Chapter 807: Looks Equal 'Justice'

With the popular screening of 'Advent Children', online players began discussing the content of Final Fantasy.

From the content presented, it still felt quite strange to players.

If it were just a movie, there wouldn't be much to it, but the key was that after the news released by Nebula Games, many people understood one thing: 'Advent Children' showcased the worldview of the game Final Fantasy.

However, the background of this worldview in the movie was simply too complex.

There was the immense mechanical beauty of steampunk, the magic of fantasy, combined with cold weapon sword skills and the setting of so-called Materia. It felt both sci-fi and fantasy, which left people baffled.

Amidst players' anticipation and curiosity, the official promotional trailer for Final Fantasy finally arrived.

In fact, during this period, players could also feel Chen Xu's emphasis, not just on 'Advent Children', this CGI blockbuster that clearly burned through a lot of money.

After the movie's successful run, advertisements related to Final Fantasy and 'Advent Children' appeared on subway billboards and large screens in commercial plazas in first and second-tier cities across the country.

Although in terms of popularity, 'Advent Children' had higher buzz than Final Fantasy.

Nevertheless, the relationship between the two was like conjoined twins; one couldn't discuss the 'Advent Children' movie without mentioning Final Fantasy.

Coupled with the fact that it was produced by Chen Xu, and the game still remained veiled in mystery, revealing nothing beyond its related worldview background.

Many players who had been following this game, as well as audiences who were curious because of the movie, naturally clicked on the trailer immediately after learning of its release.

They were eager to see if Chen Xu would bring them new surprises this time.

………………

Clicking on the promotional video, the opening still featured the Nebula Games LOGO, which then slowly faded away.

A simple BGM began, a melody composed of arpeggios.

First, a C major chord containing four ascending notes played back and forth alternately, then transitioning into an A minor chord in the same diatonic pattern as before.

This was the renowned Crystal Prelude from the Final Fantasy series.

Initially, due to the hardware limitations of the FC and SFC, only three tones could be used.

But later, this piece evolved into the signature theme of the Final Fantasy series.

After the darkness, a starry sky appeared on the video screen.

Young Cloud and Tifa sat on top of a windmill water tower at night.

“What did you want to tell me?”

With his back to Tifa, Cloud placed his hands on his thighs and spoke seriously.

“I’m leaving the village in spring to go to Midgar… I want to become a Shinra Soldier.”

“To become the strongest Shinra Soldier, like Sephiroth!”

Accompanying Cloud’s words, many viewers who had seen the 'Advent Children' CGI movie were a little stunned.

In 'Advent Children', it was mentioned that Sephiroth and Cloud were both former Shinra Special Forces soldiers.

However, the fact that Cloud initially joined Shinra because he admired Sephiroth was not mentioned in the movie. So, seeing this, many players showed surprised expressions, and also became curious as to why Sephiroth and Cloud later became mortal enemies.

The next second, the camera instantly cut to Cloud, now a Shinra Soldier with a greatsword on his back, appearing in front of the Shinra Mako Reactor. Beside him were Tifa and a red-dressed girl not seen in the movie.

Her name was unclear, but her appearance alone made many players unable to control their excitement.

She was a female character who was in no way inferior to Tifa!

As for Sephiroth, with his 40-meter long katana and white hair, standing in front of Cloud, players unconsciously ignored him.

“Is that really you? Is that really you?”

Looking at Sephiroth's back, Cloud seemed somewhat disbelieving.

The scene then switched to various departments within Shinra.

It seemed Shinra was undertaking some kind of project.

But the next moment, a scene that surprised everyone appeared.

The camera moved to a nightclub. A group of dancers dressed as bees were performing enthusiastically on stage, illuminated by the lights.

A man named Andrea, who looked very gay, emerged from the crowd.

“Welcome to the Honeybee Inn, Cloud.”

“True beauty lies in what you feel inside.”

“Cloud, listen to me, beauty knows no gender.”

He painted Cloud's face, his hair was tied into two small pigtails, and he was wearing a black evening gown.

“Perfect!”

He looked at Cloud, then fireworks erupted on stage.

Tifa, Sephiroth, and that red-dressed girl? They could all step aside; cross-dressing Cloud was the one true god!

All the players watching the video widened their eyes, seeing Cloud in drag.

They had absolutely no idea that Cloud, who finally tore Sephiroth apart in 'Advent Children', would have a cross-dressing scene!

And what was with this inexplicable sense of excitement?

Then came a series of quick cuts.

The Mako Reactor explosion and Roche's high-speed chase.

Red XIII, who could speak and resembled a wolf-leopard.

The scene then returned once more to the moment before the Mako Reactor, where Cloud encountered Sephiroth.

“Such a touching reunion!”

Their eyes met, accompanied by the swing of a katana.

A black feather slowly drifted down from the sky, and the next moment, the camera focused on a close-up of Sephiroth's emotionless eyes.

The video then ended.

[I will… never be a memory!]

Although this line wasn't present, recalling Sephiroth's cold eyes at the end, this sentence involuntarily appeared in the minds of all players who had seen 'Advent Children'.

After watching this less-than-three-minute Final Fantasy promotional trailer.

After a brief moment of excitement, countless players quickly discovered a bigger problem.

That is, before watching, their intention was to find answers to some questions from 'Advent Children' that they hadn't understood.

But after watching, they realized.

Not only did they not clarify their previous confusions, but even more questions arose.

First and foremost was the Shinra Company.

In the movie, the Shinra Company didn't leave a deep impression.

Because at that time, Midgar was already largely destroyed.

Shinra's most memorable characters were instead the somewhat comical Reno and his brother Rude.

But in the game's promotional trailer, players got to see Shinra in its prime.

The colossal steampunk city truly left every player who saw it genuinely shocked.

Besides that, there was also an additional red-dressed girl. The movie didn't mention her much in this context, but in the game, she seemed to have a very important role.

And then there was Sephiroth and Cloud's line: “Such a touching reunion.”

This implied that Cloud and Sephiroth seemed to know each other before, and it was highly possible that Cloud had fought Sephiroth once before, which ended in Cloud's victory.

This intricate relationship, along with the vast worldview revealed in just the promotional trailer, left many players feeling a bit bewildered.

Of course, these weren't the most crucial points.

The truly crucial point was that the characters in the game were incredibly appealing to players.

The handsome Cloud, the long-haired, dark-clad Tifa, the new girl in the red dress, and even the aloof Sephiroth.

Especially the 'Deng Deng Deng Deng' BGM that played upon his appearance was utterly imposing.

Although Sephiroth was directly defeated during his own BGM in 'Advent Children', this didn't diminish his oppressive presence as a main boss.

Especially the line in 'Advent Children': “I will never be a memory.”

It can be said to be full of gravitas.

This also meant that even though Sephiroth only appeared at the very end of 'Advent Children' to fight Cloud,

He still enjoyed extremely high popularity among many viewers, especially female audiences.

There was no helping it, who could resist Sephiroth's striking good looks?

Ugly bosses are the kind who deserve to be killed by the protagonist, and players would wish to kill them, revive them, and kill them again, scattering their ashes.

But handsome bosses, even as villains, would still attract a large number of 'looks-fans.' Furthermore, if they hadn't committed truly heinous acts, they could even be whitewashed later on.

Why are 99% of SSR characters in card games handsome, beautiful character portraits?

That's precisely the reason.

Although the saying “looks equal justice” is a fundamentally flawed perspective, “looks equal sales” holds significant truth.

Of course, a game cannot solely feature beautiful men and women; it will also intersperse some less attractive but acceptable supporting characters to highlight the protagonists' glorious image, as contrast is needed to emphasize how handsome the protagonists are.

In a sense, Barret, the powerful and seemingly reliable member of the AVALANCHE team, fills such a role.

As for the final cross-dressing Cloud, it brought a knowing smile to many players' faces.

Because games under Nebula Games often feature such humorous Easter eggs.

For example, cross-dressing Link in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario wearing a wedding dress in Super Mario Odyssey, and Pyra in Xenoblade Chronicles... (End of Chapter) <>