THE PLOT:
Five years ago, Cloud Strife was a member of SOLDIER, the Shinra Corporation's elite military team. Then... something happened. Shinra turned to mining Mako, an extremely efficient but environmentally disastrous energy source, and abandoned all other projects.
Now, Cloud is working for AVALANCHE, an eco-terrorist group dedicated to the corporation's downfall. Not because he cares about the group's goals - Cloud doesn't seem to care about much of anything. He once made a promise to his childhood friend Tifa, and he intends to keep it... and as far as he's concerned, that is the only reason he's even there.
Things change after a raid on a Mako reactor turns out to be a trap set by Shinra. Cloud survives only because of the help of Aeris, a mysterious girl growing flowers in the middle of the slums. Cloud finds himself acting as her protector when Shinra operatives try to kidnap her, referring to her as "the ancient."
Someone else is also targeting Aeris. Someone from Cloud's past, whom he believed was gone forever. The man he once idolized and now despises.
Sephiroth...
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| Cloud has unfinished business with Sephiroth. |
CHARACTERS:
One noticeable change from the Nintendo Final Fantasy entries to this, the first Playstation one, is in the dialogue. Namely, there's a lot more of it. This isn't all good, as it makes certain parts of the story drag a bit. But it does allow for a strong focus on characterization, with long scenes devoted to filling in the details, personalities, and backstories of Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, and others.
Cloud... Well, this game was released in 1997, and Cloud very much belongs to the "brooding loner" template that was so popular during that time. He's emotionally distant and abrupt to those around him, which by that decade's rules means that he is a sensitive soul with hidden depths (as opposed to just being an ass). Fortunately for modern gamers, his character eventually develops past the template. As the story progresses, his barriers lower until he eventually becomes likable and even heroic - with a few interesting twists along the way.
Tifa and Aeris are the most prominent of the supporting characters, both acting as potential love interests and also as Cloud's conscience at different points. Barret, the leader of AVALANCHE, starts the game as a vaguely embarrassing cliché before emerging as a full character in his own right. Other team members include what I suspect will stand as the all-time least likable Final Fantasy Cid (again, it's the '90s, so treating everyone like crap apparently means he has depth), thief Yuffie, Vincent the vampire (I'm only slightly kidding), stuffed animal Cait Sith (no, really), and experimental lab subject Red XIII. None of them get the same development as the principals, but they all receive a couple of decent moments.
Sephiroth adds to the series' growing gallery of interesting villains. He's very much a reflection of Cloud, mysterious in both his past and his true nature. Eventually, a flashback reveals much of the backstory for both him and Cloud - but in both cases, we're left with plenty of questions that are only gradually filled in. Though Sephiroth is a monstrous figure, his personal story is a tragic one in its own right, leaving the player able to see what led him to his evil deeds.
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| A boss fight in the Temple of the Ancients. |
GAMEPLAY:
At its core, Final Fantasy VII's gameplay is similar to the Nintendo entries. Your characters travel around maps, both a larger world map and a variety of more specific and detailed environments, exploring and discovering new areas while unlocking the next story scene. Combat comes mostly through random encounters, with major story points punctuated by boss battles. The animations are different, but most of the attacks and spells remain the same, though this game does add "Limit Breaks" to your characters' arsenal - special attacks that power up as you take damage, and that inflict massive damage when you are finally able to unleash them.
The shift from 2D sprites to 3D models has an unfortunate impact on reviving or healing members of your party. It's the same process as ever; select the item or spell, then select the party member to apply it to. Unfortunately, the perspective can make it confusing which character you are selecting, leading to wasted turns reviving characters who were still standing or healing ones who are at full health.
The developers have also stuffed Final Fantasy VII with minigames. A few of these are fun - I rather enjoyed an arcade style chase sequence in which I had to ram enemy vehicles off the road. Most of them are annoying, however, and most of them are also required for the plot. If you want Cloud's final Limit Break, you have no choice to but to play mini-games and race Chocobos in the theme park, "The Golden Saucer." When you acquire a submarine, the plot won't advance unless you first play another mini-game.
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| More science fiction than fantasy, final or otherwise... |
FINAL FANTASY... NOW WITH 80% LESS FANTASY
Final Fantasy VII is the first game in the series to... well, to mostly forget the "fantasy" part. The series has long employed light science fiction elements: airships; time travel; space travel; steampunk trappings. In previous games, however, they were dressing, enhancing fantasy worlds and stories centering around kings, queens, warriors, wizards, and kingdoms.
Final Fantasy VII reverses the emphasis. This is a light sci-fi story, set in a futuristic society ruled over by a corporation. Cloud may have a sword, but Shinra's troops and guards are armed with guns. Machines are everywhere. Though your party uses magic, it is specifically justified by the story as a type of science, with Cid even noting at one point that he prefers the idea of science to that of magic. There are still fantasy trappings - spells and monsters. But this time, the fantasy is the dressing enhancing a sci-fi story, rather than the other way around.
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| The game looks surprisingly good for its age. |
THOUGHTS:
Final Fantasy VII was the first Final Fantasy game I ever played, back in the late 1990s. I did not finish it at that time; the version I played was a particularly bug-ridden PC port, and I gave up out of frustration at the regular crashes roughly a quarter of the way in. I did remember, however, being intrigued by the story and its world, leaving me approaching this playthrough (of the 2016 PS4 port) with both anticipation and wariness.
Thankfully, I did not experience a single bug during my playthrough. The game also looks surprisingly good for its age. The art style has dated, particularly the blocky almost LEGO-style characters, but the backgrounds are often breathtaking.
Most importantly, the game remains a lot of fun to play, offering (mostly) intuitive gameplay and an intriguing story. The first half is particularly well-paced. The opening sucks you immediately into the narrative, using just the right mix of tension and humor to engage you in the story. Cloud may be a very '90s protagonist, but Tifa and Aeris are likable enough to carry the story until its main character starts mellowing, and the narrative smartly delivers regular information while at the same time opening up new mysteries.
The final boss battle with Sephiroth is a combination of brilliance and aggravation. Not because of difficulty; I'd rank him as one of the series' easiest final bosses to date. No, it's aggravating because of the long, unskippable special attacks. Sephiroth's big attack is "Super Nova," which comes complete with a 2-minute animation in which he seems to focus the entire power of the solar system into attacking you. It's awesome the first time he casts it... but by the third time he cranks up his unskippable 2-minute attack, you'll be tempted to nip out to the fridge while he ever so slowly gets on with it. That's not even mentioning the (also unskippable) animations for your own special attacks, Limit Breaks, and summons.
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| Like a devil in hell: Sephiroth. |
OVERALL:
Final Fantasy VII became the series' breakthrough game in the West, and it remains the most iconic entry. Say "Final Fantasy" to even the most casual (or in some cases non-) gamer, and they will likely instantly visualize the image of a spiky-haired blonde guy with a giant sword.
While certain aspects have dated, from the art style to Cloud's characterization, the game has overall aged well and remains a benchmark against which other RPGs are judged. The backgrounds hold up surprisingly well, and the story retains its energy. It isn't quite a modern game... but it feels closer to modern than the Nintendo entries do, and it's no accident that it took me only a single month to play through it.
If pressed, I would still rank Final Fantasy IV as my favorite of the numbered series. But at the moment, I'd rate this as a pretty close second - and it's probably a better choice to try to hook newcomers.
Overall Rating: 8/10.
Alternate Version: Final Fantasy VII Remake
Prequel: Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII
Sequel: Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children
Previous Main Series Game: Final Fantasy VI
Previous Release: Final Fantasy VI
Next Release: Final Fantasy Tactics (not yet reviewed)
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