On April 28, 2020, Square Enix released the Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania in Japan. This book goes deeper into the story of the game and includes an interview with some of the game’s creators. Twitter user Aitaikimochi has translated the Ultimania for us, and here are 5 facts that were revealed in it. Be warned that this list will contain spoilers for the game, especially the ending!
The Meaning of Remake
Nomura hints at a double meaning to the game’s title
In an interview with Director Tetsuya Nomura, Producer Yoshinori Kitase and Scenario Writer Kazushige Nojima, it was revealed that there are two meanings to having “Remake” in the title of this game. The first meaning, according to Nomura, was to “quell the doubt that arised when we first announced that we were doing a remake.”, meaning that he didn’t want anyone confused that this might only be a remaster, or even a movie.
While a second meaning was confirmed, Nomura would not elaborate, and only said “Ask me again in a couple of years.” This could mean that the meaning will be more clear in later installments of this remake.
Sephiroth’s Appearances
Sephiroth appears in a number of ways throughout the game
Sephiroth has a much larger presence in Final Fantasy VII Remake than he did during the original game’s Midgar section. Due to the nature of his appearances throughout the game, many people were confused as to when the Sephiroth that appeared was the real thing, or just an illusion. The Ultimania goes through each of his appearances and explains the nature of them.
Basically, all his appearances before Chapter 17 are either illusions or hallucinations by Cloud. In Chapter 17, the two Sephiroths seen are two of the black-robed men that you see throughout the game, who appear as Sephiroth due to the effects of Jenova cells. In Chapter 18, after an initial hallucination, the rest of Sephiroth’s appearances are labeled only with a question mark, suggesting this is different from all his previous appearances.
It should be noted that in the Japanese version of the game, during the final confrontation Sephiroth uses the pronoun “ore”. The only other time in FFVII’s expanded lore Sephiroth uses this pronoun is before he learns the truth of his birth, and only uses the pronoun “watashi” afterwards. This could mean that this is a different Sephiroth than the original FFVII’s villain, with a different personality and goals.
The Advent Children Connection
Assessing these Whispers shows that they are trying to protect their future
During the final battle with the Whisper Harbinger, you face off against three Whispers named Rubrum, Viridi and Croceo. Based on the weapons they used and their descriptions, many people had thought that these Whispers may have been some kind of future versions of Cloud, Tifa and Barret.
However, the Ultimania suggests that these three Whispers are actually Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo, the three remnants of Sephiroth in Advent Children. They use the same three weapons (sword, fists and gun), and the Whisper Croceo even has an ability named Velvet Nightmare, which was the name of Yazoo’s gun. Whether they will play a bigger role in the future is unknown.
The Story with Zack
Zack’s fate is one of the biggest changes made in the remake
Just before the final battle with the Whispers, we see a flash of Zack Fair’s final stand against the Shinra army (which is recreated almost shot for shot from Crisis Core). After the final battle, we are taken back to this scene, showing that Zack survives his battle with Shinra, and carries Cloud with him. This raised many questions on if Zack is now alive, if this is an alternate timeline, or something else.
The Ultimania confirms that Zack surviving is in fact part of an alternate timeline. This can be shown by the fact that Zack and past Cloud walk past the present Cloud and Aerith, and neither see each other. There is also the fact that in Zack’s timeline, there is a closeup of Stamp the dog, now a completely different breed of dog than the one seen throughout the game. How this alternate time will play into the future of this remake is unclear.
Story Changes Going Forward
The final words in the game have many wondering what’s next
With the way Final Fantasy VII Remake ended, fans are wondering just how much is going to be changed in the story going forward. With the Whispers defeated, the timeline is no longer set, and the possibility of large changes is now present (Zack being alive for example, as well as Biggs surviving the plate collapse).
However, Kitase says that the story will remain largely the same as the original going forward. He states “From here on out, we’re not drastically changing the story and making it into something completely different than the original. Even though it’s a Remake, please assume that FF7 will still be FF7 as usual.” We will have to wait until the next part to see just how close the story stays to the original.
As of now there is no release date on part 2, or any confirmation on just how many parts the Final Fantasy VII Remake will consist of. Nomura says that it will depend on the size they want the remaining parts to be. Until then, we will have to wait until we get answers for the other lingering questions raised from this game.
