We all have to be honest with ourselves.
I thought it might be a good idea to slot a Final Fantasy game in this general area (somewhere in my first 15 games listed), because although the first game I dropped in this entire series is a Squaresoft classic and my favorite game of all time, it’s not especially relevant to the medium at large (apart from its impeccable soundtrack, which literally everyone should listen to at some point). Final Fantasy, as a series, is a different animal. It’s perhaps the most recognizable RPG brand on the planet, probably the most successful RPG brand on the planet, and arguably the most important RPG brand on the planet. It’s absolutely massively critical when it comes to understanding video game history, let alone that of the genre of the JRPG.
You can’t tell a complete story of gaming without Final Fantasy.
But…
Which of the Final Fantasy games is most essential?
Ah, that’s the fun part of it. For many gamers of a certain age, this debate typically boils down to two choices: The “taken as far as they could take it” 16-bit excellence of Final Fantasy VI (perhaps the best possible example of why the Super Nintendo continues to be held in high esteem for its RPG library), OR the “let’s get wacky with something slightly different” new direction boldness of Final Fantasy VII (which itself makes the case for the Playstation being the golden era of RPG gaming).
Since I’ve already got Chrono Cross on my list, I should go with Final Fantasy VI here to represent that different era of gaming, right?
Right?
Well, there’s just one small problem with that:
I like Final Fantasy VII a little bit more.
Final Fantasy VII
Genre: RPG
Released: 1997
Platform: Playstation
GameSpot’s 2nd Most Influential Game Ever Made
It IS a fine distinction to be drawn, and gun to my head, I’d probably admit that Final Fantasy VI is a more polished game and does more things correctly. But in my defense, Final Fantasy VII is widely considered one of the most influential games of all time, and its popularity gives it a claim to the title of most popular RPG … ever.*
* It’s in the top ten on the sales chart for any RPG not named “Pokemon” and Pokemon is sort of … not an RPG? It’s honestly the David S. Pumpkins of RPGs … its own thing. So taking Pokemon out of the equation, Final Fantasy VII is not only the best-selling Final Fantasy game, and an often emulated version of what a modern RPG should look like, but it’s also in the top tier range of best sellers too.
Let’s examine why that is.
Given the timing of the development of Final Fantasy VII (around 1995 or so), the folks at Square settled on a bigger game, set in a 3D universe, necessitating a switch to a system with faster processing and larger medium storage (CDs) … so Square parted ways with Nintendo to leap to the Playstation. (It was also MUCH cheaper to print CDs than produce carts.) Square’s migration was no small thing, as it helped cement this decision-making process for many other developers as well, leaving Nintendo stuck to provide the lion’s share of its own games for the N64, and helping the Playstation take off to make Sony THE dominant video game console manufacturer on the planet.
So make a bigger, bolder game, and make it more cheaply? It kind of sounds like a layup now, and maybe it was back then too. But Nintendo was a very big fish, and Square’s relationship with them had been highly beneficial for a long time. There was an element of risk in trying to go it alone.
There was added risk in switching to 3D, still not fully developed or realized as a concept within the industry. What would that even look like? In some ways, the company had to rebuild the game from the ground up.
This effort largely succeeded because they were able to carve their game up into distinctive sections, not only along battle vs. story lines, but also among the areas your character could explore. Yes, the environments were more 3D in nature. No, you couldn’t go everywhere in this world all at once. This was the kind of compromise that would become common place with games of that generation, but again, it’s impressive that many companies were able to come up with elegant solutions to these issues all the same.
Of course, none of that really explains the phenomenon of FFVII blowing the hell up, to the point where its lasting relevance is such that I regularly have conversations about the game with my seven-year-old son.
In 2021.
(The game came out in 1997.)
And no, it’s not ALL marketing. This is one of the better marketed games of all time, from its initial marketing budget exceeding most other games of that era, to these characters continually popping back up again in pop culture. When Cloud and Sephiroth show up in Kingdom Hearts AND Smash Bros — a decade plus apart from one another — it speaks to longevity. This is some chicken and the egg stuff here: Is FFVII hyped because it’s so good or is it well thought of because it’s so hyped? I don’t think it can be reduced so simply. It’s both. Think of any cultural touchstone game like Doom or Mortal Kombat or Mario or Sonic … the common element with all of them is an underlying quality. There may be gimmicks (like blood or super speed) and/or hype (it’s THE hot game), but each of those games excels on its own merits.
A game being popular or having cool 3D modeling might get you in the door, but it has to resonate to truly sail. Where Final Fantasy VII rises above any sales gimmicks is in its timeless tragedy of a story, within the magic of its fully realized and affecting characters, and through its incredible gaming mechanics, which actually make combat a true joy (not always the case in a JRPG like this).
Without diving too heavily into spoilers, the story here — and how it affects those fully realized characters — is one of the better ones in gaming. I think a lot of that comes from the risks it’s willing to take. As a storyteller, you have to take into account development, and that takes time. If you want your audience to invest in your characters, it takes a careful intelligent build. If you do it the right way — and Final Fantasy VII does — you hook your audience through the course of many hours of gameplay. And THAT’S when you take your risks. The developers of this game understood this and executed it marvelously.
Plenty of games have ambitious stories that pay off, however. Heck, this is once again why so many people default to Final Fantasy VI as being the better game. What puts VII over the top for me personally is its combat system and “Materia” system.
What makes the combat here particularly enjoyable is that it’s a kind of mix between active and passive, in that your characters cannot act as quickly as the gamer can, being constricted by timers that restrict their ability to attack, heal or what have you … but this restriction is actually welcome because it encourages planning and strategy as you observe the conditions of the battle change over time. More than once you may redirect your strategy in the time it takes from your initial thought to form, your opponent to act, and then your time meter to expire. (It’s also helpful that the time meters are actually visible … it feels fair, and not randomized or cheap.)
As is customary in a Final Fantasy game, different characters bring different advantages to a fight. This is achieved here mostly through the use of “limit breaks,” which are a charged counter-attack that gets built through enemy attacks. You can also customize your characters through the use of the above-mentioned “Materia.” Mixing and matching these orbs with your characters increases their abilities and alters their attributes, creating a level of customization that hasn’t always been there in other Final Fantasy games. Or in other RPGs either, for that matter. This game is considered influential for lots of reasons, including its cinematic scope, its storytelling deftness, and its customizable combat.
That last one is super important. I don’t think these things are to be undersold. Battles need to be fun for you want to continue to play.
Final Fantasy VII is fun to play.
So what makes it worth playing today?
You ever play one of those old-school RPGs where you constantly get your butt handed to you, and you’re given no choice but to “grind,” that time-honored tradition of engaging in as many random battles as possible in order that you can strengthen your characters through leveling up? Do you hate this kind of thing as much as I do?
Final Fantasy VII is like the opposite of that, a balanced RPG that scales appropriately and does not require that you punish yourself with boring grinding to advance through the game. Is the game on the easier side because of this? Sure. Is it leaner, faster and better as a result? Also, yes.
These graphics aren’t going to blow anyone away nowadays, and mileage will always vary for folks, especially when it comes to RPGs. And I get it. If you’re going to blow 50-100 hours of your life on a game, you want it to be a good fit.
I can’t guarantee this game will work for every person, but I CAN suggest that every person should give it a try. Its importance to the medium is significant, it unfolds in an enjoyable way, and it tells a story with a memorable group of characters that continues to be felt today.
What more could you want?
Dave’s Score: 10/10
Check out the whole Retro Gaming Essentials list here!
How to play
- Original hardware (Playstation and old-as-hell PC)
- Playstation Network (PS3, PSP, Vita, PS4)
- Steam
- iPhone/Android
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox One