Final Fantasy 7 Remake finally made its way out of PlayStation and PC jail, recently being released on the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S systems, and the sequel Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will follow on June 3. While Nintendo and Microsoft fans only joined up with Cloud Strife recently, there’s over half a decade of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth material to catch up on.
One of the most important of these—especially since it’s one of the few to get an official English translation—is the novel Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Traces of Two Pasts. The book, written by Kazushige Nojima, is split into two halves: one telling the tale of Tifa Lockhart, one following Aerith Gainsborough.
First released in Japan in July 2021, Traces was officially published in English almost two years later in March 2023. While it has some lore that Rebirth wound up referencing, it’s not necessarily required reading. Fans of Tifa and/or Aerith would do well to check it out, as it fleshes them out beyond their relationships with Cloud Strife, as well as anyone wanting more of the franchise right now.
Traces of Tifa
Tifa’s tale examines society’s expectations of women from a few different angles. Her half of the book starts with Tifa’s childhood in Nibelheim as she navigates adolescence as the only girl her age in town. With no female friends and her mother being gone, Tifa struggles to navigate things like the new kind of attention the boys are giving her on her own, and her social circle starts shrinking as the boys start leaving town in the hopes of making it big in SOLDIER.
Traces of Aerith
Aerith is the protagonist of the book’s second half, recounting her escape from Shinra as a child and growing up with Elmyra Gainsborough. Interestingly, the framing device for this portion actually happens during Rebirth, even though the novel was first released over two years before that game. It revolves around Aerith’s arrival at the Sector 5 Undercity Station, looks at her relationship with Elmyra and the concept of motherhood, and gives much more insight into her past.
Patching Up Plot Holes
Beyond the mother-daughter drama, Aerith’s chapter does some plot hole damage control for the FF7 games. Players may be curious about several aspects of Aerith’s life, from her mother’s house to the use of her names in the slums, as well as her relationship with Shinra. “Traces of Aerith” answers all of these, and it’s satisfying to see those questions answered.
“Traces of Aerith” gets more references in Rebirth than “Traces of Tifa” does, so this added lore in Aerith’s section is especially appreciated. However, the game also recaps the most important parts of the chapter, so the core experience won’t be hurt if players skip the book…but it will be enhanced if they don’t.
Everything Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Has Left to Cover
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and its predecessor cover about half of the original’s story, meaning Part 3 will be jam-packed with story content.
Why Traces of Two Pasts is Worth a Read
Being supplementary material, some might just look up the book’s summary on the wiki instead of reading through the 300+ page novel just to get some Rebirth references, and that’s fair. While the book is an easy read, it’s also long and has the girls going through some kind of trauma for most of that time.
However, those willing to read the whole thing will get more out of it than some context for Rebirth. Traces takes the reader out of Cloud’s head and puts them in the shoes of Tifa and Aerith. While the girls got meaningful character analyses in both the original and Remake, they’re mostly filtered through Cloud’s point of view or their romantic potential with him.
In Traces, the reader gets to see how Tifa and Aerith view the world on their own. For fans of Tifa Lockhart or Aerith Gainsborough, Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Traces of Two Pasts is a good read that gives them their due. For those less fond of them, the novel is written well enough that it could change your mind.
- Released
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February 29, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
