I like that Zack talks to Cloud like a normal person despite him being comatose, just in case his words can actually reach him.

God Cloud got such a raw deal in life. Gets blamed for Tifa getting hurt from the bridge in Nibelheim, Sees his whole village and mother kill and burned, gets impaled by Sephiroth's sword, and then while laying in a pool of his own blood nearly dead, he gets experimented on for FIVE AGONIZING years. Sees his best friend die in such a brutal way and was powerless to help him. Returns to Tifa as a 21 year old with the mind of a 16 year old, and severe Mako poisoning to boot. Like damn you can't help but feel bad for him.

Man, I know these are basically akin to cute little lego models, but the way Zack gets executed like it's nothing was brutal

Zack was so close to reuniting with Aerith

I was in 8th grade on the third disc and was re tracing my steps to see if I left behind anything and I stumbled onto this scene, I couldn't believe it. The next day at school I immediately told all my classmates and none of them had any idea this scene existed either. The days before search engines and KZfaq were some crazy times.

Get yourself a friend like Zack and you're good for life

I was frustrated because for the longest time I didn't know this scene existed. So when I saw it in crisis core I was confused why they didn't do anything like that in the original. Now it all makes sense. Years later

I love how Cloud is just dying in the back and Zack is asking him what their business venture should be about

I am playing CC for the first time and I'm loving it, but no ending scene could be as impactful as this one. It's the subtleties like the music becoming a little quieter before Zack says "We're friends, right?". Basically with this one phrase, we can feel the tragedy of Cloud not remembering Zack for the entire game while Zack had risked and eventually lost his life, but did not abandon Cloud. Or the fact that he completely misunderstands the driver and goes on with a ridiculously random idea of becoming a merc. It gives him character even though he has minutes of dedicated gameplay. And the way he dies like a stray dog, by the hands of those who would once be his subordinates assigned for helping with menial tasks. This is really sad but really perfect

Cloud raising his hands up to the sky (screaming in pain I imagine?) then slide to midgard is so beautiful and sad. This scene fucking rules

proud to say I saw this on my first playthrough. though - those were back in the days that you always went back EVERYWHERE and checked EVERYTHING

Yep this is a very well hidden scene. You'd never think to go back to the labs at that point.

They put this in a secret scene, that's a ton of effort I wonder how many people completed the game without seeing this.

I always come back to this particular scene every now and then. The absolute silence at the end when compared to every iteration in the compilation and remake just fits Zack's character so well. The random and brutal way his life ends after traveling from Nibelheim to Midgar with a comatose friend, only to die when their objective is in plain sight is so cruel. Cloud takes his sword, the rain begins to fall, not a single word is echoed. Less is more, and this scene in particular makes me realize how this game was made with such a different intent, both in execution but also ideologically in contrast to Crisis Core and the remake. Zack was a hero for the deed of protecting his friend until the end, and yet he died without any honorifics and so unexpectedly here. It feels so much more real and raw than his death in Crisis Core. It also makes more sense in the way Cloud is broken from this encounter, how his brain infused with Jenova cells did not regain control of his new identity until he met Tifa. By making Cloud talk with Zack at the end of Crisis Core retcons a major plot point, especially when he tells him he won't forget him. I guess it still works, by having his Jenova Cells react when he meets Tifa and claiming Zack's SOLDIER persona as his own, but I personally prefer the way it was delivered in this version overall as it makes the whole forgetting Zack more believable and less convoluted.

I just realised why cloud left the buster sword to rust there. Its a grave marker. Thank you for sharing this

Wow, I didn't remember the guy bringing them food. That's pretty interesting. So they weren't just floating in tanks for 4 years, they were taken out, probably kept drugged, probably experimented on and knowing Hojo, tortured. It took Zack 4 years, 4 years to finally find an opportunity to break out. Cloud probably mentally peaced out a long time ago, hiding somewhere in the depths of his mind no longer wanting to play the unfortunate reality that was his life. It's clear his issue was more than just mako poisoning.

I legitimately have played through this game 13 times, and never seen this until today... Is there anything else that everyone in the world has missed lol

"Cloud, you are my living legacy"

Oh i see why cloud became a mercenary in ffvii, working for money at avalanchr

This scene hits different in Crisis Core

Damn, they fuckin' double tapped Zack. Makes sense though

As an OG player, I had no idea!!

I mustve been the few who played the game to its entirety back when it came out and this scene really broke my heart. Even moreso years later seeing it fully rendered in Crisis Core. Zack really is a swell guy. =']

I had beaten this game twice back in highschool and I had no idea this existed until like a minute ago.

As an avid fan of the game since it came out, it's hard to think back to the times when I totally missed all of these things in my first initial playthroughs of the game. It's crazy how much backstory is optional.

Even after having played through Crisis Core for the first time recently I still prefer Zack's death scene in this vs the one in CC. This is more believable, not exaggerated like CC. Even as a kid I found this to be a very sad scene. After getting to know Zack's character in CC it makes it even sadder now. Always hopeful no matter how high the odds were stacked against him.

They really just dragged him off and continuously shot bullets into him, no words said.

I'll never understand why they made the main character's backstory a secret cutscene, but hey. Maybe it was a programming thing.

I remember this scene from back in middle school days. I am so happy I got to see it. If you read the FF7 compilation novels Tifa helps Cloud find work and since Cloud was on his bike and had to find ingredients (I think) or parts, he founded Strife Delivery Service.

You know, watching this scene again. It's so weird how the Shinra troops shot Zack THREE times, in order to make sure he's dead. But after doing all that, they spare Cloud. They go through the effort of tracking them down...why make sure only one of them is dead and not both.

Glad I'm not alone in having had no idea about this on my first playthrough.

If I was a kid at the time and I never found this moment that’s clearly missable and supposed to be crucial information to the story, I’d be pissed.

Holy shit this is so brutal and sad. OG Final Fantasy 7 hits different

The fact this was a pretty well hidden scene that’s optional but connects all the dots was so epic at the time.

after watching FF7R ending, then came here to rewatch this scene, there is still possibility that Zack will still die but only not shown.

The silence at the end absolutely makes this. These days, it'd be super overproduced, orchestral, etc. Kinda my main worry about Rebirth, but still - amazing we even are getting the 'remake.'

There was so much put into this game

I didn't realize this was in the actual game, I thought it was just an accepted canon they liked to recreate. All of that happening in silence out of nowhere is pretty intense.

As a child i remebered zack having dragon ball hair and it was long! It would look so OP! He would rival sephiroth hair. He was definitely my favourite when Ehrgize came out.

Can’t wait to slowly mash L2 and R2 for five minutes to slowly crawl up to Zack’s corpse in the remake.

Ha... the good old days of the "Secret Super Important Plot Point" of the old JRPG ... Missing Yuffie... Missing Vincent... Missing Barret Ultimate Weapon... The number of stuff I missed... Golly What a Joy ... But of ALL the plot point you could make optional you made this!

I remember watching this the first time. I went back cuz I wanted to read the books that were in the lab (cuz I'm obsessed with the story of ff7 lol) and rewatching this scene again in Crisis Core and Last Order just 😭 Zack and Cloud deserve better

Zack in the original didn’t go back to Aerith while in CC he really tried his best.

I remember finding this cutscene by accident.

I remember watching this with my brother, he was the one that beat the game as i was watching too. Its a fond memory and it's why i love the story so much.

I legit did not know this scene existed omg...it makes the experience so much greater. So sad what happens to Zack and Cloud.

I’m so glad they made an entire game to explain this scene!

I discovered this scene on my frist Playthrough because i returned to Shinra mansion to recruit Vincent 😂

I remember being frustrated at a lot of people who played the og series and never saw this scene because i saw it when i played the og series back in the day on the PS1 😂 back when i couldn't look for proof on KZfaq which didn't exist at the time to show anyone.

I’m so glad I got this scene in my original play through

*Fly high*

Oh, that execution was BRUTAL! Definitely shows how disgusting Shinra. Though I think I prefer Crisis Core where Zack goes down swinging.

Yea I remember this very well. I'm glad they remade this scene in crisis core

look zack in still blinking his eyes at the end .

I never played any of the extra games, but I always inferred that Zack was a buddy and mentor to Cloud. Almost like Cloud was usually provided as his Shinra soldier back up and they were riding buddies, which is why Zack goes way out of his way to take care of Cloud after they break free

god damn that shit is brutal man

I'm having fun with rebirth. But I wanna replay the original now lol

FF7 has so many iconic characters lol it’s insane

Zack 💔

The reason this scene just sorta "happens" if you arrive in the lab is because it wasn't in the Japanese version. It's an added piece of content for the American and later on International releases of the game, so this was effectively just filling in gaps that the devs realized were unanswered in the initial launch.

damn I forgot all about this scene, haven't seen it since my first playthrough back in the 90s

this is also the only time you see midgar from this point of view and it is a beautiful and sad shot

I completely forgot i even saw this once. Its sad for a lot of reasons, but i never realized how messed up it was that they showed that shot of midgar like that after the fact. The planning of the future and they were right there and that's how it ended for Zack. And Cloud only havjng enough strength through will and anguish to pull himself over to him and scream. Still hits after all this time even though crisis core breathed more life into this. A classic.

Im very curious when was Cloud able to scratch in his capsule to leave a message on getting out of here.

Remember finding this but accident one day after I'd been grinding in mideel for hours to get to level 99 and to break up the monotony I popped back to nibelheim...... Blew my little mind

Why wasn't this in the lifestream scene With Cloud and Tifa instead of here

Ps1 Zack model still feels Nostalgic.

I'm pretty certain there is another hidden scene where Cloud plants the buster sword in the same place Zack died... Amazing game.

go and purchase advent children blu-ray and part of this scene is all in japanese in their compilation extras. 😊

The issue I have, and they've reconned it right? Is Zack is on his way to be a merc, who Cloud goes to be for him, but he's killed by 3 first fight shrina soliders. It should've been more subtle like delayed mako poisoning.

Never knew this was a secret I thought everyone knew about it

Fucking marvelous.

So this scene will connect to Tifa's memory when they meet again in the trajn station, right?

0 fat on the way square used to write. All the stuff that was here is solid gold and most importantly, rigorously edited

They'll put this in the next remake installment and there will be people complaining that the OG flashback is more dark and depressing.

I never knew this existed until now. Did this hit CC Remake?

Lol, some guy looks like he is sleep walkong into the room 'bringing food' for somebody (?Hojo? Zack?). Then releases Zack from the chamber and gets knocked out by 1 punch from a First Class Soldier.

Sometimes i wonder how did cloud survive that pod with zach normally people dont survive the pods and end up sick and forgotten

I did this a long time ago as a kid on accident.

Je viens tout juste de Finir le Crisis Core sur psp, assez dure le ending, Cloud est deter à venger Zack et détruire la Shinra avant de rejoindre les zadistes Avalanche :)

Zack's death here was very realistic and brutal, there were no well-lit cinematic epics or intricate camera tricks. Only one man who was killed in an instant, and then finished off with more shots. I prefer the Crisis Core version a thousand times because of the entire set obviously. But here it's just dark.

4:54 - "GOHHHHAN-SAN!!!"

For the….both of us

didnt notice before...looks like a plate is missing, sector 4?

How do i find this? Ive seen vincent secret scene but not this... I must start this again

Commander who kill Zack isn’t that one at Junon in Rebirth ? Easter Egg or every commander in the game are in red suit ?

Who is the worker who comes over there? I feel like that’s going to come to light or maybe not.

This hits harder now I have named my son Zack after him 😢

I genuinely thought Zack just died against Sephiroth in the original and everything after that was made up for Crisis Core. In retrospect, the fact that Advent Children referenced these events when it came out 2 years before CC should have been my first clue.

ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

3:58. Now imagine, just offscreen, he slaughtered like 300 grunts.

So Crisis Core is based on this ending, yet it's completely optional? I love those Japanese game developers in the 90's

It's so weird to see people come back to this after the release of Rebirth. Spoilers children.

Cloud: Mid stroke Zach: "We're going to be mercenaries!!!"

I was wondering how people knew about the cloud can Zack backstory for so many years 1000 hours just in Steam version probably a couple hundred on the PS1 from back in the day and I just never saw it so I just assumed people ripped it from somewhere I never played Crisis Core until like right before the release of rebirth very cool thanks for sharing Yeah idk maybe i saw it...but not in my playthrough Also contrast this with Crisis Core reunion or just crisis core the level of drama and sadness is so much more extreme but they still convey it with this scene

This was a hidden scene? O.o TIL

I like this version better. No heroic death, no "living legacy" crap. He just dies tragically trying to protect his friend.

Crisis core Demake.

Zach getting the godfather treatment btw!

for the people who don't know, this scene wasn't in the original Japanese version of the game. This scene was added in the international version. The reason why this scene is different in crisis core is well, because Japanese gamers didn't even know this scene existed