New Rebirth Trailer

[ForceStealer]

I saw that too. The airship runway is closer to the player as you enter Junon so I'm hoping that it's a perspective thing and they expanded the area between the runway and Junon itself.

Yeah I think we're looking more Northwest here. So we're seeing the end half/two-thirds of the cannon and the end of the airstrip, while Lower Junon is behind that business to the right. With more of the higher bits visible, and possibly the triangle shape. I'm not gonna pretend like I think that's a guarantee obviously, just the read I got on our angle.

 

[Deleted member 13557]

This game being on two disks is… kinda crazy? Like what other game has done that since the 90’s? This is going to be an absolute storage Goliath and I’m very curious as to how digital downloads will work.

First disk ends with Aerith dying, second disk ends at the Northern Crater. Calling it.

 

[msia2k75]

Yeah I think we're looking more Northwest here. So we're seeing the end half/two-thirds of the cannon and the end of the airstrip, while Lower Junon is behind that business to the right. With more of the higher bits visible, and possibly the triangle shape. I'm not gonna pretend like I think that's a guarantee obviously, just the read I got on our angle.

View attachment 13596

Junon looks amazing.

 

[Rose_of_Night]

Quick theory time:

If we go frame by frame in the beginning, we can see a massive purple tornado really did hit Midgar:

View attachment 13594

I know there's a lot theories going around that the news broadcast is either Shinra propaganda or Sephiroth mind-fuckery, but I'm going to take it at face value. After all, a tornado was shown and it needs to have some consequence.

I think we can all agree that the tornado is somehow linked to the events that transpired at the end of Remake. Namely, the Whispers' defeat. So let's consider what we're shown afterwards.

Immediately after Sephiroth and Cloud's chat, we are shown a scene of Rufus meeting with the Shinra executives. Yet the news broadcast claims that Sector 0, where the Shinra Building is situated, was hit hard. Why is there no damage?

Later, in Remake and Intermission's ending, as well as in Rebirth's recent trailer, Midgar is shown in the background. Again, there is no damage to the Shinra Building.

Additionally, when Zack arrives at Aerith's church in Intermission's ending, the people are distraught and in disarray, while a haunting version of Aerith's theme plays.

Combining this all together, I'm proposing that the purple tornado didn't hit the Midgar we played through in Remake. It hit the Midgar in Zack's scenes, injuring/killing Aerith, Barret, Tifa, and Red XIII (note that Cloud is absent).

We're presented with two different versions of Stamp, and now two different events at Midgar. That points to multiple universes.

The party exited the Singularity into their own universe, the one featured throughout Remake and Intermission. However, their actions affected another, the universe where Zack's survival takes place.

I was thinking... there's that one scene of Rufus looking at the hundreds of Whispers circling the Shinra building. What if in one timeline it looks like what Rufus saw and in the other it manifests as the giant tornado?

 

[Tetsujin]

This game being on two disks is… kinda crazy? Like what other game has done that since the 90’s? This is going to be an absolute storage Goliath and I’m very curious as to how digital downloads will work.

First disk ends with Aerith dying, second disk ends at the Northern Crater. Calling it.

Quite a few games recently that came on two discs, The Last of Us Part II came on two, Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 had two, God of War Ragnarok on PS4 and of course VII Remake itself. There's a couple more too.
Crazier though that PS5 games are on 4K Blu-rays with 100GB capacity so some of these only had one disc on PS5. Rebirth having two means it's gonna be anywhere between 100-200GB.

 

[Grandmaster Kirbs]

Quick theory time:

If we go frame by frame in the beginning, we can see a massive purple tornado really did hit Midgar:

View attachment 13594

I know there's a lot theories going around that the news broadcast is either Shinra propaganda or Sephiroth mind-fuckery, but I'm going to take it at face value. After all, a tornado was shown and it needs to have some consequence.

I think we can all agree that the tornado is somehow linked to the events that transpired at the end of Remake. Namely, the Whispers' defeat. So let's consider what we're shown afterwards.

Immediately after Sephiroth and Cloud's chat, we are shown a scene of Rufus meeting with the Shinra executives. Yet the news broadcast claims that Sector 0, where the Shinra Building is situated, was hit hard. Why is there no damage?

Later, in Remake and Intermission's ending, as well as in Rebirth's recent trailer, Midgar is shown in the background. Again, there is no damage to the Shinra Building.

Additionally, when Zack arrives at Aerith's church in Intermission's ending, the people are distraught and in disarray, while a haunting version of Aerith's theme plays.

Combining this all together, I'm proposing that the purple tornado didn't hit the Midgar we played through in Remake. It hit the Midgar in Zack's scenes, injuring/killing Aerith, Barret, Tifa, and Red XIII (note that Cloud is absent).

We're presented with two different versions of Stamp, and now two different events at Midgar. That points to multiple universes.

The party exited the Singularity into their own universe, the one featured throughout Remake and Intermission. However, their actions affected another, the universe where Zack's survival takes place.

This was my first thought as well. I went back and watched the whole stretch from the party encountering Sephiroth at the end of the Midgar Expressway to the party starting combat with the Harbinger. I agree that this is likely our tornado.

Though, it's not the only tornado that we see in Final Fantasy VII Remake and the original game. The other tornadoes are the ones caused by meteor when it hits Midgar. But, I don't think our culprit here.

The reason being is a trait that this tornado, the one in the singularity, has. Everything the singularity tornados touched was duplicated. Leaving behind a static version, and ripping out a destroyed copy that floated in the air. The next time we see Cloud he appears to be "waking up" floating upside-down like all the other copied items.

I wonder if this plays into his identity crisis and ultimately how Sephiroth manipulates him. Why he's referred to as a "copy" or a puppet, perhaps? The entire party was sucked up by one of these tornadoes, after all. The harbinger seems to have control over some cosmic level magic. It also creates a black hole and sucks a bunch of the copied debris up into it in it's opening attack.

I think it boils down to what the singularity is... is it in the lifestream? We see the party, when they enter, standing in a endless sea of light just like the one we see in Advent Children. This looks like the lifestream. So, is the singularity the negative lifestream? Where the two "meet" (for lack of a better term)? Or is this somewhere else entirely?

Whatever happened, it does kind of seem like Zack ended up there, and our party is in the "real world." But that just leads to a bunch more questions that I don't think we have answers for, haha.

I guess we will find out. I got to say though. I'm loving having a mystery, and not knowing all the answers. Especially if they can tie it all together nicely. At the very least the music is going to slap.

 

[Theozilla]

Seems one timeline is confirmed. The alternate party (except Cloud) all died escaping Midgar, and OUR party takes their places. The people in the church are mourning their version of Aerith lol.

Seems to me like the opposite is more likely confirmed, that there is a second timeline created where Zack survived (hence why Cloud is absent, he’s still being carried around by Zack).

 

[cold_spirit]

Though I run the risk of sounding like an unhinged theorist, I wanted to point out this detail that Lith and Groove noticed on the Discord.

The left image is from Zack's last stand in Remake, the right is from Rebirth's newest trailer. Notice the smoke in both.



This smoke is actually new. We see this same view of Midgar from Zack's perspective in Crisis Core. No smoke.



I'm theorizing that something was going down in Midgar at the time of Zack's last stand in the Terrier Stamp universe (i.e. where Zack survives, separate from the Beagle Stamp universe, where our party is). We don't know what yet, but whatever happened, it injured Aerith, Barret, Tifa, and Red XIII.

 

[Fiz]

Though I run the risk of sounding like an unhinged theorist, I wanted to point out this detail that Lith and Groove noticed on the Discord.

The left image is from Zack's last stand in Remake, the right is from Rebirth's newest trailer. Notice the smoke in both.

View attachment 13600

This smoke is actually new. We see this same view of Midgar from Zack's perspective in Crisis Core. No smoke.

View attachment 13601

I'm theorizing that something was going down in Midgar at the time of Zack's last stand in the Terrier Stamp universe (i.e. where Zack survives, separate from the Beagle Stamp universe, where our party is). We don't know what yet, but whatever happened, it injured Aerith, Barret, Tifa, and Red XIII.

I'm presuming it killed them. I always thought it would be weird to have two timelines, this gives us the one. Cloud however... erm... 2 Clouds potentially?

The last part of the trailer,

Spoiler: OG Spoiler

referring to Tifa, or Aerith? I'm still not convinces Aerith will die in Remake, at least not at the point she did in OG.

 

[Theozilla]

I'm presuming it killed them. I always thought it would be weird to have two timelines, this gives us the one. Cloud however... erm... 2 Clouds potentially?

The last part of the trailer,

Spoiler: OG Spoiler

referring to Tifa, or Aerith? I'm still not convinces Aerith will die in Remake, at least not at the point she did in OG.

How does this give us one timeline? You just described two timelines, one where Zack is alive and the party (sans Cloud) were badly defeated and/or killed, and the normal that we’re playing through.

Also the Japanese trailer has Sephiroth explicitly using Tifa’s name, so there’s no mystery in who Sephiroth is referring to.

 

[Makoeyes987]

I have been hyped and wired from this trailer all of yesterday and tonight. Don't know what else I can say that I haven't already.

This trailer was phenomenal. The most hype I've felt in a long time, more than the hype I felt back in 2019 at the E3 trailer for Remake, even. Just incredible and as if the creators just... Knew exactly what expectations were and rose to meet them. This game looks just so fucking different than Part 1. It definitely feels like a next gen title. And looks like one. Intermission really was a preview for what was to come, but it was only a small fraction of the improvements and scale they could achieve.

And the fact that they featured a new remix of a Remake exclusive track, "The Valkyrie" was an incredible, ballsy choice that showcases the musical talent and variety this game will have. Not just music we've heard and loved before from the OG, but the new tracks are just as good and amazing. Incredibly badass and cultured choice right there

The moments captured in this trailer from seeing the outside of Midgar to Cosmo Canyon....are just... *chef's kiss* This is FFVII.

I gotta say the moment on the Cargo Ship was my favorite. Seeing Cloud and the others in the Mythril Mines covered me in goosebumps. And Chocobo Riding? Yes-fucking-please.

The identity plot and mystery regarding what happened in Nibelheim is just... Going to be masterfully done. I cannot help but feel so excited over that part the most. This is the kind of thing that makes me ecstatic they're using Sephiroth more. The mind games he can perform and initiate by actively sowing distrust and deceit with his words between Cloud and Tifa is just....Perfect. I cannot wait for it.

As for the mystery of the Singularity and what happened to Cloud and the others at the start of the trailer? I'm so ready to know what that's about. I think its a good feeling that regardless, whether its timeline shenanigans or memories held by the Planet itself, there's something there that fits with the overall FFVII theme of reality and illusion. There's something here beyond and I eagerly await to see what they do. I do not doubt their ability here, they're rising and doing something incredible with this Remake and I can't wait to see it.

 

[Fiz]

How does this give us one timeline? You just described two timelines, one where Zack is alive and the party (sans Cloud) were badly defeated and/or killed, and the normal that we’re playing through.

Also the Japanese trailer has Sephiroth explicitly using Tifa’s name, so there’s no mystery in who Sephiroth is referring to.

I'll rephrase: playing in one timeline (either with the main group switching into the new timeline, or a merger of timelines). By killing off the main group they allow the main group to exist in this timeline with Zack alive. This is how people moving between timelines or two timelines merging into one are typically handled, by correcting anomalies such as duplicate characters.

The idea that we will have main group in one timeline and Zack doing his own thing in a new one was always just silly. Seeing the main group killed off in the new timeline informs us that they are going to be in the same timeline... else there would be no need to kill off the group in Zacks.



Sephiroth at the end, not seen the JP trailer so fair enough. In the English trailer he could be referring to either Tifa or Aerith depending how they spliced the trailer together. But if the JP one is clear, fair enough.

 

[ultima espio]

I'll rephrase: playing in one timeline (either with the main group switching into the new timeline, or a merger of timelines). By killing off the main group they allow the main group to exist in this timeline with Zack alive. This is how people moving between timelines or two timelines merging into one are typically handled, by correcting anomalies such as duplicate characters.

 

[Fiz]

LOL, basically.

 

[Rindo Kanade]

Considering that I don't own a PS5 and probably won't own one by the time that Rebirth comes out, I am honestly just as excited for all of the fan theorizing and conspiracy theories that will arise leading up to its release, as I am for the game itself.
The conspiracy crafting has become an integral part of the Remake series, and I love it.

 

[cold_spirit]

I'll rephrase: playing in one timeline (either with the main group switching into the new timeline, or a merger of timelines). By killing off the main group they allow the main group to exist in this timeline with Zack alive. This is how people moving between timelines or two timelines merging into one are typically handled, by correcting anomalies such as duplicate characters.

The idea that we will have main group in one timeline and Zack doing his own thing in a new one was always just silly

To me, the idea that our heroes have become doppelgangers taking over the lives of their alt versions, thus making Barret the adoptive father of an alt-universe Marlene in addition to other wackery, is even more silly.

Aerith is then then daughter of an alt-universe Elmyra.

Red XIII is then returning to an alt-universe Cosmo Canyon.

Yuffie didn't enter the Singularity. As such, the party would be traveling with an alt-universe version of her, different from the Yuffie we played as in Intermission.

The party would then encounter alt-universe versions of Roche and Johnny.

Their bodies were broadcast on Shinra networking. Wouldn't the Turks be more surprised to see everyone at the Mythril Mine?

Personally, I think it's super problematic to pluck the main cast out of the story/continuity we so far. Best to keep the universes separate and see where the storytellers take it, in my opinion.

 

[Fiz]

To me, the idea that our heroes have become doppelgangers taking over the lives of their alt versions, thus making Barret the adoptive father of an alt-universe Marlene in addition to other wackery, is even more silly.

Aerith is then then daughter of an alt-universe Elmyra.

Red XIII is then returning to an alt-universe Cosmo Canyon.

The party would then encounter alt-universe versions of Roche and Johnny.

The heroes bodies were broadcast on Shinra networking. Wouldn't the Turks be more surprised to see everyone at the Mythril Mine?

Personally, I think it's super problematic to pluck the main cast out of the story/continuity we so far. Best to keep the universes separate and see where the storytellers take it, in my opinion.

Well, wackery is a byproduct of what they've done anyway. But I think this is preferable to Zack being a side story isolated in his own universe. But I've discussed that to death already.

 

[cold_spirit]

Yeah, and my response is always "Zack won't be a side story, his and the party's story will link up eventually".

Just a matter of time~

 

[Odysseus]

They rewrote history. The old timeline doesn't exist anymore, it was remade when the whispers were beaten. The only people from the old world who still exist are the party, and I suspect people who could see the whispers (Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, Rufus) will still be able to Remember how things were, hence Rufus just knowing the party is still alive. This is how things are. Gonna sound like an asshole, but the rest of you are just wrong lol.

 

[null]

I think they’re alive. Dead people aren’t usually strapped to gurneys and put in helicopters. (Plus wouldn’t they expend a little more dramatic effort on the death of main characters than corpses with limbs flopping?)

 

[Theozilla]

They rewrote history. The old timeline doesn't exist anymore, it was remade when the whispers were beaten. The only people from the old world who still exist are the party, and I suspect people who could see the whispers (Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, Rufus) will still be able to Remember how things were, hence Rufus just knowing the party is still alive. This is how things are. Gonna sound like an asshole, but the rest of you are just wrong lol.

I really don’t think that is the case. If the party was in the same timeline as alive Zack, and with those versions of Barret, Tifa, Aerith, and Red XIII dead (I don’t think we can even confidently say that, them being injured and unconscious is just as likely), the Turks interactions with the party in the Mythril Mines would be way different (and arguably they wouldn’t/shouldn’t even be chasing them anymore since they should have the other versions in custody/neutralized).
And that’s not even getting into how an alive Zack’s timeline should still be a couple of months before main timeline events occurred (i.e. President Shinra Sr. should still be alive for example). Like I don’t think it would take Zack a couple of months to reach Aerith’s church from the cliff of his last stand.

 

[Strangelove]

i don't know about all this theorising stuff because i am too simple and was just happy to see red, my boy, running around

also that bugenhagen is still this weird floating guy, that made my day

edit; also when rude (in the japanese trailer at least) used reno's speech tick. i don't know what they're planning to do with reno's role after keiji fujiwara died (or if toru okawa's ill health means his role as rufus will be somewhat scaled back, his voice did sound noticeably different in the trailer)

finding out about this on the day rufus, my cat, is having dental surgery

 

[Mr. Dolphin]

The identity plot and mystery regarding what happened in Nibelheim is just... Going to be masterfully done. I cannot help but feel so excited over that part the most. This is the kind of thing that makes me ecstatic they're using Sephiroth more. The mind games he can perform and initiate by actively sowing distrust and deceit with his words between Cloud and Tifa is just....Perfect. I cannot wait for it.

1000% yes. And not only sowing distrust between Tifa + Cloud but with Barret + Cloud as well. Their animosity-to-friendship arc is one of my favorite aspects of the original and I thought Remake handled the beginning of that really well. They respect each other by the end of Remake but their friendship is still new and therefore vulnerable.

What I think is going to be interesting is seeing their friendship take a few steps back and Barret's perception of Cloud change through the mistakes Cloud makes as a result of Sephiroth's influence and how Barret goes from becoming frustrated and and angry at Cloud to having empathy for and supporting Cloud by the end of it. Ya know, from friends to brothers type stuff haha.

Everything I've seen from Remake makes me think they're going to handle this sort of thing really well.

 

[Suzaku]

I'm theorizing that something was going down in Midgar at the time of Zack's last stand in the Terrier Stamp universe (i.e. where Zack survives, separate from the Beagle Stamp universe, where our party is). We don't know what yet, but whatever happened, it injured Aerith, Barret, Tifa, and Red XIII.

Often the simplest answer is the correct one. I think in the Terrier timeline something delayed Zack and Cloud during their escape from Nibelheim, causing them to arrive on the outskirts of Midgar days later. Zack survived the battle this time, but Cloud never snapped out of his delirium, never copied Zack's memories, never reunited with Tifa, and never joined up with Avalanche. Without him, they ultimately failed their mission.

So I'm thinking in Zack's timeline Avalanche became scapegoats for Shinra and Cloud gets separated from Zack and becomes one of the Robed Men.

 

[Rose_of_Night]

So I'm thinking in Zack's timeline Avalanche became scapegoats for Shinra and Cloud gets separated from Zack and becomes one of the Robed MeMen.

I was thinking about this when I read the argument above about the timelines merging. The number one problem would be the two Clouds right? What if Zack's Cloud becomes one of the robed men, and somehow gets to the Northern Crater, with Zack trying to figure out what's happening to him.
Then when the main party has their "Cloud's a puppet" moment, instead of Sephiroth showing them the photo with Zack, he has the real Zack appear?