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IM BACK! DOING SLIGHT REDESIGNS OF THE PLACE, GET COMFORTABLE AT THE AL BHED INN.
--SOCIAL LINKS--
IM BACK! DOING SLIGHT REDESIGNS OF THE PLACE, GET COMFORTABLE AT THE AL BHED INN.
The Final Fantasy 7 trilogy represents a very special part of my love for games. Remaking an iconic title, which I also love, and elevating it to a level not many could have predicted, has been great to see. With the third and final part of the trilogy approaching, I thought of compiling my thoughts on what I would like to see as this trilogy climaxes, and theories I have regarding some integral story sequences.
From a gameplay perspective, as was seen from Remake to Rebirth, I think it is safe to see that everything will evolve, but not feel completely alien. Combat will improve, as will traversal and animations.
For combat, I have an idea of something unique to previous installments in this trilogy that thematically is plausible considering what we witnessed at the end of Rebirth. We saw Aerith die (I think), and the party is broken. Cloud is broken, somehow having the dark materia and seeing Aerith whilst no one else can. I think anger will be a large emotion felt in Part 3, and believe this can be channeled into the gameplay, similar to how synergy, and bonds with party members, was in Rebirth. I think a rage meter could be a possibility, especially for the core members who cared for Aerith, that allows for more devastating attacks, temporary invincibility, and blood to be seen in battles. We have already seen Cloud mercilessly take out Shinra enemies when being controlled by Sephiroth. Now the party will all be angry, and out for revenge, and I feel this could not only be seen in fights, but may also play into Sephiroth’s hands in the grand scheme of things.
The third continent will open up in the final part, with the highly anticipated Wutai being fully explorable. I would also assume that some form of underwater combat will be seen, considering Emerald Weapon being located at the Bottom of the Sea. Whilst I would like Midgar to be fully explorable, as a mini open zone, I think it will most likely be a tight, linear mission. This will be story-wise appropriate, considering the stakes when going back to Midgar, and will also pay homage somewhat to Remake, given it had a linear structure in comparison to Rebirth’s expansiveness. I would like to see more randomness and random discovery in Part 3. I absolutely loved the checklist nature of Rebirth, and checked out all the World Intel to get as much lore as I could from Gaia. For the third part, I would still like to see more of this on the third continent, but in the previously explored regions like Junon and Nibelheim, I think Part 3 can take some inspiration from one of my favourite open world games, Breath of the Wild. It is well documented, and celebrated, just how organic and dynamic the world of Breath of the Wild felt, and I believe allowing for more random effects in Part 3, such as weather or NPC interactions, will make the world feel even more immersive.
Throughout this trilogy, the story has been a highlight, and my favourite part of these games. I enjoy the complexities, and the room to theory craft between entries. I am interested to see how Cloud’s mental breakdown is handled, and felt it was a powerful sequence in the original. Seeing Polygonal Cloud being wheeled about by Tifa as Mideel is destroyed, was powerful in showing just how far Cloud is gone. Completely broken to the point he barely notices the events around him. His heroic recovery is something I also look forward to seeing. I personally would like to see Angeal and Genesis, be it them hinted at, or actually there, perhaps in one of Sephiroth’s big set pieces. There are hints throughout Remake and Rebirth, and even Ever Crisis, that perhaps Sephiroth isn’t absolutely evil, and maybe his bonds with the friends he grew up with can be utilised for conveying this message further. I personally enjoy the evil aspects of Sephiroth, but am not completely against him finding some form of redemption.
Regarding Aerith’s fate, I believe there are a few options:
A- Aerith is talking to Cloud from another timeline
B- Aerith is communicating through the livestream
C- Cloud sees Aerith through a coping mechanism as he cannot process her death
D- Cloud’s mind is split into two realities, the one where he saves her and the one everyone else is in where she dies
E- The cynical option, Cloud is seeing Aerith through a Sephiroth projection, similar to Rufus seeing Glenn
I can see it being any of these options, but I really don’t like Option E, but do see it as a high possibility. Sephiroth and Aerith appear to be from the future in these games, so Sephiroth knows how much Aerith means to Cloud. Toying with these emotions would definitely help Cloud break further, and maybe to a point he cannot come back from. I don’t like this option as I want to see things work out, and don’t predict a bad ending for the main party. I don’t see Sephiroth winning in Part 3, but do believe it will be much closer than in the original. I was of the opinion this could be a coping mechanism, but with Aerith speaking of Meteor, this makes less sense. I believe in Option D, that Cloud’s mind is split. This would help explain the rift, and also why he can see Aerith. Again, this could be manipulations from Sephiroth, but we did see Aerith say goodbye to the party with the final scene in the game, which again points more to Option D. I do expect us to see more of Aerith in Part 3, but believe she won’t be used in marketing to keep all of this a surprise. I think she ultimately will be dead when the timelines come together at the end of the game (a theory I am currently supporting), which is sad, but fits the narrative 7 has always had, that life is precious and to be enjoyed with our loved ones, but ultimately, everyone and everything must go back to the Planet.
I am extremely confident Part 3 will release in 2027, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the original, with the climax of the Remake trilogy. I would like to see it release January 31st 2027, representing the Japanese release of the original, and Final Fantasy VII day in Japan. I do believe this is likely. The game could also release on the anniversaries of the North American and European releases, September 7th and November 17th respectively. One theory I have is that the game will be released on the 7th of July 2027. This will give the game release a date of 7/7/27, 777 for the second iteration of Final Fantasy 7. And what happened on the 7th of July 1977 in the Final Fantasy 7 universe? Jenova was verified as an Ancient and the Jenova Project was born.
Part one was titled Remake. Part two was titled Rebirth. Some fans have wanted Reunion for Part 3, which won’t be used for it has already been used for the Crisis Core Remaster. The two titles have one major thing in common, they both mean the same thing, the conception of something. I believe this will be seen in Part 3’s title. I also noticed that Remake is a 6 letter word, consisting of ‘Re’ and ‘Make’, the reproduction of something. Part 2’s title is a 7 letter word, containing ‘Re’ and ‘Birth’, the act of being born again. I believe Part 3 will be an 8 letter word. I believe the title of the third game will be Final Fantasy 7 Recreate. The recreation makes sense narratively. Sephiroth wanted to create the world in his vision in the original. He failed and now has come back to make amends, and recreate all Universes, in all Timelines, in his vision.
All Final Fantasy fans are eagerly anticipating the exciting conclusion to this Remake trilogy based on one of the most beloved titles in all of gaming. My thoughts come from a place of great fandom, and part of me hopes I get some of these right, while the other part wants me to be completely surprised by what we see in Part 3. All I know is, Naoki Hamaguchi, Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima, Motomu Toriyama and all involved in the development of this trilogy have given it their all, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the final part of FF7.
11/02/2026
