FF7 Remake story that were changed, as major plot elements have been changed in the new iteration of the story.
The original FF7 is one of the most important video games in history, both in how it brought JRPGs to mainstream levels of success, and how it helped the PlayStation brand establish itself in the marketplace. The announcement of the FF7 Remake at E3 2015 was met with approval from fans, but it raised the question of how a game like FF7 could be remade. Could a game with the scope of FF7 even be made on modern systems without being prohibitively expensive? It turned out that FF7 Remake would only feature the Midgar section of the original game, but it was expanded to the length of a full game.
FF7 celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2022 and fans are eagerly awaiting news regarding the future of the series. One of the most exciting aspects of the FF7 Remake series is the new places the story can go. FF7 Remake wasn't a straight remake and it had some mindblowing story beats that shocked those who experienced the original story.
FF7 Remake Is Set In A Brand New Timeline From The Original Game With Its Own Story
By far the biggest spoiler regarding FF7 Remake is that the name is a lie. It's not a remake of FF7 at all, but a new story that is essentially a reboot. The game follows the events of the Midgar section of the game to a certain degree, but things soon go off the rails, as mysterious entities known as the Whispers try to make the events of the game play out in the same way as the original game. FF7 Remake ends with the cast breaking free from the events of the original timeline and they're now free to pursue a new destiny. This means the FF7 Remake sequel storyline can go in a new direction. The story has also changed in other ways, as characters from the original story who died are now alive, including Biggs from Avalanche, who originally perished while trying to protect Sector 7 Plate, but he's still alive in FF7 Remake and can have a role in the new story.
Aerith & Sephiroth Seemingly Know About The Original Timeline
Sephiroth's role in the story of FF7 Remake has changed a great deal from the original game. In FF7, the player didn't even catch a glimpse of Sephiroth until the Kalm flashback. FF7 Remake only covers the events of the Midgar section of the original game, which would have meant leaving Sephiroth out of FF7 Remake if it was more faithful to the original story. As it stands, Sephiroth shows up during the opening hours of FF7 Remake, as one of Cloud's hallucinations. Sephiroth goes on to become one of the most important characters in FF7 Remake. as he is seemingly aware of the events of the previous game and is using this knowledge to his advantage. Sephiroth's end goal in FF7 Remake is unclear, as there's nothing stopping him from killing Cloud and his friends at a point in the story where they are unable to stop his plans.
It isn't just Sephiroth that appears to know more about the original timeline, as Aerith also demonstrates knowledge of things she shouldn't know about. There are several instances where Aerith knows something before a character reveals the information to her, which she always brushes off. It's possible that Aerith and Sephiroth's connection to the Lifestream has allowed them to retain their memories (possibly in a fragmented state), which means they can have the ability to influence events going forward.
Characters From The Spin-Off Media Are Now Part Of The Original Story
FF7 received several spin-off games, movies, and novels. These included characters that were active during the events of the original game, but weren't created until later, such as the of Deepground, or the illegitimate children of President Shinra. FF7 Remake has integrated some of the characters from the later works into the new story. These include the original iteration of Avalanche that appeared in Before Crisis, the Deepground from Dirge of Cerberus, and Kyrie and Leslie from the Final Fantasy VII The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story novel. This means that the characters from the later works can now influence the events in the new story.
Zack Fair Is (Somehow) Still Alive
One of the biggest changes to the story of FF7 in FF7 Remake is that a character who had perished before the events of the plot is now alive. A confusing scene in FF7 Remake shows Zack Fair surviving his last stand against the Shinra army and carrying Cloud to Midgar. It was originally unclear whether this scene was meant to be real or a vision of an alternate timeline where things played out differently, especially as it seemed that only Aerith was aware of the vision.
The INTERmission DLC for FF7 Remake ends with a scene that shows what happens after the events of the original game. Cloud and his friends are shown hitchhiking a ride to Kalm, ending with Aerith feeling as if she has forgotten something. The scene cuts back to the Sector 5 Church, where Zack is shown alive and well. Zack has come back to see Aerith, and he opens the door to the church but is only greeted by the survivors of the destruction of the Sector 7 Plate. This confirms that Zack is now alive in the world of FF7 Remake. It's unclear whether this is the Zack from the same timeline or another version of the character from another timeline. It's also unclear if there is another version of Cloud out there. The Final Fantasy VII Remake sequel will hopefully shed more light on the situation.
