Just a reminder for the upcoming chapters: If you still have some side-quests, do them! You won't get another chance to do them if you continue the main story

Your a new fan of this franchise but you don't approach it like a clueless person or somone that wants to poke fun or badger it, you seem to have a deeper awareness of the creativity that goes into these games and I really love that about you. You have knowledge and intelect and you self analyze every little detail. You are exactly the kind of person I would love to see experience this game as a new fan. Given the way you view this game and the kind of perspective you have, i don't think you would ever be the type of person that would make fun of the archaic or primitive graphics and controls of the OG games because you seem to really appreciate things more from like a developers standpoint. Its suprising to see this with someone so new, but I could tell instantly just by the way you talk about certain aspects of the game.

It's crazy to see people react to Sephiroth that don't know who he is, such a great thing to see in 2023

58:50 The crazy part here is that, this is actually not Patrick Warburton. But it's his son. It's crazy to think he sounds just like his dad. :D

As an avid Final Fantasy VII fan I can honestly say this remake was absolutely astounding. One of the best gaming experiences I've had in my life

30:57 -- There sure is.  It's the counterattack Cloud automatically executes against an enemy who strikes him if you block whilst in Punisher Mode.  I cannot overstate how useful this simple mechanic is especially against hyper-aggressive and super-dodgy guys like those Shock Troopers.  The block in Punisher Mode is OP.

I think it's important to remind you that the other Final Fantasy games have nothing to do with this game. Every Final Fantasy game has its own story!

So every Final Fantasy that has a different number on it is about a completely different story.

A couple of helpful notes:

1) For weapon upgrades. Since you changed the setting to automatic, it will now automatically select the upgrade options for you. So if you liked choosing things like Attack Power +5 and Magic Attack +5, then the game will just do it for you and you won’t know what new upgrades you received. I think it’s usually better to spend the SP yourself because some of the upgrade abilities are really cool but you wouldn’t know what the abilities were unless you did the upgrades manually, since they are usually passive buffs that don’t show up as menu options like Focused Thrust.

2) I do suggest changing Cloud’s weapon whenever you get the chance. They have abilities just like Focused Thrust that you can learn. The Iron Blade you received has an ability called “Triple Slash” which does 3 slashes to a crowd of enemies at once. Very handy. After doing the ability 10 times, you learn it permanently. You can then use that ability with any sword and feel free to use whichever one you like - the permanently learned abilities will then be available with every weapon you use.

3) I’m realizing that the accessories are a bit confusing as a newcomer. They provide passive buffs, but not any materia or cosmetic changes (despite sounding cosmetic like ‘earrings.’) For example, Earrings add 5% to Magic Attack Damage, the Power Wristguards add 5% Physical Attack Damage, and the Bullet Vest improves your Defense by 10%.

You gonna love the flower peddler, she's the best

"The local florist's" theme is impossibly perfect. It pulls on the heartstrings so much...

4:06 "Merc's right" -- such a small line, but it signals a very real shift in Barret's regard for Cloud.  Still got a ways to go before true trust, but that's where it begins.

First of all, great playthrough so far! Don't worry about other Final Fantasy games. Each number is it's own separate story so you wouldn't learn anything more about FF7 from the others. Also, not sure if it's some audio setting or whatever but the voices are really in the front in your game so the grunts are quite loud :D also Jessie wasn't audible most of the time when she called to Cloud. Maybe it's the Intergrade change to improve audio clarity I dunno but it's up to personal preferences anyway!

Do all the sidequests. You get nice bonuses and extra cutscenes.

Im new here but I've noticed that you're very observant and it's AWESOME!! A lot of people i've watched breezed through and missed details this game has in both graphics and combat gameplay. The interest you have in learning the game mechanics is very refreshing. This is gonna be an awesome playthrough o_o

This remake is incredible really good vibes

A quick tip for making things easier if you need to use multiple potions out of combat, hold down L1 while selecting a potion or ether to use more than one without having to go to the menu every time.

Great video 👍 About the ”missing context“ thing, you said after your first Sephiroth encounter: you need not to worry. FF7 in it’s entirety and especially Remake is essentially a mystery epic—meaning questions will keep piling up for a while. But in the end when you finally piece it together it‘ll be worth it. Oh, and FF7 isn’t connected to any other Final Fantasy in any way. For example, you do not need to play FF6 to better understand 7—they‘re completely different stories.

Just keep on doing what you’re doing and enjoy the ride—we‘ll do the same. 👍

What I find great about this game is that it's super graphical without being too realistic so that is still feels like a videogame and not a movie

Don't worry, not all chapters have side quests like this one, only a couple of them do. Others are more straight-forward and usually shorter

The meaning behind Cloud’s comment of “You know what I was right?” is indeed a reference to his being in SOLDIER.  SOLDIER’s are not the same as soldiers in our universe.  SOLDIER is an elite unit of security forces akin to US Navy SEALs and have enhanced agility, strength and resilience due to conditioning with Mako (i.e., magic) showers, a side effect of which is slightly glowing eyes that go blue and eventually green.  They are also highly trained in the use of Shinra weaponry, battle tactics and materia.  Cloud is an expert in these fields so asking him if he knows how to use materia is a tad patronising for him.
Plus in your last video you mentioned the liquid in the Mako reactor shimmering like it was magical.  That liquid is actually concentrated mako/magic, and is drawn from deep underground.  The mako reactors convert this into electricity for human consumption, but the difference from our world is that mako is essentially the planet’s blood and consuming enough of it will prevent the growth of new life (hence the wilting flowers in the opening credits).  But for a few exceptions, nothing grows in Midgar.  Shinra is literally killing the planet rather than figuratively as it is a living being.  Materia is mako condensed further into a solid crystalline form and is both found naturally (rarely) and manufactured by Shinra.