Classics Revisited: Final Fantasy VII
Reviewed By Luke "Lukaz" Withoos
It’s hard to believe for many, but 15 years have passed since RPG gaming was revolutionised on the Sony Playstation. This revolution came from the release of the next title from a game series that was originally released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (or Famicom) and the Super Nintendo platforms. This new version stepped up to the newest generation of consoles with a release that could not be comprehended by the Nintendo system of the time; the Nintendo 64.
The game I speak of is none other than the illustrious Final Fantasy VII. I speak of this game not only due to the 15 year anniversary of this title that passed last month, but also with a new re-release of this game on PC. I simply had no choice but to relive my teenage years by completing this game once again, regardless of what else I was doing at the time. Personally, I feel that this is one of the hardest reviews I have ever had to write. While my childish sense of wonder at this game made Final Fantasy VII stay in my mind as one of the greatest games of all time, I can’t deny that the game has aged badly.
As a mysterious defector from the elite fighting unit “Soldier”, the game follows the story of one man, Cloud. This spikey-haired, angry-eyed, 7-foot-long-sword-wielding individual was hired by the rebel group called “Avalanche” to bring peace to the people of the world of Gaia. Avalanche are a group of environmental freedom fighters that are led by their obnoxious leader Barrett; who has a gun in the place of his right arm. Barrett, along with Cloud and another playable character, Tifa work together to protect the planet from the humans’ use of Mako. Mako is used as a source of power, but is also the life-force of the planet; and is otherwise called the Lifestream.
As with any RPG title, there is an element of character building that you must follow. This formula has stood the test of time and had many different imitations, but nothing compares to the solid formula of Final Fantasy VII; a formula that is a cut above any other game in the series either before or after Final Fantasy VII was released, in my opinion.
Players can equip their team of three with weapons, accessories, and magic items called “materia”. This materia is a naturally occurring substance from the lifestream that Avalanche is trying to protect and imbues characters with the ability to cast offensive spells, heal their allies, and call down summoned creatures to provide a little extra support when things get tough.
Overall, the game shows some fantastic RPG elements that make this title unparalleled in the genre. After leaving the city of Midgar, the party head out to the open world of Gaia to face beasts, expand the party, take control of an airship, defeat the giant creatures called “Weapons”, eventually protect Gaia from the planet destroying Meteor and defeat the evil Sephiroth. This open world environment is quintessential to any RPG; but none did it with such style and finesse; at least, for the 90’s.
However, it’s time to put the rose-coloured glasses aside. After all, 15 years has not done Final Fantasy VII any favours.
The success of the Final Fantasy VII franchise (yes, it is its own franchise outside of the Final Fantasy franchise) has spawned not only PC ports and a PSN port of this game but also three additional games that expanded the story, an animated series, a plethora of graphic novels, several mobile games, extensive use of the game’s characters in other game titles and even a computer graphic animated feature film called Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (which I also highly recommend). Even with all of the extra media released in the last 15 years, it all comes back to this game.
So why should this lead to any disappointment, you ask? Well, there’s a few things.
Firstly, there’s no graphical improvements. Many fans would frown upon this statement and say that it shouldn’t have any improvements; but I disagree. The CEO of Square-Enix, Yoichi Wada stated in June that there will be no high-definition remake of Final Fantasy VII until the company creates a game that surpasses the appeal of Final Fantasy VII; which is their most successful title to date; a task that will be almost impossible to complete.
When releasing this new PC version of the game, they could have incorporated some of the video that was used in any of the other media. Square-Enix could have included more detail. I believe that this title brings nothing new to the existing fan-base; a throng of passionate people that just want something more; even if it is just a cameo in another Square-Enix title. Sure, the graphics are now optimised for modern PCs with multi-core processing, but the cut scenes could have at least had some improvement.
The second point is where I touch on a pet-peeve of gamers everywhere and is something that Square-Enix have added to Final Fantasy VII. That one thing is simple; Digital Rights Management, or DRM. Such a system requires players to login to a system with a username and password that allows them to play a game. It seems pretty innocent; but there are issues with the DRM this time around; and Square-Enix has already issued an apology to purchasers for the inconvenience.
Square-Enix originally announced that the title would be available on Steam upon release; a decision that they later changed their mind about. Final Fantasy VII for the PC was released on Square-Enix’s own DRM system that was built into the game specifically for this release. This comes with benefits, such as save files on the “Cloud” (yes, you can put your own Cloud on The Cloud), but requires players to be connected to play. This means there’s no offline play; meaning you can’t take it on your laptop while travelling; something I would want to do.
In summary, aside from the parts I dislike, Final Fantasy VII is one of the greatest games of all time. I highly recommend the game to anyone who has ever wanted to try it; and with a $9.99 price tag, it is worth the money. This game has everything. Great characters, a fantastic story, creative art, over 60 hours of RPG gameplay, war, peace, tragedy, a corrupt organisation with its own privatised police force, genetic experiments, a dying planet, an ultimate evil, and a hero; Cloud. For a man that really doesn’t say much, he really did live the life that Zack gave him to live; but to understand that reference, you’ll need to play the game. Which you should do. Right now. You know you want to.
Rating: 95%
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Game: Final Fantasy VII
System: PC
Developer/Co-Developer: Square Product Development / Division 1
Publisher: Square (Square Enix)
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