Final Fantasy 7 Remakedoes a lot to reset the original game’s timeline, what with the Whispers and other changes hinted at the end of the game. That may not be all, though. A recent trademark filed bySquare Enix for “The First Soldier"likely points toward a title exploring some of the changes. Square Enix had come out to say that previous spinoff titles likeCrisis CoreandDirge of Cerberuswere no longer canon, so it’s likely the company will release new games to explain those now-vacant timelines. It’s also possible thatThe First Soldiercould be released as a sort of expansion forFinal Fantasy 7 Remakesimilar toSpiderman: Miles Morales,but ultimately, no one knows. However, its name alone does seemingly carry a few implications.
The end ofFF7 Remakeleft the door open for Zack Fair’s survival, a big departure from the original storygoing intoFF7 Remake Part 2. As a result, many fans are speculating thatThe First Soldiermight end up as a prequel story telling the events that led to Zack helping Cloud reach Midgar and his tragic death (or maybe now a disappearance).
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The First Soldier and Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Zack Fair has become a fan-favorite character over the years since the original release ofFinal Fantasy 7.The SOLDIER from whom Cloud’s false memories were drawn has featured in anime adaptations, his own gameCrisis Core, and even made an appearance in theKingdom Heartsseries. With the changes made to the canon ofFF7especially after the end of the remake, many fans assumed that the newtrademarks were tied toFF7 Remakeand expanding its new take on the world. The nameThe First Soldiercould mean that Square Enix is planning a new prequel story exploring Zack Fair’s background with Shinra and the events ofFF7overall.
SOLDIER is an elite group of trained warriorscreated by the Shinra companyin an attempt to create super-soldiers and to further the experiments of evil scientist Hojo and his predecessor Professor Gast. Cloud has erroneously come to believe that he was a member of that group after he was experimented on by Hojo and had become infused with the same Jenova cells and Mako energy that makes the SOLDIERs unique. Sephiroth was the most famous of the SOLDIERs and that has led to some fans believing thatThe First Soldiermight focus on his story, but this is much less likely than a game revolving around Zack. It would be unlikely for Square Enix to make a game around one of its most infamous villains.
If the trademark does end up pointing toward a new adventure for Zack, it would be a good way for Square Enix to tie up some loose ends about the new take on the story afterFF7 Remake.The title would also be interesting because Zack breaks atrend inFinal Fantasy’s other protagonistsas he is generally depicted as much more carefree and sociable than the brooding Cloud. But with the changing of fate presented byFF7 Remake,there are some interesting questions about what a prequel game would be.
While Cloud and the rest of Avalanche are able to defy fate by the end ofFF7 Remake,it is largely hinted that the events previous to this would remain faithful to the original story. This might point towardThe First Soldiertelling a story that fans are already familiar with and could function as a look at the infamous events in Nibelheim but from Zack’s perspective. Square Enix has said that theworld ofFF7 Remakeis only just beginning, so while it’s likely to tread some familiar ground,The First Soldiermay end up fleshing out the story of Zack Fair much further back than just his sacrifice to save Cloud.
Final Fantasy Remake Part 2is in development for PS5.
MORE:How Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 Handles One Feature May Set the Tone for Later Parts
