We must already announce a statutory warning that the following article contains major Final Fantasy VII Remake spoilers. Here, we are Making Sense Out Of The Ending Of Final Fantasy 7 Remake – What Actually Happened?
Overall, the story of Final Fantasy VII stuck to the original. Story-wise, the game did not have any such surprises for players who might have played the original game any time during its 23 years of existence.
The only noticeable difference was the Arbiters of Fate or Whispers. They are specters that keep coming back on the screen along the entirety of the whole remake, sometimes as opposition and sometimes as partners to the party.
Later in the game, the player deciphers that Whispers are manifestations of fate and is present through the game just to make sure that there is linearity in the story progression like the original.
This can be basically defined as Tetsuya Nomura enjoying meta-style fun with the Final Fantasy VII fanbase at its expense. If during the game, the story reaches a new direction, the Whispers will show up to restore the track. This may be alright with classic fans who like the old-school style of the game.
In the end, when the party dispatches Motorball to go through the minigame motorcycle chase, Sephiroth emerges to confront them. This is something different from the original story. The moment where Cloud launches his sword to defeat Sephiroth, a colossal tidal wave of Whispers comes into the scene.
The response by Sephiroth is by slicing a hole in the Whispers wall and requests help from Avalanche to challenge his fate. This is the first instance in the remake where players hit major confusion.
It is quite obvious that Sephiroth knows all about the Whispers. He also knows that his strategic planning of utilizing Meteor’s powers in his quest for becoming a god is also bound to fail. Along with the entire progression of the game, he constantly instigates Cloud with the mighty visions of Meteor and also Aerith’s death, presumably attempting to make Cloud realize and believe the horrifying glances of the future. This can either mean that Sephiroth in the remake is actually a version from the future or it could also be that he comes from an alternate timeline. It is for the fans to guess.
However, this bait by Sephiroth is accepted by Cloud and his company as they challenge the Whispers. The Whispers were defeated as they proudly prove to the world that they are their own creators of fate.
So, what is next with this game?
Now that fate is defeated and Whispers are no longer there, upcoming events will be very dissimilar to the original storyline.
This shows creative and thematic promise in many areas. First of all, the game is standing on the foundation of nostalgia for so long. Even if the gaming designers are planning to tell the same story over and over again, they cannot put out material that has already been played numerous times by fans and gamers for over 20 years.
However, though, the ending changed every negative feeling that was being anticipated about the Final Fantasy VII Remake. It is more than just another remake. It is an integration between a sequel and a remake. With different timelines and events, players will see Sephiroth implement his master planning again but with vast differences.
The whole remake is categorized into various levels. Many are calling it the remake of the original version but in reality, it is a remake of the Final Fantasy VII in a whole different timeline.
So, questions might arise regarding the unprecedented death of Aerith. We all hope that we are a part of it. Some are asking if there is somebody else who will be sacrificed in his place. These questions are real thinkers in everyone’s mind right now.
Now let us bring Zack into the limelight.
When the Whispers were being challenged by the part, Zack Fair can be seen from the end of Crisis Core, specifically around the time when he dies. Since, the theme says that Whispers can exist in all past, present, and future, defeating them now will also eradicate their past existence. So in the fight with Shinra forces, Zack survives. He then stumbles towards Cloud and Midgar.
So does this all culmination, Zack might still be alive.
And what do the various theories suggest?
When Zack emerges alive, the game shows the player a picture of Stamp, the dog mascot of Shinra. Stamp was in the game all until now and the version that we see here is completely different. Hence, it can be said that Zack may come from an alternate timeline.
Another possibility is that Cloud and Zack may have reached Midgar but Zack’s fate was different. He was part of Hojo’s experiments and it may also be that he is still alive in the main timeline and is under the control of Sephiroth. This way, Zack can also be an enemy in the sequel to the game.
Any which way, we all know that the conclusive plot of the Final Fantasy VII Remake has shattered what the franchise stands for by changing the course of the iconic game into a dramatic story progression. Nomura has not said anything about the explanation of the ending since the release so we have to wait for the next chapter to unfold our questions.
