Is Final Fantasy VII Remake: Traces of Two Pasts Worth Reading?

In March, the Final Fantasy VII Remake spin-off novel, Traces of Two Pasts, was released, and I’ve finally got around to reading it. I’ve always enjoyed spin-off novels, and it’s not the first time Square Enix has filled in the blanks with books and films. Naturally, I had to read it since I wanted to know if it would answer any burning questions I had about the world of Final Fantasy VII Remake. Warning, though, there will be spoilers ahead.

The novel is split into three sections, but the main ones focus on the pasts of Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gainsborough. Both stories are told from their perspectives, with each narrative coming from conversations they’re having with each other after leaving Midgar at the end of Remake.

What makes this novel different is that it doesn’t focus on the Nibelheim Incident, and there are no mentions of any events during Crisis Core. The spotlight of this novel is specifically on Tifa’s and Aerith’s early childhoods. We focus on Tifa’s relationship with the other kids in Nibelheim, an insight into her relationship with Cloud, and how she came to Midgar before the events of the game. While Aerith’s story focuses on her escape from Shinra with her mother, Ifalna, and her childhood with Elmyra Gainsborough.

Fans of the original game might not gather much insight here about Tifa’s childhood, as she acknowledges that she has no memory of the time she fell off a cliff with Cloud. However, it also haunts her throughout her early childhood as we learn about a brief history of the Strife family. We learn about the rumours of what happened to Cloud’s own father, who supposedly went up the mountain one day, and the only thing they ever found was a pack of gear.

I found this novel, while focusing on filling in the blanks of Tifa’s and Aerith’s backstories, offers more insight into the world of Final Fantasy VII. Nibelheim is described as being an incredibly backwater village, and they have to rely on Zangan and other outsiders to get more information, as the village was all but abandoned by Shinra after the reactor was built. We see how everyone views the village and how Tifa is frustrated that her friends are leaving to join Shinra in the hopes that they can whisk her away to Midgar.

We also learn more about the politics of AVALANCHE and how Tifa and Barret both join. While it’s assumed that Barret was always the leader or that he arrived in Midgar before Tifa, in this version, we can see that Barret took the role of leader after Jessie acknowledges that no one can decide on what to do next.

Aerith’s story focuses less on AVALANCHE and more on her relationship with Shinra, especially after her escape. Instead, her backstory seems to focus more on Elmyra and the role of the Gainsborough family in general. We learn more about how Elmyra married into a family of contractors who chose to stay below the plate, and because of that, we can understand why the Gainsborough house is so distinct. It also explains how Aerith was able to remain hidden and the agreement that was made with the Turks so she could remain in Sector 5.

Ultimately, Aerith’s story focuses on her childhood visions. We can see how she can understand when people are returning to the Lifestream and that her powers were stronger as a child. It also ties into the third section of the novel, which centres on Lonny, a boy whose family worked for Shinra and how through his accidental actions, Shinra learned about Aerith’s powers and began their hunt for The Promised Land.

Lonny’s story loosely ties into hers as he goes on an investigation to discover what happened to one of the scientists who looked after Aerith and Ifalna. It shows a clearer divide between Shinra with those who live in the Slums and expands on the robed figures who Hojo experimented on.

While it doesn’t offer many new insights into the world, it is a fun read. It’s well-written, and fans of Final Fantasy VII will still undoubtedly enjoy it. Would I say it’s worth reading? Absolutely. I don’t know how canon the events of the novel will be after the release of the rest of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, but generally, the novels do tie in pretty well with the rest of the series. After all, On The Way To A Smile answered questions about what happened between Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children.

So, if you want something to tide you over while we wait for more news about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, I would recommend reading Traces of Two Pasts.