Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth And The Beauty Of An Unreliable Narrator

Cloud Strife cannot be trusted. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy 7’s protagonist has been through a lot, with his mind and body gradually𒁏 being worn away by the horrors of Mako. His lifespan is already cut shꦰort, and he spends much of

Remake and Rebirth being influenced by forces far out of his c💯ontrol. It’s a tragic existence, but one he is trying to do everything in his power to subvert. This trilogy is all about changing fate. For better or worse.

This thematic exploration comes to a head at the end of Rebirth, when we see Aerith once again die at the hands of Sephiroth lܫike she did in๊ the 1997 original. Except, we also don’t.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Ending - Cloud in Aerith's arms

We jump back and forth between ⛄two distinct realities as the scene plays out. At first, Cloud is seen deflecting Sephiroth’s plunge, but this is only what our hero wants to see. Soon after, Aerith is mortally wounded and falls to the floor, setting in motion the final battle of the game.

While the entire party is fighting against interdimensional versions of Sephiroth intent on destroying the multiverse, Cloud and Zack take up arms against another form of the sword-wielding emo icon before our blonde-haired protagonist va🤡nishes into the void. He’s alone, until Aerith emerges from nowhere to lend a helping hand. They join forces and win the day, but once Cloud comes back to reality, he is left holding the dying corpse of the girl he loves.

The entire party spends the final few cutscenes grieving her loss,ও and it seems everyone in the party except Cloud accepts that Aerith is gone for good. Square Enix opted to follow up on the original game’s most tragic plot thread despite so many hints it was ready to reverse it. As the Highwind is repaired and the party sits atop a grassy knoll ready to head North, everyone is either tearful or trying to keep themselves busy in the wake of her death.

Everyone except Cloud, who is seen nearby talking to Aerith, except he isn’t really, only her spirit that his mind is no doubt conjuring up as a means of coping with grief. Either that, or a distant promise in another universe or timeline of a loved one, he can save if the stars align. There is no way to tell right now, and that’s partly why 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Rebirth’s ending is so spellbinding.

Cloud’s vision of Aerith at the end of Rebirth also recontextualizes many things he sees in both Remake and Rebirth while under the influence of Mako, a condition that is rotting away his memories and planting events in his head that he’s never been subject to. It’s a tragic bout of paranoia that expands beautifully on the🍌 1997 classic, which eventually sees Cloud reduced to a shambling husk who can only restore his humanity with the help of Tifa as they both fall into the lifestream. Except those moments with Tifa were already mirrored in Rebirth, so perhaps a significant change is afoot in the trilogy’s final chapter.

Where I Think Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Is Heading

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Ending - Aerith staring at the player

Here’s my theory - Aerith is going to play a role in the third game not dissimilar to the Joker’s in Arkham Knight. He’s dead, but still a constant voice in Batman’s ear. A voice in your ear that both pokes fun at his nemesis and comments on the unfolding narrative. Aerith isn’t going to start wearing clown make-up and slagging ⛎you off, but she could be a constant presence in Cloud’s peripheral vision that appears during cutscenes, representing how Cloud’s mind is slowly fading away.

By the end, he embarks on some multiverse shenanigans to save her, or has to accept his loss and let her go. Each option is powerful and befitting of the trilogy’s themes, and I would love it for Cloud to stop seeing Sephiroth and start𓃲 seeing Aerith, like she is fighting Cloud’s demons from the inside.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Ending - Cloud and Aerith

We’d need to see Cloud reach his breaking point first though. He could refuse to accept the visions of Aerith that are beginning to bleed into his reality, while the Mako poisoning keeps breaking his body down at a time he needs it most. Tifa will still be there to pick up all the pieces, and I’m confident in her role as the primary love interest, but Aerith is positioned as🍃 a far more prominent force in this trilogy, and I want to see that character arc concluded.

Cloud will be the figure through wh♉ich we experience this journey, and there is no telling whether what we see is real or a figment of his decaying imagination. But in a trilogy that is all about subverting expectations and changing a tale we already know so well, that’s exactly what it needs to succeed.