Zack: Among the recurring characters, Sephiroth and Cloud get some very welcome screen time in their respective \u2018pre-insane\u2019 and \u2018pre-schizophrenic\u2019 states which serves to flesh out their characters some more. I was also happy to see more of Tseng, who\u2019s definitely easy on the eyes, even though he doesn\u2019t really get much character development either.<\/p>\n A young Yuffie also makes a couple of appearances, just to cement the fact that she was just as annoying as a kid as she would be as a teenager.<\/p>\n << Back to: Storyline<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Forward to: Combat system >><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well, this is easy: there\u2019s just one playable character. I guess it was inevitable, since Crisis Core is, to all intents and purposes, Zack\u2019s story. But maybe upgrading some of the other characters to party members, even for a little while, … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.grafskaya.club\/mysst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/The-puppy-300x279.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/a><\/strong>Black-haired and unnaturally blue-eyed due to SOLDIER\u2019s compulsory Mako injections, Zack starts out the game as na\u00efve and overeager (Angeal compares him to a puppy), but also willing to learn from his role model. Once Angeal disappears (i.e. very quickly), Zack has no choice but to shoulder the responsibility that comes with being SOLDIER 1st <\/sup>Class as best he can, while dealing with Genesis\u2019 shenanigans. It helps that Zack is a genuinely good person at heart: he\u2019s cheerful, optimistic, dedicated, compassionate and always willing to help. The game charts his relationships with both Cloud and Aerith, which become pivotal in FFVII, and both paint him in a very flattering light. Heck, even his interactions with Sephiroth and Genesis are to his credit. Both Genesis\u2019 and Zack\u2019s character arcs revolve around becoming a hero, but while Genesis thinks he\u2019s predestined to become one, Zack doesn\u2019t take it for granted and actually works for it. I wouldn\u2019t say that he develops all that much as a character over the game, since he\u2019s quite obviously a great guy right from the start, but he does end up applying all the heroic ideals he\u2019s been told about. Much to his detriment, unfortunately. His weapon of choice is a sword, and he can also use a healthy selection of materia to complement it, even though the best attack in the game involves him simply punching the enemy. Zack\u2019s stats are very balanced, with a tiny slant towards melee, but you can tweak it all with judicious materia fusion, so it\u2019s all a bit meaningless, especially since there aren\u2019t any other characters to compare him to.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.grafskaya.club\/mysst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Role-model-300x269.jpg\" "\\"Role")
Aside from Zack, there\u2019s a substantial list of supporting NPCs, but somehow, as already mentioned, all of the newcomers are completely one-dimensional and\/or uninspiring. Even a character like Angeal, who\u2019s supposed to have a life-defining influence on Zack, is introduced and then vanishes far too quickly to get across anything more than \u2018honourable and stoic\u2019. He\u2019s more of an archetype than a character, really, regardless of what else happens to him over the course of the story, which lessens his impact overall, and the impact of the ending in particular. Cissnei is very cute and could have had potential as well, but again, her character development forgot to happen.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.grafskaya.club\/mysst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Girled-up-185x300.jpg\" "\\"Girled-up\\"")
<\/a>Aerith\u2026Well, I already disliked her in FFVII, so I didn\u2019t expect that to change, but somehow, they\u2019ve managed to make her even less likeable (in my eyes) by ramping up her girlishness, similarly to what happened to Rikku between FFX and FFX-2. Aerith\u2019s modest pink dress and jacket have now become a frilly, strappy white number, while her practical walking boots are now platform sandals. And her personality has definitely taken a turn for the ditzier. Maybe this is meant to depict the fact that she was more cheerful and carefree before the events of the game took their toll on her, but it certainly doesn’t do her any favours, IMO. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.grafskaya.club\/mysst\/wp-content\/plugins\/advanced-wp-columns\/assets\/js\/plugins\/views\/img\/1x1-pixel.png\"){kind=tracking}
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