8 Beloved Video Game Levels That Have Aged Terribly
4. Don Corneo's Mansion - Final Fantasy VII
The original Final Fantasy VII was such an epoch-making moment for the RPG genre that basically every single part of it is intensely cherished by a large swath of players.
And that certainly includes Don Corneo's mansion - the unforgettable set-piece where Cloud and company need to rescue Tifa from mobster-slash-sexual predator Don Corneo, by having Cloud dress up as a woman in order to sneak into the mansion.
Though undeniably one of the most memorable sections from the original game, it's also come under increased scrutiny in more recent years for its perceived problematic undertones, namely making Cloud's cross-dressing a point of inherent comedy and even disgust.
It certainly doesn't play spectacularly to the more enlightened general mindset of the 2020s, enough that Final Fantasy VII Remake gave the entire Don Corneo sequence a wholly progressive makeover, depicting Cloud's cross-dressing in a more celebratory manner without even a scrap of mockery.
How fair is it to hold an almost 30-year game up to contemporary morals? That's up for debate, but regardless, revisiting this sequence from the O.G. game makes for a somewhat uneasy experience today.