When Square Enix announced that they were working on a remake of Final Fantasy VII back in 2015, it sent shockwaves right across the gaming industry. While fans were incredibly excited, the news was also met with a certain degree of trepidation. The original remains one of the most beloved games of all time, but the task of updating it to meet modern standards would be a mammoth one.
It would end up taking director Tetsuya Nomura and his team around five years to deliver Final Fantasy VII Remake. Whilst the game’s reception was mostly positive, some fans were left disappointed due to some of the creative liberties taken by the team. Not only were changes made to the main story, but also the game’s cast of colorful characters.
It is perhaps these characters who made the original game so enjoyable for players and none were as colorful as Tifa Lockhart. She’s one of the most popular characters ever created by Square Enix and plays a pivotal role in the events of Final Fantasy VII. Although none of the changes made to her character were too drastic, Tifa has changed in many ways since her first appearance 23 years ago.
10 Her Physique
The changes made to Tifa’s physique were one of the biggest talking points when the first trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake dropped. Aside from the more obvious differences, she is much more toned in the remake — with her upper-arm muscles and abs in particular being noticeably more defined.
The game’s director Tetsuya Nomura would later explain these changes in an interview with Famitsu, revealing that they came in part as a result of discussions with Square Enix’s internal ethics committee. According to Nomura, the changes were made to give the character a more athletic look and to help create a more organic feeling during combat.
9 Her Fighting Style Is Far More Distinct
Whilst Tifa has always been portrayed as a martial artist, the combat system in the game’s remake allowed the team to better emphasize the different fighting styles of the game’s characters. Where before all of the characters controlled very similarly, Tifa’s quick combo flurries now do a much better job of setting her apart from the other party members.
There’s also plenty of attention to detail when it comes to Tifa’s speed. Not only does she move around the battlefield faster than Cloud et al, but her ATB gauge refills noticeably faster too. She’s not afraid to get up close and personal with enemies and her chi system serves as a nice nod to her martial arts background.
8 Her Outfit
Although the changes made to Tifa’s outfit in the remake are not too drastic, there are some key differences worth pointing out. Tifa now wears thigh high socks and the color of her gloves and wrist guards has changed from brown to black. She also wears a black undershirt beneath her tank top, and pleats have been added to her miniskirt in order to allow for better mobility during combat.
Whilst many fans responded positively to these changes, not everyone was happy. A petition to have her original outfit added to the remake was even started on Change.org. Unsurprisingly perhaps, it fell well short of the kind of numbers needed to draw an official response.
7 She’s Not As Fearless As We Thought
In the original release, Tifa was portrayed as being one of the most fearless characters in all of gaming. Even when facing certain death, she refused to be intimidated and always held her nerve. This was perhaps best illustrated by her reaction to Sephiroth murdering her father. Rather than run, she picked up the Masamune and charged – and this was when she was just a teenager.
Tifa’s reaction to the spirits lurking in the Train Graveyard shows that she’s perhaps not as fearless as fans had first thought. The way that she clings to Cloud’s arm is completely out of character, even if it is a pretty normal reaction to seeing ghosts. Tifa has a similar response to the Whispers that appear throughout the game too, suggesting that she has a fear of ghosts at the very least.
6 She’s Closer To Aerith
One of the biggest consequences of the remake expanding the Midgar portion of the story was the increase in the number of interactions between the game’s party members. With the party size still being relatively small, it gave Nomura and his team a great opportunity to better develop the relationship between them.
Whilst Aerith and Tifa were hardly distant with each other in the original game, they weren’t particularly close either. In the remake, however, there are plenty of touching moments shared between the two heroines. Their friendship really starts to take shape in the sewers beneath Wall Market and it continues to develop as the game progresses.
5 She Has A Voice
For younger gamers, it may be difficult to imagine a time when video games did not contain voice acting. These days it’s common practice, but back in the mid-nineties it was rare for titles to have even basic voice acting — let alone be fully-voiced. It would not be until Final Fantasy X that voice acting became part of the Final Fantasy series, meaning that the original Tifa was silent.
Many fans had expected Rachael Leigh Cook to reprise her role as Tifa for the English dub of the remake. Despite the voice actress having provided Tifa’s voice for Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, however, the casting team opted to go in a different direction. The role was eventually given to Britt Baron — and it was easily her biggest to date.
4 She Plays A More Active Role In Avalanche
In the original game, Tifa’s relationships with some of the other Avalanche members were never really explored, nor were the characters themselves in any great detail. In the remake, however, characters like Wedge, Jessie, and Biggs are much more fleshed out. This allows the game to better explore Tifa’s connection with them and the organization as a whole.
The game shows Tifa to be a much more integral part of the Avalanche setup than she was before. As well as her close ties to other members, she also plays a big role in generating funds for the group. Players can see this through her sales of Jessie’s filters as well as the contacts she leverages in order to find mercenary work for Cloud.
3 She’s A Master Of Pull-Ups
Players who have the platinum trophy for Final Fantasy VII Remake will likely still be having nightmares about the pull-up challenge in Wall Market’s gym. It’s one of the most challenging minigames in the entire Final Fantasy series, with victory over Jules demanding near perfection from players.
Although the earlier squats minigame was present in the original release, Tifa’s pull-up challenge was an entirely new addition. Whilst it’s great to have a minigame in which the player controls somebody other than Cloud, it would have been nice if the team at Square Enix had dialed back the difficulty a little.
2 She Has A Stronger Connection To The Sector 7 Slums
In the original title, Midgar only makes up a small portion of the story. One of the biggest challenges faced by the remake team was fleshing out the city and the events that transpired there in order to fill an entire release. Tifa’s connection with the people residing in the slums is arguably one of the biggest additions in this regard.
In particular, Tifa’s relationship with Marle demonstrates a level of connectedness that just wasn’t there before. Sure, Tifa lived and worked in the slums in the original title, but it never really felt like it was her home until now.
1 She’s More Vulnerable
Aside from one or two moments in the original, Tifa always came across as one of the strongest party members. Despite facing near insurmountable odds, she was always able to hold it together and was a rock for the team in times of trouble. The remake however can at times paint her in a much more vulnerable light.
This is perhaps best evident during the scene shared with Cloud towards the end of the game. Witnessing Tifa break down into tears showed players a whole new side to her character. Despite her tough exterior, the weight of the events taking place around her in the remake is taking its toll on her far more than it ever did in the original.
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