Final Fantasy 7 Remake: 9 MAJOR Changes We Can't Believe

9. Sephiroth's Reveal Is TOTALLY Different - Ditches Major Scene & Buildup From Original

One of the most iconic and terrifying villains in gaming history, part of why Sephiroth makes such an impression in the first game comes from an immaculate buildup.

Being mentioned multiple times by Cloud as something of a "celebrity soldier" he aspires to imitate, various Shinra members discuss Sephiroth's abilities as "perhaps too good". We even delve into full-on horror territory - and this is still without a visual - as a large sword is found sticking out of a side character's corpse, to which Cloud remarks that it belongs to Sephiroth.

It's only a couple of hours after this - when the gang are in Kalm - that Cloud spills the details on his relationship to this now near-mythical figure, told through gameplay.

In flashback as Cloud narrates, you accompany Sephiroth on a mission, watching him down a fully grown dragon in one swing, doing thousands of points of HP damage, and coming across as goddamn terrifying in the process. It cemented video game storytelling as something altogether more engaging thanks to how much your attacks had been doing to this point, and was the perfect introduction to the character in the flesh.

Now though... Sephiroth turns up in Midgar, inside Cloud's head, after the first reactor goes up. They converse, Cloud takes a swing at him, and he's gone.

I'll get to how this reframes FF7's narrative overall, but the fact Sephiroth's reveal has been completely changed will no doubt divide fans.