Series fan favorite Zack Fair will reportedly play a major role in Square Enix’s highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Per One More Game, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi promised Zack fans that the beloved First Class SOLDIER will have his time to shine in the upcoming second entry into the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. Hamaguchi claimed Zack will be an integral element of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth during an interview at the Thailand Game Show 2023, with the director further stating the SOLDIER “will play an important role as a major character.” He also notably declined to comment on several popular fan theories speculating how Zack’s presence might affect the Remake trilogy’s narrative. However, Hamaguchi promised he would always listen to the series’ fans for their feedback.
Zack Fair was a former First Class SOLDIER under the employ of the Shinra Electric Power Company. He played a dependable mentor figure to series protagonist Cloud Strife in the original 1997 JRPG classic and even bestowed the Buster Sword onto Cloud shortly before his death. Despite only appearing in flashbacks in Final Fantasy VII, Zack became one of the most beloved characters in the franchise, with his popularity earning him his own spinoff prequel video game with 2008’s Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
The World of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
At the time of writing, it remains to be seen how Zack will influence the events of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The official X, formerly known as Twitter, account for Final Fantasy VII previously hinted that Rebirth will specifically focus on the dynamics between Cloud, Zack and the infamous rogue SOLDIER, Sephiroth. Creative director Tetsuya Nomura even reportedly used Rebirth’s box art to reference the history the three characters shared, and how Cloud and Zack had their lives “torn apart by Sephiroth.”
Hamaguchi further claimed Rebirth will feature much more story content than Final Fantasy VII Remake, to the point that developers opted to add an additional disk to physical copies rather than try to cram everything into one disc. He also spoke on the challenges his team faced in crafting the world of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. “If we make it too big and spacious, players might think that there’s nothing to do in such a wide space,” the director explained. “If we make it too small and narrow, players might not get a good sense of adventure.”
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth releases Feb. 29.
Source: One More Game
