Are We Final Fantasy VII Players Ready to Return to the City of the Ancients?
Musings on Anticipated Grief of a Parasocial Relationship and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's Release
A Quick Disclaimer:
Spoiler Warnings: This article will go over events from Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy Remake. This was written before the release of Rebirth and without reviewing anticipated plotlines outside of the fact the City of the Ancients is in Rebirth. Part of the journey for some of us is not observing content before release, including avoiding demos and trailers whenever possible. I hope to be pleasantly surprised in many ways this next weekend, and I hope you do as well when you get to play Rebirth
A Trip to the Past, and Future (Sort Of)
Grief is strange and intense for almost everyone, with individual experiences and multiple forms. There's grief for when a tragedy has already occurred, anticipatory grief for when a "very bad" thing is expected to happen, and many other forms. Generally, we know that the death of humans is inevitable and thus only occurs once, with the exception of some medical miracles. While grief can be complex and last many years, even the rest of one's lifetime, what is a constant for us is that important person in our lives will only die once.
So what happens when you are anticipating grieving the same death twice, even without confirmation the death is actually inevitable?
Many folks are wondering that now with the impending release of FFVII Rebirth. In the original Final Fantasy VII, one of the most valuable and beloved characters, Aerith, dies a very shocking and violent death at the hands of the game's villain, Sephiroth.
This death was traumatizing for many gamers for many reasons. Still, why would children and adults alike fall in love with a video game character? Parasocial Relationship is the term for forming a relationship with an individual, fictional or real, that is generally one-sided, such as with celebrities and fictional characters. This is gradually shifting as live streamers are included in the mix (more on this here). It is an entirely normal and understandable process. Aerith is a character with whom many can form this kind of bond.
Throughout the game, we learn about Aerith's history and background. We see her as a sweet, kind, and generous person who wants to give love and flowers to an intensely sad and dark world. There is something mystical about her, with her connections to the lifestream. While everyone else expresses varying forms of fear and anxiety, she remains grounded and optimistic as a calming force in the chaos. Her role in the party is generally that of the healer, so she is extensively relied upon for the party's success. It's easy to fall in love with her. Thus, her sudden and unexpected loss in the game understandably has an emotional impact.
So, what is the impact of Aerith's death on these players based on their parasocial relationship with her? First off, for younger gamers, this could be one of the first times they experienced such a sudden and traumatic loss, and thus working through grief for the first time, as children may for a grandparent or pet fish. The emotions and process are the same. Second, Aerith's death in the original game challenges ideas around goodness winning out in the end. This is one of the purest of heart characters you could ever meet, and regardless of her goodness, she is slain, a battle won by the villain in a war for the safety of the world. Third, it destroyed players' strategy and sense of consistency for the game itself. They spent hours building this character up as their sole healer, and now she was gone. How would they win the game moving forward without a healer? And if she were to suddenly die, what else would happen in this game and to these other beloved characters? All bets were off for any anticipation of the plot.
So, how did we get to a position of anticipating seeing the same death for a second time? The remake of Final Fantasy VII was expected for about a decade after Sony mistakenly decided to use the opening of Final Fantasy VII with new, updated graphics as a technical demo of the capabilities of the PlayStation 3 at E3 in 2005. Then there were years of fan gossip with constant denial of this ever coming to fruition. And then it finally did, and it was released right at the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown when we needed it most. Those familiar with the game's plot and remake development were sure we were safe from Aerith's death in the first game, as it was anticipated that the game would wrap up the storyline by leaving Midgar. Aerith's death happens well after this in the original game.
And now, four years later, here we are, with Rebirth, and we still don't know with absolute certainty how this will end. After all, the end of FFVII Remake, the first installment, made significant changes while keeping with the original's spirit. There is a good possibility Aerith will not die, or her death may depend on your choices throughout the game. We don't know- thus, gamers have been asking, "Are we really going to experience this same death twice?"
Even with the plot to be determined, if Aerith does die, the experience will be very different. Remake gave us a similar yet more fleshed-out and complex character in Aerith because it had the time and space to do so. She enters her first fight with Cloud by saying, "I can fight too, ya know!" She's informing us, the player, that she is capable of much more than focusing on healing, and leveling these skills will allow for a more complex yet successful gameplay. Because we get more time to get to know her, we get many more cutscenes of adorable quips and foreshadowing into her skillset. This ensures we know she is this understatedly powerful and complex character. The scenes of her demonstrating her wisdom, optimism, and groundedness impact every character to the point where they accept and embrace her almost instantly, as do we, the players. Therefore, if she dies in this game, there will be different grief responses because we are witnessing the death of a new version of the character, with more memories and connections made.
1. Name the Trauma and its Responses
Now, we know the term trauma is used often nowadays in ways that can diminish its meaning. Still, this was a traumatic event for many gamers. There is a strong possibility that as we approach the forest of the ancients, we may tense up, we may have intrusive recall of playing the original and witnessing Sephiroth fall from the sky, katana in hand, we may become tearful, or angry that we're going through this all over again. And that's OK - emotional experiences are OK. It's what you do with them.
2. We Don’t Know What’s Going to Happen
Challenge catastrophic thinking by imagining a reality where Aerith lives this time, and remember that's just as possible as re-experiencing her death. If she does die, consider it like any other grief process. But for now, let's remind ourselves that her dying a second time is, in fact, not an inevitability, and ground ourselves in our present knowledge the character as we currently know her is, in fact, alive.
3. What if She Dies This Time?
And if she does die a second time, let's let the emotional experience come as it needs to. Humans can grieve however necessary as long as it doesn't harm themselves or others. I like to describe it to my clients as it's like a dartboard (which works great for this if you played the mini-game in Seventh Heaven in Remake). The dart hits a state randomly, even when trying to aim for a specific outcome, and that is where you are for that particular moment. So identify the state, notice it, experience it, and don't judge it just because Aerith is a fictional character. She has influenced so many people, and you are not alone in your experience!
4. Remember the Trilogy
Regardless of what happens, remember what I call "The Trilogy" - eating, sleeping, and body care. Stay on top of your nutrition and sleep. Take a shower. Go for a walk on a gaming break. Take your eyes off the screen every so often. And remember to find your people! Text a friend, find a Discord server that feels safe and secure to discuss this - just do whatever it takes to make a connection. This is good practice for gaming in general. It's a practice I engaged with after my recent replay of Remake and the fall of the Sector 7 pillar. The Trilogy helps us through those rough moments and is an excellent foundation for regulating emotions.
5. Also- Remember That it is a Game
While games aren't "fun" each moment we play, they give us experience and meaning. They're an escape from our natural world, and we get so much from them. With that said, if the emotions from the experience become too overwhelming, it is absolutely appropriate to take a break and do something different.
This anticipation feels very emotional for me. I used to cosplay Aerith many years ago. She was one of the first video game characters I experienced immersion with, where I saw myself and who I wanted to become. I wanted a future where I spread goodness into the world, and while a flawed human like everyone else, I still try to do that. When FFVII Remake was released, I received messages from friends I hadn't spoken to in years asking about my excitement for this iteration of the character, and she's everything I've wanted for her and more. It's like watching a close friend become someone even more amazing as they grow and change. So, if we have to say goodbye a second time, I am ready and will embrace her for everything amazing she is. And I hope you do as well. And if you end up grieving, know that it is normal, you're not that weird, and you're not alone.