As the release date for Final Fantasy VII Remake draws closer (despite a delay), players will find it increasingly difficult to contain their anticipation for the new title in the FFVII series.
Though the gameplay of Remake promises to be very different to that of the original and may yet shock players, many hope that Square Enix have been able to successfully reproduce the most iconic moments of a title that changed the way Western gamers saw RPGs.
This article will explore what exactly made Final Fantasy VII such a popular game for millions of players.
If you want to see how video games have evolved from a technical point of view in more than 20 years, these few comparisons of FF7 Remake with its model are all you need.
A First Taste of JRPGs
Following the European release of the PlayStation at the end of 1997, Final Fantasy VII was, simply put, a huge breath of fresh air for countless players who were used to classic action-adventure games.
At this time, the localisation of RPGs from Japanese was usually the exception and not the rule, especially for turn-based games. For those that didn't import, FFVII was likely their first JRPG — which is why it's held in such high regard by video game fanatics even today.
Loveable Characters
Though not all characters were treated the same, each got a few lines during the adventure that explained their reasons for wanting to save the planet — Barrett told his story in the Corel Prison below the Gold Saucer, Vincent revealed his doomed love for Lucrecia, Yuffie had her coming-of-age desire to restore Wutai to its former glory.
Players may have even missed those final two characters completely during their adventures, as they were optional characters that could only be unlocked by following a set series of conditions.
The main problem stemmed from the disasterous original translation from the Japanese, which was often very difficult to understand and sometimes prevented players from understanding the plot and the motivations of each character.
The Materia System
The original FFVII used a turn-based system by the name of Active Time Batlle (ATB), which was a mainstay of other Final Fantasy games on the PS1.
At its core, this system used cooldowns for each action a character or an enemy made (when set to Active mode). Hesitate too long in deciding on a move, and your enemies would make you pay.
The Materia system was at the heart of character development in FFVII. Your characters' weapons and armour each had numerous sockets that held these coloured orbs, with each giving access to various skills that correspond to their colours:
- Green: Magic
- Blue: Support
- Yellow: Command
- Red: Summon
- Purple: Independent
By mixing these skills, it was possible to create crazy combinations and unleash overpowered attacks or incredible heals. In addition, each materia could evolve, rank up, and unlock new possibilities as they were used.
They were also a great way to earn money, as the blue "All" materia could be sold at max rank for the princely sum of 1.4 million Gil — enough to buy that villa at the sunny Costa del Sol resort, and still have change for everything else!
A Deep, Expansive World
Without spoiling the story at all, leaving Midgar and discovering an immense game world before you remains an iconic moment for players of that era.
The overworld was stuffed full of memorable locations, such as the mysterious Nibelheim and its immense mansion, the magnificent Cosmo Canyon, and even the hidden land of Wutai.
Each region in the overworld had its own identity, even if exploring the map often consisted of simply running across green expanses from one settlement to another.
The map soon became a footnote once you obtained the famous Highwind, allowing you to speed across the map in a blink of an eye.
Interesting Side Quests
Final Fantasy VII's side quests are never expressly mentioned, so it's up to the player to discover them — and boy is there plenty of them.
Finding the Key to Sector 5 allowed you to return to Midgar and glimpse that famous Easter egg. There were hidden summons to be found, hidden locations such as the Ancient Forest to explore, and much more.
The third disc, which only contained The Northern Cave and the final battle, actually proved to be the most time-consuming for completionists.
To beat the Ruby and Emerald Weapons, for example, players needed the most powerful items and materia in the game to even stand a chance of coming out on top — and even then, the fights were still extremely tight.
The Gold Saucer & Chocobos
Final Fantasy VII features two main side quests that were heralded right from the game's release.
The Gold Saucer was also an important location in the story, given Cloud and Aeris had their first date there — though it was entirely possible to Barrett instead.
This giant theme park even had its own currency, and contained some of the strongest items in the game. Players could test their might in the Battle Square, take part in a terrible boxing mini game, or even take another stab at the submarine and snowboarding minigames.
There was so much to do at the Gold Saucer, and players would find the hours slipping away as they explored everything it had to offer.
The park also holds the Chocobo Square, where you could race your own Chocobos and try to win huge prizes. Chocobo breeding in FFVII was truly amazing, especially discovering that two species could mate with one another to produce an entirely new species — which could then access new areas on the World Map.
The breeding process eventually culminated in the fabled Gold Chocobo, the ultimate prize and the only way to unlock the final (and ridiculously overpowered) Knights of the Round summon.
It was just another tempting time sink, and if you found yourself drawn to the racing mechanics, you could expect to put a lot of hours into breeding the perfect Chocobo.
Countless Iconic Scenes
Final Fantasy VII features an array of inconic moments, from the epic, to the funny, to the emotional. The game successfully hits a whole range of emotions during its 30-hour-plus main story.
From a hectic visit to Wall Market to the Weapon attack on Junon, and even the epic assault on Shinra Headquarters, Final Fantasy VII isn't just about its legendary shock moment — it's so much more than that.
In addition, all these sequences are supported by absolutely incredible cinematics that allow players to experience the main events of the story. It was not uncommon to have many different save files, so that you could replay certain parts of the game without having to completely start over.
Incredible Summons
The summons themselves were completely revolutionary for their time. Visually, summons were a technical marvel that could wipe out a squad of enemies in a single, stunning blow.
Special mention should also go to the three different iterations of Bahamut, which show off the animations of Final Fantasy VII's summons at their finest.
An Unforgettable Score
While this can be said for all games featuring Nobuo Uematsu's inspired compositions, Final Fantasy VII featured the composer at his very best.
However, there wasn't a theme song that played during the pivotal moments of the game, as in later titles. This tradition only began to take root after Final Fantasy VIII, with the sublime Eyes on Me playing during the game's key moments.
Nevertheless, it was hard to get the game's boss themes out of your head, and the unforgettable final boss theme, with all its choral accompaniments, lives long in the memory.
Choosing your favourite theme was not an easy task, as the soundtrack contained deep cuts that rival even the most popular themes in the series. This also applies for the song below, a rock cover by Uematsu-san's side project, The Black Mages.
A Great Adventure, Plain and Simple
This is obviously a completely subjective opinion, but it seems as though over the years the reputation of Final Fantasy VII has gradually been chipped away. Thinking about the game in the context of its era is no easy task, and resisting the urge to compare it to later releases is even harder.
Final Fantasy VII remains a grandiose adventure that should be experienced, even in 2020, provided that players can look past the dated super-deformed characters and 2D graphics.
With the Remake fast approaching, this is the perfect moment to re-familiarise yourself with AVALANCHE and try to save the world from Sephiroth and Meteor — you certainly won't regret it.
Touching on the main criticism levelled at the FF7 Remake, its episodic format, and the reasons why players should not be especially concerned.
