Peace ♥️
Still one of my favorite stories ever told. It was difficult to understand it completely when I was 10 years old back in 1998, but I love it when I understand it better now. My favorite game of all time. Excellent video and you have earned a sub
FINALLY... After repeatedly playing the game and all these years... I now understand the story about Cetra's, Ancients and Jenova, and more... Thanks heaps for telling the story in its exact timeline. Cheering
I'm a huge fan of this game, and it's actually what inspired me to move to Japan and become a professional composer for games. Having played the game only once I was surprised by how many key plot points I just didn't quite understand, so this video clarifying so many things is truly enlightening. Thanks so much for putting what must have been a huge amount of time and energy into this video, it's great and your enthusiasm shines through!
Its okay there's plenty of weebs in this comment section you just went for the used panties vending machines. Either way you went for it and followed your dreams, we cannot fault you for such bravery
@@ChazAllenUK Some of us didn't want to spoil the experience through repetition. Granted there's several plot elements were missed because of that. It's also an immensely long game, 70 hours + with all the side content, defeating the weapons etc. and who wants to do that again with all the random battles thrown in.
This is the game i used to watch my brothers playing. It was like a universe too big to understand as a child. And even know it was mindblowing, following the story. Nostalgia hit me hard on this one. Thanks for this awesome Video!
@@hitthegoat haven't played remake yet only going by what ive seen and been told but yeah you're right its more like 5%-10% of the original story (only counting plot not gameplay or sidequests)
Dude. You crushed that very complex plot. Great work. When you told us to pay attention, I did, and it helped to note that there are three kinds of mutation: 1) mako-infused soldiers (monsters), 2) Sepiroth clones (adult men injected with Jenova cells), and 3) Sepiroth himself, conceived in a *womb* injected with jenova cells, and developed incredibly powerfully over nine months.
FF7 is unique in of that it is just packed wall to wall with content. Everything flows into everything else, and there's a constant unfolding story as it does so. None of the other FFs (though I've not played 1-3, so can't speak for those) managed anything as staggering as FF7. And ALL the characters were just fantastic. I remember playing this for the first time and being shocked that Rufus was STILL relevant at the end of the game. Midgar was still a big deal. The cannon from Junon was even transplanted onto Midgar in order to break down Sephi's barrier. The world didn't feel static. It felt like it was panicking. The storytelling was just top-notch.
I just have one nitpick, Cait Sith. Or rather the way he was introduced in the story. He just kinda joins the party, and after Cloud speculates that one of members might be a spy. Gee.. I WONDER who it might be. I dont know, I am not sayind is bad, but in comparsion with everthing else, which felt organic, that felt sloppy.
@@pimentx3253 Y'know, I totally agree. It just felt like lazy foreshadowing. I can forgive the weird decision to keep him in the party with minimal prompting, though. After all - his 'sacrifice' scene is probably the saddest and most touching in the game (he even falls over, pathetically, for extra sympathy). I mean, sure, he shallowly comes back with a replacement model within mere *minutes* (and just in time to see Cloud Domestic Abuse-ing his current love interest), but it got me when I was little. I really hope that whole sequence (including his return to the awkward abuse scene) makes it into the remake.
Great say OP! The run up to the ending is just fantastic with so so SOOOO many bossess all in a row through the weapon/ Midgar sequence and then surprise, NOW you get to do the final dungeon.
I fucking love Cait Sith, also remeber that whole Gongaga is optional. Cait Sith is more developed character then Vincent or Red XIII (as most of Red's side plot was cut off the game for few resons). I love the dynamic of an insight of what is happening in Shin-Ra HQ thanks to Cait Sith. I like how Cait Sith just force himself to join and then all of a sudden shit hit the fan and we are stuck with him, we like it or not. Reeve planned it so well. Also there are so much to Reeve, like we can see his parents in Honey Bee Inn waaaay before we meet him, also it is 1st time we can see Cait Sith in there, what is a HUGE hint on who Cait Sith is.
was everyone else blown away after escaping midgar, and realizing there were still 2 more discs to go, and the first disc wasnt even done yet? ... god i feel so lucky to have experienced this back in the day... so lucky
I think its good because it really explores Clouds mental illness, which is pretty damn neat. BUT I think FF6 rivals the story overall. It also was pretty awesome and full of lore and history. And I felt really connected to all the characters. In FF7 Yuffie and Vincent and Cait sith were kinda lame and I didnt care much about them. And in 6 they actually failed to stop Armageddon, which was neat.
@@winniethepooh4141 He ravaged the entire landscape while it technically wasnt 'Armageddon' it was close enough. It was just a cool thing that the villain actually won at first.
@@picallo1 The first villain who achieved his goal and won in series was FF4 Golbez
He wiped out Cecil so many times and got all of crystals he wanted On the other hand Kefka didn't want to gain the power of statues until he got stabbed by Celes Before that Kefka just obeyed the emperor so technically he didn't win anything cause he didn't pursue the destruction of world until he got pissed of by Celes
This was an awesome video! I love to consume video-game stories, but I'm a pretty casual gamer myself. I've always wanted to explore the story of this game after hearing so much about it, but it's so long that all the playthroughs I could find had 50-70 parts to them, and I just don't know if I have the attention span to get through that. This video is an excellent recap, and presents a complex story in a way that's easy (enough) to follow along. Your voice is very pleasant on the ears. Just a really great video in general! And jeez, you know a game's story is complex when you hit the 'and that takes us to the start of the game' point freaking HALFWAY through the video.
Thanks. 20 years ago, my old housemates obsessed over this game. I never played, but I was always super-curious about what the fuss and tears were about. And I had the soundtrack and loved the music. It’s great to finally know the story. :)
I've found that with every play through (done around 10 in my life) I always learn something new about this game, whether it be lore or something to do with battle or getting that random potion behind a rock that you didn't know existed
I played FFVII in 1997 with my brother when we were 12 and 11, I still remember the save file saying it took us 120 hours lol. It's been my absolute favourite game ever since. The music always feels so nostalgic, I still listen to the original soundtrack regularly, bit odd for a 38yr old man 😅 I couldn't remember the full story so this video was a great joy, thank you.
Late for this masterpiece. Before, i'm not a fan of the game style... You know, turn based battle system thing. Watched my friends play it, seems confusing. Hahaha. Then i was bored with every games i played (Football games, fighting games, hack n slash games, racing games, FPS games..) why not try this one... Regretted ever since, why i didn't try this sooner... Oh man, what a game. So many things happened in one game, beautiful story... It's now one of my favorite game ever.
Sigh... Watching this summary about FF7 makes me wonder why these kinds of deep "narrative by design" stories became a minority. I remember a point in time in which we were completely surrounded by brilliant storylines in almost all popular genres.
Much as I love watching pewds and so forth I'm sure they're something to do with it.. Definitely feel less compelled to play resident evil / firewatcher / doki doki / detroit become human / etc if he's given me the storyline and content plus some humor and less filler Tho I'll be doing FF7 for sure, my childhood fave
@@kestasjk Yeah I guess you can say that. Nowadays we have so much information available on the net that the risk of spoiling our experience is really high, but I think that there's a certain mystique in storylines that has been mostly lost because of lazy writing. When most of the story conflict is basically given out in the beginning portion of the game in too much detail and with little deviations, it just neuters the whole thing. It's kind of hard to explain, but the correct feeling while playing a plot driven game is when you manage to feel as if the game story was playing out in real life. That mix of uncertainty, mystery, fear and hope all at the same time.
I used to be pumped, now I don't know how to feel about it since the information came out that 1) it will be action rather than turn-based, 2) that it will be multiple episodes, and 3) that some storyline elements will be changed entirely. I'm not hyping myself up anymore.
@@Xygor I was very skeptic atthe beginning, but FF7 Crisis Core was an action RPG and I ended up loving it. I don't think the remake will have the same impact or will be as good as the original, but it can still be a very good game.
I usually never comment on any videos, but this channel is very underrated. Simply the most thorough explanation of one of my all-time favorite RPGs. Keep up the great work and thank you Xygor Gaming!
One of the parts of this game that really shows its age is how many central plot points you can easily miss entirely if you don't go to the exact right place at the right time, e.g. the cutscene that shows Zack and Cloud escaping toward Midgar. This summary helped solidify everything clearly in my mind in preparation for Rebirth :D
I've been a final fantasy fan for years and I gotta say this is a Very well put together video. Its simply and to the point. Easy explained for everyone. Nice work.
Finally, 20 years later, I was able to understand the history of the game. I spent hundreds of hours playing this game, and I was never able to get the full story. Nice job. 👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏
Great summary! It is so extensive that I watched it twice. I really enjoyed it. My sons are now 24 & 21 and I can't explain to them why I like this game. I told them I'm excited for the remake and I'll buy the console if the remake will be released.
@4XeoN The oNe7 Thank you. However, I don't think I'm an awesome dad. Many times I have disappointed them. I try my best to look for opportunities that we can have a chat or two by eating out, etc. Thanks again 😀
@PyroCham I didn't realize that it has been a year already! I already have a PS4. 😀 However, my younger brother has it and I can't get it because of the quarantine. I made a mistake of not pre-ordering it. I told my brother to purchase it for me and I'll just pay later. Deluxe edition is no longer available. Big mistake... I hope I can travel next week so that I can start playing. This quarantine is a great opportunity for me to play all day. My two grown-up kids are making fun of me when they saw me watching the uploaded game. They are asking me how am I suppose to play it since I've watched it. I realized that I shouldn't watch it but since I already started the video, I watched it until the end. I can't help it. 😀
@@trywarez I completely understand 😄. It's the anticipation that makes it hard not to watch. We waited so long for this release and now it's finally here. I have to admit, I watched some UA-cam videos of the remake myself. Since I haven't bought the remake yet either. In fact, I'm not sure if I will. At least, not yet. I think I will wait for the next part to release. I've already waited this long for this part to release, so I might as well wait until I'm able to get the full experience. Regardless of how long it may take for it to release. Square Enix already anounced before the release that this first part ends right when you're about to leave Midgar. I just know that I will be disappointed, because it's not actually finished and there's still a lot more to come. Yesterday, I decided to start playing the original FFVII. After that I might replay VIII, XI and X as well. The nostalgia is already kicking in. It has been a long time for me. I hope you and your kids enjoy the remake though 😀
Even before Crisis Core, Zack's story always felt very tragic. Especially visiting his parents in Gungaga was a hit in the guts. I was very happy when Crisis Core was released. And thank you, excellent video! Got yourself a new sub and fan.
What a backstory. As if almost half of this video details everything that happened before the game’s plot even begins lol. Fantastic. Thank you for these brilliant plot summaries.
This was a fantastic summary. Great job, bro. I HAD to subscribe seeing your comments that this is not the last one you have planned. Thanks and I wish your channel success.
Jesus.. I remember when I was 20 a friend asked to hear what FFVII was about... I recited the whole story by memory over about an hour and three beers. That was the moment I realized how significant the game was to me - I had zero clue I knew every moment by heart.
Wow, I don't remember the story being so confusing. Great video. I'd love to see your breakdown of FF Tactics. Now that story confused the crap out of me and I played the game many times.
The Tactics story isn't that hard to understand when you realize it's the retelling of the events of a war that history has gotten wrong. It's been a couple decades so forgive me if my memory's slipped but basically history has no idea about who Ramza is and his heroic efforts in undoing mass corruption.
I remember back then it was said that it had about 60 - 120 hours of gameplay and that was pretty amazing, but these days you'll do 1000-3000 hours of a game on steam and not think about it
Jeremy Burr So if you go onto steam what is the game with the most hours, and how many hours? Mine is Left 4 dead 2 with 1800 (have to admit I thought it was double that, so 3000 might be an exaggeration) and I’m neither jobless or “lifeless”, and haven’t played it for months, but in total yep its 1800 hours since I picked it up 10 years ago
I just finished the game for the first time in like 10 years, and this vid conveniently popped up on my recommendations. It's interesting to hear the story in chronological order. I even learned some things I've always missed, even though I've completed the game many times. Never realized about the Cetra splitting into Ancients and humans.. I thought the Cetra were a different kettle of fish from humans altogether.
Played this game as a teen and loved the hell out of it. Always citing it as one of my favorites of all time. Without replaying it for some years I realized I barely remembered much of the story. Wanted this recap before I play the remake soon. Thanks so much!
Great summary! One main question though...If Sephiroth was thrown into the Lifestream by Cloud at the Mount Nibel reactor event 5 years prior to where the player starts playing as Cloud, then drifts to where he would be encased in Mako (?) in the Northern Mountains (seemingly unconscious). How is it he kills Aerith/Aeris at the temple of the Ancients event that was prior to the player finding Sephiroth in the Northern Mountains? Also, why is Sephiroth not in his custom Soldier uniform while being incased in Mako? He fell into the Lifestream with it on.
Sephiroth is imprisoned in Whirlwind Maze all the time, but throught Lifestream he can command and summon anyone infected with JENOVA, most infected and powerfull is a Nibelheim corpse that most of people just name as JENOVA (even if that is not really true since JENOVA is a sentient virus, is like to name Flu a person who is most flu sick). If you ever saw a John Carpenter's The Thing - 80's horror movie, it could explain you a lot what JENOVA is as it was based on same thing, a novel by John W. Campbell, Jr "Who goes there?". In the novel a group of scientific researchers, isolated in Antarctica by the nearly ended winter, discover an alien spaceship buried in the ice, where it crashed twenty million years before. They are attacked by a monster that spread like a virus on celluar level, is sentient, can read mind and shapeshift. Also in the novel this virus-creature original form is a blue monster with 3 red eayes..... yeah. In FF7 JENOVA infected body that we see in Nibel Reactor also is blue and have 3 eyes while one is glowing red. Sephiroth using one of infeted bodies shepeshit so it looks like himself and kill Aeris (tho not in Tample of Ancient tho, but in Forgotten Capitol). As for uniform, look closely on Sephiroth durring FMV when Cloud give him Black Materia, Sephiroth not only is missing his uniform but also....HIS LEGS ! Yeah for some reason (maybe throught wound dealt by Cloud) he is cut in half.
Also not encased in Mako but in Materia and well that location is called Whirlwind Maze or just Northern Creater (hard to say as last location leading to it is called Whirlwind Maze). Ofc it is super hard to remember all the names. As for Lifestream/Materia/Mako - Lifestream is basiclly Planets blood (so like Oil), Materia is crystalized Lifestream , Mako is like gasoline (Lifestream that was processed by man to be used comercialy).
@BLE SCH not a sephiroth clone, it is Jenova. It is mentioned in the game that she is a shapeshifter and can appear in other forms. It is why she killed aeris who has the blood of the ancients and a piece of her is dropped during each encounter.
Cloud having a mental spasm every 5 minutes is literally us trying to make sense out of this story during our first playthrough
@dr zoidberg kadslñasflñkas}{ lmao
Carl Rygwelski I just finished the remake, should I go back and watch it?
@@anzeg- It is not made to be simple. It was made to be full of plots and twist and turns. Almost everyone who played this the first time was confused until you finish the game. Some still do not understand the story because they did not read of pay attention to the dialogues.
What wasn't there to undsertand? You were literate on your first playthrough were you not? Jesus christ you fucking dorks are hilarious.
@@OGUA-camEnjoyer I first time played this in 1998, when I was 10 years old and with limited English language knowledge. So yeah, it can be hard to understand depending on your age etc 🙂. But me and my friends still played it so many times, because the first playthrough blew our minds. We had never experienced a game like this before. I still love to replay FF7, a true masterpiece.
Holy shit.. No wonder I could never understand this game back when I was 11..
I can barely keep up now at 29.
Lol yeah once someone told me that Cloud has Zacks memories THAT made shit make sense for once.
I only remember loving this game for being my first rpg. I liked the story even though it wasn't clear at the time ..
It was quite convoluted!!! I played through it 2 times, but it's been at least 12 years since I played it. I remember the game giving me goosebumps when certain revelations were made, even though I never exactly understood every single thing that happened throughout the story. This is a great video, and makes me want to play the game again. I do have the "remaster" on my PS4-Pro, and I need to get around to playing it before the "remake" drops.
I'm sorry that you're stupid, please stop voting
Do yourself a favor and play FF7: Crisis Core then ff7. Hold back the tears
@@MiguelRPD i finish the game when i was 13 and it was an italian version i had no idea what i was doing but kept doing it over a year my older brother helped me which also he couldnt understand a single italian word i was stuck for months finding lucretia's body since then i never been able to finish it
I love it because Sephiroth is the main villain of the story but he's ALSO the main Victim of the story. Its wonderful.
Just the badassery that is sephiroth. Just downloaded the remake on ps plus. Sephiroth and M. Bison are the 2 villains I hate the most and I clap them cheeks every chance I get. Bison, because he literally beat me into tears as a kid (sf2) and sephiroth because he killed aeris in the original ff7, though I believe she survives in the remake. But seph is dope
how was he a victim? he was born as a virus
@@mmoarchives2542 because him becoming a villain is based off a lie told to him by Hojo. That’s one of the things I wish Remake would cover, cause I wanna know how Sephiroth would act if he was taken in front of Lucretcia and she told him the truth. That’s what he deserves, if he still choose to be the villain then so be it, but at least give Sephiroth the opportunity to find out his true origins. Personally I think it would be dope if he has a Darth Vader moment at the very end and goes out as a hero and apologizes to Cloud for all his wrongdoings before sacrificing himself. Cause if you played the original game, for a good portion of the game, Sephiroth is portrayed as one of the good guys, he was Cloud’s hero before he turned into a villain, again, key point here is he’s only a villain BASED OFF A LIE.
@@ZoninOut707 he knows the truth dumbass, that's why he burned the village, it's why he suddenly felt like a god, because his jenova cells reacted to his experiences and took over, he's not even human
@@mmoarchives2542 ??? Was calling me a dumbass necessary? Not once did I say anything aggressive nor insulting. If he knew the truth then he would know Jenova isn’t his real mother, he never mentions Lucretcia once which leads me to believe Jenova might be suppressing that from him. Btw, You’d never get away with saying that to my face, you’re a toxic keyboard warrior that should be flushed down the toilet, but it’s alright you’re not mad at me, you’re mad at your dad, I forgive you. No one taught you manners.
Sephiroth this, Jenovah that, but the actual villain is Hojo. He's the driving force behind most of the conflict in the game.
Cetra are for splitting up like little bitches.
In Dirge of Cerberus, Vincent destroys Hojo for good.
Hojo is Orochimaru
was also a surprisingly tough enemy in the game if you weren't ready for him :) by the time you get to Sephiroth, teams are usually op
Biggest plothole is how Lucrecia allowed that fucker to impregnate her.
I always thought it was weird that Tifa just sat through Cloud's retelling of the Nibelheim incident without ever interjecting or pulling him aside later, just to be like, "bro-- you okay? cuz it did NOT happen that way!"
I think she was worried Clouds mind was already confucked up enough realizing he was on a very short fuse of having a full mental breakdown...also plot necessities...lol
@@mattcadenas8628 So basically- this dude is clearly unhinged, let's just put him in charge of this insanely important mission. What's the worse that could happen?
She does tho, she asks cloud if he's alright all the time. She knew from the very start when they first meet again that something messy was going on with cloud memories cause he thinks they last met 5 years ago (by Tifa's account it was 7 years ago)
@@martineastman9855 Also barret was in charge not cloud
I would attribute Tifas memory loss or fuzzyness rather to the trauma that happened in Nibelheim. She lost her father, everyone she grew up with, the entire town and everything she had known was set a blaze, on top of being mortally wounded. No one left to reinforce those memories she has other than Cloud and Sephiroth.
Aerith’s death really made me cry as a kid because I totally fell in love with her as an 11 year old in 1997 when this game came out.
It’s still my fav FF game of all time.
Fav FF game would've been suffice.
Yeah but There is the remake
Honestly. I never played Final Fantasy before this game (the Sephiroph inclusion in Smash got me into it) and I don't regret it one bit. Aerith is probably my favourite female character in any video game... and that from one playthrough. XD
It's feels kinda silly to fall in love with a fictional magic woman but well here I am. She is literally the definition of "best girl"
And the way Cloud tries so hard to flirt with her is just cute. Argh I can't get over it. If they don't get together in the sequel of the remake I'm going riot. Lol. And yeah I know what is supposed to happen to her... but I want it. Pls Square Enix. :(
@@Kronse2601 It was impressive back then how they managed to get you to fall for a small bit of polygons based on her writing and tiny blocky animations. Of course I fell into the role of Cloud as a young lad and falling for Aeris/Aerith was definitely easy for a boy.
Still the first time I remember a game being able to make me really emotional, so FF7 will always have a special place in my heart because of the story, and the revenge and catharsis you manage to achieve by the end of the game.
@@casedistorted I can only imagine how beautiful that must have been to grow up with memories like that. Like I said, I didn't care much fore the series till, thankfully, Sephiroth was included in Smash, cause that amazing trailer made me a fan so I wanted to know more. Turns out I devoured the game (the Remake that is). I literally played through it non-stop, even all through the night. And I love every character. I even tried to avoid building to much of an emotional bond with Aerith, due to me knowing what is supposed to happen to her. But I failed miserably. After two hours of running around with her I shipped her with Cloud so hard, and with him, I fell in love with her. Never thought I could seriously fall in love with a woman from a video game but her I am. She is easily one of my, if not my favourite female videogame character of all time. Just from one playthrough. And that even though Zelda had that spot since I was a little kid. I just know that, if they should kill Aerith in the sequel, what I'm hoping they won't but I have the feeling that most players wouldn't be sadisfied with that, I'm gonna be emotionally scared for months. Heck I watched Advent Children today for the first time and everytime she appeared and her theme started to play I almost cried... it hits me hard. And I'm not a person who cries easily.
Sorry for the essay. Just had to tell someone who understands. XD
You did a great job at articulating the story. Even veteran players will love the way you brought it all together. Thanks.
Thank you!
couldnt agree more. and you he has Charlie Hunnam voice.
Thanks bro for putting together some of those parts about the original sephiroth origins, i was always kinda confused about some of the plots.
As a veteran player, personally, I find this well put-together as an incomplete telling of the story (but still an incomplete telling of the story).
You know what I don’t love....? All his mis pronunciations☹️☹️☹️
The feels when Zack's parents told Cloud they havent heard from him in a long time...And asked if Cloud knew him :'(
Yeah that moment always tugged at my heart strings
Made even more touching if you visit them with both Tifa and Aeris in your party.
Man tears were fighting to come out...
makes you like crisis core even more , miss that game
@@kaique9508 Crisis Core was unnecessary and the ending took a scene that was perfect in FF7 and made it over the top joke
man, hojo is the worst thing ever
without his shenanigans, sephiroth would have been a normal kid but no, let's inject him with the cells of an alien who killed the ancients and see what's gonna happen
Couldn’t have been THAT normal, can’t forget that Hojo would have been his father, apples don’t fall far from the tree
Yeah he's really the big antagonist of the game when you think about it
I imagine Hojo would have also kept him pretty much secluded from the outside world so he could focus on experimenting on him and turning him into a killing machine. Imagine growing up as your own psychopathic dad's favorite lab rat with 0 social interaction, completely unable to find any other meaning in life, and finding out your "mom" is actually an alien whose cells were injected into you. There's no way you'd turn out even remotely fine, plus add on top of that the fact that those cells in your body wanna go back to said alien mom so she can wipe out an entire planet, and i don't think the blame would be on you.
tl;dr fuck hojo all my homies hate hojo
Lucretia was also completely okay with experimentation on her kid... so let's not just blame one side as the asshole here. Again, she could have fallen for either Valentine or Ghast; she chose Hojo.
Maybe she missed a letter and thought he was a snack cake?
Also, going to point out that there's a difference between complexity, and convolution. I'd say since fully half (yea I know; but how else would you describle 20 mins off a 40 min vid?) of the video explaining the story is BACKSTORY. I'd say the needle swung just a little too far one way. Also think the whole Zack/Cloud thing is a bit weirder than it had to be. Especially since a lot of people will canonically chase Aerith, who's mostly only interested in Zack. It's fine to have the super powered girl end up alone because her boyfriend dies. Cloud in my mind should end up with Tifa. (Not touching the death bit, that was just out of nowhere for sake of being a dick - the devs, not Sephiroth, but him too)
I remember watching my older brother playing this game as a kid. I would get so lost in the game as he played, daydreaming about the cool characters, the story line and the “good graphics “ at the time. I’m so excited to grab this game now that I am older and can now truly appreciate it, even more than I did then.
this is incredible...i remember as a kid thinking "wow i would really read a novel that told the entire story of ff7 since there were some loose ends in my knowledge" but now here we are 20 years later and someone has done it in video form. amazing, and thank you so much for your work. the most important part to me here is that while yes this is the plot of the story, the emotions shown through the game are only truly experienced through the gameplay. now, i was young at the time when i first played it, but also played it again my senior year of college, but this game really does wrap you in emotionally. i cant wait for the remake. thanks again
That scene with Red XIII and his dad is what brings me to tears every time
Along with the best songs in the whole damn game
Same! I was not ready for that scene as a kid… or adult!
Powerful
And then Cloud and his gang found Knights of the round and easily defeated Sephiroth.
A friend of mine and I used to joke that the end boss was just one extended coffee break.
@@IHSchwingo Final Sephiroth was a joke provided 1 person cast knights of the round and the rest mimic it. Now the weapons on the other hand...OMG...they were hard! Ruby and emerald UGH!
@@G-man47 Most RPG final bosses are way too, i guess so people see the conclusion of the Story.
You mean:
(W Summon = Mime) (MP Turbo = KoR) (MP Absorb = KoR) (MP Plus = Cover)
(Magic Counter = KoR) (Magic Counter = KoR) (Magic Counter = KoR) (Magic Counter = KoR)
(Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime)
(Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime)
(Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime)
(Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime) (Counter = Mime)
People saying that but the true unsung hero is 4-cut, knights are good but 4cut Cloud kills so much faster.
I love how Yuffie is never mentioned once at all.
Right!? The most traumatizing moment of the entire game for me wasn't Aerith's death scene. It was when Yuffie ran off with ALL OF MY MATERIA!
Who?
She is the only character with absolutely no purpose to the story what so ever (maybe some history and lore) but if you think about it, Cid Highwinds only purpose is to create a part of the story to get the airship, and so that Barrett didn't have to be dunno g his big ads over the world map when you lose cloud and Tifa from your party.
@@alexmh6131 also because all Final Fantasy games need a Cid.
Yuffie is 100% unnecessary character.
Tifa was NOT kidnapped by Don, she says in the game that she went on purpose to try and get information, posing in her dress to basically seduce him.
Facts
soo....the remake is correct?
@@reynardyonatan5521 lol is any of this fr or not?
This is the original not the remake
@@leedscity6881 Its true in both versions.
This is my favourite game of all time, and you really did the story justice. Congrats man, really great job!
It's definitely up there for me too. Thanks for watching!
@@Xygor yep for this video alone you get a like and a sub!
Very good pacing and great transitions, full and simple story retelling is really what makes this
For sure !
@@Xygor .......Wait! What do you mean this Game is up there? What is Better!?
Imagine im just 10 year old try to understand this
I was ten years old too when I played this game
I did not even speak English then
@@albertobortoni1862 and your not speaking it now either lmao jk dude
I was 11, FF7 and MTG made me learn sophisticated english and made my imagination go over the roof.
Am I the only one who understood what was going on at 10? IMHO, this is one of the most straightforward FFs
I just finished playing the original game for the first time and I am so thankful for this summary. Amazing game but a true headache. You put all the events in a line and it was really helpful. You're awesome
Thanks for the awesome feedback!
the most famous game about environmental destruction.
Environmental destruction, living in balance. Super forces (Meteor and Holy and the lifestream) canceling each other out and what remains of that (life continued on in balance as suggested by the Midgar destruction at the very end). As an adult now the implications of falsified memories from the Blade Runner universe seem more impactful as I watch this. I definately need to play this game through again. Good timing cause the remake is just around the corner. I hope the story line is expanded on however to account for all the prequel and sequel material that followed this game. I was in high school when this game came out and I had barely began to explore science fiction themes so this story line was difficult to swallow. I look forward to revisiting this with an adult perspective.
Red Faction has lots of environmental destruction too!!!
Who would think that 23 years later the world's environment would be ruined by covid 19 then ff7 is remade
@@gamesofwar4857 the worlds environment/population is being altered by covid. like the members of soldier were. its no coincidence.
zfoxfire sorry to disappoint you man but it’s quite hard to take the remake seriously with an adult perspective due to the childish writing. Pretty gutted about it
This is mind boggling being obsessed with this game for so long and only now understanding wtf happened
So basically FF7 Remake is gonna take a good 50 years or so to tell the whole story episodically
Will be worth it. People will complain and cry about it, but I would rather they take their time and polish the game to its max potential than shit out a poopoo full version
ftrwrwbg it will be 3 disc like the old ps1 classic and Lord of The Rings Lol
@Tamer Ciftci lmao Square is not gonna suffer from this remake. Imagine if they released the entire game. Would be about like 250gbs and bitches will still complain.
@Tamer Ciftci maybe before complaint that it suck and already judge it before the full game out, can you just kindly wait for all full game out then go critic it?
because we havent seen the bigger picture yet why they make it separate episode.
Tamer Ciftci everyone like you is a complete dumbass. The remake is meant to be a tool to flesh out more of the original’s story while at the same time keeping it fresh. Having a 1:1 copy to the original is just what nostalgia goggle wearing fucks want.
Start of the video: "Here's the plot of FF7."
TWENTY MINUTES LATER: "And this is where the game begins."
Oh FF7, you crazy. 🤣
kingdom Hearts: "Hold my beer"
Star Wars caliber fuckery.
"For the past several decades, ffvii has captivated millions of gamers". (til 1 decade = 3.6 years 🤣)
@@malalford The definition of several is more than two but not many. I personally don't think he's using the word exactly correct, but he is no where near as far off as that.
He is LITERALLY 5 decades out... And it offends me because i was about 27 when that game came out and that statement made me feel freaking old! 🤣
God, when I hear that music in the back ground my childhood flashes back!
Yessss
This was an absolutely FANTASTICALLY well put together video, dialogue AND with chronological order. I LOVED this game as a child. Has so much depth to it.
I remember playing this when it first came out in '97 the story totally baffled me, now 22 years later i finally get it lol
Same!
@@rosvopanda2905 Same!
Facts
Honestly, that was much my experience as well. I understood the events of the game but the backstory left me confused and I didn’t even pay much attention to it as a result. Just a bunch of nature loving nonsense I thought with my young teenage mind. All these years later, I’ve formed a new appreciation of the game due to the depth and richness of its game world and story (just speaking of the original game, I’ve seen the movie but haven’t played any of the other compilation games).
Justin Reeve Same here!
Intricate and good story.
The music in this game put it over the top in drawing you in and hitting emotional notes.
Hearing it here instantly takes me back.
On my second playthrough - 7th Heaven mods have made it a lot clearer - and Thank you for making the storyline a lot clearer - I understood some, but never all of the complexity of the plot - GREAT JOB.
Glad I could help!
Best video about the game. The others were way too fast and they told the story in a confusing way. Great video!
Thank you for watching, glad you liked it!
Xygor Gaming Bao g a z
Chapters (timestamps):
0:08 - Intro
1:21 - The Ancients and Jenova
3:12 - The Rise of Shinra
5:00 - The Jenova Project and Origins of Sephiroth
6:59 - Professor Gast and Ifalna
9:17 - War Against Wutai, Shinra Space Program, Zack and Cloud
10:54 - Nibelheim (Five years ago)
16:28 - Corel Disaster, Cloud and Zack Escape, Tifa Finds Cloud
19:26 - Game Begins, Shinra Reactors, Turks, Shinra's Plans
21:53 - Midgar Slums, Shinra Headquarters
24:10 - Chasing Sephiroth, Corel, Cosmo Canyon
27:10 - Nibelheim, Rocket Town, Gold Saucer
28:34 - Temple of the Ancients, Forgotten City
30:47 - Icicle Inn, Great Glacier, The Crater, Jenova Reunion
34:00 - Meteor, Junon, WEAPON, Huge Materia, Cloud's Past
37:06 - Junon, Rocket Town, Forgotten City, Lucrecia, Midgar
40:15 - Sephiroth and Holy
Awesome video. Though you forgot to mention Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were killed.
Remind which battle the intro music to this video came from
Ever consider doing an FF8 and FF9 complete story?
Aww poor Yuffie. No importance XD
@@Talk378 , Magus's theme from Chrono Trigger.
Slight correction: the fall in Mt. Nibleheim happened before the promise at the well. Years before, even. It's assumed that Cloud was disallowed to interact with Tifa by her father because they blamed him. He was always an outsider before then, but it's said he started fighting after he failed to save her.
Nicely done, first time I feel like I really understand what happened
Great, thanks for watching it! I definitely didn't catch all this my first time through so it was fun for me to do as a learning experience as well.
There are many events that occur in the background in the game, especially after Aeris’s death .. For instance, Aeris failed to summon holy while she was alive but when she returned to the life stream she maintained her self awareness and through her will power became so powerful she was nearly sentient .. this is why holy was summoned at the end just as meteor was hitting the planet even though Aeris failed to summon it while she was alive, the reason she’s able to pay Cloud a quick visit at the place where they met .. It’s also possible that it’s partly the reason why the life stream itself intervened in the end, even though the idea was brought up and immediately dismissed in the game .. This game never ceases to surprise and amaze, I first played this game over a decade ago and I only found out about this recently
Yeah, I never really understood what was going on most of the time because of how complicated the story is, and also how much it relied on flashbacks and false memories. This is despite playing the game through twice. Now I think I got an idea. Once FF7 remake is ready, we can then experience it fully, with full awareness of what is going on.
Its not a hard storyline to follow. You just need to be able to put the puzzle together as well as paying attention cause final fantasy stories are ALWAYS told in puzzle pieces
I still remember, 20 years ago, the first time I saw the scene of Sephiroth showing Cloud the picture in Nibelheim. The thought of that, the memory, still gives me chills everytime. It's better than any book I've read, any series I've seen or any movie I've watched.
The picture in Nibelheim makes FFVII my favourite game of all time
The moment Sephiroth walks into Nibelheim followed, not by Cloud, but Zack blew my mind.
I like the way that you laid out the storyline for FFVII. It was nice to start with the history of Jenova and the Cetra
19:26 "at this point the game actually begins."
Exactly what I love about this game. 20 minutes of exposition. 😆
I literally read this at about the 17-minute point asking myself "Wait, is this seriously before the game's intro?! Jesus, I forgot how big this game was."
And this is a summerized version of it.
The ff7 ultimania states it best "Cloud and co are wrapping up a 2000 year old war."
If you do everything right and skip through all of the talking when you play as Tifa in Cloud's memories that alone takes half an hour. Yes I've timed it out. So think about that for a while. Anyone who has beaten FF7 or plans to do so should know there is no less than 30 minutes of your life you can never get back by watching things in a video game. You can watch a tv show with commercials in the time it takes to get through a section of talking in FF7
yug0w0lf greatest game ever made
thanks man, i played and finished it as a 14yr old boy not understanding a lot of the story. Looking forward to replaying this at 36 now :)
I'm 35 and thought I was a loser for wanting to replay this. Nice to know there's others who still loves this game.
Me too.
I have replayed this every few years. I was also 14 and will be replaying it again soon
same bro. im 32 and im pretty sure im buying a ps4 just for this.
Same here, played it at 14, now 36 and just finished it again... Only 2nd time. Still my fav game
FF7 Game: "President Rufus is killed"
FF7 Advent Children: OR WAS HE?
FF7 Remake: or did anyone die or is anything real ...
@@Kodiie You mean kh 4...
We don't like to talk about Advent Children...
@@96Caleb96 LMAO
Omg Rufus is so Hot in the remake
This is the first time in nearly two decades that I actually understand LITERALLY ANYTHING. GOD BLESS YOU.
If Sephiroth knew about his real mother then the Nibelhiem incident may not have happened.
Maybe 🤔
the way this game built sephiroth up was epic. You hear about him a few times...but don’t see him tell hours in the game. It made each encounter with him epic
Too bad the remake throws that out the window. Still a great game otherwise.
I dont blame the remake for it. Sephiroth is probably the most popular villain in video game history. May as well include him as much as possible. @@NamelessWayfarer
@@joshboy88420 Yea I can see why Part 1 was like that, since it only covers til the end of Midgar, which Sephiroth had yet to be properly introduced, gotta fit him into the game somehow.
@@NamelessWayfarerI mean it didn't throw it out the window, its a different story. And you have to admit, only seeing breadcrumbs of Sephiroth for 2.5 games of a trilogy doesn't hit the same after Sephiroth is already one of the most famous villians in gaming for 25 years. That kinda storytelling wouldn't hit the same
The devs knew this, so they made something much smarter imo: Here's Sephiroth early on, except its not the one you remember from the original and his overall goal isnt known to the player anymore. Oh also, you just set the events in place where anything can happen now, better or worst than the original, for the next 2 games. Have fun with that emotional rollercoaster lol
I understand why some people don't want that kind of meta storytelling, thats fair. But I give them tons of props for attempting to make this trilogy of remakes so personal to existing and new fans, but clearly respecting the original game if you wanna just stop with that and not engage with Remake's meta stuff (unlike the awful ret-conning and nonsense world building done by Crisis Core and Dierge)
@@PantsaBear Oh, I appreciate what they're doing unlike many of the purists. Gonna wait and hold my judgement until the whole trilogy is out. Rebirth looks fantastic so far.
I wasn't planning on watching this whole video because I have stuff to do but once I hit play, I couldn't stop. Awesome work, man. This gave me that feeling I felt at 13 years old when I first played this game. Nostalgia overload. I really hope the FF7 remake becomes a reality and lives up to its hype.
Same here...i dont have 42 minutes to watch this....”watches the whole thing”
Same Here 😂
Such a complicated story. No wonder people praise this game.
A complicated story doesn't mean a good one, however a rich and dense story does.
and some people say is a generic rpg story
@@absi49 good guys beat bad guys. 😂 Anything can be generic when you boil it down to the highest level concept. People who say it's generic probably couldn't even write a single page of a story with more depth than a childrens book. Haters just hating because they don't want to be on the bandwagon.
Final Fatasy 7 is a Bible to my imagination.
This was a well done chronological sequence of the story. Even as a super fan with several play-throughs, there were a few dots you connected for me.
Can’t wait for rebirth.
One of the greatest stories ever told & one of the best games of all time
Phenomenal work, I'm very impressed. I've been playing this game for 20 years, I have it on ps1, ps2, ps3, I have the platinum trophy for it on ps4, I've played it on mobile, on tablet and pc, today i bought it for my switch. I thought i knew it all, but it turns out i knew nothing! But thanks to your excellent work, I FINALLY understand the story! Thank you.
Wow you can purchase this game on some thing later than ps one is it true
How do you "have it on ps2" ?
Damn your're pretty dumb if you beat it that many times and didn't understand what was going on. It also show show easy the game is.
@@brandish4952 wow an internet genius, tell me more about how amazing you are.
@@brandish4952 There's not much dumber than insulting randoms over the internet
I never realized how amazing Barrett 's backstory was. That would make a great movie on its own😢💖
Barretts the OG, one of my favorite for sure
In the remake his only motivation appears to be Eco-terrorist. Revenge part has thus far been left out.
@@georgetek that’s because the remake is only the early part of the game right now, and you don’t find out about his backstory till later. Not much later, but later nonetheless.
Boss man Barrett
This is so deep and complex. The story is fantastic
Sounds like we agree!
Saliem Zaiem I have to disagree it’s on mgs levels of story and kind of dumb. Fun game and fun trying to grasp of what’s going on
Here's a good explanation. ua-cam.com/video/umy6MBIND4s/v-deo.html
@@Icebergslim_1 metal gear isn't even complicated. You just don't have good information retention skills
Too bad it's a video game and not a book or movie or something. Because the actual gameplay is a boring chore that people have to suffer just to see what happens next in the story
Played this game sooo many times. And I never really felt like I understood 100% of what went down. Thanks man!
Glad you liked it sir!
never played FF but this story is one of the most interesting stories a game has ever produced.
someday I will get my wish and FF7 will be turned into a live action movie trilogy.
I was like 15 and man does this game bring back memories.... 25 years I've waited for this moment when the release is in 2 weeks....... I can now die in Peace ♥️
Still one of my favorite stories ever told. It was difficult to understand it completely when I was 10 years old back in 1998, but I love it when I understand it better now. My favorite game of all time. Excellent video and you have earned a sub
FINALLY... After repeatedly playing the game and all these years... I now understand the story about Cetra's, Ancients and Jenova, and more... Thanks heaps for telling the story in its exact timeline. Cheering
Glad it helped!
I'm a huge fan of this game, and it's actually what inspired me to move to Japan and become a professional composer for games. Having played the game only once I was surprised by how many key plot points I just didn't quite understand, so this video clarifying so many things is truly enlightening. Thanks so much for putting what must have been a huge amount of time and energy into this video, it's great and your enthusiasm shines through!
Thanks Smoke Thief! Glad you liked it. I also enjoyed being in Japan quite a bit.
Its okay there's plenty of weebs in this comment section you just went for the used panties vending machines. Either way you went for it and followed your dreams, we cannot fault you for such bravery
"I'm a huge fan of this game"
"Having played the game only once"
^^^ say waaaaht?
@@ChazAllenUK Some of us didn't want to spoil the experience through repetition. Granted there's several plot elements were missed because of that. It's also an immensely long game, 70 hours + with all the side content, defeating the weapons etc. and who wants to do that again with all the random battles thrown in.
This is the game i used to watch my brothers playing. It was like a universe too big to understand as a child. And even know it was mindblowing, following the story.
Nostalgia hit me hard on this one. Thanks for this awesome Video!
When you think about it, ff7 remake is explained in like 3-5 minutes.
Remake is only a tiny part of the game
@@chengcao418 im pretty sure its a third of the game
@@Differently_Sane not even close to a third. Its only Midgar, which is just scratching the surface in the original
@@hitthegoat haven't played remake yet only going by what ive seen and been told but yeah you're right its more like 5%-10% of the original story (only counting plot not gameplay or sidequests)
The remake is trash
Dude. You crushed that very complex plot. Great work. When you told us to pay attention, I did, and it helped to note that there are three kinds of mutation: 1) mako-infused soldiers (monsters), 2) Sepiroth clones (adult men injected with Jenova cells), and 3) Sepiroth himself, conceived in a *womb* injected with jenova cells, and developed incredibly powerfully over nine months.
FF7 is unique in of that it is just packed wall to wall with content. Everything flows into everything else, and there's a constant unfolding story as it does so. None of the other FFs (though I've not played 1-3, so can't speak for those) managed anything as staggering as FF7. And ALL the characters were just fantastic. I remember playing this for the first time and being shocked that Rufus was STILL relevant at the end of the game. Midgar was still a big deal. The cannon from Junon was even transplanted onto Midgar in order to break down Sephi's barrier.
The world didn't feel static. It felt like it was panicking. The storytelling was just top-notch.
I just have one nitpick, Cait Sith. Or rather the way he was introduced in the story. He just kinda joins the party, and after Cloud speculates that one of members might be a spy. Gee.. I WONDER who it might be. I dont know, I am not sayind is bad, but in comparsion with everthing else, which felt organic, that felt sloppy.
@@pimentx3253 Y'know, I totally agree. It just felt like lazy foreshadowing. I can forgive the weird decision to keep him in the party with minimal prompting, though. After all - his 'sacrifice' scene is probably the saddest and most touching in the game (he even falls over, pathetically, for extra sympathy). I mean, sure, he shallowly comes back with a replacement model within mere *minutes* (and just in time to see Cloud Domestic Abuse-ing his current love interest), but it got me when I was little.
I really hope that whole sequence (including his return to the awkward abuse scene) makes it into the remake.
10 was just as good if not better.
Great say OP! The run up to the ending is just fantastic with so so SOOOO many bossess all in a row through the weapon/ Midgar sequence and then surprise, NOW you get to do the final dungeon.
I fucking love Cait Sith, also remeber that whole Gongaga is optional. Cait Sith is more developed character then Vincent or Red XIII (as most of Red's side plot was cut off the game for few resons). I love the dynamic of an insight of what is happening in Shin-Ra HQ thanks to Cait Sith. I like how Cait Sith just force himself to join and then all of a sudden shit hit the fan and we are stuck with him, we like it or not. Reeve planned it so well. Also there are so much to Reeve, like we can see his parents in Honey Bee Inn waaaay before we meet him, also it is 1st time we can see Cait Sith in there, what is a HUGE hint on who Cait Sith is.
I've watched this video at least 3 times to try and comprehend the story. Love your voice and the way you're telling this. Great video my man
Thank you!
Please, make more "Complete Story" videos about other RPG games, this one was awesome!
Regards from Argentina.
Thanks Ian, I think I will! It's just a matter of time.
@@Xygor I would suggest the Legacy of Kain series. It really needs more "press"! And its an awesome story from Blood Omen to Defiance.
Who else still gets chills when they hear FF music? 🙌🏽
ghos7fire I have the entire original game soundtrack on like 4 cds. I play it in the car every now and again and it gives me chills every time.
Anyone who played it when they were younger. For sure.
One of the best Gaming OSTs, definitely in my top three with Halo and Nier.
was everyone else blown away after escaping midgar, and realizing there were still 2 more discs to go, and the first disc wasnt even done yet?
... god i feel so lucky to have experienced this back in the day... so lucky
Best feeling ever knowing you still had two discs left worth hours of fun
"where she slaps Scarlet silly!" hahaha
Still the best Final Fantasy story line.
I think its good because it really explores Clouds mental illness, which is pretty damn neat. BUT I think FF6 rivals the story overall. It also was pretty awesome and full of lore and history. And I felt really connected to all the characters. In FF7 Yuffie and Vincent and Cait sith were kinda lame and I didnt care much about them. And in 6 they actually failed to stop Armageddon, which was neat.
@@picallo1 i love 7, but sometimes i think I like 9 more. Hard choice for me.
@@picallo1 Kefka didnt doom the world he only destroyed people who tried to against him after he gained the power of statues
@@winniethepooh4141 He ravaged the entire landscape while it technically wasnt 'Armageddon' it was close enough. It was just a cool thing that the villain actually won at first.
@@picallo1 The first villain who achieved his goal and won in series was FF4 Golbez
He wiped out Cecil so many times and got all of crystals he wanted
On the other hand
Kefka didn't want to gain the power of statues until he got stabbed by Celes
Before that Kefka just obeyed the emperor so technically he didn't win anything cause he didn't pursue the destruction of world until he got pissed of by Celes
This was an awesome video! I love to consume video-game stories, but I'm a pretty casual gamer myself. I've always wanted to explore the story of this game after hearing so much about it, but it's so long that all the playthroughs I could find had 50-70 parts to them, and I just don't know if I have the attention span to get through that. This video is an excellent recap, and presents a complex story in a way that's easy (enough) to follow along. Your voice is very pleasant on the ears. Just a really great video in general!
And jeez, you know a game's story is complex when you hit the 'and that takes us to the start of the game' point freaking HALFWAY through the video.
Thanks. 20 years ago, my old housemates obsessed over this game. I never played, but I was always super-curious about what the fuss and tears were about. And I had the soundtrack and loved the music. It’s great to finally know the story. :)
"Intricate" is a vast understatement to describe this incredible story.
Man I am downloading your video before I forget the best story explanation ever found in the last 17 years since I played the game.
Thank you!
I've found that with every play through (done around 10 in my life) I always learn something new about this game, whether it be lore or something to do with battle or getting that random potion behind a rock that you didn't know existed
everytime i replay this game
i find something new.
serious. it never fails.
I played FFVII in 1997 with my brother when we were 12 and 11, I still remember the save file saying it took us 120 hours lol. It's been my absolute favourite game ever since. The music always feels so nostalgic, I still listen to the original soundtrack regularly, bit odd for a 38yr old man 😅 I couldn't remember the full story so this video was a great joy, thank you.
i remember playing ff7 on borrowed PS without a memory card.
i played it for couple of weeks without turning off the console
Late for this masterpiece. Before, i'm not a fan of the game style... You know, turn based battle system thing. Watched my friends play it, seems confusing. Hahaha.
Then i was bored with every games i played (Football games, fighting games, hack n slash games, racing games, FPS games..) why not try this one...
Regretted ever since, why i didn't try this sooner... Oh man, what a game. So many things happened in one game, beautiful story... It's now one of my favorite game ever.
Wow sounds like my story ny brother decimated the disc lol but I love to get a recap now rebirth is out in a week or so
Sigh... Watching this summary about FF7 makes me wonder why these kinds of deep "narrative by design" stories became a minority. I remember a point in time in which we were completely surrounded by brilliant storylines in almost all popular genres.
Much as I love watching pewds and so forth I'm sure they're something to do with it.. Definitely feel less compelled to play resident evil / firewatcher / doki doki / detroit become human / etc if he's given me the storyline and content plus some humor and less filler
Tho I'll be doing FF7 for sure, my childhood fave
Just what i was thinking. thats why i dont play many games anymore
@@kestasjk Yeah I guess you can say that. Nowadays we have so much information available on the net that the risk of spoiling our experience is really high, but I think that there's a certain mystique in storylines that has been mostly lost because of lazy writing. When most of the story conflict is basically given out in the beginning portion of the game in too much detail and with little deviations, it just neuters the whole thing. It's kind of hard to explain, but the correct feeling while playing a plot driven game is when you manage to feel as if the game story was playing out in real life. That mix of uncertainty, mystery, fear and hope all at the same time.
witcher 3 brought it back a bit for me
@@brandonhill5805 Yeah Witcher 3 was awesome. Total immersion.
I thought I knew the story but every few minutes I go "wait, what??" and have to rewind a bit. Thanks for this video. Very well written and narrated!
I love FF7 and on my 20ish rewatch of this recap. Thanks Xygor for this, FF Fans appreciate !!!
Glad you have watched so many times, thank you!
@@Xygor Im still rewatching this. Thanks again.
Haha! This is the SHORT version!
No. This is all we need to know. The "long version" is just filler.
He just left out most filler info.
@@The-Azure-Knight Filler or not there's alot that happened that was glossed over...
Love how this video started out with music from Chrono Trigger on a Final Fantasy game.....
11:55 "Inside, Sephiroth observes the mutated experiments of Hojo, created through exposure Tomacco"
Can't wait for FFVII Remake.
I used to be pumped, now I don't know how to feel about it since the information came out that 1) it will be action rather than turn-based, 2) that it will be multiple episodes, and 3) that some storyline elements will be changed entirely. I'm not hyping myself up anymore.
@@Xygor I was very skeptic atthe beginning, but FF7 Crisis Core was an action RPG and I ended up loving it. I don't think the remake will have the same impact or will be as good as the original, but it can still be a very good game.
@@asdf-un9gs It migght be very good still
@@Xygor Storyline changes? r u sure?
@@MarcusLeziria Sure! I don't play many videogames anymore, but I'm definitely going to buy this one the day it's released.
I usually never comment on any videos, but this channel is very underrated. Simply the most thorough explanation of one of my all-time favorite RPGs. Keep up the great work and thank you Xygor Gaming!
One of the parts of this game that really shows its age is how many central plot points you can easily miss entirely if you don't go to the exact right place at the right time, e.g. the cutscene that shows Zack and Cloud escaping toward Midgar. This summary helped solidify everything clearly in my mind in preparation for Rebirth :D
this has to be one of my favourite videos of youtube, thanks for making it :)
I've been a final fantasy fan for years and I gotta say this is a Very well put together video. Its simply and to the point. Easy explained for everyone. Nice work.
Thank you very much, really glad you liked it!
Finally, 20 years later, I was able to understand the history of the game. I spent hundreds of hours playing this game, and I was never able to get the full story.
Nice job. 👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏
Great summary! It is so extensive that I watched it twice. I really enjoyed it.
My sons are now 24 & 21 and I can't explain to them why I like this game. I told them I'm excited for the remake and I'll buy the console if the remake will be released.
What an awesome dad you are!
@4XeoN The oNe7
Thank you. However, I don't think I'm an awesome dad. Many times I have disappointed them. I try my best to look for opportunities that we can have a chat or two by eating out, etc.
Thanks again 😀
The remake has been released 3 days ago. Did you buy a ps4 and the remake? 😁
@PyroCham
I didn't realize that it has been a year already! I already have a PS4.
😀
However, my younger brother has it and I can't get it because of the quarantine. I made a mistake of not pre-ordering it. I told my brother to purchase it for me and I'll just pay later. Deluxe edition is no longer available. Big mistake...
I hope I can travel next week so that I can start playing. This quarantine is a great opportunity for me to play all day.
My two grown-up kids are making fun of me when they saw me watching the uploaded game. They are asking me how am I suppose to play it since I've watched it.
I realized that I shouldn't watch it but since I already started the video, I watched it until the end. I can't help it.
😀
@@trywarez I completely understand 😄. It's the anticipation that makes it hard not to watch. We waited so long for this release and now it's finally here.
I have to admit, I watched some UA-cam videos of the remake myself. Since I haven't bought the remake yet either. In fact, I'm not sure if I will. At least, not yet. I think I will wait for the next part to release. I've already waited this long for this part to release, so I might as well wait until I'm able to get the full experience. Regardless of how long it may take for it to release.
Square Enix already anounced before the release that this first part ends right when you're about to leave Midgar. I just know that I will be disappointed, because it's not actually finished and there's still a lot more to come.
Yesterday, I decided to start playing the original FFVII. After that I might replay VIII, XI and X as well. The nostalgia is already kicking in. It has been a long time for me.
I hope you and your kids enjoy the remake though 😀
Even before Crisis Core, Zack's story always felt very tragic. Especially visiting his parents in Gungaga was a hit in the guts. I was very happy when Crisis Core was released. And thank you, excellent video! Got yourself a new sub and fan.
What a backstory. As if almost half of this video details everything that happened before the game’s plot even begins lol. Fantastic. Thank you for these brilliant plot summaries.
I played FF7 like 100x and I thank for this awesome video. Now I am completed
This was a fantastic summary. Great job, bro. I HAD to subscribe seeing your comments that this is not the last one you have planned. Thanks and I wish your channel success.
Thanks man! Working on the FF6 version of this now.
playing it like 5 times over 10 years isnt enough, good i can rewatch it hear. ty man
That was a great explanation, but could you repeat that again? lol
After 41 minutes and 55 seconds i was like "w.h.a.t."
Jesus.. I remember when I was 20 a friend asked to hear what FFVII was about... I recited the whole story by memory over about an hour and three beers.
That was the moment I realized how significant the game was to me - I had zero clue I knew every moment by heart.
Wow, I don't remember the story being so confusing. Great video. I'd love to see your breakdown of FF Tactics. Now that story confused the crap out of me and I played the game many times.
I definitely plan to do Final Fantasy Tactics eventually! Glad you liked this.
The Tactics story isn't that hard to understand when you realize it's the retelling of the events of a war that history has gotten wrong. It's been a couple decades so forgive me if my memory's slipped but basically history has no idea about who Ramza is and his heroic efforts in undoing mass corruption.
Thanks for this no nonsense storytelling. It's nice to just get the information without a bunch of memes and interruptions every other sentence.
"Where she slaps Scarlet silly!"
hehe slap
That ending blew my freakin mind
Took me about 10 playthroughs to fully understand the plot of this masterpiece. Good old days.
Good old days about to be renewed with the remaster!
I remember back then it was said that it had about 60 - 120 hours of gameplay and that was pretty amazing, but these days you'll do 1000-3000 hours of a game on steam and not think about it
@@kestasjk anyone putting those kind of hours on one game "without thinking about it" are jobless lifeless bums.
I say this being a gamer myself.
Jeremy Burr So if you go onto steam what is the game with the most hours, and how many hours? Mine is Left 4 dead 2 with 1800 (have to admit I thought it was double that, so 3000 might be an exaggeration) and I’m neither jobless or “lifeless”, and haven’t played it for months, but in total yep its 1800 hours since I picked it up 10 years ago
I just finished the game for the first time in like 10 years, and this vid conveniently popped up on my recommendations. It's interesting to hear the story in chronological order. I even learned some things I've always missed, even though I've completed the game many times. Never realized about the Cetra splitting into Ancients and humans.. I thought the Cetra were a different kettle of fish from humans altogether.
Played this game as a teen and loved the hell out of it. Always citing it as one of my favorites of all time. Without replaying it for some years I realized I barely remembered much of the story. Wanted this recap before I play the remake soon. Thanks so much!
23:34 "On the roof, Rufus has assumed the presidency." XD
"There, Cait Sith" "Noooo, it's pronounced punch me in the face"
Idk how you have so little subs, I love listening to these at night trying to sleep. I can picture the entire story unfold in my mind
Great summary!
One main question though...If Sephiroth was thrown into the Lifestream by Cloud at the Mount Nibel reactor event 5 years prior to where the player starts playing as Cloud, then drifts to where he would be encased in Mako (?) in the Northern Mountains (seemingly unconscious).
How is it he kills Aerith/Aeris at the temple of the Ancients event that was prior to the player finding Sephiroth in the Northern Mountains?
Also, why is Sephiroth not in his custom Soldier uniform while being incased in Mako? He fell into the Lifestream with it on.
Throughout the game, what appears as Sephiroth - until the Northern Carter - is actually Jenova appearing in the form of Sephiroth.
Sephiroth is imprisoned in Whirlwind Maze all the time, but throught Lifestream he can command and summon anyone infected with JENOVA, most infected and powerfull is a Nibelheim corpse that most of people just name as JENOVA (even if that is not really true since JENOVA is a sentient virus, is like to name Flu a person who is most flu sick).
If you ever saw a John Carpenter's The Thing - 80's horror movie, it could explain you a lot what JENOVA is as it was based on same thing, a novel by John W. Campbell, Jr "Who goes there?".
In the novel a group of scientific researchers, isolated in Antarctica by the nearly ended winter, discover an alien spaceship buried in the ice, where it crashed twenty million years before. They are attacked by a monster that spread like a virus on celluar level, is sentient, can read mind and shapeshift.
Also in the novel this virus-creature original form is a blue monster with 3 red eayes..... yeah. In FF7 JENOVA infected body that we see in Nibel Reactor also is blue and have 3 eyes while one is glowing red.
Sephiroth using one of infeted bodies shepeshit so it looks like himself and kill Aeris (tho not in Tample of Ancient tho, but in Forgotten Capitol).
As for uniform, look closely on Sephiroth durring FMV when Cloud give him Black Materia, Sephiroth not only is missing his uniform but also....HIS LEGS !
Yeah for some reason (maybe throught wound dealt by Cloud) he is cut in half.
Also not encased in Mako but in Materia and well that location is called Whirlwind Maze or just Northern Creater (hard to say as last location leading to it is called Whirlwind Maze).
Ofc it is super hard to remember all the names.
As for Lifestream/Materia/Mako - Lifestream is basiclly Planets blood (so like Oil), Materia is crystalized Lifestream , Mako is like gasoline (Lifestream that was processed by man to be used comercialy).
@BLE SCH not a sephiroth clone, it is Jenova. It is mentioned in the game that she is a shapeshifter and can appear in other forms. It is why she killed aeris who has the blood of the ancients and a piece of her is dropped during each encounter.