FF7 actress’s nervous wait for fan reactions

Briana White plays Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy 7 (FF7) Rebirth. The game is the second part of a trilogy that remakes the legendary, influential 1997 Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) Briana provides the English language voiceover for Aerith. Rebirth has been released last week and is packed with side activities and mini-games that can push the play time closer to 100 hours. Fans have been racing to get to the end of the game to see whether that departure from the original storyline does occur.

Briana is anticipating their response to the finale. Unlike many video game voice actors, Briana is a keen player and remembers sitting on her mum’s knee as a child playing PC adventure games. I ’m definitely nervous, waiting to see how people react,"" she says. Briana says she was full of self-doubt during the Remake project.

She remembers sitting on her bed at home and bursting into tears after one especially tough week of recording. Before being cast as Aerith she’d built up a strong following on streaming platform Twitch. Briana says she returned for Rebirth feeling more confident, “more playful and more open in the voice recording booth. She doesn’t feel like it was a lot more work for her overall, because the game expands the core characters to feature a bigger cast of allies.

The main story touches on weighty themes and an epic quest to save the planet. Players can also spend time completing obstacle courses as toads, competing in dolphin-riding stunt races and riding chocobos. Developer Square Enix is keen for the new take to stay secret, and even issued a plea for streamers and reviewers to avoid spoilers. There’s a good chance that the finale will prompt strong feelings, and that can put actors in the firing line of social media abuse.

Briana says the Final Fantasy fandom “tends to be pretty respectful and good at understanding that she didn’t write the game. I want to give them the gift of being able to go into it with fresh eyes” Briana says she counts herself lucky that she’s not had to face waves of negativity. She says being part of Final Fantasy “never stops blowing my mind. But the big question is will she be back for part three?

She says, laughing, “I don’t know, I don#38;t know,”” He says: “They don’t tell me anything. They give me a call, I say ‘when? and I show up” He adds: “So if they don’t call, then I won’t.

Read More