[WARNING: Spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Remake AND Final Fantasy 7 below]
When Final Fantasy 7 Remake was announced at E3 back in 2015, it's existence almost felt like a dream within itself. The original Final Fantasy 7 is often regarded as not only Square Enix's magnum opus, but also as a game that shook the very foundation of what video games could be. With every passing trailer leading up to FF7 Remake's release, it seemed that Nomura and his team were playing the script straight; nothing unexpected, just the story fans know and love.
In retrospect, the trailers did a fantastic job pulling the curtain over the eyes of players. While the first part of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is largely faithful, some strange story bits just appear to be "off." What are these strange ghosts flying around Midgar? Why is Sepiroth implemented into the story so early? Why did Wedge survive the destruction of Sector 7? All these questions are valid ones to propose, especially from fans of the original title, but none of them affect the core themes of the game very much. That is, until the player reaches Remake's ending, in which the game showcases that all these changes to Final Fantasy 7 had a purpose.
Ultimately, Final Fantasy 7 Remake's ending is a clear divergence from its source material. Cloud and the party fight and defeat the embodiment of "destiny" to presumably separate themselves from the future events of the original title. Sephiroth himself tells Cloud that what is about to transpire has yet to exist within their universe. Interestingly, many fans have speculated the Sephiroth in Final Fantasy 7 Remake is likely the one from the original game, already aware that his plan will fail. The destruction of "destiny" seems to suggest that anything could happen. Aerith could live. Sephiroth could win. Other party members could die. Everything is fair game.
Why Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 Will Be So Different
After this, the party leaves Midgar as usual, but it is revealed that Zack Fair, Aerith's boyfriend, and Cloud's First Class Soldier mentor, may be alive. In the timeline of the original game, Zack dies fighting off a horde of Shinra soldiers to protect Cloud. Soon after this, Cloud takes Zack's buster sword and falsely assumes his persona. This sets the events of the original game in motion.
However, during the ending of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the player is shown a scene in which Zack survives his deadly encounter with the Shinra army. When this scene plays out, the game makes a very apparent effort to show the player a bag of chips blowing in the wind. This bag of chips has Shinra's dog mascot, Stamp, on it. Throughout the game, it becomes well-established that Stamp is a Beagle-like dog. However, the dog on this bag of chips is a different breed entirely. This could mean one of two things; the party's battle with destiny changed the past (thus changing the type of dog Stamp is, and also saving Zack's life) or potentially, this could be an alternate universe in which Zack survives.
As of now, it is hard to say exactly what this ending means. Although, it does seem obvious that the story in Final Fantasy 7 Remake will likely be different from the original game in future installments. Some fans have tossed around the idea that the next part will not be called Remake given how separate it may be from the original. While change isn't bad, many have decided to proceed with caution. Final Fantasy 7 is a game with complex themes and ideas, and ultimately fans are largely split on this new approach. Regardless of the future, Final Fantasy 7 Remake will move forward, likely in a much different direction than many fans expected.