Final Fantasy 7 Revelation trailer hints that a happy ending isn’t off the table

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is the official title of the third installment of Square Enix’s FF7 Remake trilogy, and it will launch in spring 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. Friday’s Summer Game Fest showcase concluded with an extended look at the epic conclusion of the saga, with commentary from game director Naoki Hamaguchi and Vincent Valentine actor Matt Mercer.

But the presentation didn’t address the elephant in the room — and we’re not talking about the presence or absence of the totally tubular snowboarding minigame that immediately follows a certain tragic death in the 1997 original. Just what does that subtitle Revelation mean in the context of the story of Final Fantasy 7? Let’s dive in.

The ending of the original Final Fantasy 7 isn’t a happy one — the planet is saved thanks to the interventions of Cloud and Aerith, but humanity is essentially wiped out. The only familiar faces we see after the immediate events at the Northern Crater are the distant descendants of Red XIII. And Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth ended on a somber note; Aerith wasn’t able to prevent her fate, dying at Sephiroth’s hand in the City of the Ancients. But unlike the original game, Rebirth showed us an alternate reality — or realities — where Aerith and Zack continue to live on. And judging from numerous playable sequences throughout Rebirth, this can’t be wholly explained by Cloud’s fragile and steadily worsening psychological state.

That may be where the “revelation” of the third game in the trilogy comes in. In common parlance, a revelation is a monumental discovery, whether through literal or spiritual means. It means uncovering something that was previously secret or unknown, usually information that fundamentally alters how we perceive a situation. A revelation is more than a mere realization, or an understanding — it’s a breakthrough. It’s information that allows those who possess it to see the world differently and make different choices than they might have otherwise. It’s a plot twist of the highest possible order. That’s a big deal, and one that suggests there may be a way to prevent humanity’s inevitable annihilation.

Obviously, the just-revealed trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation doesn’t reveal anything about the fate of Aerith, let alone Zack. It mainly focuses on the party’s attempts to preserve civilization from the threat of the Weapons, magical kaiju summoned to protect the Planet in times of mortal crisis. But the idea that a revelation is at hand is a powerful one. It speaks to the potential of reversing destiny, a concept both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth have dwelled upon extensively, without making dramatic alterations to the overall FF7 story.

If you’ll forgive the pun, there is also something holy about the word revelation. We already know there’s something holy about Aerith too — the white materia, which enables her to cast the Holy spell and prevent the meteor from destroying the world. So is there truly a happy ending in store for Cloud and friends? We’ll find out next spring.