No matter what happens to Aerith in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, there’s cause for concern. Final Fantasy 7 Remake faithfully adapted the first act of the classic PS1 RPG for a new generation, but made many changes to the original FF7’s story. The second part of the planned trilogy may diverge even further; developers have hinted that more story changes are coming in FF7 Rebirth, and foreshadowing in the first chapter supports a different ending for one of the game’s most beloved characters.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 7.]
It would be extremely difficult, near impossible, to satisfyingly pull off Aerith’s survival in FF7 Rebirth. The confrontation that results in Aerith’s death has major implications for all three of the characters involved. For Aerith, it’s a tragic end; just as she thinks she’s escaped the machinations of Shinra, she’s felled by a greater evil. It also establishes Sephiroth as that greater evil, and gives Cloud his first opportunity to resist Sephiroth’s manipulation. The reverberating consequences of Aerith’s death drive the entire second half of the game, serving as powerful motivation for both the surviving characters and the player to rise to Sephiroth’s challenge. The plot works so well, a changed version would have big shoes to fill.
Aerith’s death in the original FF7 was part of what makes the game a classic. Up until then, playable characters dying in video games usually just meant the player had to start the level over. In FF7, Aerith’s loss is permanent, and as a result, truly felt – the player’s party loses its most powerful mage and healer. It’s more impactful than most video game character deaths, and set a new standard for RPG stories. Altering this genre-defining moment in video game history in FF7 Rebirth would do away with so much of what made the original FF7 groundbreaking. FF7 Rebirth would have to pull off something equally shocking to justify the change, and even so, it wouldn’t make everyone happy.
As groundbreaking as it was, keeping the plot of FF7 Rebirth – including Aerith’s death – exactly the same as the original would be a boring choice for the remake. Although a shocking revelation in its time, this plot twist is no longer much of a secret, in part due to how much it’s been discussed since. Those who have played the original FF7 and others who have had it spoiled are already expecting Aerith to die at Sephiroth’s hands – it just wouldn’t be as much of a gut punch the second time.
2023-06-03 15:00:05
Original from screenrant.com
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