FF7 Remake’s Unanswered Questions FF7R Part 2 Needs To Address

The sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake is currently in development, but there is no indication as to when it will be released. The original FF7 Remake left players with a lot of unanswered questions, which the upcoming sequel needs to answer.

FF7 Remake seemingly had a misleading name, as it was originally promoted as being an expanded version of the Midgar section of the original game. Once the game was released, the truth became clear. At the end of FF7 Remake, the party breaks free from their fate in the original timeline and are now free to pursue whatever life they want. This means that the story of future FF7 Remake games can go in any direction, which indicates the next Final Fantasy 7 Remake entries technically won’t be remakes, but will be brand-new games.

The story of FF7 Remake left fans with a lot of unanswered questions. The story is different this time around and the entire timeline of the setting is being messed with, so knowledge of the original FF7 only goes so far. It’s unclear how many more FF7 Remake games there will be, but the sequel needs to resolve some of the mysteries of the original game.

FF7 Remake: What’s The Significance Of The Seven Seconds?

When Cloud battles Sephiroth at the Edge of Creation, Sephiroth says “Seven seconds till the end. Time enough for you, perhaps. But what will you do with it? Let’s see.” The in-game chapter description for “The Turning Point” claims that Sephiroth showed Cloud a vision of the planet seven seconds before it was destroyed by Meteor, but what does that mean in regards to Sephiroth’s statement? What can Cloud do in seven seconds before a huge meteor is about to blow a hole in the world?

There is a lot of speculation as to the meaning of this statement. Some fans believe that Cloud will only have seven seconds to save Aerith from being killed by Sephiroth, resulting in the timeline being splintered again in a way that favors Sephiroth. After all, if Aerith is alive, then she won’t be in the Lifestream to summon its aid when Holy fails to stop Meteor. This statement could also be referring to a brand new event that never happened in the original timeline. It’s unclear what the seven seconds statement is referring to, but it must be important if it’s featured in such a pivotal scene.

FF7 Remake: What Do Aerith & Sephiroth Know About FF7’s Original Timeline?

There are numerous hints that Aerith and Sephiroth are aware of the events of the Compilation of FF7. It’s unclear exactly how much they know and they might be acting on incomplete knowledge. Is Aerith aware of her original fate? If so, is she playing along in order to spend more time with her friends, or is she manipulating events in a way that will allow her to survive?

There’s also the question of why they have this new knowledge this time around. One theory regarding the ending of Dirge of Cerberus suggests that a new threat appeared in the world of FF7 and the Lifestream altered time in order to save itself, but that’s all conjecture for the time being.

FF7 Remake: What Was Scarlet Doing With The Materia?

There’s a scene in FF7 Remake involving Scarlet within the Shinra Headquarters. Scarlet is watching an experiment performed on several pieces of Materia in a tank. Something goes wrong and the Materia starts to bubble and crack. The scene is never referenced again. Is Scarlet trying to create Huge Materia (in preparation for that storyline in future games), or is she attempting to develop Summon Materia?

The developers of FF7 Remake included Summon Materia at a much earlier point in the story, as the player didn’t encounter them until the Chocobo Ranch in FF7. This led to Summon Materia being created, which is why Cloud and his friends can win them from the Battle Simulator. This change in lore could also mean that FF7’s Shinra Corporation is trying to create more powerful Summon Materia, or turn regular Materia into them, which could explain the purpose of Scarlet’s experiment.

FF7 Remake: Have Tifa’s Memories Been Altered?

The original FF7 is a great game for a second run-through. Once the player knows the secret of Cloud’s origins, they will notice Tifa’s reactions to certain scenes. Tifa has always been aware of Cloud’s true identity and she notably reacts whenever the topic is brought up. She always gives evasive answers to Cloud when questions are asked, until they’re forced to face the truth by Sephiroth.

This foreshadowing seems to be completely absent from FF7 Remake, as Tifa doesn’t seem to be aware that anything is off with Cloud’s memories or the fact that he wasn’t in SOLDIER. At one point, Hojo outright tells the party that Cloud wasn’t in SOLDIER, but only Cloud reacts. It seems that Tifa’s memories might have also have been affected by the Nibelheim Incident, but how? Is this a response to trauma that wasn’t present in the original game, or is Tifa just better at hiding her emotions this time around, and is not letting on that something is wrong with Cloud?

FF7 Remake: Are Jessie & Wedge Still Alive?

Jessie died defending the Sector 7 plate in FF7 and she shares this fate in FF7 Remake. Things are different this time around, however, as Biggs survives until the end of the game. Biggs also died alongside Jessie and Wedge in FF7. The developers of FF7 have hinted that Jessie survived the events of the game, possibly due to the timeline changes caused at the end of the story. The last scene with Biggs shows him in bed, with Jessie’s bandana and glove next to him. Is Jessie still alive in the FF7 Remake world? Will she perform at the Gold Saucer like she always wanted?

Wedge’s final fate is also unclear. He died with Biggs and Jessie in FF7, but he survived in FF7 Remake and had a major role in the rest of the story. The last scene with Wedge shows him being dragged out of the Shinra Headquarters by the Whispers. Wedge’s fate is now ambiguous and he might also have survived the events of the game. Does this mean that all three members of Avalanche could return for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2?

FF7 Remake: Is Zack Still Alive?

The biggest questions fans were left with at the end of FF7 Remake involves Zack Fair. Zack died fighting the Shinra Army in Crisis Core and he bequeathed the Buster Sword to Cloud. This leads to Cloud’s memories being messed up, and he starts to believe that he lived Zack’s life. This is why Cloud believes he is a member of SOLDIER.

In the ending of FF7 Remake, players see a different version of events, where Zack defeated the Shinra troops and returned to Midgar with Cloud. Does this mean that Zack is still alive in the new continuity of the series? If so, why does Cloud have his Buster Sword? Will Zack succumb to Sephiroth’s control in the end, as he has Jenova cells in his body? Was the entire Zack section of FF7 Remake a vision of a different reality and he’s still dead in the current continuity?

No one but the game’s developers know for sure, but the upcoming sequel to FF7 Remake will hopefully shed some light on his fate.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 is currently in development.

About The Author

Scott Baird
(2522 Articles Published)

Scott has been writing for Screen Rant since 2016 and regularly contributes to The Gamer. He has previously written articles and video scripts for websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, and TopTenz.
A graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Scott started out as a film student before moving into journalism. It turned out that wasting a childhood playing video games, reading comic books, and watching movies could be used for finding employment, regardless of what any career advisor might tell you. Scott specializes in gaming and has loved the medium since the early ‘90s when his first console was a ZX Spectrum that used to take 40 minutes to load a game from a tape cassette player to a black and white TV set. Scott now writes game reviews for Screen Rant and The Gamer, as well as news reports, opinion pieces, and game guides. He can be contacted on LinkedIn.

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