Final Fantasy 7 Remake seems to be making some big changes to the original game's story. The involvement of the Whispers and Aeris' strange character arc all hint towards things not being quite as they seem. So far, the remake has only covered the first five or so hours of the original game, restricting players to the city of Midgard rather than Final Fantasy 7's vast open world, but the next installment will presumably open things up. It's hard to say just how different things will be by the end of the remake's final episode, which has interesting implications for the story of Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children.
Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children served as a sequel to the original game, but reception to the film was mixed at best. On the one hand, the visuals were absolutely incredible, unlike anything that gamers had seen to that point. Seeing Cloud do battle with massive creatures like Bahamut and nemeses like Sephiroth was thrilling for fans, and many still love the movie to this day for that reason. On the other hand, the story was a bit jumbled, and the voice acting left much to be desired at times. For these reasons, it's unclear whether Final Fantasy 7 Remake will adapt its events.
Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children Story
The events of Final Fanatsy 7: Advent Children take place two years after the end of the original game. Though the world was ultimately saved from Sephiroth's machinations, the planet is revealed to still be struggling greatly. Children all over the city are infected with an inexplicable disease called the Geostigma, and for some unknown reason Cloud is affected as well. Viewers get to see a little bit of where each character ended up after the events of the main story, and it's far from the happy ending that many might have hoped for.
Eventually, Cloud catches wind of a plot to kidnap children inflicted with the Geostigma. The culprits, Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo, are supposedly physical manifestations of Sephiroth's spirit, and naturally seek to use Jenova to bring Sephiroth back to life. This plot is ultimately successful, and fans are treated to an intense battle between Cloud and his arch-nemesis, Sephiroth. This version of the story is simplified beyond belief, as the actual film can be very difficult to follow, especially for those that aren't familiar with the original game's story.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Changes
From the get-go, the story of Final Fantasy 7 Remake seems to perfectly mirror that of the original. Things shift slightly, though, when the bomb used by AVALANCHE to destroy Mako Reactor 1 malfunctions. In their stead, Shinra opts to destroy the reactor from within, with far more catastrophic results than the freedom fighters intended. To them and everyone else, it seems as though their own actions caused the deaths of hundreds of citizens, but in truth Shinra is responsible. This is just the first of many changes that build on top of each other throughout the story, and fans familiar with the first game will notice these as they play through.
For the most part, changes to the story are indicated by Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Whispers. Whenever something would happen that doesn't follow with how events are supposed to play out, the Whispers appear in an attempt to try and correct the course of time. Examples of this include when Aeris is almost captured by the Turks and the Whispers save her, or when Jessie was planning on taking Cloud's spot for the second reactor bombing until she is wounded by the Whispers and unable to attend. Sometimes Cloud and his friends are able to defeat the Whispers and change history, though, and these effects are snowballing into something big.
Defeating Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Whisper Harbinger
The Whisper Harbinger, also referred to as the Arbiter of Fate, is implied to be the planet's way of guiding events so they fall in line with destiny. In the timeline of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Cloud and his companions actually manage to defeat the Whisper Harbinger. What this means for the future of the game remains unknown, but many fans think that the story could take drastic turns from the original now that nothing is stopping the characters from truly changing fate.
During this fight, players are shown a series of visions depicting major events from the original Final Fantasy 7. This includes the infamous death of Aerith, the summoning of Meteor, and Cloud's battle with Sephiroth in what seems to be a scene from Advent Children itself. It's implied that all of these events could theoretically prevented if the team manages to defeat the Whisper Harbinger, and after doing so fate already begins to change drastically. Interestingly enough, this has drastic implications for Advent Children, but also makes that movie a lot more important to the story of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Advent Children
To put it plainly, it seems likely that the events of Advent Children will not be featured in Final Fantasy 7 Remake as a DLC or final part. This is because the entire story of the first part was about changing fate, and the second part will probably follow suit with that. If the player succeeds at this task, there will be no need for the events of Advent Children to ever occur, as the planet won't be required to use the lifestream to defend itself and ultimately infect humanity with the Geostigma.
This also brings up the topic of continuity in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It's clear that this story is taking place at the same time as the original, though it seems to be in an alternate timeline, but some fans are choosing to view it more as a sequel than a remake. It's heavily implied that Aerith and Sephiroth remember all the events of the original game, hence their desire to change those events. With that in mind Final Fantasy 7 Remake isn't a remake at all, but rather a sequel to Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children. Fans shouldn't expect to see that movie in the game, as if it does appear then it means the team has ultimately failed.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now on PS4.