How FF7 Remake Part 3 Could Throw a Curve Ball in its Multiverse Theory

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 31, 2024 5 Views 6 Min Read
How FF7 Remake Part 3 Could Throw a Curve Ball in its Multiverse Theory

The ending to Final Fantasy 7 Remake raised plenty of questions regarding how Square Enix would continue reimagining the events of the original, and the ending to this year’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth seems to have left fans with only more questions. There is no shortage of discourse on the meaning of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth‘s ending, which creates plenty of exciting new territory for the third and final entry in the remake trilogy to cover if it’s going to still touch on the events of the 1997 original. Still, there’s a distinct possibility that it’s all carefully curated misdirection.

One of the biggest points of discussion among fans following the events of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth is the concept of a “Final Fantasy 7 multiverse.” Careful observation of visual cues during cutscenes and subtle (or even overt) hints delivered through character dialogue only seems to confirm as much. But given what players know about the original story, as well as main protagonist Cloud Strife‘s inability to be a reliable narrator of events, the multiverse-centric plot twists set up in the first two entries may come crashing down in spectacularly tragic fashion in the third and final chapter of the remake saga.

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Cloud’s Character Development Arc in Final Fantasy 7 Could Unravel the Multiverse Theory

The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and the original Final Fantasy 7.

The ending to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth shakes up what many players would anticipate given how the game’s events align with the core reality of the original game, and this follows suit from Final Fantasy 7 Remake‘s introduction of the Whispers. The Whispers, referred to in Remake by Red XIII as “arbiters of fate,” are supposed to show up to safeguard against deviation from predetermined destiny.

That said, players see that Cloud and his companions’ intervention against Sephiroth in Remake splinters the timeline, creating not one but multiple new branches, signified by the different appearance of Shinra’s dog mascot, Stamp, across each reality. Despite the convergence of multiple realities, the game also makes frequent references to the importance of the future over the past, and the need to let go of what’s impossible to change.

Cloud is an active narrator in the original Final Fantasy 7, but players learn that he is an unreliable narrator. Although players experience the world through his eyes, that reality is frequently called into question. The end of Rebirth sees Cloud still communicating with Aerith while the rest of the party cannot see her, and it’s potentially the latest crack in the foundation showing Cloud’s rapid mental decline. It’s possible that rather than experiencing Remake and Rebirth‘s events as an active participant players are viewing them from within the interpretation of Cloud’s psyche as he lies catatonic in Mideel.

How Cloud’s Condition Could Affect the Structure of the Third Final Fantasy 7 Remake Chapter

The introduction of a multiverse theory into the core Final Fantasy 7 timeline created several new story threads that the series would need to resolve in the third chapter of the remake trilogy, but the entire scenario may be a creation of Cloud’s psyche as a self-defense mechanism. The events of the original Final Fantasy 7 see Cloud fall into the Lifestream not long after Aerith’s death, and it’s Tifa who helps to ground him and bring him back to reality while also helping him come to terms with his past.

This begs the question of what Cloud’s development arc could look like in the final chapter if players discover they’ve been replaying the events of Remake and Rebirth from the hero’s memory.

Rather than get into the convoluted territory of introducing a multiverse as canon, the third and final chapter of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy could very well pull back the curtain to reveal that the entire concept of Whispers is just that—whispers. The Whispers, and the idea of multiple worlds, are Cloud’s futile attempt to grasp at any possibility that Aerith is still alive, that his cells aren’t deteriorating due to Mako poisoning, and that he’s capable of breaking free from Sephiroth’s sway.

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