Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthdirector Naoki Hamaguchi recently discussed how Zack Fair will have a larger role following his altered fate in the first game. The second installment in Square Enix’sFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogy is now only a month away, and past trailers have given fans a look at the many classic characters who will be returning. Among these familiar faces areoriginalFinal Fantasy 7party members Vincent Valentine, Cid Highwind, and Cait Sith - the latter of which will have an improved set of battle mechanics that no longer depend heavily on the player’s luck.
This article will contain SPOILERS for Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7
Of course, no discussion about popularFinal Fantasy 7characters would be complete without Zack Fair, Cloud’s best friend and mentor who also starred in the spin-off gameCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7. In both his flashback appearances in the originalFF7and the end ofCrisis Core,Zack is tragically killed by Shinra troopsfollowing the Nibelheim Incident, with his death fueling Cloud’s transition from a shy Shinra grunt to a hero in his own right. However, following the timeline-altering events ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, Zack is shown to have survived his final stand, causing fans to speculate heavily on the implications of his inevitable return inRebirth.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s developers have hinted thatZack will have an expanded rolein the past, and now director Naoki Hamaguchi has opened up about the future of the Buster Sword-wielding hero. In a recent interview withGame Informer, Hamaguchi said that Zack is “immensely important” to the world ofFinal Fantasy 7, and thatRebirthplayers will gain a deepened understanding of said world, its rules and policies, and how it came to be through him. He even went as far as to compare Zack to the Whispers, the spectral beings that worked to ensure the originalFF7timeline remained intact duringRemake.
This timeline would be changed drastically when the Whispers were defeated by Cloud and his allies at the end ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, resulting in Zack’s survival amongother deviations from the originalFF7storyline. Sure enough, recent trailers have sprinkled in scenes of Zack following his near-death experience at the hands of Shinra, and developers at Square Enix have even hinted that he might be playable in some capacity.Rebirthproducer Yoshinori Kitase also revealed that there will be an entire additional episode centered around Zack - though he naturally remained quiet on the exact details.
Likewise, Naoki Hamaguchi was tight-lipped while discussing Zack’s expanded role inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, leaving many questions surrounding his place in the new timeline unanswered for the time being. Given how Zack’s death was a pivotal moment in the originalFinal Fantasy 7’s backstory, one can only imagine how his survival will impact the events ofRebirthand beyond. Judging from Hamaguchi’s latest interview, Zack Fair could have a bigger role in theFF7universe than initially thought, though fans will have to wait until February 29 to see this for themselves.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
