FFVII Dirge of Cerberus – Part 29: Death Professor

Summary: We learn how Hojo became Weiss.




Reactor Core

THIS IS AMAZING

HAHFJKLDSHFJKLDSHFJKLDSHFKLDSHFDJKLS

THIS IS MAYBE THE BEST THING EVER???

And it doesn’t feel random. It makes sense that it’s someone scientifically and technologically savvy. It makes sense that it’s someone with controlling and sadistic tendencies. It makes sense that the dude running Deepground is THE DUDE WHO STARTED DEEPGROUND’S PREDECESSOR.

-The graphics at this point are phenomenal. I start to see Hojo’s mannerisms and voice in Weiss himself (which the game was able to disguise for so long in large part due to keeping Weiss out of sight. Bravo on them. Great build-up!) And as Weiss starts to talk, we see phantasms or illusions or holograms of Hojo flicker in and out, copying Weiss’s body language.

Plus: we get more of that glorious Hojo voice acting. So good.

-Weiss (I’ll just call him that rather than Hojo, since it’s his primary identity in this game) elaborates. This whole thing IS tied to Lucrecia. Her theory was about Chaos and Omega, and until Hojo saw Chaos with his own eyes three years ago, he thought the whole fabled beast thing was a load of bull.

But now that Hojo was convinced of Omega’s existence, why does he want to try to wake it up? Is it a Kefka thing maybe, where he finds no meaning in anything and just wants to watch the world burn?

-No. Or not exactly, anyway. He saw the raw power in the idea of hosting Omega, and wanted to be part of a blaze of glory.

-Hojo’s next problem was being able to host Omega. Vincent was able to host Chaos because Hojo’s experiments made him so strong. He tried injecting himself with Jenova cells at first, but it backfired.

-Next, he remembered Deepground, and took over (possessed, essentially) the Nero’s brother.

Weiss was Nero’s literal brother before Hojo took him over. That’s super fucked up, and I actually feel terrible for Nero now. Or at least a bit bad…. Strike that. I feel bad for most of these Deepground folk. They’re Hojo’s experiments and playthings. That’s a horrific position for anyone to be in.

-That explains how Hojo got a body capable of holding Omega. He then goes onto explain that since Chaos was born from tainted lifestream, he had to bring about Omega from pure lifestream, which we sort of learned from Lucrecia’s recordings accessed by Shelke back on the airship.

-Hojo (and now that I know that full story, I know that he’s Hojo. Not Weiss. That was just a shell. He’s really just Hojo) wants Omega not out of nihilism, but egotism.

He feels he deserves this journey to the stars, and who cares if the world dies? It’s beneath him anyway. Only the glorious and brilliant Hojo matters.

-The ground below us has started to glow. Vincent has heard enough, and fires at Hojo.

-BUT HOJO FUCKING DEFLECTS THE BULLETS WITH HIS SWORDS, AND BY THE WAY THOSE THINGS I THOUGHT WERE RIFLES ARE ACTUALLY SWORDS TOO

I can’t remember where I first saw that kind of weapon, but I’m glad it made a reappearance here on the Big Bad. It’s kind of an awesome idea.

-Vincent steps up his attacks (in a cutscene still; not a boss fight just yet), but Hojo swats him away.

-In a nice touch, Hojo’s voice keeps changing between Hojo’s and Weiss’s. Sometimes we hear both at once, like an eerie echo.

-Hojo starts sucking down lifestream, but Vincent gets up. NOW it’s boss time.

”Eternalized. Objectified.
You set your sights so high.
But this is beginning to feel like
The bolt busted loose from the lever.
Never mind, death professor...”
-TV on the Radio, “DLZ”

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Next time: the fight with Hojo.