So many people think that Vincent is an underdeveloped, loathsome man who fell in love with a woman that he couldn't save. While some of that is true, that's not just it. Every single one of the characters in the game changed somehow, even Vincent. As hard as that may seem to convey for some people, it's true, and I'm going to prove it to you. When you first rescue Vincent from the Shin-Ra basement, he's a real mess. He speaks nonchalantly and constantly mentions Lucrecia. He comes across as someone who doesn't care, who is emotionless and cool. This is the period in the game where Vincent talks the most at one time, so people tend to stop right there and classify Vincent as the "mysterious one who doesn't talk much." Sure he's mysterious at times and yes he doesn't talk much, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have any personality or feelings. It certainly doesn't mean he didn't make any changes in his life either. Afterwards, there is a major portion of the game where he doesn't talk or do anything at all. I can sort of see where people begin to think that he really doesn't do much to help the storyline or plot. But, little by little, Vincent begins to talk more. Most of the time he won't just come out and say it, you have to make a bit of an effort. Just go up and talk to him. Vincent's not a very blunt person after all. His manner is subtler, so he doesn't really like hogging the spotlight. He does start taking a little more action though when you reach the Gold Saucer. Actually, it will be about the first thing he says in the game after the rescue. So now he's opening up a little more. Unfortunately, the next few things he says are all general or minor. This is another place players tend to stop at. Vincent now becomes known as "the logical, brooding one". Oh, but I beg to differ. It wasn't until Cloud gave Sephiroth the black materia and disappeared when I noticed the real change in Vincent. He began to use more than one sentence while speaking, be more personable, and give out useful and interesting information. "Further down? I don't see any signs of danger..." "I'm impressed, you can drive this too?" Little things like that reveal a change in his demeanor. He's becoming a little more open and showing his feelings for people a bit more. He even made me chuckle a few times. "Hmm... hwa ha ha ha...It's only a matter of time for us." You have to admit, that laugh seems like it would sound pretty corny. Speaking of which, laughter could definitely be considered a sign of healing. As insignificant as that may seem, that's actually quite a feat for Vincent. Getting over the tragedy of a lost love is pretty hard, especially if you were a quieter person to begin with. Being able to joke and find humor in things again really says a lot about how far he's gone on the road to recovery. Near the very, very end of the game, Vincent opens up more than ever. Of course, you have to do a little work yourself and make the effort to talk to him on the airship at certain points in the game. By doing this, you will receive information about the past from what Vincent observed. He mentions Dr. Gast and Hojo quite often. He starts thinking aloud. He even begins to show signs of forgiving himself. "...Lucrecia chose him in order to protect him. Now I understand...I understand...but..." There we have it. A man who was once on the verge of losing his mind over a broken past finally found a chance to renew himself. He began to open up, laugh, and most importantly, forgive himself. Now that is some serious change for the guy that is constantly labeled as depressing and mysterious. Maybe he's not so underdeveloped after all, eh? "BACK" |