Literally what the fuck? It’s been 2022 for less than a week and already the shit has begun. The mods for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade started rolling in shortly after its troubled PC release last month, but I certainly did not expect someone to go full sicko and give Sephiroth the Ronald McDonald make-over.
Okay so technically the mod, called “Sephironald,” was released on December 29 (thanks Polygon), but since everyone was busy collectively trying to wipe 2021 from their memory, I’m considering it firmly within the 2022 window of internet abominations. Modder Crandif’s handiwork does one thing and one thing only: make a color palette swap on Sephiroth so the FFVII Remake antagonist goes from ex-SOLDIER 1st Class to looking like the McDonald’s mascot back when he was going through his late ‘90s Juggalo phase.
Final Fantasy VII Remake takes the classic 1997 JRPG and reimagines it with gorgeous modern graphics and a few story twists longtime fans didn’t necessarily see coming. At the center of it all is Sephiroth, an all-time video game villain famous in part for being accompanied by a fight song that included singers chanting in Latin. May god forgive those who choose to defile any part of it with a fast-food clown.
Of course, as noted by Polygon, McSephiroth isn’t a new thing. The mashup meme has a long and weird history, from cosplay to mods for other games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Who doesn’t remember the epic showdown between McSephiroth and KFC Cloud?
For those who don’t want an apocalyptic Ronald McDonald haunting their playthrough, or dreams for that matter, there are plenty of other, more chill mods for FFVII Remake on PC, including one to let Cloud wear his dress all game long, one to replace Aerith’s weapons with chairs, and a few to help boost overall performance.