Five Questions Fans Want Answered In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a lot to live up to. The sequel needs to deliver on the promise of the original game, tackling some of its biggest plot twists while taking things in a new direction. Square Enix has said that the game is being designed for both old fans and newcomers alike, but we have a sneaking suspicion that it’s just a marketing tactic. There are simply too many connections to the original game, and the compilation of FF7, that Rebirth has for it to be considered a stand-alone sequel.

With FF7 Remake changing major story beats of the original game’s canon, there are plenty of questions that the sequel needs to answer. From the fate of beloved characters to the validity of other FF7-adjacent media, these are the biggest questions Rebirth has to answer.

Note: This article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the original game.

Will Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Have an Open World?

Square Enix has already partially answered this, but the nature of Rebirth’s open world is still in question. We know that it will have a world map, with many regions like Junon offering open-ended exploration. What we still don’t know is whether we’ll be able to traverse its world on foot or through vehicles in a seamless fashion like the original.

Given the attention to detail and expansion that FF7 Remake got, it looks like Rebirth will be a significant jump. Remake still had its fair share of hidden loading, but with Rebirth being a PS5 exclusive, Square Enix may have managed to make its entire world seamless.

What Is Sephiroth’s Endgame?

Sephiroth’s goal in the original game was to merge with the Lifestream and rule over the planet. Sort of - it gets a little hazy. But in FF7 Remake, it’s clear that Sephiroth is aware of the events of the original game. He knows that he’s destined to die at the hands of Cloud, with his plan to destroy the planet with Meteor foiled by the Lifestream. However, Sephiroth never kills Cloud or the party in Remake. He repeatedly tells Cloud that he needs him alive. But for what?

Since Sephiroth knows the future, what changes is he planning this time? Until the end of Remake, he doesn’t really do anything too drastic to alter the events of the canon. Most of those changes are attributed to the meddling of the Whispers and the party. He needs Cloud to bear witness to what he’s planning. And we're not even talking about the real Sephiroth who is at the Northern Crater. So are there three different Sephiroth's running around in this timeline? We just don’t know what his new master plan is until we play the game.

Is Advent Children Canon to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

The Sephiroth we meet in FF7 Remake is certainly aware of future events, and multiple easter eggs refer to him being from a post-Advent Children continuity. The three monsters you fight at the end of Remake, Rubrum, Viridi, and Croceo, are alternate manifestations of Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo from Advent Children.

At least that’s a theory with some solid evidence. While Advent Children has certainly influenced the direction of the FF7 Remake trilogy, we’re still not sure if Sephiroth is completely aware of its events. The questions remains - is Advent Children canon to the timeline of the Remake trilogy, or are these connections simply easter eggs.

Will Zack Be Playable in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

The ending of FF7 Remake brought a twist no one saw coming - the resurrection of Zack. Okay, technically it’s attributed to a divergence in the timeline, creating a new reality where Zack survived the ending of Crisis Core. This change to the FF7 canon may mean that we’ll get to play Zack in Rebirth.

The marketing for Rebirth has shown many shots of Zack exploring Midgar, and with Sephiroth teasing a “reunion”, perhaps it might refer to Cloud and Zack uniting against him. Maybe we'll see a recreation of FF7's opening with Zack jumping off the train. Maybe he'll meet alternate versions of the party in his timeline. We'll just have to wait and see.

Will Aerith Die in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

Aerith’s fate is perhaps the biggest mystery that Square Enix has built up for the entire FF7 Remake trilogy. Fans of the original game are all too familiar with its most influential twist, but will Rebirth stick to it? By the time credits rolled on FF7 Remake, it was clear that Aerith was aware of the events of the original game.

In one scene she tells Cloud to not fall in love with her, further adding evidence that she knows her fate. Pretty much the entire marketing campaign of FF7 Rebirth has been hinging on the fate of Aerith, with developers confirming that it ends at The Forgotten Capital, which is where the event takes place. Instead of Sephiroth, what if it's Cloud who has to deliver that killing blow? If Square Enix does alter Aerith's fate then that will overtake Zack's resurrection as the biggest twist in the Remake trilogy.

Related: Games You Should Play Before Starting Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Releases on February 29, 2024 for PS5.