Final Fantasy celebrates its 25th anniversary. Released on January 31, 1997 in Japan, this episode of the Square-Enix license is the first to have benefited from an international launch, particularly in Europe. Second best-selling title on PSOne, it has been declined several times on other media before giving birth to a vast compilation and brilliant remake. On the occasion of this quarter of a century, let’s come back together to this monument of video games.
Final Fantasy VII. At the mention of this name, fans of Japanese RPGs will certainly still remember their first confrontation against Sephiroth, the poignant story of Aerith, the falsely detached character of Cloud, the incredible realism of Midgard or even this cinematic where Cloud rides a motorcycle largely inspired by Katsushiro Otomo’s Akira. It’s an anthology game. It’s a founding game. It’s a game that has broken records whether in terms of investment, revenue or popularity.
Read also – Final Fantasy VII Remake test: a fantastic rebirth
Today, Final Fantasy VII turns 25. Yes, 25 years already! The perfect opportunity to create a commemorative file on the Final Fantasy VII phenomenon which not only influenced the style of the Japanese RPG, but also the company which developed it: Square-Enix (called Squaresoft at the time, before its merger with Enix).
In this file, we will come back to the original game, what it brought to the license and the records it broke. We will expand our vision with the Final Fantasy VII Compilation from which other games, an animated film and a lot of content are derived. Finally, it will be impossible for us not to approach the remake of Final Fantasy VII released on PS4, PS5 and PC.
Final Fantasy VII: the child prodigy of the Japanese RPG
While it’s certainly not necessary, let’s introduce Final Fantasy VII. Japanese RPG developed by Squaresoft. Square-Enix’s first game on the original PlayStation. He came out on January 31, 1997 in Japan, September 7, 1997 in the United States and November 17 in Europe. While Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI have all benefited from a launch across the Atlantic, it will have been necessary to wait for this seventh opus to see it officially land on the old continent.
We find Hironobu Sakagushi, father of the series, to the production. Yashinori Kitase is the director and screenwriter. Tetsuya Nomura takes the chara-design and part of the storyline. Kazushige Nojima is the lead author. And to the music we find Nobuo Uematsu, the historical composer of the series. More than 100 people took part in its creation, which was a record at the time. Development of the game started in 1994. Originally, the game was to be released for Super Nintendo.
But a delay due to the development of Chrono Trigger on Super Nintendo forces Squaresoft to change its plans. The studio chooses to port Final Fantasy VII in “3D”: the characters are in real-time 3D, while the backgrounds are pre-computed visual renderings, like Resident Evil at Capcom. Even if the Super Nintendo supports 3D (the proof with Starfox), Squaresoft decides to leave to turn to the PlayStation (with a little help from Sony who buys the exclusivity).
Final Fantasy VII has a budget of 80 million dollars, between the development and the communication plan. A pharaonic budget at the time. But, thanks to that and an international launch, Final Fantasy is a commercial success. It sold more than 10 million copies just on the first PlayStation. It is the second best-selling game on the console, after Gran Turismo.
The game was then released on PC, iOS, Android, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. At last count, from February 2021, it has sold more 13 million copies worldwide, not to mention the remake. This is the highest figure for a single episode of the series. And it is common knowledge that Final Fantasy VII has been a major contributor to the success of the PlayStation.
Of course, marketing is not the only cause of this success. There are the intrinsic qualities of the game. Its excellent achievement for the time, whether in terms of graphics or music. The scenario very well put together, much more oriented science fiction than all its predecessors. Its gameplay, very classic on the one hand and innovative on the other, with the addition of Limit Break and Materia which will become a school for the rest of the series.
And let’s not forget his outstanding cast : Cloud, the (falsely) disillusioned mercenary, Tifa, the fighter with a fiery temper, Barret, gruff terrorist by day and daddy-hen by night, Sephiroth, the most charismatic nemesis of the series, Aerith, the florist of Midgard at the tragic fate. Without forgetting Cid the rocket pilot, Red XIII, half dog half apache, Reno and the Turks, Vincent looking like a vampire, Caith Sith, the robot cat who predicts the future, Yuffie, the thief of Materia, etc.
The story of Final Fantasy VII is simple. Cloud, a former SOLDIER, is hired by a terrorist group, Avalanche, to destroy a “Mako” reactor that is draining life energy from the planet. He finds Tifa. He meets Aerith. And he will meet Sephiroth, another SOLDIER, who will lose touch with reality by discovering his origins. The themes covered in Final Fantasy VII are still very current, 25 years later. Industrialization. Energy management. omnipotent corporations. Scientific abuses. Transhumanism. Ecology. And the fight for the preservation of natural resources and life.
Final Fantasy VII compilation: to go further in Midgard
Unlike many other episodes, Final Fantasy VII is not a single game, but the fulcrum of a ” compilation “. Like Final Fantasy XII, with Ivalice Alliance, and Final Fantasy XIII, with Fabula Nova Cystallis, the Final Fantasy VII compilation fleshes out the game’s story through animated films and sometimes very different playful experiences. The compilation includes:
- Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, an action-oriented RPG released for mobile in 2004. It is exclusive to the Japanese market.
- Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, a 3D animated film released in 2005. The story takes place two years after Final Fantasy VII and introduces the characters of Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo. A complete edition was released in 2009 with additional scenes.
- Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII, an action-oriented RPG released for the PSP in 2007. It features Zack, an aspiring SOLDIER whom the player discovers in Cloud’s memories in the main game. His mission is to seek out a former SOLDIER, Genesis. He will find out where the experiments performed on Sephiroth come from. It is a prequel to Final Fantasy VII.
- Ruler of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, a 3D action game, released on PlayStation 2 in 2006, starring Vincent Valentine. The story takes place three years after Final Fantasy VII.
- Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is a game scheduled for release in 2022 on iOS and Android. This “solo” production will be released in the form of episodes which will recount all the events of the compilation (the basic game, the variations and the animated films). The game will be free to download and will rely on in-app purchases.
- Final Fantasy VII First Soldier is a Free-to-play for iOS and Android released in 2021. Using Battle Royale mechanics similar to Fortnite, it incorporates the main principles of the original game: classes, materia, summons, bestiary, experience points, chocobos and more. The story takes place 30 years before Final Fantasy VII. And you play the role of a young recruit for the SOLDAT program.
- Last Order: Final Fantasy VII is an animated film released in 2005. The story is based on two flashbacks of Cloud during the main game, when he and Sephiroth go to investigate Nibelheim’s Mako Reactor.
Final Fantasy VII Remake: a modern update
Let’s end this commemorative file with Final Fantasy VII Remake, a game released on PS4 in 2020 and adapted on PS5 (and PC) in 2021. We cannot advise you enough to browse our complete test of the game on PS4, as well as our complete file for all about the game, as well as its extension Intergrade, which includes a graphic improvement (the definition goes to 4K, the refresh rate to 60 frames per second, the textures are finer and new light effects appear) for the latest generation console as well as an exclusive DLC which features Yuffie, the hunter of Materia. In addition, a new character enters the story: sonon.
The advantages of this version are numerous. Besides the aesthetics and technique that have been modernized, Final Fantasy VII Remake also offers a more nervous gameplay, largely inspired by Final Fantasy Type-0 and Final Fantasy XV. Giving pride of place to the action, the clashes are no less tactical, thanks to the use of Materia that must be chosen carefully for each character, as well as the return of ATB bars and Limit Breaks. Side missions galore, further customization of weapons, and a strengthening of the scenario with more space offered to certain characters left behind in the original component (Biggs, Wedge and especially Jessie).
Final Fantasy Remake is only the first part of a trilogy. This one focuses on the events of Midgard. The following episodes will therefore cover the events of Nibelheim, the Temple of the Ancients, the Watai, the Canyon Cosmos and Gongaga, without forgetting those which will lead Cloud into the bowels of the planet to defeat Sephiroth.
