Final Fantasy VII 28 Years Later
Since its first release on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the Final Fantasy series has been one of, if not, the most popular RPG series of all time. But even among this titan of a franchise, there is an entry in the Final Fantasy series that dwarfs the games that came before and after it. That game, of course, is Final Fantasy VII (FF7) originally for the PlayStation 1. Released in 1997, there was no other game like Final Fantasy VII upon its release.
FF7 had an expansive world that felt lived in. It’s characters have iconic designs and personalities that stick with you well after the game is complete. It had a story that, while not perfect, was unmatched in scope at the time. Final Fantasy VII is approaching its 30th anniversary. While still a great game, much of what made it so special has now become commonplace for games now. That leads to the important question; should you play Final Fantasy VII?
The Story of Final Fantasy VII
Before delving into the core gameplay, first comes a quick overview of the story and world of Final Fantasy VII. The story of FF7 begins en media res. The Ex-Soldier Cloud Strife teams up with the eco-terrorist group known as Avalanche to destroy a Mako Reactor sucking the life out of the planet. Mako Reactors have been built by the large power company known as Shinra. Mako Reactors do bring power and electricity to the world, but at the cost of the health of the planet. The leader of Avalanche: Barret, is hellbent on destroying these reactors to save the planet. Cloud comes to Avalanche’s aid because of a promise he made to his childhood friend Tifa, who is also a member of Avalanche.
What begins as a fairly simple mission to take down an evil corporation turns far more complex as more characters enter the mix. These characters include the flower girl Aerith. Aerith is also the last surviving member of an ancient race of people who originally inhabited the planet. The group eventually gives chase to Sephiroth, another Ex-Soldier who wishes to destroy the world. There are further twists and turns that even further complicate the story. The story’s complications is why to many, the story of Final Fantasy VII is less about the grand adventure and more about the characters you spend that time with. Beyond the grandiose “save the planet” plot, Final Fantasy VII is a story about overcoming loss.
The Characters of Final Fantasy VII
All 9 playable party members in Final Fantasy VII are iconic and memorable in their own way. But more important to the actual theme of FF7 is the thing connecting them. That being they’ve all suffered a great loss in their past that motivates them when they’re first introduced in the story. The majority of the party’s suffering can be traced back to Shinra, which is why the Shinra corporation is the primary antagonist for a majority of the story.
To list a few of the losses suffered by the party, Barret loses his arm and home due to Shinra. Aerith loses her mother after she’s captured by Shinra scientists. Lastly, Cloud and Tifa both lose their home when it is destroyed by Sephiroth. Each and every of the party members has endured great loss. Seeing these characters eventually grow from it or find resolution to their grief is what makes this cast of characters still stick out nearly 30 years after this game’s release.
Throughout the story of Final Fantasy VII, we see the party grow as they face new challenges. This means even if you aren’t invested in the large overarching story, the characters keep the player invested in this story. The characters in FF7 are the greatest strength of Final Fantasy VII’s otherwise lackluster story. Not to say there aren’t moments in this story that are cool or impactful, but it’s the characters that actually make those moments as good as they are.
Final Fantasy VII Remake & Beyond
To also address an elephant in the room, there is currently a Final Fantasy VII remake project going on. In these remakes, the now dated graphics are getting an overhaul. More importantly, the characters are being given more opportunities to be themselves and interact with one another, which is a major plus. Without spoiling too much however, these “remakes” aren’t one to one remakes of when it comes to the actual story of Final Fantasy VII. In actuality, these remakes are more of a continuation of the original Final Fantasy VII. So these remakes aren’t really relevant in a discussion about whether or not you should play the original. It would be disingenuous not to mention them however. That also means that these remakes are not replacements for the original, rather the remakes are enhanced by the original and thus, should not be overlooked.
Active Time Battle
The story and characters of Final Fantasy VII are iconic and truly influential to the gaming industry as a whole. While still great, they are not the main reason you should play FF7. The actual turn based combat present in FF7 may be the best turn based combat has ever been implemented into an RPG.
Like its predecessors, Final Fantasy VII uses the Active Time Battle System (ATB) in combat. In battle, each character has a gauge that is slowly filling up and once it’s full the character can take their turn. While choosing which action to select all character gauges are still filling. This mean the player has to be relatively speedy or the enemies will continue to chip away at the party. This makes battles feel intense and highly engaging. As a player, you want to plan out your moves in advance so you don’t give your enemy extra chances to attack.
The Active Time Battle System can also be toggled off. So, if it gets too stressful, or you’re new to RPGs and need more time planning out your moves you have the time to do so. But leaving the ATB lets battles happen quicker and feel much more back and forth than typical games in the genre. But the actual meat of Final Fantasy VII’s combat comes from the Materia system.
Materia are small different colored orbs with different types dependent on the color. Each different piece of weapon and armor has a differing number of Materia slots. You can utilize those empty slots to equip Materia. Once a piece of gear is equipped with Materia the party member is able to gain the benefits of that Materia in battle. There are 5 different types of Materia, green, purple, yellow, blue and red.
Types of Materia
Green Materia, which allow for basic elemental spells like Fire, Ice, and Thunder. The next type is Blue Materia, which can be linked with Green Materia to augment the spell or gear equipped. This can range from allowing the paired spell to hit multiple targets or gives the piece of gear an elemental property. Next is Purple Materia, which most commonly increases a character’s stat, like their health or magic. Yellow Materia adds more commands to the character equipped with it. Some of the additional commands include adding the ability to steal items from enemies or even learning unique enemy skills.
The last time of Materia has the potential to be the most powerful, the Red Summoning Materia. If a character is equipped with Red Materia they are able to summon powerful creatures for a single devastating attack. The Materia system allows the player to customize any of their party members in any way they like. With such a wide variety of Materia, there are also plenty of combinations that make for powerful builds. Like the actual characters themselves, Materia are also able to level up with enough experience. When Materia levels up they unlock even more powerful spells the player can use. Materia adds an excellent layer of customization to the combat of Final Fantasy VII. However, there is one more element to the combat in Final Fantasy VII that adds even more strategy and impact to the battles: Limit Breaks.
Break Your Limits!
After taking damage a party member’s Limit Gauge is slowly filled up. Once the gauge is filled, they are then able to use their Limit Break. Limit Breaks are powerful attacks that can only be used once the character’s Limit Gauge is full. Each character has 4 Limit Levels, the higher the level, the more powerful the Limit Break. In exchange for more power, higher Limit Levels take more damage to fully charge. Each party member has 7 Limit Breaks to unlock. Limit Levels 1-3 have two Limit Breaks per level. Level 4 Limit Breaks require a special item to unlock due to their immense power. Limit Breaks are flashy, powerful, and iconic. Limit Breaks implementation is just one of many ways that Final Fantasy VII took the turn based RPG genre and added unique twists that make it to be one of the most legendary games of all time.
28 Years Later…
There is still so much about Final Fantasy VII that makes it such an amazing game that I haven’t mentioned. Like how the soundtrack composed by Nobuo Uematsu is one of the most iconic and recognizable scores in gaming. There are so many optional side quests, bosses, and mini games that add so much replayability to the game. Final Fantasy VII has definitely aged, it’s graphics are lacking compared to modern hardware and it’s story is a little convoluted in a lot of places.
Despite those flaws Final Fantasy VII remains to be one of the greatest games of all time. Its impact on the gaming industry cannot be understated, and its strengths greatly outweigh its weaknesses. If you want to get into the Final Fantasy series or RPGs in general, Final Fantasy VII is a great place to jump in. Almost 30 years later Final Fantasy VII continues to be one of my favorite games of all time and at the very least, you should definitely play Final Fantasy VII.
