Square Enix changed one line in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, and nearly 30 years later it's sent Cloud and Aerith shippers into overdrive

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Maybe it wasn't about the sword...

Aerith and Cloud in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has altered a line from Final Fantasy 7 cameo Cloud Strife which has fuelled the fires of the eternal Aerith vs Tifa shipping war once more.

Spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 (and to be safe, Remake and Rebirth too) follow.

In the original version of Final Fantasy Tactics, Cloud says "I've lost something… something very important" which many have taken as meaning his hidden weapon the Materia Sword+, which didn't come equipped by default and had to be found in-game. But as The Gamer points out, some fans – specifically those on the Cloud x Aerith side of that love triangle – have long taken the line as him lamenting the loss of Aerith during Final Fantasy 7.

However in The Ivalice Chronicles, the line has been altered, with Cloud now uttering "I've lost someone… someone important" making it seem far more likely that it's about Aerith (granted, she's far from the only person that Cloud lost, but I digress).

However, a user on Twitter notes that the Japanese version of the PSP version also used the distinction of having lost something important rather than someone, so maybe he was talking about the sword the whole time? Only Square Enix knows.

Frankly, I have no horse in the Final Fantasy 7 romance race, I'd rather hang out with Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge the whole game.

45 minutes of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has me certain that Square Enix "rebuilding" the remaster after losing the original source code was worth the effort.

Scott McCrae
Scott McCrae
Contributor

Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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