Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade released on PlayStation 5 recently, bringing the remake to the next generation. The newest version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake brought a variety of visual improvements, an all-new DLC featuring Yuffie, and a new cutscene at the very end of the game. Please note that this article will have some SPOILERS for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade.
The new ending cutscene in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade features Zack Fair coming back to Midgar in search of Aerith. This is just one of many big changes made by Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade from the original Final Fantasy 7. In the original game, Zack Fair is killed early on, giving Cloud his iconic Buster Sword and leading to Cloud mixing up some of his memories with those of Zack.
This has led to fans developing a variety of fan theories about what exactly is going on with Zack. One of them is that Zack is alive in an alternative timeline to what is happening in the story of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Another theory is that he is alive in the main timeline, and was able to survive as a ripple effect from the player defeating the Whisper Harbinger that appears when a change from the original game happens in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The newest theory is that Zack is dead in the main timeline of the game, but players are seeing his spirit or soul wandering around the world.
The newest fan theory is summarized in a post to the game's subreddit by Reddit user good223. Fans supporting the theory say that it is evidenced by light appearing behind Zack when he runs into the church looking for Aerith, the fact that none of the people in the church pay any attention to him when he yells, and the fact that another game, World of Final Fantasy, saw Zack being resurrected by the planet to help protect it. It likely won't be clear which of the fan theories is accurate until Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 releases sometime in the future, but either way, Final Fantasy 7 Remake will have to be very careful with how they balance Zack and Cloud going forward.
It is interesting to see Final Fantasy 7 Remake make such drastic changes to the story and world of Final Fantasy 7 as it is not an approach that very many remakes take. Some fans have voiced their concerns over it not preserving the game in a meaningful way due to the changes, but many others have voiced their support as seeing the characters and world in a new story is more interesting to them. Hopefully, fans will get an update on the next part soon and that it will continue to improve on the game like Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade has.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is available now on PlayStation 5.