Note that technically speaking this post contains a spoiler of the idea of these games, but said idea is actually so vague and, in fact, so unconfirmed that it may just as well not count as a spoiler at all.
When Final Fantasy VII Remake was announced, it seemed that it would be just that: A modern remake of the original Final Fantasy VII. In other words, same story, same characters, same events, but completely newly made from the ground up using modern game technology.
And that it was... to a large extent. The game actually contains aspects that the original game did not. And these are not just cosmetic, or something like ancillary extra mini-games or side quests or the like, but embedded right into the main story.
You see, from time to time some dark ghost-like beings appear and affect the events that are happening. It is explained that these are so-called "Whispers" and it's alluded that they exist and intervene to ensure that the course of destiny is not altered by correcting any deviations from this course.
It is not, however, very clearly explained what this actually means, what the significance of the introduction of these "Whisper" entities is, and why they are there.
It is somewhat alluded, and people have speculated (and here comes the "spoiler"), that this is actually not just the original Final Fantaxy VII using modern graphics and technology. This is actually a parallel universe, or a parallel history, where things have subtly changed. And, moreover and most crucially, it is hinted that the Sephiroth of another timeline is the one trying to change the events (and the "Whispers" are trying to undo what he is doing.)
In other words, this new Final Fantasy VII Remake is, possibly, a story of "what would happen if Sephiroth from another parallel dimension or timeline tried to change the course of history of the original game?"
If that's indeed what the idea is, it would actually be an awesome one. There are so many possibilities that could be derived from it. Another parallel-universe Sephiroth is trying to change the course of the original events so that he does not lose in the end, he is trying to meddle with the timeline to change things in his favor. The Whispers are trying to undo his meddling, but he is trying to do it anyway.
Just imagine the possibilities.
And the title of the game, "Remake"? It not only alludes to this being a literal remake of the original, but it also alludes to this in-universe change in the story: Sephiroth is literally trying to "remake" the universe for his own gain.
The problem? Or, more accurately, problems:
Firstly, this entire idea is extremely vaguely and poorly explained in the game. I myself didn't understand it until I read about it online later. While playing the game I wasn't even aware that something like this might be going on and that this is what the core idea of this remake was. And even after the explanation, it's actually not all that unambiguous and clear that this is actually what they are going for.
It would have been so much cooler if the game had depicted these changes in the timeline much more clearly and unambiguously. Something goes clearly differently from the original. Perhaps one of the character (perhaps Aerith, who is quite special, or perhaps Cloud) gets an instinct that "something is not as it should be." Something like that. Something that clearly signals that something has changed, something is different from the original, from what it should have been.
But no, neither game so far does this at all. (There are some extremely vague and unexplained things happening to Cloud, like he is confused at points or having some kind of reaction to stuff, but it's left completely unclear what it is about.)
Secondly, both games are following the original's plot way too closely, if this is indeed the direction they are going for. Heck, people have made step-by-step comparisons of the key events and plot points of the new games and the original, and the new ones follow them really, really closely, without much change. Especially the second game seems to almost have dropped the entire idea of "Whispers" completely, and feels like just a pure remake of the middle third of the original.
If the core idea with this remake trilogy is to have Sephiroth change the timeline from the original, Square is doing a really poor job at implementing this idea. In fact, after having played the two first games in the trilogy, it almost feels like Square tried to go a bit in that direction in the first game, barely, and then almost completely abandoned the idea in the second game! I don't remember seeing a single allusion to any changes happening (if there were, they were extremely subtle and inconspicuous. Pretty much "easter eggs.")
So far the games have been a disappointment, and that interesting core idea has been completely wasted. We'll see if the third game will change things. I'm guessing not, with perhaps the exception of the finale. (And possibly the third game might actually not kill off Aerith.)
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