Since its release on April 10th, Final Fantasy VII Remake has been the talk of the town, adding to the decades-long conversation about the iconic PlayStation 1 game from 1997. One way the internet continues to show its admiration for the legendary JRPG is through memes poking fun at the beloved story and its characters.
Like best friends ragging on each other, nothing solidifies a bond stronger than finding the humor in endearing faults and inconsistencies. The following list will focus on memes centering around Cloud, the spiky-haired hero players control while making their way through Midgar. From here on out, spoilers may come up, so be mindful.
10 Cloud-Based Gaming
These days, everybody is gaming from the cloud, streaming titles without ever having to download the whole adventure to their console. Back in 1997 no such feature existed. Go back in time and ask somebody about “cloud gaming,” and they’ll point to the character from the recently released Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation, which would go on to revolutionize the medium and popularize the JRPG in the west.
9 Shots Fired
The ability to wield a giant sword is not all there is to being a great protagonist. Squall calls out Cloud for letting the love of his life die.
Additionally, Cloud’s Buster Sword doesn’t have a gun on it like Squall’s weapon of choice. At the end of the day, however, they are both fine protagonists from two stellar games.
8 Kermit The Cloud
This play on the classic Kermit the Frog meme isn’t Cloud being sarcastic; at this point in the story, he really does not care about saving the planet. Fortunately, he warmed up to the idea more as the game goes on and ultimately goes on to play a significant role in saving the world.
7 Digital Vs Physical Release
Physical copies of Final Fantasy VII Remake broke the street date in certain territories, while people who bought it digitally had to wait until April 10th. Cloud Strife bought it on the PSN store and was unable to play the hotly-anticipated title early.
He shouldn’t feel too bad; those who got it early only did so because of the state of the world at the time of its release. Besides, why should he care about playing it if he lived it?
6 Stab Me Once, Shame On You…..
Seriously, what kind of luck does Cloud have to get impaled by the same sword twice? At least the second injury must not have been as painful, right? The first time happened in Crisis Core, which is considered one of the greatest Final Fantasy VII spin-offs, while the second time occurred in Advent Children, a less celebrated piece of fiction in the game’s lore. Maybe Cloud will receive a third impalement in a future installment of the Final Fantasy VII saga kickstarted by Final Fantasy VII Remake.
5 Graphics Shaming
People should not dismiss games just because the graphics are dated. The original Final Fantasy VII’s gameplay still holds up. Minor inconveniences are remedied by recent re-releases where players can speed up the gameplay to whiz past those comically long summon animations. Additionally, the blocky character models and two-dimensional backgrounds still possess an irresistible charm.
4 He Can Pull Off A Mean Squat, Though
This moment gets a little more clarity in the remake, but it still does not explain why Cloud could not simply pull himself up from the ledge and jump across to the other side.
Being a former member of Soldier, Cloud should be a world class athlete. Perhaps it was destiny preventing him from climbing back up. After all, he would not have met Aerith again if he had not fallen into her flowerbed.
3 The Church Of Modern Day Aerith
Is this from the ending of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children or a deleted scene from BioShock: Infinite showing Zachary Comstock baptizing citizens in the floating city of Colombia? The movie is so off the rails, one could be convinced of misremembering that this is actually how the scene plays out. While the original release is especially criticized for its pacing and story, the re-release, Advent Children Complete, fleshes out the narrative with numerous new scenes.
2 A Cold Judge
Simon Cowell is an infamously stern judge on many TV talent and singing competitions. Cloud reminds the player of the British producer and television personality every time he coldly brushes off other characters. He says “Not Interested” so much, it might as well be his catchphrase. Maybe once this whole crisis is over, he can find a second career on television as a judge on “Midgar’s Got Talent.”
1 Brilliant Foreshadowing
Cloud’s inclusion in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U came as a massive surprise for fans of Final Fantasy and the long-running fighting franchise. Observant players will note how the series hinted at the character’s inclusion for years before he officially made it in. The clouds in the background are a clear indicator of the developer’s intention to add the iconic character to the roster. If this was not the case, why else would there be clouds in the sky on a map?
