Everything Is Final Fantasy

Cloud goes on a date. Four of em! Cait Sith exhibits ambiguous motives and mechanics, and Sephiroth reveals the plot to use Black Materia and summon Meteor.  

Cloud and crew head back to Nibelheim and meet Vincent, then off to Rocket Town and an introduction to Cid. Then Yuffie steals our materia so we're off to the mystical land of Wutai.

We visit a magical place and see more examples of clumsy representation in FFVII. We hear a bit from John Eric Bentley (voice of Barrett) via Crashing Game night, and experience one of the most emotional moments of the game.

Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Nanaki learn about Barrett's past and visit the Gold Saucer for the first time. Plus, the real-world parallels to an energy company sending private military personnel to massacre a small town.

We comment on Rufus Shinra, the welcoming ceremony, and displays of military might. Plus, FFVII continues to blow us away with its presentation and complex themes on our way to Costa Del Sol.

The Nibelheim Incident in its original telling by Cloud Strife. Themes emerge more clearly surrounding memory, reliable narrators, the nature of magic, sympathetic villains, making choices in a crisis, and what gives you strength in moments of abject horror.

Our heroes infiltrate Shinra, learn about the Ancients, meet Red XIII, and walk the trail of blood in one of the more memorable segments of FFVII.

Cloud and Aerith infiltrate Wall Market, do a little cross dressing, find Tifa in a strange place and meet Don Corneo who reveals a larger conspiracy. Plus, the romantic elements of the story deepen.

In this episode, we make a promise to Tifa, meet Aerith Gainsborough and do a deep dive on her character, then begin to open up some of the deeper spiritual themes of Final Fantasy VII. Plus, more hints at Cloud's mysterious past, and a discussion on some of the ambiguous gender dynamic at play.

We dive into the complicated legacy of Barrett Wallace and begin to talk representation in FFVII. We also start to think about the consequences of the ecoterrorism and meet Tifa who hints at Cloud's past. 

We begin our conversation on Final Fantasy VII. Before we can get into the game, we have to take a look at everything surrounding it and set the stage for why this is one of the most-discussed video games of all time. Then, we have just enough time to break down its iconic intro.

We conclude our conversation on what Final Fantasy VI has to say about fascism, bigotry, oppression, and community responsibility before examining its wonderful cast of characters and personal questions one last time.

Drew tries to make the argument that with FFVI, Nobuo Uematsu crafted the greatest soundtrack of all time... in any medium.

Final Fantasy VI does so much of its world building through its music. On this episode we discuss the places, battle, and event music that comprise one of the greatest soundtracks in any medium ever.

We discuss the art and gameplay of FFVI with a specific focus on the role and history of Steampunk. Plus, we spend a lot more time opining on how best to remake this classic.  

We discuss the conclusion of Final Fantasy VI. How well does it work from a storytelling standpoint? Which character conclusions are perfect and which less so? And what can we learn with our final encounter with Kefka, God of Nihilism?  

On this episode, Gau faces rejection, Cyan faces his own demons, literally and figuratively, the team faces down a sasquatch, and Terra once again faces a moment of truth.

It's an emotional episode as Celes surprises us with a rare act of self-doubt before picking up the pieces and scouring the world for the Returners. We meet back up with Sabin and Edgar and learn about the history of Setzer and Daryl.

We dive into the climactic moment of Final Fantasy VI's second act as our heroes are face off against Kefka on the Floating Continent. 

Ira and Drew continue down the path of the Final Fantasy VI narrative. We learn about the history of the Esper world and get Terra's origin story. We discover the Sealed Gate and are forced to consider an uneasy peace with the empire.  

The Returners infiltrate the Empire and the capitol city of Vector. They learn about the pasts of Kefka and General Leo, behold some overt fascist symbolism, and bear witness to the horrors of the Magitek Research Facility.  

We discuss the Opera of Final Fantasy VI, how it helps to reinforce the themes of the overarching story, and why the music and moment have endured to this day.

We meet one of the greatest characters in franchise history, Celes Chere, and get introduced to a new element of Terra. Our heroes learn about a fateful coin flip and a long-lost love, and what an ancient war has to do with saving their friend.  

We follow Sabin down his path to reuniting with Shadow, meeting Cyan and eventually Gau, and traversing through Doma, the phantom forest and a ghost train; one of the best story arcs in Final Fantasy history.   

We are introduced to Edgar Roni Figaro, King of Figaro and relentless womanizer. We critique his character and debate his thematic purpose as Terra continues to search for herself while everyone races to use her as a weapon.