With Final Fantasy 7 Remake's latest trailer comes a series of clues pointing to how different this remake is making itself out to be. For those unaware, Square Enix fashion recently dropped a surprise trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Remake for the 23rd anniversary of the original Final Fantasy 7. The trailer comes packed with teases and several notable changes to the original game. Be warned: this article contains SPOILERS for Final Fantasy 7.

Sephiroth and Jenova in Midgar

Perhaps the biggest change in Final Fantasy 7 Remake so far is that Cloud and the gang meet up with Sephiroth much earlier than in the original game. In the original Final Fantasy 7, the main party never physically meets Sephiroth until after they escape Midgar. Sephiroth is several steps ahead of the main party, retrieving Jenova and murdering the Shinra president before Cloud and the members of AVALANCHE can rescue Aerith and Red XIII. Moments where Sephiroth is shown prior to the escape from Midgar in the original game are contained in flashbacks only, never in present-day Midgar.

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In this trailer, Sephiroth and Cloud clash inside a containment room with Jenova in the background, more than likely in a research sector of Shinra headquarters. Jenova was first shown in Final Fantasy 7 in the same room Aerith and Red XIII are imprisoned, in a relatively tiny containment chamber on the right-side of the room. Now in the Remake, it seems Jenova sits in her own larger containment unit, where Cloud and his team witness Sephiroth taking Jenova first-hand but are powerless to stop him.

This is a huge plot change from the original Final Fantasy 7, but an understandable one. Considering this FF7 remake is going to be an episodic release and the first game's focus is entirely on the Midgar section of the story, it makes sense to have an earlier Sephiroth confrontation. Being the main villain of the game, not seeing him entirely (outside of flashbacks) wouldn't make sense in a re-telling with a much larger focus on Midgar's beginning moments. The trailer even shows they find Sephiroth around the same time he murders the Shinra president in his office.

Along with Sephiroth, the first Jenova encounter seems to occur much earlier in the game as well in a completely new segment of Final Fantasy 7. In the trailer Cloud discovers Sephiroth in the Shinra president's office, but he quickly disappears and Jenova appears and transforms the room into a boss fight. The first Jenova fight in Final Fantasy 7 usually doesn't occur until Cloud and the team sneak on to the Shinra cargo ship after the Junon ceremony. Similar to Sephiroth, it makes sense to introduce an earlier Jenova fight when focusing entirely on Midgar.

When looking back it does seem a bit odd that Cloud's first fight with Jenova is in the cargo ship segment rather than in Midgar when she's freed. This could also mean that there isn't a Jenova fight in the cargo ship at all, but it's hard to tell since Final Fantasy 7 Remake's first episode isn't planned to depict anything beyond the escape from Midgar.

Honey Bee Inn & Roche

Another greatly expanded moment in the game is the Honey Bee Inn, which is given a more fantastical treatment in the remake. The trailer treats us to Cloud's famous cross-dressing scene from the original game, albeit vastly changed from the original. Cloud's transformation in Final Fantasy 7 Remake has been adjusted to be a more burlesque/cabaret style moment featuring dancers that's framed more as a makeover scene.

In the original Final Fantasy 7, this scene was much more uncomfortable, taking place in a dress shop where the store owner and bystanders make snide comments while Aerith jokingly mocks his appearanceFinal Fantasy 7 Remake appears to be taking this moment in stride rather than shying away from the moment altogether or framing it as some kind of joke, which might be the best way they could've adapted this part of the original Final Fantasy 7.

Another relatively major change comes with the introduction of Roche, a former SOLDIER 3rd Class who's a completely new character in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Roche was already revealed in the previous TGS trailer, but now he's received his first introduction with this latest trailer. From what can be gathered from the trailer's tidbit of conversation, it seems Roche will be a mini-boss fight that occurs somewhere during the second Mako reactor raid, with Biggs and Wedge at Cloud's side. He seems to know Cloud, stating it's time for their "second dance," meaning they've met or fought before. The significance of Roche's character is yet to truly be seen, but it's impossible to imagine he'll be much more than a side character similar to that of the Turks.

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Dark Shrouds

shinra trooper guarding building

Lastly, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake once again features these dark, shroud-like forces that keep popping up in each one of their trailers. The source or reason for their existence is unknown, and it's hard to distinctly determine what they are. Specifically in the new trailer, these shrouds of darkness are shown enveloping Shinra tower at the end of the motorcycle chase at the finale of the begi Midgar segment. It's hard to tell what the purpose of this moment is or why it's happening, but each successive trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Remake has emphasized their existence. What their significance is may not be unveiled until the full game is released.

Other than that, there were some additional scenes spread throughout the trailer that may be referring to extended/extra scenes coming to Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It's tough to tell definitively if these scenes will have a significant impact on the events at the beginning of the game, but players may get some additional context or lore for the world.

For one thing, several of Shinra's secondary executives get a lot of the limelight during this trailer. The argument between Reeve, Shinra's President, and Heidegger is reminiscent from a similar encounter in the original game. This might give us more context or lead-up to the Shinra boardroom scene. Scarlett, head of the weapons development division of Shinra, is seen overseeing the production of weaponized Materia. In the original Final Fantasy 7, it was understood that Materia was a source of magic created by the planet's Mako energy, but the actual development of Materia was never discussed or shown, which means Final Fantasy 7 Remake may elaborate on that aspect as well.

Other than story differences, there were some minute gameplay differences shown in the trailer as well. The Leviathan and Chocobo summons were shown off, which are normally summons acquired much later in Final Fantasy 7. Similarly, in some scenes Cloud is shown wielding the Mythril Saber, a weapon who normally can't acquire until after the Midgar segment of the game. Tifa and Barrett also had some differing weapons as well, but it's hard to tell which of their equipment they closely resemble from the original game. It'll be interesting to see if we may see new weapons/equipment in the next episode for the Final Fantasy 7 remake remake.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake will be out on April 10, 2020 for PS4.

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