Final Fantasy VII (1997)

The story is epic and narrated through visually pleasing cinematics that are worthy of the name Final Fantasy.

The teal centred colour palette and unusual architectural design create a very unique take on the aesthetic trope of cyberpunk.

The gameplay is boring and outdated, the round based combat is trivial as hell and zero fun, though. The various mini games lighten that up little.

Playing through all goated classics, this one was one of the hardest to chew. But I dislike remakes so that was no option for me either.

Final Edit: I've finally come to love Final Fantasy VII and it has grown on me quite a lot. Now that I'm playing it legitimetely, mostly as intended, I'm having a blast playing through the game. It's so much more fun than when trying to power rush through the game and I'd recommend anyone on the fence to do the same. Take your time, get the needed skills, materia, items and equipment and you'll be surperised how much more fun it is to play.

Sorry, this is my last re-review. Keep in mind I've modded the game to a point I consider it a remake. I've downloaded graphics, music and gameplay mods for a better experience.

Tl;dr of everything. After having played the original, remastered and a modded PC version of the game, along with complaining multiple times how much I love/hated this game, after defeating the final boss in my ideal version I've felt closure. I no longer feel tormented by my thoughts of why FFVII is praised as much as it is. I still don't understand the vanilla game, but I do understand what its true potential in an official remake (no, not the remake we have now) could've been.

In my long journey of Final Fantasy VII, I saw the intro and wanted more of it. I've played the PS4 "remaster", then the original, and finally a heavily modded PC version. Each version have things I love and hate, some things inherent to Final Fantasy VII.

Let's start with the original:

• The Midgar Section was phenomenal and works perfectly as a tutorial for how to use the characters.
• I loved most of the music except the Wall Market theme. Somehow this doesn't sound like a true track of a Final Fantasy game. It felt out of place. I don't hate reggae, there are even songs I love. I don't like the typical Reggae sound.
• I like that the Materia grows with the character it's equipped on. I hate it, however, that each time new materia is introduced it needs to be leveled up again. To the point of people asking "best grind spots? is there AP enhancing Materia/equipment and where to find it?" I don't think it's a good gameplay decision and grinds the pace of the game to a halt for newer players to FFVII. Note that I didn't say JRPGs in general. Many JRPGs still have guides on stuff, but mostly how to level your character quicker and general secrets, and not some new Materia. 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x, and 10x AP growth would've been nice in a 1-1 remake.
• Have I mentioned the moving speed when you Finally get to see Gaia, the world of Final Fantasy VII? It's slow and the random encounter rate is horrendous. Everything feels slow. Realistic, yes, but slow. Previous and later entries at least have ways to move quicker. And I hate it when the beautiful overworld music gets interrupted by the battle music. It worked in Midgar, not in Gaia. Couldn't it at least be the overworld theme or even another battle music being implemented? Mini rant: Even in a speedrun, why is a step counting needed to manipulate every enemy placement? While it's a big achievement in speedrunning, I don't get why you want to waste multiple hours per day practicing and then even speedrunning a very long game. There are more games to play you know?
• I loved most of the music after Midgar, except for Return of the Hero (FFIII) remake I mean, Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony. I hated that theme because the loop is too short in too long of a section.
• I loved the story when it didn't get too goofy. I loved the story in Midgar, I loved the story after the Gold Saucer, everything in-between was decent to quite meh to me.

Tl;dr: This is a good version if you want the vanilla experiece. It's just not my ideal version and part of why I hated it at first.

Next up, the PS4 remaster (Yes, it's a rmaster. They've touched up the graphics and did some QoL.):

• This version has the same problems I have with the PSX version.
• The graphics were already blocky on PSX, now it's even more obvious with the smoothing of the models.
• I like that there is a 3x speed multiplier and a random encounter toggle. However, I think the speed should've been customizable as in FFXII: The Zodiac Age, with up to 8x speed. Missed upportunity.
• I'm not a fan of invulnerability being implemented. And it's stuck on the same key that activated Max Limit Break. If people were to implement this, just have an attack button left to the Limit Break so people don't accidentally activate it all the time.
• Not having the option to save anywhere. Big missed opportunity to save some time in places.

Tl;dr: This is a slightly better, yet somewhat worse version of Final Fantasy VII. I wanted to punch Cloud in the face the way he looked. I couldn't just get over it. The invulnerability toggle is implemented in the worst possible way, having no option to just choose attack on the left side and not accidentally triggering the Limit Break.

Finally, the modded PC version (at least my ideal version of FFVII):

• Customizable AP gain and game speed.
• Toggled renastered and vanilla music.
• Customizable enemy and player stats (EXP, player and enemy scaling etc).
• A lucky Cait Sith and Tifa Limit Break option. It's just a toggled option in my modded PC version. It could be something unlockable found in the Gold Saucer for Cait Sith and in the Piano, with Final Heaven, in Niblheim in an official remake.
• More Materia combinations. I love the option to have the vanilla Materia customization or even have a multi-slotted maria combination in there.
• Remastered music. How nice would it be to toggle between remastered and vanilla music? And there's also the option of disabling the battle music. This enhanced my immersion with the game.
• Remade visuals. I would've loved it if there's an option for vanilla and remade visuals in an official remake.
• Save anywhere. If officially implemented, it can save a bunch of time if you died and had to go back to where you were before. I normally don't like immortality, but for the final area it could be an option if you failed 5 or more times and are heavily undergeared for the final battles.
• Customizable game speed. and turbo dialogue. If you don't care about 20 minutes of dialogue with not much of gameplay, it's nice to just speed through the dialogue with the press of 2 buttons. In an official remake, it would be nice to have some sort of journal with hints where to go next. or even a simple party chat option like in Dragon Quest.

Tl;dr: A modded PC version is as close to a Remake as we can get. Everyone has their own ideal version, this is mine. I leveled up to quickly and paid for it in the final battle. That's on me. I didn't know Seifer Sephiroth could've been this tough compared to the low level version of him. I was undergeared and due to the way I saved there was no way back. This is one case to have immortality if you're heavily undergeared at this point in the game. Just have it as an option if you failed 5 or more times in the final area.

Final Fantasy VII is of course a legendary title in gaming history as one of the most popular and influential JRPGs ever published. At the time of its publication in 1997 it was the first 3D home console RPG ever published and was of course wildly successful for Square Enix. However, while the technology on display in 1997 may have been mind-blowing for that audience, in 2023 I have to say that it is the most poorly-aged Final Fantasy game I've played. While there is truly a lot to love in this game -plenty of big action set pieces, a plot with a lot of fun twists, and a highly customizeable battle system that greatly rewards experimentation while not requiring grinding, the graphical presentation of the game, the sometimes underdeveloped characters and plot points, and themes that are inconsistent and sometimes even contradictory themes are problems that are too difficult to ignore, even when accounting for the technical limitations of the time.

Gameplay Combat in FFVII is turn-based and uses the ATB system introduced in FFIV. Rather than being tied to specific characters or jobs as in most other FF game, every single ability, spell, and summon that characters use in the game is based on what materia they have equipped. In turn, available materia slots are based on the armor and weapons each character is equipping. There are costs to equipping materia as certain character statistics like HP or defense may decrease if materia is equipped. On the other hand the only way for these materia to grow in strength is to have them equipped to a character. Assigning these materia in the menu system is often tedious especially if like me you prefer to rotate characters in your party frequently. I found that this system rewards experimentation with various materia combinations and found it rewarding and engaging for the most part. On the other hand, it gave each party character less of an identity, especially when you consider that there are very few points in the game where your party makeup is determined by story events. Characters therefore felt very interchangeable and I think there is a narrative consequence to gameplay design choices here. . While I don't dislike the materia system I think I prefer a more consistent combat role system like in FF 5 or FF 9. The Limit system is ab overwhelmingly positive addition to the ATB system and better than it's implementation in any other FF title since. compared to other games in the series, this entry felt among the easiest, but perhaps that is because I had good character builds. I liked the fact that I could finish the game without grinding, and the final battle with the one winged angel was sufficiently challenging.

While navigation of the games many environments and overworld is usually painless, there are times when a level's geometry or interactive objects is not obvious. When this occured, my progress would often be stalled as I would need to consult a guide to see how to proceed. While I think this is sometimes inevitable in a game of this age it seemed to happen too frequently to ignore. Lack of frequent save opportunities added some frustration, especially in the final stretch of the game, but this is very much in step with older titles in the series and was a welcome if sometimes frustrating design choice.

Narrative

The narrative elements of FFVII are mostly good. The vengeance conflict between Cloud and Sephiroth, Cloud's struggles with identity and memory and his unreliability of a narrator were all very compelling. I also loved exploring the world of Midtar, and indeed the games setting is one of gaming's most unique, offering an oppressive futuristic dystopian setting ruled by an amoral corporation whose impact is felt globally. The timely anxieties surrounding environmental depredation and genetic engineering present in this 25 year old game all feel relevant even today. As great as the narrative is, I feel however that many elements were underdeveloped.

The game seems to not know exactly what it wants to be about. I found the most compelling narrative threads to be related to Shinra and their harm to the environment, but after the first act of the game they are mostly relegated to a deuterantagonist role second to the threat of Sephiroth/Jenova, which I found comparatively less compelling narratively and thematically. And, while I did enjoy the conflict between Cloud and Sephiroth, especially the elements concerned with Cloud's struggles with his own identity, I expected Sephiroth to have more of a presence in the story. I found his motives to be almost nonsensical, and his descent into madness left a lot to be desired. In fact, most of the supporting characters besides Aerith and Tifa seemed like they didn't have much to do after they were introduced to the point where VII seems to have one of the least developed supporting casts in the series. That being said there are some genuinely emotional beats in the story and the plot is jam-packed full of exciting set pieces. The story is compelling though, and as wild as it is, never feels like it goes off the rails, and while the narrative can be confusing at times, this is usually intentional and temporary. I just don't feel that it is the best the series has to offer.

Aesthetics

While I'm sure FFVII blew audiences away in 1997, it feels to me like the most poorly aged entry in the series in terms of presentation. The other entries on the PS1 managed to accomplish much more with identical hardware (which they should given VII was the first attempt at a 3D game), but I can't help but not ignore the graphical crustiness of this game, to the point that it is distracting and even interferes with progression sometimes as I mentioned in the gameplay section. Each location does feel unique and well illustrated however, and battle animations are pretty cool for what they are and definitely a bold foray into 3D graphics.

Soundwise Uematsu continues to display his usual versatility and genius. The battle themes in this game are catchy and intense, and One-Winged angel left a strong impression. Environmental soundtracks evoke feelings of oppression, appropriate for the looming destruction of the world and omnipresence of Shinra corp. Aerith's theme is used successfully to evoke feelings of romance and then grief.

Score: 4/5

Score: 4/5

A 4/5 game is an excellent game with a couple noticeable flaws or lack of well-executed new ideas that keep it from achieving a masterpiece status. These games often offer many of the same ideas other titles in the genre or series offer and may sometimes fail to stand out in terms of originality or execution, but rarely feel mediocre. In a word, a 4/5 game is "great", and certainly worthy of a playthrough.

4/5

The major gameplay systems were pretty great - combat was fun, character progression was solid, the materia system is genius. The mini-games were janky as hell but charming.

Story was engaging, but a little bit haphazard in it's presentation. Sometimes the writing was top-tier, other times it seemed low-budget. The different messages of the game were all interesting. Overall, the game oozes charm and is classic turn-based gameplay fun.

I remember playing this on PS1. JRPGs were already in the west, but it was this game that got the attention of even the most casual gamer. For me, I had already been playing RPGs and JRPGs for a while but this game did change thing for me too. It made the RPG genre my favorite genre. FF 7 is not my favorite of the series, but I do have a tremendous respect for what it is to the genre: A milestone.

At the time, the graphics were absolutely phenomenal, the music all timeless classics, the characters almost perfect in design. Gameplay and sheer amount of variety in activities and the openness of how you want to play. The plot. Don't get me wrong most of it is very good and is very well written, but some of the bigger parts are either extremely confusing or nonsensical (particularly the last section of the game and most of the plot surrounding Sephiroth. Sephiroth has got to be one of my all time favorite video game villains, and I really do feel the conclusion of the game does not give him respect he deserves, simplifying him to a supernatural Freudian case study.

Overall, even with the few minor issues I had with this game, it is still a fantastic game worthy of the praise and admiration it receives. We can only hope that Square Enix makes the proper remakes till the very end.

Just finished my second ever play through. I really barreled through this one - skipped two of the Weapons, didn’t unlock a few limit breaks, didn’t get any master materia, and missed Barret’s ultimate weapon 😭 Edited to add: The game was still too easy. I tried to avoid leveling up and Cloud still ended the game level 70. I even turned random encounters off sometimes. I didn’t take Knights of the Round into the last fight. And I found the last dungeon and boss fights to be too easy and lackluster. It’s almost a straight line for your lead team, and the splinter groups can grab most of the items, providing little incentive for you to go back and explore. When I think to how grueling the Lunar Subterrane was, or the team work and feeling of exploration in Kefka’s Tower, the Northern Cave seriously falls short.

Overall, I did have a ton of fun, and playing this on PS4 was such a different experience from the original.

I’ve struggled to understand the details of this story forever (even knowing the story). This time through was clearer, but I’m just going to say it, FF7’s story is kind of garbage. Sephiroth is a terrible villain, Cloud is a terrible hero, and the story is unclear and confusing at times, by no fault of the player. Despite this, it’s still a freaking blast to play. :)

ETA: A few more things I forgot. I really enjoyed FF6’s open-endedness with party composition, and having you control multiple teams at one time. I wish 7 had more of that. Even in the end, you must have Cloud in your team. Maybe it’s because I don’t love Cloud, but I wish I could have shaken it up a bit. I didn’t mind the chunk with Tifa in the lead, but when she stays behind, they force Cid(!?) in the lead. Weird. I also wish Vincent and Yuffie had more to do. I get that they’re optional, and I tried bringing them to everything that might involve them (i.e. Vincent to the Hojo fight) but they still feel undeveloped. (I don’t remember much of it, but I liked and therefore used Vincent a lot in my first play through when this came out. Not sure why now.) I am looking forward to Dirge of Cerberus for this reason. TL;DR I wish there was much more character development and side questing.

I forgot to talk about the score, which is like, my whole thing. 7’s soundtrack has moments of brilliance and some really wonderful pieces, a few clunkers, but also some of his best work. The Main Theme is worth the price of admission. When you first set foot on the world map, it’s like it was this huge paradigm shift in gaming with the music playing a huge part. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it references Dvorak (I think the chords may even be the same?). New world indeed!

On to 8!

An oldie but a goodie, Final Fantasy VII is still considered one of the greatest role-playing games of all time. Two decades later and the characters, settings and themes of Square’s seventh instalment in the Final Fantasy canon are still as resonant as ever.

The overwhelming success of Final Fantasy VII can be largely attributed to its groundbreaking combination of strong gameplay, art and music direction and epic narrative. The game features stunning pre-rendered backgrounds and character art (that still impress even though the graphics have naturally dated) and a heart-rending soundtrack from veteran Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, which has since placed in the top 20 of the Classic FM Hall of Fame.

Playing no small part in the impact of the storyline is the death of Aerith, a major character, relatively early on in the game. This devastating turn of events signalled a shift away from the inconsequence of video game deaths up till this point. There were no respawns or reappearances for Aerith; a character gamers had invested in, both energy-wise and emotionally, was gone. Alongside Mufasa’s fate in The Lion King, Aerith’s story arc formed a bittersweet induction into the fickle ways of the world for many a young gamer – myself included.

I've chosen this as an example of a game I feel has elevated the medium to an art form. Please check out my blog, Inky Squiggles, to see the others!