Heya.

It seems I spoke too soon when I said my last post was going to be about Final Fantasy VII Remake. I was planning to write about my experience watching EVO Online this year but, well, that didn’t happen. With my plans dashed, I had to think about something to write about this week and, as with the past weeks, the only thing I had on the mind was Final Fantasy VII Remake. I am still indeed playing it, now each chapter consecutively on Hard Mode in Japanese (the Japanese voice acting does give new life to the characters). I want to see if I can 100% this game and I’m having a blast trying.

Side note: I do have to add a SPOILER warning now because, after reviewing the post, I realized I did put up some massive SPOILERS for both Final Fantasy VII Remake, the original 1997 PlayStation classic and the PSP exclusive Crisis Core. While I do think any gamer worth their salt do know about them, I’m just playing it safe… so SPOILERS!

Since this is my 2nd time around playing the game, my thoughts do drift to what does Square Enix have in store for the next chapter? As the conclusion of this game blatantly states the future is not written anymore after Cloud and the party defeat the Whispers AKA the “arbiters of fate” at the end, the next game is going to be an open book. I do see most of the events happening as detailed in the original game. The party will still visit Nibelheim, Cloud and Tifa’s home town. There’s going to be a lot of fun to have in Gold Saucer. We might even run into Cid, Vincent Valentine and Yuffie Kisaragi in their travels. However, there will be some new twists Square Enix will have up their sleeves.

I’m betting a big chunk of the new stuff will involve one Zack Fair. In fact, I’m predicting the first part of Part II will actually have Cloud regaling his time with Zack and, throughout the flashback, you’ll be not only controlling the SOLDIER but Sephiroth as well! Basically, a good chunk of the starting moments of the next game will be you playing throughout a condensed version of Crisis Core. This is very important because, if you aren’t familiar with the Final Fantasy VII canon, it’s incredibly confusing to see some black haired Cloud character come out of nowhere and see him survive against a platoon of Shina troops.

I didn’t play Crisis Core so I’m not sure how much content it has but the flashback should cover the main parts. Sephiroth finding Jenova in Nibelheim and his supposed death. Zack and Cloud’s capture and them being experimented on by Hojo as well as the duo’s escape. Things do change, however, when it comes it comes to the ending, of course. This is where things will get interesting. Cloud will have 2 conflicting memories: one where Zack dies as in Crisis Core and another where Zack lives and drags him to the outskirts of Midgar.

Yes, basically, I’m predicting Part 2 will explore the possibility of time travel. It was already hinted when Zack managed to survive the Crisis Core ending so why not? The party will probably find him when they get to Nibelheim, helping the town rebuilt. Ooh! I would love to see what Aerith will do when she sees the first boy she ever loved! Will this rekindle their romance? Will Cloud start feeling the pangs of jealousy? Not really sure how things will play out but I really want to find out!

Unfortunately, Zack will not become a playable character even after they encounter. He’s just going to be too badly injured to actually be of help in battle. He will join the group, though, because of Aerith and Cloud.

Truth is, I don’t think Square Enix will have some characters playable in Part 2. Much like Red XIII in Part 1, this will lead to some disappointment. I do think characters like the aforementioned Red XIII, Vincent Valentine and Yuffie Kisaragi will be playable. I even think they’ll get a couple of personal side quests as well.

Unfortunately, Cid and Cait Sith won’t. Cid will just be the pilot of the airship so we’ll still interact with him a lot. Cait Sith will be there to be kind of a hint book and exposition dump as to what Rufus and Shinra are doing while the entire party is traipsing around the planet. We’ll already be getting around 8 playable characters and that’s already a lot for what I think they’re going to cover in Part 2. They’ll still get some side quests but they’ll be short.

I think that’s the biggest question, actually. What portion of Final Fantasy VII will be part of Remake’s second part? Well, I don’t think it’ll make all that much headway into the main story. I believe Part 2 will only cover up to the point when Aerith is supposed to get skewered by Sephiroth.

We all know this is coming, which is why Square Enix will pull a massive twist in that Aerith doesn’t die in Part 2. The story will generally carry on as before, though. Aerith will leave the party to the Forgotten City to try to cast Holy to save the planet from Meteor. Cloud and crew will arrive to get Aerith back but, like with what happens in the original PlayStation game, Sephiroth will appear from out of nowhere to kill her.

Aerith will not die, however. She won’t just survive Sephiroth’s attack, his blade won’t even touch her! Why? Because Zack will manage to save her! Unfortunately, Zack will be the one who’ll get run through and perish at the hands of Sephiroth.

Yeah, I’m basically trading one death for another but I think it’s fitting. Zack is a big part of Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core but Remake doesn’t really show it. He just pops up at the very end without any explanation. Older fans of Final Fantasy VII know who he is but those who are unfamiliar with the original version of the story didn’t feel the emotional punch of him surviving. So it just makes sense for Zack to die in Part 2 to show the impact. By this time, Zack will have realized he should’ve died but, because of Cloud and company’s actions, he survived. Having him die will deliver a strong gut punch to fans of the original who loved him in Crisis Core. Fans who weren’t familiar with the original will now feel the pain of him dying as well.

There will be a huge boss battle once again before the game ends with Zack’s funeral. This will mirror Aerith’s death as well, with Cloud letting the SOLDIER’s body sink into the water. The party will also recognize they failed and Meteor is coming. Aerith may even mention she’s not sure if Holy was summoned. So this only makes them more resolved to stop Sephiroth.

Will this all happen? Well, reading this now, it kind of sounds like my own personal fan fiction of a game that hasn’t happened yet. Then again, the future is a blank page, isn’t it?

Byee!

What do you think will happen in Part 2? Let me know in the comments section below!