Summary

• Zack Fair's underwhelming role in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth disappoints fans.
• Rebirth's interlude sections tease a more interesting experience but fall short.
• Zack and Aerith's connection hints at a significant role in Remake Part 3.

In the months leading up to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's release, fans were excited about Zack Fair's role in the game, but that excitement fizzled after his underwhelming inclusion became clear. Zack has been a favorite of the FF7 community 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 in Rebirth.

The Remake Trilogy's ambitious promise of multiple timelines and a living Zack Fair brought hope to fans of the character that he'd play a more central role in Rebirth's story. Unfortunately, his screen time is minute, and much of his playtime is underwhelming. However, Rebirth's story sets up an avenue for Zack's return in Remake Part 3, which may yet satisfy fans of the character.

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 Final Fantasy 7 Remake caused community forums to buzz with speculation over his appearance in Rebirth. 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's final scenes suggest he may play a vital role alongside Aerith in Remake Part 3.

Rebirth's interlude 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 of Rebirth. Players are quick to realize, though, that the interlude is not substantive in of playable hours. Instead, it is mostly narrative in focus, serving only to tease players of an enjoyable experience without delivering.

However, Zack isn't the only victim in this, as a revived Biggs also takes a rather redundant role. Shown alive in Remake's ending, players are made to believe he will bear weight in Rebirth. 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 plot amidst 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 in Rebirth are 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.

Rebirth makes up for this in Zack and Cloud's duo simulator bouts, though this consolation isn't quite satisfying. These bouts are especially punishing because they serve as the game's superbosses. There is no other time, besides Rebirth's opening sequence, to slow down and enjoy Zack as a playable character. In fairness, Zack received plenty of spotlight due to the 2022 release of Crisis Core Reunion. Still, Square Enix's decision to remaster Crisis Core ahead of Rebirth may 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

During Rebirth's ending 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 Gaming has 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 in Remake Part 3.

Considering only the original narrative and Zack's significance in Rebirth, 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 games much more explicitly than in the original FF7, going as far as having Aerith meet his parents face-to-face.

Taking this significance into and considering Zack's ending scenes in Rebirth, 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, given Rebirth's inclusion of the interlude section, it's possible a similar secondary narrative could exist in Remake Part 3, seeing Zack and Aerith ing forces in the multiverse, fighting Sephiroth together. While this may sound unlikely, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's lofty stakes demand a third installment that does the same.

Source: Dan Allen Gaming/YouTube