[WARNING: Spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Remake AND Final Fantasy 7 below]
After Final Fantasy 7 Remake's game-changing ending, fans are already speculating exactly how the story may be adjusted in the future installments. Other than the ending, Final Fantasy 7 Remake's first venture had a shocking amount of narrative alterations. Some of these changes came in the form of new characters, story arcs, and dungeons. Remake's best chapter, the Wall Market chapter, was birthed from many of these new ideas. Overall, the new additions to Final Fantasy 7 Remake have helped its world-building and tone a generous amount.
It's easy to comment on the advantages and disadvantages of an altered narrative in retrospect. However, with Final Fantasy 7 Remake's multi-part structure, it's unclear exactly what will change in future installments. Many fans are nervous the game will derail from the themes of its source material, and while such fear is certainly valid, Nomura and his team have done a great job capturing the essence of Midgar. Either way, Final Fantasy 7 Remake's ending weighs heavily on the mind. It creates a blank slate for players to imagine the possibilities, much like the protagonists themselves do.
The notion of freedom after the party's escape from Midgar is intriguing. The original Final Fantasy 7 had themes of death, identity, and empathy. However, the idea of "fate" seems to be a very important theme now. What the story does with this freedom could lead to some radical changes in the narrative. Some fans have tossed around the idea of another party member dying as a possibility in future parts. Judging by Sephiroth's monologue at the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, it seems that he also knows more than he has let on. This could lead to Sephiroth now being able to prevent the party's success. Since "fate" has been destroyed, Sephiroth's manipulation of Cloud could go to even further lengths. The notion is somewhat haunting given how dark Final Fantasy 7's plot already is. However, it could lead to some incredible changes and character developments.
Changes Which Would Benefit FF7 Remake
The next installment of Final Fantasy 7 Remake would ideally include plenty of memorable scenes. There is little reason to believe the party will go through different plot threads from its source material as the story of Final Fantasy 7 is already masterfully told. Cloud's retelling of the Nibelheim massacre, the Junon parade, and Barret's encounter with Dyne should all be covered within Part 2. While all of this content is to be assumed, more references to Final Fantasy 7's prequel, Crisis Core, would be a fantastic touch. Given Zack Fair's involvement in Remake's ending, it seems that Square may go down this route.
Crisis Core has many memorable characters that aren't as prevalent in Final Fantasy 7's main narrative. Of course, Zack Fair being such an important character, it would be great if Remake gave more context on his story. Remake already opts to introduce Zack far earlier than was originally intended in the source material. The possibility that Zack is alive in the current time is also perplexing and somewhat confusing. There is little doubt such questions will addressed in later parts.
While Crisis Core certainly does revolve around Zack Fair, the acquaintances he met along the way play a pivotal role in Final Fantasy 7's universe. Characters like Angeal and Genesis could be introduced to thicken the plot. The developers could organize the story in a way similar to Laguna and Squall in Final Fantasy 8; let the player play small sections as Zack in the past, and have Zack's past subplot develop along with Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2's. This way, the player will uncover the truth of Cloud's past while they are unknowingly playing through it as Zack. It would certainly be a fantastic twist for new players.
Overall, the prospect of more Zack Fair in Final Fantasy 7 Remake is an easy idea to get behind. Fleshing out Zack's past only serves to enrich new players and help old players relive the story of an essential character. It's about time Zack gets his time in the spotlight within Final Fantasy 7's core narrative, and it could be the change this Remake needs to outdo its source material.