SPOILERS Predictions for Part 2? (*Open Spoilers for Part 1*)

[Jairus]

Well, we didn't actually see much of what happened to the pillar complex where she was after the plate fell. Some of it might've been intact since the plate fell in pieces. And that still doesn't answer why only one glove would be brought back instead of both. Also, how would a random rescue worker know to bring the glove to Biggs? There's no guarantee the person would even have known either of them. And it's likely that Biggs is waking for the first time in the ending, so he couldn't have done it himself or told anyone to do it.

And why would a stranger take something off the body of someone they don't know to give to someone else they don't know? And why would a memento be taken before Biggs even had a chance to see the body? Wouldn't they wait until he did that first? And Wedge wasn't in the pillar when he supposedly died, he was in the Shinra building. So he might've been as injured as Biggs and unable to leave anything there. But the three pencils could mean he's alive as well as Jessie and Biggs.

As for the rest, Ody summed it up quite nicely. But to be even more concise, I'll put it into a sort of mathematical equation to illustrate what the intended thought process for the viewer might've been:

Jessie's glove + Biggs alive = Jessie alive too?

As Ody said, the scene is deliberately presented to cause a certain immediate reaction in the viewer's mind, as illustrated above.

 

[LNK]

Okay I'm trying not to harp on about this too much, but I just want to say something.

This is a perfectly logical take, and is completely possible. However, I'm thinking about this whole thing in more of a "film-making logic" sense than a "real life" sense. Jessie's glove is very deliberately put into frame. The camera takes a moment to linger on it, much like an infamous chip bag we all know, so Square definitely wants the player to notice the glove. It would not have been included if it didn't mean something, and Square didn't want you to think about it. Then the camera immediately pans over to Biggs, who is revealed to be alive. I could be completely wrong, but the way the whole short scene plays out really makes me think they'e teasing the player that she could still be alive too. The whole thing starts and ends in only a few seconds, not enough time for you to reasonably process "Oh, the glove was taken by a volunteer as a memento for Biggs after he was rescued." its supposed to spark an immediate, base reaction. That's all it gives you time for.

Again, I could be wrong. That's just what I'm thinking is the case. I'm not going to sit here and go on and on trying to convince anyone I'm correct. Fact is we won't know for a few years, in the mean time anything is possible.

Oh I know, I'm not trying to drag this out either. I don't like doing that with anything. I'm just saying there is a possibility she's still dead, just like there's a possibility she isn't. I like to see perspectives from both sides. Especially since none of us can say conclusively that its one way or the other right now. I can't wait till someone translates the ultimania, so we get some news.

 

[Odysseus]

Agreed. Until we know more, there's really no telling. Any "evidence" I coud present is purely circumstantial right now. Hopefully the Ultimania will be a little more revealing!

 

[LNK]

Well, we didn't actually see much of what happened to the pillar complex where she was after the plate fell. Some of it might've been intact since the plate fell in pieces. And that still doesn't answer why only one glove would be brought back instead of both. Also, how would a random rescue worker know to bring the glove to Biggs? There's no guarantee the person would even have known either of them. And it's likely that Biggs is waking for the first time in the ending, so he couldn't have done it himself or told anyone to do it.

And why would a stranger take something off the body of someone they don't know to give to someone else they don't know? And why would a memento be taken before Biggs even had a chance to see the body? Wouldn't they wait until he did that first? And Wedge wasn't in the pillar when he supposedly died, he was in the Shinra building. So he might've been as injured as Biggs and unable to leave anything there. But the three pencils could mean he's alive as well as Jessie and Biggs.

As for the rest, Ody summed it up quite nicely. But to be even more concise, I'll put it into a sort of mathematical equation to illustrate what the intended thought process for the viewer might've been:

Jessie's glove + Biggs alive = Jessie alive too?

As Ody said, the scene is deliberately presented to cause a certain immediate reaction in the viewer's mind, as illustrated above.

I agree that the scene is meant to cause an immediate reaction (same as Zack walking by Aerith) and just like my thinking that Zack is dead, I think Jessie is. I just don't know for sure. What little evidence we got in both situations, doesn't convince me enough one way or the other

 

[Theozilla]

If SE wanted to, I could maybe see them having some of the elemental materia going past the -ga levels, maybe introduce the -ja, -gun, and -za suffixes (but only in the sense of flavor text, numbers and gameplay mechanics-wise the -ga spells would essential act as the base spells while the -za or -gun levels would essentially be the new -ga's in terms of programmed mechanics). So you could maybe start out with -ra level spells in the second Remake installment and -ga in the third/final installment, but gameplay-wise they essentially would be level 1 power?

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Having all my weapons and materia back at square one for part ii wouldn't bother me at all, and I wouldn't feel it was something the game needed to explain away either.

 

[Glaurung]

I fully expect the second game to make you start at level 1-5 with no materia and the explanation would be that the singularity messed things up. You might have a perk or two from having a save file from chapter 1, but your party would be pretty much nerfed. I'm not joking, folks, sorry.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

If the enemies are on a par with the party's levels, it's not a problem.

 

[billy22]

Yup there are a few things that the t eam can't really move around I think:

- Aerith must die before Cloud loses his mind
- Every team member must join before Aerith dies because they all knew her and her death is also part of them

So this means that we'll get every team member in the next game.

I agree and hope so, but this assumes Aerith dies in the next game. I still believe with 99% confidence she'll perish before the tale's end, but it's not unfathomable to think they'll push it back.

I just have a hard time believing they're going to stretch the narrative that much in the next game. Introducing 5 new playable party members (this game has 4), giving them backstory, motivations, and reason to care about them, in addition to further developing Barret, Tifa, Aerith, and Cloud? Plus more on Sephiroth? And Jenova? And Shinra characters? And Zack? And whatever new characters they decide to add? I just don't see it.

 

[Jairus]

Yeah, I don't know that the story will go as far as all that in Part 2 or that we'll even get the other five (six, if my hunch about Jessie is true) characters in the group. I'm guessing we'll get a few more but won't get all the way there yet, especially with how vastly the world and lore is being expanded. We'll just have to wait and see.

 

[Tetsujin]

Not really a prediction, maybe more something I'd like to see:

Nibelheim is still mostly burnt down when you get there. The Shinra cover story acknowledges there was a fire but pretends it was an accident. Shinra rebuilding the town didn't happen.

Reason for that: I just always thought Nibelheim having been rebuilt almost exactly 1:1 was incredibly goofy. It barely even serves a role in the plot. You just get there, confront some of the NPCs if you choose who then awkwardly pretend like you're the weirdo even though clearly you have knowledge of what really happened. The party doesn't press the issue any further and in fact you can just pass through the town without even talking to anyone or giving a damn.

As for showing how far Shinra is willing to go to keep things a secret: It's just too dumb.

Shinra not only has blueprints of the houses but even somehow knows the interior decorations well enough to recreate them almost 1:1?
Also, in an effort to pretend nothing ever happened, Shinra basically ends up exposing more people to the secret:
- a whole construction crew would have had to come in and rebuild the village. They might not know the details of what went down but these are all people that would know Nibelheim was destroyed at some point
- a town's worth of people is now employed to pretend like they have always lived there. Maybe not all of them are given all the details of why they have to do what they do but due to the incredibly fishy nature of that job they'd definitely know something is going on
- a report detailing that entire scheme just lies out in the open in a house, unguarded and unoccupied by anyone. Good job

Basically, Shinra's handling of the Nibelheim incident is essentially this:

 

[ForceStealer]

I suppose an alternative could be that it IS rebuilt but that none of the interiors match or exist at all - no doubt a consequence of prerendered backgrounds in hte OG.
Like that completely fake town in North Korea near the border of South Korea that's just supposed to look nice and prosperous.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I'm with you on that, Tets. It would have been easy enough for Shinra to put out a press release that Nibelheim was destroyed in a tragic attack by Wutai/Avalanche/name your scapegoat, and that Sephiroth heroically lost his life attempting to defend the townspeople. If I had to guess at the reason why the game designers had the town rebuilt in the OG, it would be to emphasize Cloud's unreliability as a narrator, but also, more importantly, as the key piece of evidence that he really is Cloud and really had those experiences - because, as it happens, in this instance his narration is 100% reliable, more reliable than the evidence of people's eyes. He and Tifa share the memory of Nibelheim being destroyed by Sephiroth, and therefore, despite all the apparent evidence to the contrary, they know that it really did happen.

The game designers would simply need to think of another memory they can both share, which the visible 'facts' would seem to contradict, but which turns out to be the truth.

 

[Cannon_Fodder]

I think that's definitely a moment that could be improved, but

Spoiler: The Kids Are Alright

in The Kids Are Alright the reconstruction of Nibelheim is pretty important, and since this novel has such a presence in the Remake, I think that might be a sign that Nojima at least thinks that this is an important element of the world.

But then again, singularities

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I am still blown away that TKAA is the most referenced spin-off.

 

[ForceStealer]

I guess it's what Nojima wrote most recently...?

 

[Cannon_Fodder]

I really liked TKAA so I'm okay with this.

 

[Odysseus]

Well if youn really think about it, TKAA pretty much just lends itself the best to be represented in this part of the remake. Can't really reference AC or DC too much since that's the future a highway to hell (granted, you do go to deep ground briefly in chapter 13, but the party never learns anything about it) and leaning too heavily on crisis core would mess up the plot. TKAA is just inconsequential enough to work. It helps that Leslie Kyle had a pre-established connection to Corneo, so seeing him was no big surprise.

 

[ForceStealer]

Can't really reference AC or DC too much since that's the future a highway to hell

Fixxed

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

They could have referenced a little more about the Turks' prior struggle against Fuhito's Avalanche. I kow BC isn't a big deal in the English speaking world, but it was pretty popular in Japan.

 

[SailorStarDust]

I'm assuming we'll get 3 Parts total (IMO, around 18 chapters for Part 2 to end at the North Crater would work perfectly) and my fingers are crossed that our gear/data transfers over for those who played Part 1. If not, it'd suck but I'd deal

If the gang gets some downtime in Costa del Sol and even wears swimsuits, I need "CloTi" to have their plot-related scars. We have the technology! We couldn't see it in her mature dress, but maybe the scar positioning isn't exactly like Misato or The Boss style across Tifa's chest? Also, I simply can't see them killing off Tifa for shock value in place of Aerith. I think fans would literally riot, given that pop she got at E3 2019. Assuming we get a similar story, we kiiiiinda need her alive to help put Cloud back together, too...

As for what I'm hoping to see, assuming the story beats are similar:

• Biggs being alive and back with the old Avalanche guard (I think somebody suggested him at Fort Condor?) would be brilliant placement for him. Love the idea! Unless we're shown otherwise, I'm assuming Jessie + Wedge are deader than dead.
• If Zack really is alive and wasn't shot off screen (or something), "Zerith" better reunite in life! Let Nojima smile some more, like that one Behind FF7R video
  • Before Part 1 dropped, I naturally assumed we'd get an on-screen Lifestream reunion at some point (a Part 3 scene was my assumption, to not spoil any twists with Cloud) but now, uhh....?
• An Aerith Lives route, assuming it's smartly done like New Threat Mod would be fun, but I don't see how it wouldn't screw with the plot? Her dying needs to stay swift/unexpected and brutal to "get the point across", even if it's at a different location to give us that false hope.
  • I mean, while a super happy "we're alive!" ending with Zerith + CloTi would be adorable...Again, how, considering Meteor vs Holy??
• Definitely the game'll cold open to the Nibelheim flashback (something like a tutorial fight from Sephiroth, too) before we're shown to be sitting in Kalm as Cloud tells his story.
  • Considering Tifa's "Eh?" after Cloud's quip about "It's been 5 years", I think afterwards she'll begin bringing the truth up, but he has a white noise headache so she drops the subject (from that point on) entirely. "Tifa's kindness" (Ultimania quote) shown on screen.
  • ....Thus, AerTi talking about Zack in the open like the scrapped materials would be so awesome. It could easily be handled in a vague manner (for audience benefit) to keep the on screen confusions about Cloud's past going.
  • Minor hope: If we now officially have Claudia (...Strauss?), we better have Brian Lockhart, too.
• Silly thing that somebody once mentioned on Reddit or here: Cid lighting up a smoke using Red's tail
• If the Wutai war isn't really over compared to VII, I could see Rufus starting it back up, which gives Yuffie added character moments!
• Since we had a taste of Affection Mechanics in Midgar Chapter 14, I'm assuming the Gold Saucer Date will be similar (I just hope an equivalent of under the Highwind only has the "canon" scene, because I am tired).
  • Actually, could somebody please math out if, generously assuming Part 2's Chapter 14 = Gold Saucer (.../Temple of the Ancients?), would that make sense for Chapter 18 being North Crater/maybe post-NC? Does that actually work?

 

[Jairus]

As for what I'm hoping to see, assuming the story beats are similar:

• Biggs being alive and back with the old Avalanche guard (I think somebody suggested him at Fort Condor?) would be brilliant placement for him. Love the idea! Unless we're shown otherwise, I'm assuming Jessie + Wedge are deader than dead.

There would be no reason to have Jessie's glove on the dresser if she wasn't alive. Why make the viewer think of her there if she isn't? The short time of the pan across only gives time for an immediate reaction, one no doubt intended to be something like this: Jessie's glove + Biggs alive = Jessie alive? The shot doesn't give time for any more in-depth reaction than that. Plus the three pencils in the cup match the three members of the trio, one for each. The shot also clearly avoids showing anything on the other side of room except when zooming in on Biggs, where you can just get a glimpse of what might be a table or another bed before the camera moves on. Visual storytelling demands that every element in a scene have a specific reason for being there. Jessie's glove isn't there for nothing, and if she were truly dead, there would be no need to include it. And as for Wedge, remember the old rule - no body, no death. And we've already been faked out about him dying once already, so it's very possible that it's been done again.

 

[Odysseus]

You know, the reason I kept saying I wasn't going to keep bringing it up was in an effort to indirectly encourage you to also not keep bringing it up. People think what they think. Lacking further information, there's nothing else to talk about. Everyone saw the same cutscene.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Yeah, we all know where things stand at this point. Sailor was just mentioning which direction they're leaning, not debating the body of evidence.

Kind of like all the other aspects of the ending we've dissected backward, forward, and maybe even a little bit sideways. We just have to wait now on additional information.

 

[Jairus]

Was just trying to say that it shouldn't be automatically assumed that they're dead, is all, when SE's clearly left the possibility open for them to be alive.