Days earlier than the discharge of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, Sq. Enix unveiled an replace making a number of tweaks to its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7: Remake. The change most noticeably impacts considered one of Tifa’s outfits, although there are a couple of different tweaks. However one different main change we have not written about but is the change to Aerith’s remaining line within the script of Final Fantasy 7: Remake within the English translation of the sport.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of people got upset about the line change. With out digging into the specifics of it, on the floor, the change seems to show a line that beforehand hit a really particular emotional beat for the character into one thing rather less…poetic. It additionally appeared like a bizarre change to make now, of all instances. The sport’s been out for a number of years at this level! What provides!
Properly, we predict we now have a reasonably good thought why the change was made. Probably the most I can say proper off the bat is that it has to do with some plot occasions that happen in Rebirth, so when you’re planning to play Rebirth, simply go do this after which come again later.
As a result of with a purpose to speak about what is going on on right here, we’ll should spoil the heck out of each Final Fantasy 7: Remake and Rebirth.
ONE MORE TIME: MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE ENDINGS OF FINAL FANTASY 7 REMAKE AND REBIRTH ARE AHEAD. Learn onward at your individual threat! We’re speaking in regards to the LAST SCENES OF BOTH GAMES! The endings! Do not say I did not warn you! I am even placing a video in the way in which of the spoilers!
Okay, phew. That is out of the way in which.
The road in query in Final Fantasy 7: Remake beforehand learn “I miss it. The metal sky.” It is stated by Aerith after the group flees Midgar and finds themselves not underneath an enormous steel plate, however underneath an open sky. It is a stupendous line, referencing Aerith’s real love for the difficult, imperfect place she calls residence and her grief within the wake of the Sector 7 plate falling. The brand new line learn is way much less emotive: “This sky…I do not prefer it.” Yeah! I can see why folks suppose that is a worse model.
Notably, although, the unique Japanese model of the road (which resembles the brand new English translation) hasn’t modified within the replace. That is virtually actually as a result of the road was at all times meant to be nearer to the brand new model. Why? As a result of Aerith is, from this second within the story onward, taking a look at a really totally different sky than everybody else within the occasion. And he or she’s not too thrilled about what it means.
Okay actually and actually, one remaining time, I’m about to simply spoil the bejeezus out of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, together with actually the final scene. Please go away when you do not need to learn that!!!
In Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, we ultimately see what Aerith is taking a look at above her head by way of a collection of unusual, dream-like interstitial scenes that seem to happen in an alternate universe the place Aerith’s previous boyfriend and Cloud’s previous finest pal, Zack Honest, by no means died. We see Zack ready in Aerith’s home, presiding over a comatose Aerith and Cloud, and interacting with Biggs, who within the authentic FF7 dies when the Sector 7 plate collapses however whose destiny appears just a little extra ambiguous within the FF7 Remake trilogy. And when Zack goes exterior, the sky is noticeably tousled – there is a big rift operating by way of the entire thing.
A lot later within the recreation, following the occasions at Temple of the Ancients, Aerith and Cloud discover themselves falling collectively from an ideal top. Cloud seems to go out, and we as soon as once more see a scene from this unusual, alternate world. Besides now, Cloud and Aerith have each woken up. Zack is out, so the 2 exit on a date, throughout which Aerith warns Cloud to not search for. He does, and lo and behold, the sky rift. Cloud has little time to ponder the that means of this as Aerith drags him round city, and ultimately, he snaps again out of it and into the “actual” world, the place the sky is not tousled and the occasion has discovered him, gravely injured however alive after his fall.
The torn aside sky comes again within the remaining chapter of the sport, current all through a collection of battles the place the concept of alternate realities is explored and confused even additional. And it is introduced residence within the remaining scene of the sport, the place the occasion appears to imagine Aerith died at Sephiroth’s arms. However Cloud can see her, and even converse together with her, implying he is crossed over right into a actuality the place he saved her. In a poignant second, he tells his teammates to not search for – referencing Aerith’s recommendation from the date earlier than. We, the participant, see the sky blue and regular, but it surely’s clear on this second that Cloud now sees the identical torn sky he noticed within the alternate actuality – the identical torn sky it is now obvious Aerith noticed on the finish of Final Fantasy 7: Remake, when she remarked, “This sky…I do not prefer it.”
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Screenshots and Artwork
Having solely simply digesting all of this, I am nonetheless at a little bit of a loss as to what all this truly means. It is obvious that the torn sky comes packaged in with the bizarre, alternate actuality stuff Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth are taking part in with, and that characters get pulled into these bizarre, converging planes of existence with tousled skies each time they defy destiny. Aerith sees it on the finish of Remake, and Cloud is looped in on the finish of Rebirth. And as my colleague and reviewer Nick Limon identified, it is attainable the rift is linked to one thing referred to as the “universe of demise” talked about within the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Supplies Ultimania ebook.
What doubtless occurred with the road change is that the localizers did not know the context of Rebirth on the time Remake was launched, and interpreted Aerith’s line in Japanese as grief in regards to the occasions that had simply taken place. Nomura even validated this reading of the line in an interview. And Aerith, canonically, appears to hate the sky simply usually – she brings it up repeatedly in Disaster Core. However the reflective “I miss it. The metal sky” line, lovely as it’s, is simply in a position to maintain the one that means, that of grief. The brand new model, even when it is a little more easy, is quietly carrying a double that means. The sky is each symbolic of Aerith’s sorrow, and it is also fairly actually messed the heck up. In that mild, the road change makes an entire lot extra sense.
With Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth out immediately, I can’t await lore specialists to dig into all this deeper and clarify what it means, as a result of that whole recreation was a wild experience. For those who for some motive learn to the top of this with out having completed it, get your self again to our Wiki information for some serving to wrapping all of it up (or doing the tens of hours of additional aspect content material).
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Bought a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.