How good is the original Final Fantasy VII, you ask?
So good that it made Batman cry!
Well, not the actual fictional character, but the latest actor to don the cape and cowl, Robert Pattinson admitted in a recent interview that the original 1997 release of Final Fantasy VII reduced him to tears.
When asked about his favorite video game of all time during an interview for the promotional tour of his new movie Tenet, Pattinson looked back fondly on the PlayStation 1 RPG.
“I think it was a lot of people’s favorite game, but Final Fantasy VII,” he said. “Probably one of the only times I’ve cried in my life is when Aeris dies.”
Pattinson was referring to the end of the first of Final Fantasy VII’s three discs, where shortly after arriving at the City of the Ancients, the character of Aerith is ruthlessly murdered by Sephiroth. The most iconic villain in Square Enix history drops from the sky and runs the flower girl through with his enormous Masamune Kitana.
It’s interesting to see Pattinson refer to the character as Aeris instead of Aerith. When Final Fantasy VII was released in the United States, the character of Aerith was improperly translated to Aeris. That’s why so many English speaking fans of the franchise still refer to the flower girl by her mistaken name.
Pattinson did not say whether or not he played Final Fantasy VII Remake, which came out this past April to rave reviews. The game is a complete retelling of the story of Final Fantasy VII, and will be split into chapters, each the length of a full game.
The first chapter took place entirely in the city of Midgar, so it ended long before the party journeys to the City of Ancients.
However, some changes to the plotline that come to a head in the game’s climactic final act have made players wonder if Aerith is going to die this time around. The character is more beloved than ever, after being brought to life expertly and adorably by YouTube personality and actress Briana White.
White’s Aerith was so well received that many are hoping for a stay of execution for the character.
It is unknown how far into the original story the second chapter of Final Fantasy VII Remake will go, but it stands to reason that the party could end up at the City of the Ancients sometime before its ending.
Pattinson jokingly reminisced about the character further in the interview, calling her, “My first love.”
