Slowly but surely, the ambitious Final Fantasy 7 Remake project is coming together. The first proper part, as well as the upgraded Intergrade and its DLC, are both out now, so all eyes are on Square Enix to deliver the second part. News on it has been scarce, but it's clear that a lot has been set up for it. Cloud and gang are heading toward their first major destination, and Yuffie's story in the greater Final Fantasy 7 mythos has had a few hole filled in.
Notably, Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the Yuffie DLC have both focused on one character, who by the original Final Fantasy 7 timeline shouldn't even be a thought, and that's Zack Fair. His role becomes stranger by the minute, and there's a lot riding on him to deliver on it in the next game. SPOILERS AHEAD; players who are unfamiliar with the original story should turn back now.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 and Zack Fair
As many fans know, Zack Fair dies in the original timeline and that's what causes Cloud's personality change. Cloud is trying to live as Zack as a coping mechanisms of sorts, because of the tragic way Zack lost his life. Now, a lot of that is up in the air. Because of Whispers' defeat in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, certain events that were guaranteed to happen, events that seemingly did happen, or events that shouldn't happen are all possible. Somehow, that means that Cloud's memory is still impacted by Zack's death, although it seems Zack didn't die.
In all of the Final Fantasy 7 Zack Fair theories out there, some speculate that it's a separate timeline of sorts, a merging of them, or something of that effect. After all, both Sephiroth and Aerith seem at least partially aware of the upcoming events and how they are supposed to unfold. Sephiroth is attempting to defy destiny in that regard, while Cloud and the others follow a similar road. That's all rather par for the course with the original events, but the first part of the remake shows Zack arriving at Midgar and proving he is, somehow and somewhere, potentially alive. Final Fantasy 7 Intergrade shows him arriving at the church looking for Aerith, just to realize something is wrong and she's not there.
This puts a lot of pressure on Zack Fair's character; he's already a variant of sorts compared to the original games. He's having scenes dedicated to his very existence, and in the next part, there's one or two options. Square Enix could continuing teasing Zack Fair's fate and role in the remake project, or perhaps they'll finally explore what his appearances here mean. At the same time, this has to been done without undermining Cloud's trauma or impacting the story in ways that undermine the original. It's all a ride of the dice, but it's fair to say many are curious about Zack Fair's role in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 is in development.