Long ago, when the mere idea of Final Fantasy VII Remake was but a dream, there existed the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. A meta-series dedicated specifically to expanding the lore, characters, plot, and themes present in Final Fantasy VII, the Compilation consisted of a range of titles greatly varying in quality.
All the same, the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII genuinely enriched the world of the original game– something Square Enix clearly recognizes with the remake. Final Fantasy VII Remake is less of a remake than fans realize, filled with notable references to Crisis Core and even Advent Children.
10 Cloud Remembers Nibelheim
Identity is one of the core themes present in Final Fantasy VII, and a major thread in Cloud’s arc. He’s not quite who he says he is, and replaying the original game will reveal Cloud offhand mentioning several details that are incompatible with each other. We as an audience are given further depth when Cloud explains what happened at Nibelheim, and then again when we see what really happened.
Interestingly, it seems that Cloud remembers most of Nibelheim as evidenced by him offhand mentioning that he killed Sephiroth five years ago with Tifa putting up no resistance towards the fact- strongly suggesting memory loss isn’t as major a part of Cloud’s arc this time around. Of course, this could also be the Remake trying to misdirect audiences on Cloud’s arc.
9 Aerith Knows More Than She Lets On
Aerith was always one of the more ambiguous characters in the original Final Fantasy VII, and it could be hard to get a read on her motivations. She was far more nuanced than she let on, but at the end of the day she was another member of the party following Cloud’s lead. The Remake may not change Aerith’s personality, but it does change how much she knows.
This time around, Aerith seems to be far more conscious about the events of the story– even leading the charge against Sephiroth in Cloud’s place. Her scene with Marlene also implies Aerith showed Marlene a vision– but what, how, and why? Worth noting, the Whispers are most prevalent whenever Aerith is around.
8 Operator Mode References Sephiroth
Although Final Fantasy VII Remake only has four party members (with Red XIII rounding out the party in the last two chapters,) every character at least plays very differently from one another. Party members have advantages, disadvantages, and character specific abilities. In the case of Cloud, he can swap between Modes which change how he plays during battle.
Operator Mode is Cloud’s fast, combo oriented mode. It hits light, but Cloud can dodge enemies and still block. More interesting, however, is the fact that Operator Mode is stylized after Sephiroth’s swordsmanship. Cloud holds the Buster Sword the same way Sephiroth holds his katana, and generally moves with the war hero’s nimbleness.
7 Punisher Mode References Zack Fair
Although Cloud may remember Nibelheim, it’s clear he’s still adopting pieces of Zack’s personality to substitute his own lack of identity. The ending also shows that Cloud’s backstory with Zack did happen to some extent. Similar to how Operator Mode references Sephiroth, Cloud’s Punisher Mode references Zack Fair.
A slow, heavy hitting combat style, Punisher Mode uses the Buster Sword to its full advantage. Cloud mirrors Zack’s more aggressive play style from Crisis Core when in Punisher Mode. Gameplay wise, it’s arguably better than Operator Mode. While players can’t stay in Punisher while dodging, switching Modes as soon as an enemy attacks will result in Cloud countering into Punisher.
6 References To Before Crisis
Before Crisis stands out as the only entry in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII to never release internationally. A cell phone game from the early 2000s, Before Crisis focused primarily on the Turks and setting up the events of Final Fantasy VII– serving as a very intimate prequel. While it’s unlikely Before Crisis will ever see a re-release, FFVIIR is incorporating elements from the title.
Most notably is the expansion of AVALANCHE. In the original game, it’s referenced that AVALANCHE began life at Cosmo Canyon and there were other members who died, but that’s it. The Remake brings Before Crisis’ explicit factions for AVALANCHE back into the picture while generally abiding by BC’s depiction of the Turks and Shinra.
5 References To Crisis Core
On the same token as the Before Crisis references, Final Fantasy VII Remake tries to keep in-line with Crisis Core’s side of continuity as well. Early on in the game, players can see a poster referencing Banora– a village in CC’s lore that ties into Angeal and Genesis’ backstories, two of the game’s most important characters.
The ending also features the showdown between Zack Fair and SOLDIER. While Remake diverges from this scene, it’s depicted exactly as it was in Crisis Core– not the original Final Fantasy VII. It’s likely Remake will also adapt Crisis Core’s version of the Nibelheim incident instead of the original’s in order to capitalize on Zack.
4 War With Wutai
Although the original game always suggested there was tension & conflict between Wutai and Shinra, the developers ran out of time to make Wutai part of the story proper– relegated to side content in the final game. Crisis Core would formally introduce the notion that there was a War with Wutai, the game beginning as the war ends in Shinra’s favor.
Final Fantasy VII Remake makes frequent mention of this war in passing, strongly suggesting that Wutai will play a larger role than it did in the original Final Fantasy VII. More importantly, the care given to building up Wutai (which goes unseen in Part 1) will likely result in Yuffie having a richer character in the Remake continuity.
3 Barret Never Died
Sephiroth abruptly stabbing Sephiroth with no real time for anyone to react only for Barret to come out fine stands out as one of the single worst scenes in the Remake. It’s an incredibly cheap moment and a fake-out death, but it’s still important to recognize what’s actually happening in the scene: and it’s not Barret dying.
Before Sephiroth even stabs Barret, a Whisper has already entered his body to take the blow. As Sephiroth stabs Barret, one can even see the Whisper’s aura emanating from the stab wound. At first glance it might look like censorship, but it’s an immediate hint that Barret hasn’t been killed. It’s still a lousy moment, though.
2 The Advent Children
Before Cloud and company can settle the score with Sephiroth at the end of Part 1, they’re tasked with facing off against the Arbiter of Fate. Split into three beings, players must fight Whisper Rubrum, Whisper Croceo, and Whisper Viridi. Considering the three use a sword, range attacks, and their fists respectively, one might assume they represent Cloud, Barret, and Tifa.
In truth, the Whispers have more in common with Advent Children’s core villains– Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. Not only do the three characters fight exactly like the Whisper trio (more so than the party,) referencing Advent Children is in-line with the Remake adopting traits from both Before Crisis and Crisis Core.
1 The Alternate Timeline
The fact any discussion of Final Fantasy VII Remake on a whole will ultimately need to touch upon an ending that implies the existence of alternate universes sounds like a joke, but that’s the reality of the situation. Don’t take Part 1’s ending to assume that the Remake is outright retconning Zack and AVALANCHE’s deaths.
It kind of is, but there’s reason to believe the ending is showing the audience a glimpse of another future. A golden glow highlights any scenes featuring characters from Sector 7, AVALANCHE, or Zack– but not the party. More importantly, the ruins of Sector 7 don’t quite match up with the actual damage we as the audience saw (notably Tifa’s sign is completely different.) It’ll be interesting to see how Part 2 follows up on this.