There’s no query that Sephiroth is an icon, placing concern into gamers even remotely acquainted with the villain. Simply the opening notes of his theme tune, One Winged Angel, are sufficient to get the center racing. However Sephiroth didn’t make a reputation for himself with Last Fantasy alone. A selected Disney and Sq. Enix collaboration, Kingdom Hearts, launched the villain to a brand new period of followers, and his appearances in that sequence are simply as menacing, if no more so, than his Last Fantasy 7 presence.

If gamers missed out on Sephiroth’s 1997 Last Fantasy 7 debut, it may be laborious to discern why followers go gaga over the character. Heralding a planet-ending occasion and haunting protagonist Cloud Strife all through FF7, Sephiroth offered himself as a fearsome villain from the get-go. Nevertheless, for a few of us, Sephiroth’s anxiety-inducing encounter in Kingdom Hearts is what really cemented him as a terror.

In 2002, discovered myself on the opposite finish of Sin Harvest, and it was on this Disney amalgamation that the One-Winged Angel left an impression that also lingers. See, I wasn’t actually sufficiently old to get on the FF7 wave when it was scorching, and it wouldn’t be till years later that I skilled the title. So, for me, Kingdom Hearts was the sport that launched Sephiroth. And man, what an introduction that was.

Sora’s Platinum match

As gamers close to the top of Kingdom Hearts, they’ll revisit the Olympus Collesuem to take part in new tournaments. One in every of these is the Platinum match, which sheds most of the boss battle conventions skilled as much as that time. It pits Sora in opposition to Sephiroth in a battle most gamers will initially lose.

Till encountering the Platinum match, I barreled my approach by way of enemies with out a lot preparation. Certain, some grew just a little tedious, however after retreading a couple of zones to nab a couple of simple ranges, I cleared obstacles in a flash, although nothing ready me for a battle requiring pace and quick-thinking to match a demigod. 

After beginning the Platinum match, Sephiroth teleports into the sector and wordlessly readies his weapon as his theme tune builds. The highly effective villain doesn’t dash or have interaction in a reckless assault. No. Rather more hauntingly, Sephiroth slowly walks in direction of me as if to say, “Oh, are you right here too?” as One Winged Angel blasts over the sector. This unabashed show of badassery units the tone.

Due to his large sword, Sephiroth may attain me from almost anyplace, and his impossibly quick sword swipes met me every time I faltered. If I attempted to shut the space with a brute-force strategy, he would fully ignite his environment in a fiery tempest. Alternatively, if I attempted to play the backfield, Sephiroth may teleport and leap across the area to line up an assault. There was no protected footing. 

By some miracle, I used to be in a position to push the One-winged Angel sufficient to start out taking me critically. Then the large assaults got here out, summoned meteor showers or, even worse, that Sin Harvest transfer that takes Sora down to at least one HP and nil MP within the blink of a watch. It’s all I can muster to remain alive by way of the assault, meekly chipping at his well being right here and there. All of the whereas, it doesn’t even appear to be Sephiroth breaks a sweat.

Sooner than I understand, it’s already over. Sephiroth catches me within the heart of one in all his hearth assaults, and in my haste to heal, I cease proper in entrance of his sword. The primary time I misplaced the Platinum match, it felt unwinnable. However that’s exactly what drove me to throw myself at it repeatedly till I finally scraped by.

Sephiroth’s Darkish Depths

Whereas Kingdom Hearts may need led to me suppose I knew what to anticipate from Sephiroth, his second look continued to throw curveballs. The battle happens in a rocky space with extra room than the earlier bout, however maneuverability labored in opposition to me. All through Kingdom Hearts 2, I unwisely uncared for the painstakingly-slow-to-unlock motion and traversal talents, and that made my Sephiroth rematch all of the extra imposing. The villain strikes round much more in Kingdom Hearts 2, typically teleporting behind or taking to the sky, and I had no means to defend in opposition to these hit-and-run ways.

In stark distinction to his earlier look, Sephiroth prices as quickly because the battle begins with an assault that’s solely avoidable by way of an sudden quick-time occasion. This wasn’t the one time he tried to catch me off guard with the lethal strike, it randomly occurs all through the battle. It’s one thing I needed to all the time keep looking out for, because the blow has the potential to finish the match immediately. With out giving me an opportunity to counterattack, Sephiroth moved again to acquainted ways, teleporting and leaping round, testing my defenses along with his blade.

Problem felt exaggerated by the truth that almost all of Sephiroth’s assaults may convey me right down to important HP, and he’d unleash onslaughts again to again with out care. This shortly backed me into a brand new sport of attrition, with Sephiroth effortlessly whittling away my well being whereas I scrambled to maintain my head above water. We danced round that area for what felt like hours, with Sephiroth laying out one spectacular show of power after one other and me panic therapeutic and scratching slices off his well being with fast combos.

After I lastly bested Sephiroth once more, a scene reveals him actually brushing some dust off his armor like he’s disregarding our maddening encounter. Within the final insult to harm, Sephiroth concludes that solely Cloud can provide him an actual problem earlier than sending me off to fetch the ex-SOLDIER for him. Ouch man, that hurts.

Reintroducing Sephiroth

The Kingdom Hearts sequence provided Sq. Enix a chance to develop Sephiroth’s fame and notability. The character was already a fearsome antagonist to those that first met him in FF7, however Kingdom Hearts would open the door for the One-winged Angel to transcend his personal universe. It might have been simple to make use of Sephiroth for a throwaway cameo like Tidus or Selphie, however the extra substantive strategy paid off.

Earlier than Kingdom Hearts, Sephiroth solely existed to me as an enigmatic legend I heard about from associates’ older siblings or on on-line boards. However as soon as Kingdom Hearts offered the terrifying foe, his repute abruptly made sense. Going by way of the toils of preparation and observe to beat Sephiroth in these Disney video games is perpetually cemented in my reminiscence. It compelled me out of my consolation zone and acquired me pondering in a sport that primarily inspired button mashing. And little doubt, whether or not gamers just like the character or not, Kingdom Hearts ensured Sephiroth lived as much as his hype.