Final Fantasy 7 Remake has been hugely successful among fans, but those that remember the first game will notice some things going a bit differently. In the end, nothing strays too far from the original story, but there are times when the player isn't sure whether or not things will play out the same. This is because of the game's new entities, the Whispers, which act as harbingers of fate in a way. Mild spoilers ahead for the remake, so fans wanting to figure this sort of thing out for themselves should turn back now.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Whispers appear whenever something is happening which diverges from the events of the original game. They attacked Jessie to make sure that Cloud could go on the second bombing mission; likewise, they protected Aerith from the Turks because she wasn't meant to be captured at that point. While this concept is interesting in theory, it harkens back to an infamous and problematic trope from Dungeons and Dragons, the Railroad. The connections between Whispers and a railroading DM are plain as day, but the context in which they appear is why they are perceived differently.
Dungeons and Dragons - Railroading DM
Anyone who has spent any time on subreddits like r/rpghorrorstories will have no doubt heard this term, but those less inclined to the world of tabletop roleplaying may need an explanation. Essentially, in Dungeons and Dragons, despite the Dungeon Master being the one who develops the story and determines the way the world reacts to events, the players are meant to be the driving force of a campaign. Their decisions, actions, and ideals should shape the world and the story around them, while the Dungeon Master is there simply to facilitate these consequences.
A railroading DM does just the opposite of this. This Dungeon Master has a carefully crafted story (which may or may not be any good) and they are intent on living it out with the players as their actors. The biggest issue with this is that it takes away player agency, and leaves the player eventually feeling as though their actions don't matter. Regardless of what the party decides to do, the outcome will be the same, so why bother trying to think outside the box or spending any effort to save the day? The similarities between this and the Whispers should be clear already.
Player Agency in Video Games
Player Agency is a big deal in tabletop RPGs, as the story isn't supposed to be set in stone. Still, the same can't be said for video games. In general, regardless of how much freedom is given to the player, the story usually has only two or three different potential outcomes at most. Some games try to simulate player agency by adding multiple endings or allowing the player's choices to affect the game world in some way, but these efforts never fully emulate the amount of choice that players have in tabletop games, simply because it would be impossible to do so.
That said, most games don't feel like a terribly railroaded Dungeons and Dragons campaign because the choices of the characters and the reactions of the world generally feel logical. Final Fantasy 7 Remake has those two things down, but whenever the Whispers come into play there is a feeling of hopelessness that nothing can be done. It seems that the characters feel this to an extent too, as there are times when they win great victories only to have those be snatched away by the interference of the Whispers.
Final Fantasy 7 Whispers
Perhaps one of the most frustrating instances of the Whispers' interference is during the battle on the Sector 7 pillar. Fans that had played the first game knew what was coming: the plate would be detached, killing thousands of people and destroying the party's hometown, but there is a sense of hope that things may go differently this time. Aerith even tells Tifa that fate isn't set in stone, and that the future can still be changed. As such, when Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett come out victorious against Reno and Rude, it seems like the plate separation may actually be stopped, and then the Whispers arrive.
Blocking Cloud and the others and somehow incapacitating Tifa, Rude is able to sprint to the console and initiate the separation. The dreadfully devastating scene plays out despite the characters' best efforts to stop it from happening, and all because some strange force outside the player's control willed it to be so. This is understandably frustrating, as it makes the player feel as though their actions don't matter in a way that is keenly different from other games. If Cloud and company simply fought and failed to stop the plate from separating, fans may have taken it better, but they actually succeeded, only to have that victory taken from them.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Railroad
Thankfully, after defeating the Whisper Harbinger, it seems that fate is no longer bound, meaning that events in future installments of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake may actually diverge more from the original story. Whether fans see this as a good or a bad thing is up to them, but most will agree that the frustrating intervention of Whispers at the most inopportune moments stopping is a positive change. Of course, there are negative consequences to this as well.
At times throughout Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the Whispers actually help the player, but only if it is to preserve fate's integrity. When Aerith is nearly captured by the Turks or when Barret is stabbed by Sephiroth, the Whispers prevent things from going awry. In the future, that safety net won't be there, meaning there are some drastic changes that could be coming. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until the next episode comes out to know more, so hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now exclusively on PS4.
