Old Review: Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

My Review- Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

Final Fantasy VII is one of the most famous RPGs in history. Critically acclaimed at the time of it’s release, it has been hailed as both a technical milestone for the role-playing genre, as well as the game which popularized console RPGs in the states. However, it has been more than a decade since this game’s release, and time is rarely kind to classic games. As a fan weaned on newer Final Fantasies, how does FF7 hold up in 2011? If you can believe it, pretty well.

STORY

Final Fantasy VII’s story begins with the protagonist, one Cloud Strife, aiding a group of bioterrorists known as AVALANCHE as they attempt to destroy a reactor belonging to the sinister Shinra Corporation. These reactors, located in the giant city of Midgar, are draining the life energy from the Planet, converting them into Mako Energy to power the city. Cloud and a large array of colorful characters must attempt to save the planet from Shinra Corp., but a more sinister force also seeks the destruction of the planet- that of Sephiroth, a former Shinra SOLDIER that seeks revenge on the company and the world.

One of Final Fantasy VII’s strengths is it’s characters. FF7’s cast contains many of Square’s most famous characters, particularly the villainous Sephiroth and the kindly Aeris, but even smaller characters such as Barret, Cait Sith, and Vincent are well known amongst fans. Pretty much every character that joins you (as well as the two optional characters) has their own backstory and relevance to the plot, making it so that nobody you may end up fighting with feels throwaway or out-of-place. The characters also have interesting character arcs throughout the story. Clouds growth from a cold, uncaring mercenary into a hero takes up a large part of the game, but every character has their own turn in the spotlight.

Another great aspect of FF7’s story is it’s setting. The science-fiction tinged world feels unique and appropriate to the story, with a clear theme throughout that helps make the world believable. Midgar in particular is a great fantasy city, beating out several modern fantasy settings by a long shot (looking at you, Kirkwall). The story itself is very well done, although several oddly translated dialogue snippets make themselves known throughout the story. Still, they won’t hinder your appreciation of the story too much. Final Fantasy VII tells a unique and interesting story, and it’s well worth playing through.

GAMEPLAY

Final Fantasy VII follows the basic template of the Final Fantasy series. From an Overworld, towns, and dungeons, there is a plethora of different places to explore. The Overworld in this game (and many other PS1-era Square games) is unique in that it’s largely from a third-person perspective, with the camera located behind the protagonist. It’s interesting, but if you prefer the more-traditional top-down perspective you can have it with the click of a button. Combat occurs randomly, and uses the traditional ATB system of the series. When your characters take enough damage in battle, they can use a super-powerful ‘Limit Break’ attack.

In addition to the main story, there is a lot of extra content to do- minigames, optional bosses, ultimate weapons, secret characters, and more. The game will easily take you about thirty hours on a bare-bones playthrough, but the numbers can bloat well beyond that if you dedicate yourself to completing the game.

Like every Final Fantasy, FF7 brings some innovation to the table, this time with the Materia System. Like FF6 and FF8, the game’s magic system serves as a character development system as well. Materia are small colored orbs that fit into slots on your weapons and armor. Different Materia have different affects. They can give magic, summons, skills, augment other skills, raise stats, etc. Finding good Materia combinations is important to your success throughout the game, and requires some thought into how you build your characters. Giving a character tons of high-level magic sounds like a good idea, but said magic will lower his defense and HP. Materia level up from AP earned in battle, and when they level up a new skill is learned from that Materia, and when they max out, a new Materia of the same type is born. Materia can be swapped between characters at any time, retaining the skills they learned.

Final Fantasy VII does what every good FF game does- add a fresh coat of paint to an excellent traditional gameplay style.

PRESENTATION

At the time, Final Fantasy VII’s graphics were some of the best seen on a console. The game can’t quite claim the title of ‘first cinematic RPG’, but the game does have a clear cinematic direction within it’s in-game cutscenes and it’s numerous FMV sequences. Of course, the graphics haven’t aged spectacularly. Some of the FMV’s and pre-rendered backgrounds still look nice, if a bit low-res, but the in-game graphics can be quite blocky. There were more than a few parts of the game where I ran around pressing ‘X’ hoping something would happen. Still, I’m not going to fault the game for looking old. Honestly, I kind of grew to like the graphics once I got used to them. In-battle graphics look decent as well.

The musical score, composed by series veteran Nobuo Uematsu, is fantastic as well. Several iconic songs, such as One Winged Angel (the final boss theme) appear here, and while the music in the game still sounds heavily synthesized when compared to later video game music, it is still a very good soundtrack overall.

CONCLUSION

Is Final Fantasy VII overrated? Well, that’s a good question. Certainly, the game isn’t the graphical tour-de-force it once was, and with time has gained quite a few rough spots. However, I can’t help but love this game. I really enjoyed the story, world, and characters, the series’ timeless gameplay is still as great as ever, and the graphics, while certainly no longer stunning, still hold some charm for those willing to look past their simplicity. Final Fantasy VII remains a great RPG, and is worth playing for those willing to overlook a few blemishes.

SCORE- A-