Genesis Rhapsodos is a SOLDIER deserter who has garnered a rather interesting reputation over the years. Introduced in the 10th anniversaryFinal Fantasy 7PSP game, Genesis returns in the recently released remasterCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion.
The red coat-wearing ex-SOLDIER is the game’s main antagonist, causing mayhem that upsets the chain of command between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd operatives. While he starts off using summons to keepCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionprotagonist Zack busy, eventually players face him directly in a few boss battles. When it comes to Genesis, fans either love or hate him, and for some interesting reasons at that.
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Why Some Fans Hate Genesis Rhapsodos
Many players don’t like Genesis because of the tried-and-true video game trope of “the NPC who never shuts up.” With Genesis, it isn’t so much that he constantly talks throughout the game, but whenever he’s around he is always quoting “Loveless,” a series of poems about three friends who go on a journey to find the mystical “gift of the goddess.”
Outside of Genesis quoting Loveless in every scene he’s in, other players tend to hate him because he is the cause of manyretcons betweenCrisis Coreand the originalFF7game. One of the biggest gripes fans have with these retcons is how Genesis was made into the sole reason why Sephiroth began questioning his background, even though he was never there for the original revelations in Square Enix’s classic RPG.
What Genesis' Fans Like About Him
Behind the Loveless book, some players see an intriguing character that offers something unique totheCompilation of FF7cast. While Angeal and Sephiroth take a while to get the picture, he’s the first to understand his upbringing, and also the first to rebel against it by questioning why he was born the way he was.
Some fans also appreciate the character dynamic Genesis creates between himself, Angeal, and Sephiroth. AsCrisis Corefocuses heavily onSephiroth’s beginningsas a villain, players might enjoy how much Genesis sheds new light on an already beloved antagonist, including allowing fans to see Sephiroth’s vulnerable side that cares about his SOLDIER friends.
Genesis Rhapsodosis seen by many fans as a symbol of what theCompilation of Final Fantasy 7changed in the original game, which loyalists have been divided on for decades. Some think theCompilationexpanded its world considerably, while others argue that it ruined the original narrative. On top of that, due to the fact that Genesis can’t resist quoting Loveless in every cutscene, players can’t ignore him unless they want to miss out on most of the game’s plot.
Every character will have fans and haters; Genesis just so happens to be set up perfectly to represent what some loyalists don’t like regarding the future ofFF7.Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion had a chance to possibly give Genesis a second chance by fixing up his character arc aroundFF7 Remake, but missed the opportunity by leavingReunionas a simple remaster. Whether fans like it or not, there’s a strong chance that Genesis may play a role intheFF7 RemakeProject, considering the character was originally slated to return afterDirge of Cerberus’secret ending.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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