How Final Fantasy VII Remake uses architecture from all over the world
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Date: 2023-12-10
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Comments and reviews: 30
-Judge2x
FF VII uses architecture symbolically. The evil corporation mining out the life out of the earth is center, towering over everything. Then in the slums, over a body of water is a towering, distinctly Chinese, very lavish pagoda, looming constantly over the hard working folk of Japan, I mean of Japanese-styled architecture with a very fat, hoarding mobster boss in this tower, -oh. Also whose wealth is fake and is around a ton of perpetual construction, lol, look its helping his GDP ok. -
And then Ameri. I mean -Sector 7 Residential Zone- is all walled-apart from each other, dead, lonely, cold and sterile suburbs with capitalist propaganda instead of communal bulletins. Man these game designers have allot on their minds.
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FF VII uses architecture symbolically. The evil corporation mining out the life out of the earth is center, towering over everything. Then in the slums, over a body of water is a towering, distinctly Chinese, very lavish pagoda, looming constantly over the hard working folk of Japan, I mean of Japanese-styled architecture with a very fat, hoarding mobster boss in this tower, -oh. Also whose wealth is fake and is around a ton of perpetual construction, lol, look its helping his GDP ok. -
And then Ameri. I mean -Sector 7 Residential Zone- is all walled-apart from each other, dead, lonely, cold and sterile suburbs with capitalist propaganda instead of communal bulletins. Man these game designers have allot on their minds.
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-Django19
LOVE this video. I played FF7 as a kid and was enamored with Midgar. I moved straight to NYC to live there as soon as I graduated as a result of my love for the game. Love to see Midgar pay homage to the NYC and you confirming its links!
Progressing through the video and now I see the post-war Tokyo call out for Wall Market! I was thinking of Taiwan for a bit. Also awesome singling out the massage parlor house to jump into traditional East Asian architecture.
I definitely felt the same love for the texture of Midgar, its references and homages but could never articulate it like you just did here. Thanks for the video!
Also, the hate on Sector 7 and reference to Jane Jacobs' mixed use architecture and design.
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LOVE this video. I played FF7 as a kid and was enamored with Midgar. I moved straight to NYC to live there as soon as I graduated as a result of my love for the game. Love to see Midgar pay homage to the NYC and you confirming its links!
Progressing through the video and now I see the post-war Tokyo call out for Wall Market! I was thinking of Taiwan for a bit. Also awesome singling out the massage parlor house to jump into traditional East Asian architecture.
I definitely felt the same love for the texture of Midgar, its references and homages but could never articulate it like you just did here. Thanks for the video!
Also, the hate on Sector 7 and reference to Jane Jacobs' mixed use architecture and design.
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polygon
Who the hell beat the original final fantasy 7 in 4 hours? I want to meet this god of gaming. the WR is 6 and a half so. whoever that is, shattered the WR they'd probably want to know about it. If you're wording is off and you want to claim that people beat the midgar section alone in the original in 4 hours you're still wrong it takes around double that. Personally would have rathered a remaster than a remake where they've split the games up so not only is this version of the story going to take like 10-15 years to finish if we're lucky we're paying 3-4 times for what should be one game.
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Who the hell beat the original final fantasy 7 in 4 hours? I want to meet this god of gaming. the WR is 6 and a half so. whoever that is, shattered the WR they'd probably want to know about it. If you're wording is off and you want to claim that people beat the midgar section alone in the original in 4 hours you're still wrong it takes around double that. Personally would have rathered a remaster than a remake where they've split the games up so not only is this version of the story going to take like 10-15 years to finish if we're lucky we're paying 3-4 times for what should be one game.
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-polygon
A cool thing I learned is that while we used to use mercury vapor bulbs in the United States as well, in the 70s and 80s we switched to high-pressure sodium bulbs, which give off a warm yellow light. There are some HPS-looking bulbs in Midgar as well, most notably in the highway tunnel at the entrance of Upper Sector 7. I know too much about lightbulbs now! Any lampheads out there?
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A cool thing I learned is that while we used to use mercury vapor bulbs in the United States as well, in the 70s and 80s we switched to high-pressure sodium bulbs, which give off a warm yellow light. There are some HPS-looking bulbs in Midgar as well, most notably in the highway tunnel at the entrance of Upper Sector 7. I know too much about lightbulbs now! Any lampheads out there?
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-Koniving
Fun fact. 2: 06 the large building to the right that you can never reach due to mind-altering psychosis. is Sector 8's own -City Hall. - There's numerous signs pointing it out as City Hall. Unfortunately, as you approach it, you'll encounter someone, the world will change, and he will literally force you into a full 180 to follow him down an alley you already passed by.
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Fun fact. 2: 06 the large building to the right that you can never reach due to mind-altering psychosis. is Sector 8's own -City Hall. - There's numerous signs pointing it out as City Hall. Unfortunately, as you approach it, you'll encounter someone, the world will change, and he will literally force you into a full 180 to follow him down an alley you already passed by.
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polygon
It seems to me that the midgard slums are inspired by Brazilian favelas, which are a separate architectural universe. From the semi-finished houses, the cheap materials, the buildings on top of the constructions and narrow alleys, everything reminds me of the peripheral neighborhoods in Brazil. I would love to see a video that explores the themes of slums in video games.
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It seems to me that the midgard slums are inspired by Brazilian favelas, which are a separate architectural universe. From the semi-finished houses, the cheap materials, the buildings on top of the constructions and narrow alleys, everything reminds me of the peripheral neighborhoods in Brazil. I would love to see a video that explores the themes of slums in video games.
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-fireaza
Speaking of false-front buildings, it's pretty common to see these in small towns in Japan. Not with a corrugated iron shanty behind it, but rather a traditional-style Japanese house. It seems to me like what's going on is the shop owner wanted to renovate his store into a fancy Western-style building, but that's pretty expensive, so he settled for just the front.
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Speaking of false-front buildings, it's pretty common to see these in small towns in Japan. Not with a corrugated iron shanty behind it, but rather a traditional-style Japanese house. It seems to me like what's going on is the shop owner wanted to renovate his store into a fancy Western-style building, but that's pretty expensive, so he settled for just the front.
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-charliebilladeau
thank you for making this, Simone! as a fellow big fan of FFVII, it was amazing seeing how you lovingly dissected all of the architecture and design and explained how meaningful it was to the lore and setting. I-ve been obsessed with Midgar-s setting ever since I was a kid, and seeing you explain why it feels so familiar and beautiful was just brilliant.
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thank you for making this, Simone! as a fellow big fan of FFVII, it was amazing seeing how you lovingly dissected all of the architecture and design and explained how meaningful it was to the lore and setting. I-ve been obsessed with Midgar-s setting ever since I was a kid, and seeing you explain why it feels so familiar and beautiful was just brilliant.
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-lxgartist95
I definitely saw the significance of each sector by design, playing this game, but you pointed out much more than I noticed, like the phone booths and the CURBS. I was really taken by the design of Wall Market (felt very Japanese by the towns formation-) and Sector 7 slums and the way Shinra's Tower looked inside really made all the difference.
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I definitely saw the significance of each sector by design, playing this game, but you pointed out much more than I noticed, like the phone booths and the CURBS. I was really taken by the design of Wall Market (felt very Japanese by the towns formation-) and Sector 7 slums and the way Shinra's Tower looked inside really made all the difference.
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-nerdmommy7114
Wow! I haven-t noticed the level of environmental detail that FF7R has until now! Thank you for this video. This makes me excited for the next game, which HOPEFULLY an open world, with more towns, more places to see, more architecture details and symbolisms. I CAN-T WAIT FOR THE NEXT GAME. YES GIVE ME THE NEXT GAME.
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Wow! I haven-t noticed the level of environmental detail that FF7R has until now! Thank you for this video. This makes me excited for the next game, which HOPEFULLY an open world, with more towns, more places to see, more architecture details and symbolisms. I CAN-T WAIT FOR THE NEXT GAME. YES GIVE ME THE NEXT GAME.
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-sid98geek
Great video, but the title raised my expectations too much. When it said -all over the world-, I was expecting at least 10 countries and cultures (you know, ALL OVER THE WORLD. The architecture is mostly French, Portuguese, Japanese, and industrial to put it bluntly, of which Japan is the only Eastern influence.
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Great video, but the title raised my expectations too much. When it said -all over the world-, I was expecting at least 10 countries and cultures (you know, ALL OVER THE WORLD. The architecture is mostly French, Portuguese, Japanese, and industrial to put it bluntly, of which Japan is the only Eastern influence.
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-emilymcintosh2675
The curb wedges really are cool though! It gives the vibe that whoever constructed the neighborhood (in-game) doesn-t really care about the residents or their personal needs or comfort. The residents had to do that for themselves. Not smoothing the curb of the driveways is (literally) uninviting
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The curb wedges really are cool though! It gives the vibe that whoever constructed the neighborhood (in-game) doesn-t really care about the residents or their personal needs or comfort. The residents had to do that for themselves. Not smoothing the curb of the driveways is (literally) uninviting
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polygon
Interesting to hear what the inspiration for Wall Market actually was because to me, it struck me more as being like Kowloon with it having a lot of Chinese styled aesthetics and being an entire town that feels like it exists outside the law and jurisdiction of the rest of the city's government.
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Interesting to hear what the inspiration for Wall Market actually was because to me, it struck me more as being like Kowloon with it having a lot of Chinese styled aesthetics and being an entire town that feels like it exists outside the law and jurisdiction of the rest of the city's government.
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-TheHeroExodus
Architecturally its brilliant but some parts I do find exhausting. Like the pillar. for such urgency in the original, they sure do take their sweet time as aerith slowly casually walks toward Marlene and then has a lengthy talk with her. like wut? The sky is falling m8
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Architecturally its brilliant but some parts I do find exhausting. Like the pillar. for such urgency in the original, they sure do take their sweet time as aerith slowly casually walks toward Marlene and then has a lengthy talk with her. like wut? The sky is falling m8
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-SlateSlabrock
It's also neat how, like, the fact that the car wedges are all clearly stuff that the houseowners had to arrange indicates how little Shinra ACTUALLY cares about the people working for it. It's either a case of ignorant oversight or blatant disregard on their part.
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It's also neat how, like, the fact that the car wedges are all clearly stuff that the houseowners had to arrange indicates how little Shinra ACTUALLY cares about the people working for it. It's either a case of ignorant oversight or blatant disregard on their part.
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-Pensive_Scarlet
You know, I bet the suburb residents all have the same petty little problem with that one guy who used a few rusted old plates for a curb wedge. Except for Jessie's mom, she's got it going on, she's too classy to be petty.
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You know, I bet the suburb residents all have the same petty little problem with that one guy who used a few rusted old plates for a curb wedge. Except for Jessie's mom, she's got it going on, she's too classy to be petty.
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-AlexHuneycutt
Thank you for doing these videos, Simone! Really love watching these unique break downs. And as an artist it's fun to see the design process get a light shined on and appreciated. A lot of work goes into these projects!
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Thank you for doing these videos, Simone! Really love watching these unique break downs. And as an artist it's fun to see the design process get a light shined on and appreciated. A lot of work goes into these projects!
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-skyserpent14
I can't wait to revisit the environmental details after FFVIIR Intergrade comes out. The thought poured into this city is just --chef's kiss-- I imagine the PS5 upgrade will make it that much more stunning
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I can't wait to revisit the environmental details after FFVIIR Intergrade comes out. The thought poured into this city is just --chef's kiss-- I imagine the PS5 upgrade will make it that much more stunning
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-InnocentDoodles
The other thing about the little detail of there not being and curb-cuts that feels really fitting is the disregard for the Human aspect of the construction- specifically disability.
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The other thing about the little detail of there not being and curb-cuts that feels really fitting is the disregard for the Human aspect of the construction- specifically disability.
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-marlonmartins880
It's so great when we see people talking about their passions, it makes us passionate about it to. Simone should be doing a whole bunch more of architecture essays here.
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It's so great when we see people talking about their passions, it makes us passionate about it to. Simone should be doing a whole bunch more of architecture essays here.
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-eydk556
The design of midgar, fighting, and graphics are about all I like so far. Give me the dark feeling of the original, the guts to lose a few characters, & -trail of blood- mystery.
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The design of midgar, fighting, and graphics are about all I like so far. Give me the dark feeling of the original, the guts to lose a few characters, & -trail of blood- mystery.
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polygon
I literally just come back to this video to re-watch it like once every few months. Please know that anything Simone ever makes about architecture will get this treatment, tbh.
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I literally just come back to this video to re-watch it like once every few months. Please know that anything Simone ever makes about architecture will get this treatment, tbh.
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polygon
Ya know what Square pulled of by recreating Midgar in FF7 Remake IS nothing short of amazing!
But dropping the whole REST of the FF7 World is still a sour -Trade off-.
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Ya know what Square pulled of by recreating Midgar in FF7 Remake IS nothing short of amazing!
But dropping the whole REST of the FF7 World is still a sour -Trade off-.
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-MAJICB0B
This pointed out things I never even noticed (like the curb wedges. It's insane on the detail that went into everything, and only makes me love the game more!
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This pointed out things I never even noticed (like the curb wedges. It's insane on the detail that went into everything, and only makes me love the game more!
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-maxzakian6342
I just beat the FF7 remake, and this video feels like a SparkNotes lecture to a test I absolutely failed.
10/10 for angst and useless fire escapes.
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I just beat the FF7 remake, and this video feels like a SparkNotes lecture to a test I absolutely failed.
10/10 for angst and useless fire escapes.
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-thejamman555
This has given me a new found respect for game Architecture, I was not aware of any of this playing the game other than thinking it looks incredible.
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This has given me a new found respect for game Architecture, I was not aware of any of this playing the game other than thinking it looks incredible.
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polygon
To all architects in this video, I have a question:
Is Midgar impossible to build? And if it is possible, how long and how much would it cost to make?
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To all architects in this video, I have a question:
Is Midgar impossible to build? And if it is possible, how long and how much would it cost to make?
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-reficul4535
I don't get why they call it Midgar when there is no inspiration from Scandinavia, while there is so much inspiration from other parts of the world
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I don't get why they call it Midgar when there is no inspiration from Scandinavia, while there is so much inspiration from other parts of the world
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-altogethernow
This video is fantastic. I was a big fan of the original and really didn-t think I-d be into a hyper real version but this has changed my mind.
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This video is fantastic. I was a big fan of the original and really didn-t think I-d be into a hyper real version but this has changed my mind.
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-RYUJJ4
Yeah this was really cool can someone link Simone's twitter or something iwanta hear more of her takes on like everything: D great video
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Yeah this was really cool can someone link Simone's twitter or something iwanta hear more of her takes on like everything: D great video
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