There are a complete of 9 social gathering members in Closing Fantasy VII. Two of them have been optionally available within the authentic, however Rebirth sees that each member is pressured into the story. That is nice for anybody who felt their favourite member did not get sufficient screentime, because the pressured moments included which social gathering members react throughout aspect quests, in contrast to earlier than, if you needed to be fortunate sufficient to assume forward about who you picked at sure occasions.
As such, whereas I noticed loads of scenes with Barrett, Tifa, and Vincent Valentine after I performed FF7 just lately, I solely obtained a handful of moments with characters like Pink XIII and Yuffie. Nonetheless, what I knew of Yuffie, I loved. She introduced a particular power to the group, and I used to be fortunate sufficient to stumble into her aspect quest that explains her backstory. Stated aspect quest, and Yuffie herself, are fairly divisive, so when Yuffie first appeared in Rebirth, I had a sneaking suspicion that the destructive response to her would end in a persona rewrite — one which I’d have felt was useless.
Which is why I am completely happy to say that, no, Yuffie was not remotely scrubbed of her authentic rougher persona traits. If something, Rebirth celebrates them!
The World’s Biggest Ninja
Yuffie initially was a random enemy spawn within the forest areas. You needed to beat her up after which persuade her to affix up within the following moments. This time round, she simply reveals up in Beneath Junon, saved by the dolphin after being attacked by a sea monster. She’s rescued by Cloud, and regardless of a clumsy begin, acts extremely cheerful and grateful for the entire state of affairs. This was truthfully an alarm bell for me. Every little thing about it appeared like the sport’s director staring me within the face and going, “See!? She’s a lot nicer this time!”, which was not a very good promote to me.
There is a time period in writing known as “character assassination.” In brief, that is when a longtime character is totally reworked in a method that removes the whole lot that made them a personality within the first place. It is the loss of life of their persona, if you’ll. And if Yuffie was going to turn out to be only a good woman, identical to Aerith, then what we’d have had was a ruined character in comparison with the unique Yuffie. Even when you nonetheless hate her, you’ll be able to see my level.
Nevertheless, in the case of Yuffie and assassinations, the one connection these phrases have is that Rebirth Yuffie is an murderer.
The sort persona she confirmed Cloud turned out to be an entire rouse. Her precise plan was to lure the group right into a lodge room, get them surrounded by Shinra guards so the Mayor of Beneath Junon might get their bounty cash, after which earn that bounty cash as fee for assassinating the brand new President of Shinra. It was great to witness; a second I really loved being utterly duped. I used to be outsmarted by a toddler who even discovered the time to showcase her ego whereas it was taking place.
I want she had managed the assassination try too. Heidegger thwarts her on the final second, however the Remakes have proven to not be afraid to vary just a few issues, so taking Rufus out of the image early on, in order that different villains like Scarlet took his place as an alternative, would have been extremely fascinating. However for what else it’s, it completely showcased how Yuffie is an underhanded egomaniac with fairly easy objectives on the floor. Nevertheless, she’s not totally unlikable both, as, regardless of this second, she nonetheless manages to be on the social gathering’s good aspect sufficient that she formally joins up just one chapter later.
Her ties to the Wutai are additionally talked about a lot sooner, exhibiting her tragic aspect, and the way little probability she needed to be a lot else aside from an underhanded thief because of Shinra’s assaults. She’s well-rounded, which is a bonus over the unique Yuffie, who did admittedly come throughout as little greater than a joke character loads of occasions. Yuffie nonetheless has her quirky bits, like her fixed motion-sickness, however the way in which she speaks has much more weight and thought put into it this time.
Simply A Bratty Teenage Woman
There’s one thing else that must be addressed, and that is a hang-up I’ve with a number of the recreation’s writing in a single particular side. There is a relationship mechanic within the recreation, and it revolves round how Cloud reacts to what social gathering members say, in addition to when you do the aspect quests that align with them. Many occasions, this works as meant, however I’ve discovered some interactions fall flat, particularly when a personality is speaking to somebody aside from Cloud.
Take Tifa and Aerith, who each have clear emotions for Cloud however go about it in another way. Tifa treats him like an previous pal, versus Aerith, who overtly teases him simply to impress a response. Each are nice. However when it is simply Tifa and Aerith speaking with one another, that is the place issues get a bit completely different, such because the scene under deck of the Shinra 8, the place Aerith says “Let’s speak enterprise! You already know, boys?” which made me roll my eyes close to violently. It is such an adolescent factor for a grown lady to say.
However this unintended capturing of what an adolescent would say could also be a power of the writers in spite of everything, as Yuffie is just 16 and he or she at all times appears like an adolescent. Her ego checks out for a teen, as does her cowardice each time it is clear she’s out of her factor. It’as even there in scenes like Barrett’s homecoming, the place she’s the one one of many social gathering too younger to know why Barrett protecting his head down and letting the city hate this guts is the proper factor to do. She desires to crack heads, and her reasoning makes emotional sense, however it takes an grownup to comprehend it isn’t the proper name. And everybody within the social gathering is aware of this, besides {the teenager}.
Yuffie might have turned out a lot worse, and I even anticipated her to be — a bratty and morally grey character that followers weren’t eager on. That normally requires a makeover. As a substitute, she’s much more of a bratty teen and much more morally grey. They doubled down on the whole lot that made Yuffie, effectively, Yuffie, and I am so completely happy this model of her is the one becoming a member of the social gathering.
