Square Enix has once again graced fans with another surprise trailer forFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, this time depicting its modern interpretation of the original game’s opening cinematic.
By now,Final Fantasy 7 Remakehas solidified itself as a truly unique re-imagining of its source material, capturing the magic from the original PlayStation game with modern graphical fidelity. The recent reveal of theRemake’s opening cinematic exemplifies this, but it does feature a dramatic shift in tone from the original.
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Final Fantasy 7’s Opening
Perhaps one of the most famous opening scenes in any form of media, not just games, is the opening cinematic ofFinal Fantasy 7. Seeing Aerith’s bright green eyes as she’s kneeling by the leaking Mako energy, then as the camera tracks away from her, it reveals the sprawling city of Midgar, asFinal Fantasy 7’s title card splashes on screen. This scene is so famous because it was one of the first times a video game really truly felt like a spectacle, similar to the opening of a big blockbuster film. Then, like any other blockbuster, the camera begins to swoop back into the city as players are immediately introduced to the action with the beginning of the Sector 1 Mako reactor raid by Avalanche.
The original opening instills a sense of heroic action, introducing players to the hero Cloud along with his ragtag crew of rebels fighting the oppressive villain of the Shinra Electric Power Company. The opening moments don’t delay taking the player straight to the action, establishing who the key players are right away and what Cloud’s objective is.Final Fantasy 7immediately establishes a fast-paced, confident tone of a hero’s journey beginning right away. Much ofFinal Fantasy 7Remake’s gameplay taps into this action focusas well.
It’s hard to understate the importance ofFinal Fantasy 7’s opening, and while the revampedFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeopening movie still captures that feeling of spectacle through nostalgia,Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s openingis distinctly different in comparison to the original.
Remake’s Opening
A defining difference between the opening in the original game andFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis the establishment of tone.FF7 Remake’s opening is much longer (around five minutes, compared to the original’s two minutes, give or take) and adds a few more scenes, as well as extending and subtly changing several familiar moments.
The beginning ofRemakeno longer starts with the ethereal panning through the stars like in the original. NowRemake’s opening sequence begins outside of Midgar, depicting a barren desert landscape that’s dry and lifeless, save for one lone bird flying towards the city. Soaring through grey clouds, the bird reachesMidgar as the sprawling city is unveiledas an industrial metropolis. Various angles showcase normal life in Midgar before the camera holds focus on a wilted flower on the side of the street. Children play near a familiar playground before focusing on one of Midgar’s signature Mako reactors burning Mako energy.
All of this occurs before the opening even introduces Aerith, casting a shadow on Midgar before a single familiar moment from the original opening is shown. Even afterRemake’s opening shows Aerith listening to the planet, it’s not as serene and peaceful in comparison to the originalFF7’s depiction. Aerith finishes her prayer and is uneasy, terrified by the dark alley she’s in as she hurries out to the main road. She bumps into another citizen and drops her flowers, as passersby ignore her on the ground and even step on some of her remaining flowers. That’s when the camera finally zooms out to the familiar title screen and orchestral crescendo.
During all of the aforementioned scenes, there’s several muted verses ofreturning composer Nobuo Uematsu’sOne Winged Angel echoing in the background, a song never heard until the end of the game in the originalFinal Fantasy 7. There’s clear cues throughout this new opening that indicate things are going to be very different inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake.
Remake Will Be More Sinister in Tone?
Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s opening has a pervasive feeling of dread and uneasiness throughout its imagery and score. Midgar’s introduction is much more sinister in comparison, highlighting the darker parts ofFinal Fantasy 7’s world that are typically introduced atmospherically. Fans have known there would beseveral major story changes inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, but this new opening sets the stage immediately, telling players the situation in Midgar will be much more dire this time around.
The faint cues of One Winged Angel throughout the opening cinematic emphasize this sense of dread. Fans know Sephiroth’s iconic theme well, and hearing it play almost immediately inFinal Fantasy 7 Remakemeans he will be a much more prominent threat early on. PreviousRemaketrailers have shown thatCloud and the gang encounter Sephiroth much earlierthan in the original game, so to hear his theme already means his presence will be known much earlier this time.
Another prevailing but more subtle motif throughoutFinal Fantasy 7 Remake’s opening is death. Focusing on key moments of decay, the new opening does well to foreshadow a dying planet. The land around Midgar, which was previously only shown after leaving the city in the original game, is immediately revealed as a desert devoid of any life. Other than the singular bird that guides the camera towards Midgar, it’s all lifeless land with no texture other than cracked earth.Final Fantasy 7 Remakewill be episodic, so this time around players won’t leave Midgar until the end of the game, so it’ll be interesting to see what the rest of the world looks like.
Further emphasizing the planet’s health is the wilted flower that the camera specifically hones in on. This scene is immediately met with children staring at one of Shinra’s Mako energy reactors, making an indirect connection between the two. The wilted flower imagery has been seen previously in thefirst trailer forFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, but never focused on for as long as the new opening does.
Pair that with Aerith’s introduction, now changed so that she drops her flowers as passerby knock into her and step on the flowers, and there’s clear symbolism for death being hinted at here. Rather appropriate when fans considera certain Aerith momentthat occurs later on inFinal Fantasy 7’s story.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s clear focus on despair and death likely means the game will emphasize a feeling of impending doom throughout the game.Final Fantasy 7has plenty of examples of the symbolism of death. Whether it’s through direct character deaths, or the climate change subtext from the Shinra Electric Power Company, dread and decay will likely be emphasize throughoutFinal Fantasy 7 Remake.
Final Fantasy 7 Remakecomes out July 23, 2025, on PlayStation 4.
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