Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Why the Remake Trilogy Isn’t a Sequel to Advent Children and Not About Alternative Realities [Parte 3]

Merging worlds is a concept already covered in the original Final Fantasy VII.

After reviewing some of the key moments of Final Fantasy VII Remake, and trying to understand the meaning behind the setting, it’s time to analyze the process of Rebirth.

However, before we start talking about what the next Final Fantasy VII game showed us, I want to comment on an issue related to the new secrets. After the release of the remake, it was speculated that Sephiroth would come from the future to change the events of the original game, in addition to the existence of an alternate timeline where Zack lives now. If so, the mystery is already solved, which will be a problem for developers.

Therefore, there will be no surprises with the rebirth of Final Fantasy VII because everything has been known for four years. Now, there’s a solution, confuse fans with the promo so they don’t think they know what’s going on. Interestingly, if the sequel theory is true, Square Enix does the opposite, with each trailer confirming the more popular notion of the remake trilogy. In short, I will give you the answers to the mysteries. In my opinion, this does not make sense.

I believe they are trying to make you think that everything is about to change and now you have the feeling that you don’t know who is going to live or die. If you’re wondering why they’re doing this, it’s simple: they split the story into three games and keep fans (and non-fans) focused on what happens next. In my view, it creates that atmosphere of uncertainty for these projects to be talked about, although ultimately Square Enix knows they’re going to be in trouble if they make a big change.

What is real and what is fiction?

The first trailer for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth didn’t feature much of the video game, but it still found room to offer a new look at Zack. In the trailer, the hero is seen meeting up with Cloud, a situation that shouldn’t happen as Zack is supposed to die. This perhaps proves the existence of an alternative line, although before they see it coming, the following question appears in the foreground: what is real and what is fiction?

I always find it curious that you forget to comment on this question, in the vast section of analyzes that prove that Zack is in a parallel world. Another important point is the white feather that Zack Cloud is seen carrying, because we remember that Core Angel will receive Zack in the Lifestream at the end of the crisis, so we see a lot of white feathers falling. More importantly, however, the final shot of Crisis Core shows a feather after seeing Cloud walking alone.

The feather that fell in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth could mean that Zack is now taking care of Cloud, who inherited his Baster Sword. This is similar to Angel who gave his beloved sword to Zack and took care of him. Now, from the question they ask us, that scene could be an altered memory of Cloud.

Many say that this does not make sense, because in the original Final Fantasy VII he does not even remember. They might be right, though, as Square Enix might want to show Cloud with some of his memories without context. We are introduced to Cloud, who is confused about Zack’s case. On the other hand, let’s remember that everything related to Zack will be presented with different contexts for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

As there are multiple versions of Sephiroth in the game (such as clones or real memories), the same thing happens with Zack. I think it’s a mistake to think that every time we see the hero in a trailer, he must be living in that unknown world. They may show us a Zach who seems alive and appears in the flashbacks.

Also, it catches my attention that Aeris says that the past cannot be changed, but the future can be changed. He says just as Zack and Claude leave and head towards Migar.

The importance of interview

The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth trailer I’m reviewing came out before the release of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII – Reunion, and you might be wondering why I’m mentioning it. The most popular theory says that Zack is alive in an alternate timeline, many fans of this universe were convinced that in the new version of Crisis Core, an unpublished scene will be added to meet that parallel world.

Some fans said it didn’t make sense that Zack ended up the same way while he was still alive. As we know, the video game was released months later with the same ending as the original. I’m commenting on all of this because Tetsuya Nomura already said it in an interview with RuleWeb Media, but at this point we don’t want to believe what the developers are saying. In fact, Rebirth’s creative director said End of Crisis: Final Fantasy VII – Reunion would even make sense in the context of the Remake trilogy.

On the other hand, in the same interview, the developers were asked if they are considering remastering or remaking other video games that make up the Final Fantasy VII Compilation, namely, Dirge of Cerberus and Before the Crisis. The surprising part of the answer has to do with Cerberus Dirge, given that the game takes place three years after the end of Final Fantasy VII, so it wouldn’t make sense to re-release the game before the remake project is complete.

The creators practically confirmed that Dirge of Cerberus will take place after the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, so it is unlikely that it will be a sequel to Advent Children. Of course, there is an option where the new games will end after the events of the movie and after finishing the remake project in the story of the video game left by Vincent. The problem is, Nomura confirmed in an interview with The Guardian: “If you play to the end, you don’t have to worry about that.

So, if it really is a sequel, we will forever be at war with Sephiroth because every time we get to Advent Children, he sends his consciousness back to the past to repeat everything. Another point that has been discussed a lot is the final message of Final Fantasy VII Remake: “Continues on a journey into the unknown”, because many thought (and still think) that this means that the next game will be something completely different from the story of the original. In the year Nomura himself explained what this phrase means in 2020.

“At first another phrase was going to fall into place. Kitase (producer) told me there must be something to do with the one above the ending. I also wanted to put something in, so we used that phrase. I think some may find the meaning of the sentence disturbing, but we have taken that into consideration.

I feel like these words are set phrases for a narrative theme rather than a hidden message to the player. In fact, it states that they can interpret it in the wrong way; However, knowing that they were in confusion, they left him. Just as it was said that the word Remake has a double meaning and fans began to speculate that it was because Sephiroth wanted to redo the events to win this time. Years later, it was confirmed that the other meaning is rethinking, because this is how they see this project.

Now, aside from Nomura’s word, one of the most commented things is that the sequel will no longer be like Final Fantasy VII Remake, there will be significant changes from the beginning of the next game. After some of the trailers for Rebirth have been released, beyond the Zach theme, the visuals you’ll see are familiar to both locations and time periods. Even the order in which the characters join the team is respected.

Yoshinori Kitase, the executive producer of the Remake trilogy, has said on several occasions that they will respect the story of the original game. In the year In a 2022 interview, he said: “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will not deviate much from the original and will give you the same emotions, it will not break the original image that is so loved by fans.” In the year Something similar to what he said in 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania: “We don’t want to drastically change the story and make it different from the original.” Even though it’s been remade, please consider that FF7 will always be FF7.

Finally, Nomura recently said that anyone who died in the game will not return.

What do all of Zack’s appearances in the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth trailers mean?

After Square Enix revealed the characters and story of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, in theory what we see in every game announcement shouldn’t be questioned. If the details are building a new mystery, I don’t think they confirm it with the report they share, so they say what appears first. If we believe what this information says, Cloud was indeed a soldier, but we know that is not true.

The only thing they explained was that Jesse was seen working on the Gold Saucer in one of the previews for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. In the information shared by the studio, it has been confirmed that the show is part of virtual reality, which means that Jesse is not seen from an alternate reality. The scene is related to her (or entertainment) old performance, so the argument ends as seen in the film.

Since Avalanche member Zack doesn’t appear in the world, they probably didn’t intend to create too much mystery regarding Jesse.

Now that the issue of the announcements regarding Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is clear, let’s proceed to analyze the game’s first 2023 trailer. I think we can all agree that the most controversial part of the trailer is the reporting of the massive accident caused by Cyclone Midgar. While the news is being given, it seems that part of our main cast (except Cloud) is dead, and glimpses of Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Final Battle storms. Many think Midgar might be Zach’s world, although I’m not sure.

While inside the Shinra building, we go through a virtual reality room where Setra’s story is told. The main thing is that Sephiroth cuts through to show the apocalyptic scenario, where he is about to touch one of the meteors and they see Tifa and Barrett get killed by it.

The disruption seen in Shinra’s building can also be seen in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. For example, when Cloud watches a broadcast of some attacks (like Juno to give his opinion), he wants Sephiroth to start seeing and hearing something different at some point, like seeing his dead friends. I do this to make him believe that his fate has not changed and of course to torture him (which he loves so much).

If you are wondering who is behind these attacks, Wutai agents come to mind. Shinra and Wutai are said to be at war in the story they shared about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Of course, this is pure speculation, because the images they show us are out of context. Although I mention this opportunity so you can see that not everything has to be related to Zach’s world.

Now we go to the second trailer for 2023 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which is said to confirm the existence of an alternate timeline. Logically, the main thing about the trailer is Zach’s appearance and what is said about the merging of worlds. The point I made earlier is that what is seen by this character does not necessarily have the same context. The first thing you see of Zack is a cloud carrying him looking up into a crack in the sky with Elmira behind him.

Before we talk about this trailer, we need to consider two scenarios: one where the shot of Elmira and the shot of Zach are part of the same scene, or the other is that they are two separate shots but pretend to be part of it. Same class.

If it’s the first option, then we can assume that we’ll see some human-like memories forming in that world in the Lifestream. However, Zack is not able to connect with them as such, or at least, our hero sees something strange happening in certain people and in general, in that world.

The second alternative would be easier to find an explanation for, that Elmira’s takeover is an altered memory of Cloud arriving on Midgar in a very bad state (similar to Sephiroth’s clones). Although Cloud is confused by such memories, the hero thinks that someone is carrying him, and that person is Zack. Logically, the other shot corresponds to the world where Zack is.

As for the rift, it’s simply that the world in the Lifestream is unstable due to Sephiroth’s corruption. Now that I’ve covered what I’m up to in this part of the trailer, it’s time to talk about Zack’s meeting with Kiri, which supposedly proves the world is an alternate timeline. It makes sense to think this since she’s not dead and she’s reunited with Zach. However, that may be what they want us to believe.

What I’m commenting on is what I think, and remember that these trailers are meant to be confused and it’s hard to be sure what’s going on in the footage. What seems to be happening is that Cloud’s memories have been altered, he thinks he’s carrying it, but in reality he’s tripped and taken by Kirie. Then he continues his path in the same way as Sephiroth’s clones.

In fact, @SEPH7ROTH noticed in one of the episodes of Final Fantasy VII Remake that Kiri Cloud gets nervous around her, as you know, which makes her feel uncomfortable. I would like to add that Cloud may have these altered memories during certain game moments (like when he sleeps to suggest).

Before we talk about the merging of worlds mentioned in the trailer, we should analyze Zack’s appearance in the recent trailer for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The first is to see our hero fighting and say he must have died in that battle. I don’t think that moment needs much explanation since we don’t know in what context he is speaking, although he may be realizing that he is truly dead at that moment.

Then we have Zac’s scene with Biggs; I will try to explain this based on what I said in the previous article. I think both Zack and Biggs are dead, so it’s no wonder they met. If you still don’t understand why none of them joined the planet, here is a possible explanation.

Zack, or rather his soul, was unable to return to Gaia because he wanted with all his might to save Cloud and reunite with Eris. As for Biggs, he died protecting his people and allies, so he feels guilty for not doing more to help them in this new life.

As I have already said, when each person dies, that world becomes a singularity in the white stream of life. That could be copied from the original Final Fantasy VII to a medial moment where Tifa tries to help Cloud regain consciousness after falling into a life stream. There you can visit different memories of our character at different times in his life. A lot of clouds appear in that scene, but I’d like to take the chance, but that doesn’t mean we’re presented with it very often.

If the location of Zack and Biggs is an alternate reality, this will be a problem for the development of the story. The people behind the game had to go to the trouble of explaining when members of Avalanche died, how long Zack was in Midgar, why Aerys was in a dream, and many other things. I highly doubt they’ll take any part of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s story to do this.

Now let’s move on to the episode where Zack and Marlene are coming up, which in my view makes the alternate line theory pointless. First, we need to clarify what Cloud is doing in that scene if this world is not an alternate universe. One possibility is that this is part of Zack’s memory. However, there is something else that convinces me even more.

The Cloud we see in the wheelchair is very reminiscent of the one seen on Mideel in the original Final Fantasy VII. I think Cloud’s version is part of his consciousness trapped in the Lifestream, remember that he is currently empty after the Mako poisoning he suffered (this topic is mentioned when talking about Jesse’s father in Final Fantasy VII Re). Cloud’s situation on that world is picked up later in the middle episode when Tifa probes our protagonist’s consciousness.

If Claude’s case is addressed, we’ll continue to comment on what Marlene has in store for Zack. When the girl wakes up, Eris says it was because a bad guy killed her. The question here is why she knows that, and if she is Marlene from another timeline. In the Final Fantasy VII Remake, it is suggested that Aerys gave the girl some of her memories. That doesn’t mean he’ll transfer knowledge from future Aeris, that ability was already described in the White Life Stream episode Smile.

Of course they are saying that Aeris will do the same thing with Red XIII, and Echoes mentions that they are the Guardians of Destiny. It’s hard to know for sure what the creators were planning, but these creatures stole the heroine’s knowledge or changed some of her memories and passed on inaccurate information to Red. If you think this argument doesn’t make sense, remember Cloud’s version of the story of the Nibelheim incident.

In the year In 1997’s Final Fantasy VII, Cloud tells the story of how Sephiroth became a monster, and even Tifa is in on it and never contradicts him. However, Cloud tells the story of what happened in Nibelheim in an untruthful manner, deceiving the player for most of the adventure. For a fan who already knows this universe, everything has an explanation, but for those who don’t, this twist may seem strange at first. So cheating the player is very common in the world of Final Fantasy VII.

After Eris steals some memories, the girl isn’t sure how far the trip with her friends will go. However, what is clear to her is that if the situation is out of control, she will have to go to the forgotten capital to use the white matter because she still has knowledge left in her. After understanding the explanation that Marlin knows, let’s talk about this version of the girl.

The Marlin shown in the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth trailer is the same one we know. Zack’s spirit can communicate with the girl because she is sensitive to the planet. Let’s remember that in the original game, when some kids saw Aeris in the Sector 5 church, she died. The theme of children and their relationship with the planet is something that is meaningful to this universe.

The issue of Aeris sleeping is one that we are left to analyze. If we think this world is an alternate line, I don’t quite understand Marlin’s words. Are you telling me that if the original Eris dies, her soul will take the sleeping body in a different line? Personally, I don’t see the point.

Now I will present my theory, and to do this, I will talk about the white matter. This case is used to connect directly with the planet, which when receiving the call from the caller, begins to take holy action. There is a chance that Aeris’ connection to the planet as she prays in the forgotten capital is reflected in the image as she is in the world where Zack is. It’s obvious that he wakes up because he’s dead.

The merging of worlds

A lot has been said about Sephiroth’s catchphrase in one of the trailers, which confirms that it is a combination of two timelines in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Now the matter of the unification of the worlds has been the plan of the Sephiroth. The first world is the planet itself after being hit by a meteorite, and the other life stream itself is trying to heal Gaia’s wounds.

Zack will play a key role in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Even with everything I’ve shared, it can be assumed that Zack lives in a parallel universe and is the new protagonist of the remake trilogy after Rebirth. This is because the developers said that the character will be very important in the game, although in my opinion what they are talking about may have more to do with Lifestream. In an interview with Game Informer Media, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi spoke about this.

“We used Zack’s character to represent the original creators, the combined story and composition writer Kazushige Nojima, creative director Tetsuya Nomura, and producer Yoshinori Kitase. About how this world of Final Fantasy VII came to be and the policies and rules that govern it. This is represented by the character of Zach. As much as the echoes in the story, I think Zack is an equally, extremely important, pivotal and key character in this story, and fans will be delighted by his rebirth.

If Zack helps show how the Final Fantasy VII universe works, my bet with the Remake trilogy won’t be in parallel worlds. The build is always based on the Lifestream, not the alternate timeline. If you’re wondering what’s the point of bringing in Zack if it doesn’t do anything, the answer is that you can do a lot with Lifestream. In addition, to be honest, they use the feature because it has gained popularity.

For example, Zack, being next to the sleeping Aeris, begins to see what is happening in the forgotten capital at the moment Cloud is tricked into killing Aeris. As he is about to kill her, Zack shows up and stops him from doing so (although Sephiroth later finishes the job), making sure Cloud doesn’t get any worse. It can help when Tifa is in Cloud’s consciousness and our protagonist is in the final fight.

The fate of Aeris

To this day, the fate of Aeris is doubtful, this is because many fans believe that the developers are hiding the truth when they comment that important events will continue. A report has come to light explaining why Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is rated T, giving us a hint of what we can expect. If you don’t want to know about potential spoilers, stop reading this section and go straight to the next one.

According to MP1st’s report, the ESRB’s ratings guide details why Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a T.

“The scenes show many instances of violence, sometimes with splashes/pools of blood: characters impaled or slashed with swords, sometimes with slow-motion effects; A killer who throws a spinning sword; Characters shot by soldiers.

It is clear that this statement could be a foreshadowing of Eris’ fate.

How do I think Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will end?

It’s hard to know how Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will end, however, I’ll give you an idea. The creators of the remake trilogy have mentioned several times that the order in which we visit certain places will change and confirmed that we will be able to go to Wutai in the third installment. The detail is that they paid a lot of attention to the topic, and I think their words went beyond Utai and Fuerte Condor.

I have an idea that we will visit the northern crater first and then we will go to the forgotten capital, that is, the order of the visit will change. I think because Final Fantasy VII Remake too much importance is given to Sephiroth’s clones (they already appear in Chapter 3, and the meeting is even mentioned). Likewise, they reappear in the game’s DLC, as well as in the Rebirth trailer (you can see Cloud’s shadow in the meeting with the others) and in the game’s demo.

A fan of this universe won’t mind waiting until the next game to see how that arc closes out, but it’s frustrating for new fans to see that something they’ve been offered since the beginning of the first installment is missing. Close in the second. Not to mention that it would be weird if they gave you a turban like the Northern Crater in the early chapters of the third game.

One explanation for how the story could have continued this way is that Cloud is in a state of remission after learning the truth, although with the help of the group he is still able to move on. We pass through the Gaia Gorge and the Great Glacier, but Cloud feels very bad and rests for a while at Holzoff’s house. After that, they realized that Aeris went to the forgotten capital alone, and they followed her.

Since it will be visited in episode 3 for other reasons, we won’t skip the nearby town with the ski minigame added. Shortly after Aeris dies, a surprise attack by one of the weapons (probably the new one) occurs, splitting the group apart. Logically, Cloud is already down because he almost killed Aeris and didn’t react. Then Shinra’s guards arrive and find only Tifa and Barrett.

The game can end with Cloud gone, Tifa and Barrett captured by Shinra, Meteor summoned, and finally Aeris reunites with Zack.

I mean it might not be true because it’s always difficult to get these things right, and since it’s not clear what the tour order will be for this version of the story, it’s going to be more complicated. Also, I hope you had a good time reading my thoughts on how I think Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will end.

We have reached so far, there is no further analysis. Remember that these articles, although they contain official information, are mainly based on theory, so at the moment there is nothing confirmed about how the story of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy will end.

In this case, I would like to thank @SEPH7ROTH for the information he shared with me, without him these articles would not have been possible.