10 Video Game Trailers That Spoiled WAY Too Much

7. Aerith Dies - Final Fantasy VII

Death Stranding 2 Kaiju
Sony Computer Entertainment

The death of Aerith in Final Fantasy VII may be one of the worst-kept spoilers in modern gaming, but back in 1997 it was a shocking, devastating moment that remains a core memory for so many gamers.

And yet, an American TV commercial for the legendary RPG straight-up spoiled Aerith's tragic demise, showing a clip from the iconic post-mortem FMV sequence where Cloud lowers Aerith's body into the water.

And if there was somehow any lingering doubt about Aerith's death, the commercial's accompanying narration mentioned "a story of a love that can never be." So, yeah, she ain't sleeping.

As brilliant a trailer as this was, did Square Enix really need to show such a pivotal moment? 

Even though spoiler culture wasn't nearly as intense in 1997 as it is today, there was very little to gain from giving this tragic outcome away ahead of time.

As for the Europeans who were spared this commercial? They got spoiled themselves when the back of the box art showed a screen grab from the very same sequence. Just... why?

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.