Summary
In the months leading up toFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s release,fans were excited about Zack Fair’s role in the game, butthat excitement fizzled after his underwhelming inclusionbecame clear. Zack has been a favorite of theFF7community since its early days, partially due to his almost-secret inclusion in the original: a missable cut scene only viewable near the game’s end. Years later, this relegation to a small, mysterious role has continued inRebirth.
The Remake Trilogy’s ambitious promise ofmultiple timelines and a living Zack Fairbrought hope to fans of the character that he’d play a more central role inRebirth’sstory. Unfortunately, his screen time is minute, and much of his playtime is underwhelming. However,Rebirth’sstory sets up an avenue for Zack’s return inRemake Part 3, which may yet satisfy fans of the character.
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Remake’s Ending Teased A Greater Role For Zack
Rebirth’s Interlude Section Doesn’t Live Up To Its Promise
The ambiguity surrounding Zack’s appearance in the finale of FinalFantasy 7 Remakecaused community forums to buzz with speculation over his appearance inRebirth.Sadly, many of these theories were off the mark. What could have been an interesting split between the main story and an alternate, playable universe turned out to be little more than cinematic moments spent walking through an alternate Midgar. While this is disappointing,Rebirth’sfinal scenes suggest he may play a vital role alongside Aerith inRemake Part 3.
Rebirth’sinterlude sections should have been the most interesting addition to the game. The possibility of playing as Zack and engaging with other alternate versions of beloved characters is tantalizing, and it’s what appears to be the case in the opening scenes ofRebirth.Players are quick to realize, though, thatthe interlude is not substantive in terms of playable hours.Instead, it is mostly narrative in focus, serving only to tease players of an enjoyable experience without delivering.
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However, Zack isn’t the only victim in this, asa revived Biggsalso takes a rather redundant role. Shown alive inRemake’sending, players are made to believe he will bear weight inRebirth.Unfortunately, it appears that Bigg’s only narrative job is to symbolize the death of a timeline, which is disappointing.The entire interlude only complicates the game’s plotamidst an already complicated narrative. Further, it appears Square Enix was aware of how underwhelming the interlude would be, given that it added an option to skip these scenes during additional playthroughs.
Zack Has Little Time In Battle
Low Playable Hours Make Zack’s Move Set Bland
All this being said, Zack’s substantively playable moments inRebirthare amazing but not perfect. Without giving Zack much solar combat, the game doesn’t allow players to familiarize themselves with him. This makes his appearance in the final boss sequence frustrating, making it an odd time to learn a new character’s playstyle. Rather than strategically facing off against Sephiroth,players must slow down and experiment with new move sets. In short, it creates a hiccup in the battle’s pacing, which is already filled with hiccups.
Rebirthmakes up for this in Zack and Cloud’s duo simulator bouts, though this consolation isn’t quite satisfying. These bouts are especially punishing becausethey serve as the game’s superbosses.There is no other time, besidesRebirth’sopening sequence, to slow down and enjoy Zack as a playable character. In fairness, Zack received plenty of spotlight due to the 2022 release ofCrisis Core Reunion.Still, Square Enix’s decision to remasterCrisis Coreahead ofRebirthmay have misled fans regarding the character’s significance in the game.
When tackling Cloud and Zack’s simulator battles, make sure to spam their synergy ability, SOLDIER’s Honor, which raises Cloud’s Limit Level and gives Zack infinite MP.
Zack & Aerith May Be Together
Rebirth’s Ending Sequence Hints They May Find One Another
DuringRebirth’sending sequences, players are given multiple hints that Zack will appear in the trilogy’s conclusion. Namely during two scenes. One, in which Zack is left in a white space between realities and is greeted by Aerith’s yellow flower petals, and two, Zack ponders: “But who’s to say[worlds]can’t unite again.“Dan Allen Gaminghas provided a great look at this scene below.
In other words, Zack, too, is contemplating a reunion, one of the trilogy’s central themes. After such grandiose ideas as multiple dimensions and lifestream ghosts, players are left wondering how Zack will appear inRemake Part 3.
Considering only the original narrative and Zack’s significance inRebirth, he is likely to be a major character in the trilogy’s conclusion. To begin with, Zack is a part of the original story’s major twist: Cloud was never a SOLDIER and is dealing with a fractured psyche made whole by his memories of Zack. Further,his connection to Aerith has been built up over the past two gamesmuch more explicitly than in the originalFF7,going as far as having Aerith meet his parents face-to-face.
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Taking this significance into account and considering Zack’s ending scenes inRebirth,some possible conclusions arise. Due to their connection and ambiguous nature, Zack and Aerith will likely have significant moments together in the final game. These could be simply moments in cut scenes. However, givenRebirth’sinclusion of the interlude section,it’s possible a similar secondary narrative could exist inRemake Part 3, seeing Zack and Aerith joining forces in the multiverse,fighting Sephirothtogether. While this may sound unlikely,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’slofty stakes demand a third installment that does the same.
