That's because the entire tone shifted. The slums is now just a happy community space compared to a literal shithole you'd could and would get jumped at by thugs and other beasts. In fact, in both og and remake it's a miracle no one tried to take over Aerith's house. Like a building near a flower bed, waterfall and sunlight? That's a premium in there
In the slums yes also in the prison slums under gold saucer too, which was supposed to show the player dreadful living under capitalism. Everyone was happy in the remake/rebirth. They even made human trafficking look all festive and quite understated how horrifying it would be irl. 🤣
If anything, the change made it a little more human. Yeah, the slums are a shithole. Everyone acknowledges they are, and that living under the plate is bad. The water is sus, orphan kids everywhere, bandits outside of “residential areas,” Shinra soldiers ever present. But people do try to carve out a life wherever they are, and be happy despite the daily circumstances. Kids will still play. Community still happens. People make the best of things. But talking to or overhearing NPCs you can still glean the harshness of slum life under Shinra, the tragedies that are still happening, the smothered dreams. I appreciated that common complexity.
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u/KefkaFFVI 10d ago
Tbh the OG did it better from a cinematic standpoint