When it comes to the story of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, there are surprisingly quite a lot of things that are still in the air. When gamers last saw Cloud Strife and company, they had just beaten the Whispers and the Arbiters of Fate to have the privilege to write their own futures going forward. As a result, players will go through the next FF7 Remake project game with no idea what's still happening, and what'll be changed as Cloud's party travel through Gaia.
This means that everything that fans know from the original PS1 title isn't at all as set in stone as a series of games in a "Remake" project would lead potential players to believe. However, some things are likely still destined to happen, and the recent Summer Game Fest trailer even dangles what's to come in front of fans. If these iconic FF7 events still happen, then they could serve as FF7 Rebirth's dramatic conclusion and the third game's intriguing starting point.
Where Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Might End
The recent trailers for FF7 Rebirth put a very heavy emphasis on Cloud and Sephiroth, and with good reason. Not only does the second half of the game deal with the party following the one-winged swordsman's footsteps in order to stop his plans to damage the planet but if Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth still follows key story beats, Cloud's next adventure is set to reveal just how deeply Sephiroth lurks under his skin. As Cloud carries S Cells from Sephiroth within him, his archenemy has the ability to read his mind, cause hallucinations, send him cryptic messages from a distance, and even take over him in moments when Cloud's mental fortitude is weak.
Cloud eventually believes himself to be a "Sephiroth clone" after the villain has possessed and tricked Cloud deep in his mind several times, which causes him to follow Sephiroth's commands like a puppet for a time. However, Sephiroth may be taking a different approach using Tifa Lockhart to get to Cloud, which may change these events slightly. Regardless, Cloud leaving the party under Sephiroth's control could still serve as a climactic ending for FF7 Rebirth.
Where the Third FF7 Remake Game Might Start
If the second FF7R game truly does end when Cloud leaves the party, then there's only one place where fans can pick up where they left off in the third. After Cloud is lost to the Lifestream, Tifa wakes up a week later to find her and Barret on trial for summoning Meteor to destroy the planet while the Weapon bosses are rampaging. From there, the party works together to free themselves and once again fight to save their world.
This would be quite an interesting way to start off the third and final FF7 Remake title as fans would be left guessing just when Cloud would rejoin the team, and players would have to slowly regain the full party in the meantime as they wait. It would also leave plenty of room for the final title to deep dive into what exactly makes the Remake trilogy so different from the original Final Fantasy 7 timeline, be it because the party gets help from someone unexpected like Zack Fair, or possibly higher stakes that might put the PS1 game's final act to shame.
Almost every canon event from the original title is left up to what the FF7 Remake cast does between FF7 Rebirth and the yet unnamed third game, which means even the most iconic and memorable events might not happen at all if Cloud and company don't want them to. So while these important moments for Cloud and Tifa may be a great place for things to keep rolling between games, there may be a few surprises that lead to something better and even more climactic than what fans remember.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will release in early 2024 on PS5.
