It's hard to believe that it was over 11 years ago that Square Enix (or Squaresoft as it was known as back then) released the seventh installment of its landmark franchise. Since then, there been five more releases in the main series, as well as countless spin-offs and two games still in development. While all of them have been special in their own way, they haven't managed to garner the kind of popularity and recognition that Final Fantasy VII did.
Yet now, Final Fantasy VII has started to show how old it really is. Certain animations aren't as spectacular as they were a decade ago, the challenge of the game has softened, and death of a certain character isn't as shocking as it once was. But considering that this is an 11 year old game, it still has a gripping storyline, some excellent battles and a killer soundtrack.
What's Final Fantasy VII About?
Set in a slightly futuristic world, FFVII was a drastic change from the previous six in the series, all of which had been set in a medieval world. Gone were the horse and carriages, bows and arrows, and ancient castles, being replaced with cars and planes, machine guns and large skyscrapers.
The world is in turmoil, with the powerful organisation ShinRa sucking up a vital liquid from the Planet called Mako – the substance crucial to planet’s survival, called the Lifestream. To help with this dictatorship, ShinRa have a vast army, as well as a group called SOLDIER, a special group of the army infused with Mako to increase their strength.
Enter Cloud Strife, a cocky, self-serving ex-SOLDIER First Class, with one hell of a troubled past, doing dirty jobs for money – a mercenary for hire. A rebel grouped called AVALANCHE wants to do the Planet a favour - to destroy the reactors that are sucking the Planet dry. Cloud has been called into help, and what follows on from the first bombing mission is an epic tale of love, loss and revenge.
One Of The Strangest Cast Of Characters
Final Fantasy VII has one of the quirkest cast of characters ever in a video game. The main man, Cloud, is an interesting character while he battles the demons inside himself. Future games in the franchise would have similar protagonists - Squall, Zidane and Tidus all suffered from memory loss and bad childhoods.
But his allies and enemies are just as perculiar. The leader of AVALANCE, Barret, has a gun for an arm, Red XIII is a talking cat-like animal, Aerith (called Aeris thanks to translation error) is the last of her race (called the Cetra), and the antagonist Sephiroth has a sword bigger than most men. Thanks to Sephiroth's cruelty and actions, as well as a chilling theme song, he has constantly been voted one of the top video game villians.
But what also makes this Final Fantasy so appealing is the simplicity of the battle system. Each character can be given many different types of Materia, which can range of offensive and defensive spells to devastating summons. They can all be added and removed from characters easily, allowing for many different strategies againsts bosses.
The Best Final Fantasy?
It's still debated whether or not this is the best of the lot. Comparing it to the games that proceeded it, FFVII still has features that put it above the others. While its influence has not changed, the flaws it suffered from are more visible than ever. The graphics aren't much to look at - even the cutscenes aren't impressive anymore. The battle sequences, however, still look great - something that it arguably holds over its successors.
But some bad grammar and spelling mistakes stand out. The game is entirely text based (voice acting wouldn't come to the franchise till FFX), so spotting the mistakes is easier than before.
It may not be as great as it was, but Final Fantasy VII is still a brilliant game. With the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII still going, this still has a lot to offer any RPG fan. And for £8 ($10), it's a bargain. Download it for PS3 and/or PSP now - it's worth it.
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