In a Twitter post, Square Enix answered the question of why Cloud was unable to see the Whispers in FFVII Remake until Aerith grabbed onto him. Whispers are wraith-like enemies in the game that appear in both cutscenes and as enemies Cloud can fight.
The reason that Cloud was able to see the Whispers was because he touched the ones that were trying to attack Aerith in FFVII Remake. It is not because of his contact with Aerith herself. Touching a Whisper that’s touching Aerith will not allow you to see them. Cloud could see them because the Whispers deemed him as someone who can manipulate the fate of the planet.
These are the same reasons why Barret could see them. He is also someone who can influence the planet’s destiny, and he touched a Whisper that was observing Cloud. Rufus also came into contact with a Whisper while he was fighting Cloud.
Whispers are an enemy exclusive to the remake of FFVII. They seem to appear whenever events start to veer off the course of destiny. Aerith appears to have a deep connection with the Whispers, though Square Enix has not confirmed anything as of yet.
Since the release of the game, Square Enix often posted Tweets like this that explain the grander lore or little bits of trivia about the game. It has also shared concept art of characters, people, and things that make up the world of Midgar. For example, it previously discussed some behind-the-scenes details about Barret’s development from the original Final Fantasy VII.
FFVII Remake is readily available on the PS4, PS5, and Windows PC.
