LogFAQs > #971532819

Chapter 3 Home Sweet Slum

Differences between this and the original: A completely original scenario that expands on life in the slums and Tifa's relationship with Cloud.

I want to get one thing out of the way: I don't like the look of the slums in this game. I feel like in the original, there was a real grimy, moldy feel to the slums. They felt like an undergrowth, something cut off from the sunlight and shrouded in the dark. I always sold the oppression of the upper plate on the people below. Lights are constantly on with an eerie green glow. By contrast, we see the slums in bright lights and more of a desert town feel. Nothing inherently wrong with it, but I think the tone shifts from the original's "life in the slums is hell" to "we're broke and we have nothing but we'll band together and do the best we can." It's not to big of a deal, it just feels like a shift in how we view the slums.

The map itself feels pretty constricting. Your "dungeons" are pretty small (with one being essentially 3 battle areas) and get used multiple times for different sidequests. But I love the interactions between Tifa and Cloud, and even the moments with the Avalanche members. Tifa really wants to get Cloud established, and you can hear her disappointment when Cloud seems to be already talking about leaving. Even the little moment that leads to her dress decision, and the unease she feels when she can't get a straight answer out of Cloud about what happened when he left Nibelheim. Just mixing him a drink leads to some fun character moments. And I know it's from chapter 4, but having her admit the complicated feelings on AVALANCHE's actions is a lot more than we got from Tifa in the Midgar section of the original. And her fear of Cloud after he "knocks out" the Shinra soldiers. It was great for something to finally break the fascade of "it's really great to have Cloud back" because this isn't the Cloud she remembers.

The sidequests are... nothing worth writing about. Mostly go here and kill this. I don't think it does much to expand on the sector 7 slums in terms of what life is like. They're mostly harmless and you need some combat scenarios. I didn't feel like I gained any sort of connection to the city or really felt their plight. They just seem to be people living relatively normal lives despite living in crappy homes. No "we're struggling for food and supplies" so much "hey there's annoying monsters, can you take care of them?"

8/10