The death of Aerith in Final Fantasy VII (Spoilers, sorry) was one of the most ground-breaking events in video game history, but there’s no reason she needs to die in the remake. Not only is the emotional weight of losing a party member gone after so many years, there are other ways to tell the story. Here are three reasons Aerith shouldn’t die in the Final Fantasy VII remake.
Her Death Has Become a Meme
When players first found themselves faced with the flower girl’s death, it was soul crushing. Losing a party member for good was a novel event at the time, and many players continued to play in the hopes that there would be a revival sequence further down the line. The early days of the internet were filled with trolls promising that there was a way to save her. The rumors ranged from having every party member at level 99 before facing Sephiroth to getting her third limit break and revisiting the burial site. The internet was a lawless place back then, and developers didn’t have Twitter to easily confirm or deny such rumors.
Now, however, the pain has dulled, gamers have moved on to the acceptance stage and all that’s left are jokes. From an “Aerith lives DLC” popping up during the cutscene that costs $50 to the many, many people asking why Cloud didn’t just use a phoenix down, Aerith’s death has been done, well, to death.
Everyone Will See it Coming
For those unaware, there’s a reason Aerith needed to die, canonically. However, a remake doesn’t need to be entirely faithful to the original. Anyone who plays the upcoming remake is going to be simply dreading the moment it happens. Even those unfamiliar with Final Fantasy VII know of this major event – it ended up being a defining moment in gaming. Aerith was a playable character, not an NPC. By all accounts and purposes, she was supposed to be safe. Or so it seemed.
Aerith’s death scene was one of loss, of what could have been. Until then she was just a sweet flower girl that came along on adventures. Her death hardened Cloud and strengthened his resolve against Sephiroth, and it’s felt until the end of the game. By all accounts and purposes, she had to die in the original. That changes with the sequel.
When players pick up Final Fantasy VII Remake, they will be expecting Aerith’s death. The gut punch of the olden days will be replaced with simple dread.
There’s a Better Way
Aerith can still die in the remake. Players who simply play through the game without thinking should experience that death scene. There doesn’t even need to be a revival scene, either. That would remove the emotional weight of her sacrifice.
Instead, the remake could include a series of missions that seem unrelated to the main game that end up saving Aerith in the end. Even getting to know Aerith through simple events until she decides to take Cloud along to help her pray at the place where she eventually dies could potentially prompt an alternate ending where everyone lives.
There’s a number of reasons this would work better than simply retreading old ground. Players familiar with the original game would realize changes from the original, and following those changes and plot threads to their conclusion could end up being insanely rewarding.
Eventually it would get out that Aerith could be saved and the steps would be listed, but for people picking up the title early, it would come as a welcome surprise. Some games have a series of hidden conditions – being kind to a certain character in The Witcher 3, for example, can mean the difference between life and death but not come into play until the end of the game. Saving Aerith with these alternate triggers wouldn’t even need that much extra programming. She could just disappear until the end of the game.
Finally, while Square has the potential to make Aerith’s death even more meaningful, it’s more likely it will just make players sad. Everyone who knows Final Fantasy VII knows why she dies, so having her live would make the remake special, and provide a much needed reprieve from the world’s negativity. Just give us this, Square.
