Emotional Contagion

There are not many games that have truly effected me emotionally, but there is one game that still ranks among the most well-developed and thought-out games I have ever played. Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core contains a detailed plot and a variety of well-rounded characters that anyone can relate to. Each character has a background that really touches you emotionally, and makes their development through the series that much more exciting. You become attached to the characters, often experiencing a plethora of emotions when your favourite overcomes certain conflicts, or handles them in the wrong way.

There is, however, one event in this game that brought me tears to my eyes, and that was the death of the main protagonist, Zack Fair. Now it isn't often in games for the main playable character to die, but Crisis Core shook things up a bit at the very end of the game. Zack was a SOLDIER who worked and supported the Shinra war effort. He had come so far since the beginning, and it really tore me apart to see his efforts come to a sudden halt. What made this scene even more heartbreaking, was that his good friend, Cloud Strife, a Shinra infantryman, stayed by his side until the very end.

Cloud had also developed a lot in this game, as his first appearance portrays him as a sullen, reserved young man who spent his life dedicated to becoming SOLDIER. Although, he never did make that rank, Cloud learned what it meant to have a real friend, and soon became like a brother to Zack. This background, along with a few of his last words to Cloud, made Zack's death an agonizing experience for me.


Moments before his death, Zack says this to his fellow comrade, "My honour...my dreams...They're yours now. You'll be...my living legacy." These are some of Zack's last words to Cloud, which, because of they're meaning, caused my eyes to water. Asking Cloud to tell Aerith, Zack's girlfriend, that he became a hero was the last straw for me before I let all my pent up emotions get the better of me. These words stayed with Cloud following Zack's death and had a bigger impact on his life than anyone could have imagined, as he strives to fulfill his promise to Zack and continue to be his living legacy.

Games like Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core are the kind of games I like, ones with characters and plots and events that you can relate to, and get even more involved in, rather than just simply playing a game. To me, these factors are what truly makes playing games a gripping and emotional experience.