The 10s: Final Fantasy VII

“There ain’t no gettin off this train we’re on...”

Happy Final Fantasy VII month!  In case you weren’t aware, the much anticipated remake of the 1997 classic is slated to release April 10, quarantine or no quarantine.  I was going to cover FFVII with my other 10s anyway, but one post can’t adequately convey how I feel about this game and its universe. So, I am going to dedicate this whole month to FFVII, its spinoffs and finally, the remake (If I can actually get my hands on it, that is).  Now is probably the time to mention that there are going to be some serious spoilers, though I am going to actively try to avoid them.

What is there to say about Final Fantasy VII that hasn’t already been said?  It was a killer app for the original PlayStation, which was even more impactful for Sony as it flipped one of Nintendo’s key franchises.  It put the PS1 through its paces, setting a new standard for what games could do in terms of graphics, sound and presentation.  It pushed RPGs, which were previously thought to appeal to hardcore gamers and D&D nerds, into the mainstream.  Anyone I knew with a PlayStation played this game, nerds, jocks, punks, skateboard kids, academics, you name it.  FFVII had a major impact on millions of people, myself included. There are few games that had the effect on me that this game did.  I will be honest, it’s one of the few I can’t be truly objective about, I can’t separate my emotions from it for a variety of reasons.   

But honestly, I don’t think I have to.  Final Fantasy VII is a objectively a great game, despite its flaws.  One of the big criticisms of this game is that it has aged poorly.  For the most part, I don’t think that’s the case.  However, there are a few ways where that is certainly true, the biggest being the character models.  There’s no way around it, they are dated.  They’re blocky, they don’t have hands or feet and they stick out like a sore thumb against the amazing prerendered backgrounds.  The summon animations are similarly dated, they were unrivaled at the time but now they just feel long, drawn out and unnecessary.  

But great character development, awesome world building and thought provoking plots don’t age.  And those elements are what makes this game a timeless classic on the precipice of a big budget remake that’s going to sell a trillion copies.  This was, and still is, one of the most fully realized worlds in gaming.  Everything from the slums of Midgar to the serene streets of Kalm to the beaches of Costa Del Sol feel totally organic and lived in.  They all make logical sense in the context of the world, beaten down, oppressed and held under Shinra’s thumb, but full of hope and a desire to make things better.  The same themes are woven throughout all of the planet, the pros and cons of Mako energy, the attachment to materia, the simultaneous fear of and codependency with the Shinra, every society offers its own unique experience while maintaining common ground.

The characters are equally memorable.  By now, I am sure even non-gamers recognize Cloud, the main protagonist.  He’s a cold, calculated mercenary and former member of Shinra’s elite SOLDIER unit, seeking a paycheck wherever he can get it.  He cares little for anyone besides himself, or any cause besides his own survival.  But after a job with an anti Shinra Group called Avalanche, he finds himself on a one way path that will force him to come to grips with who he is, what he wants and why he’s fighting.  You see the change in him as he grows as a person and opens up to the other party members.  You just didn’t see character development like this in games very often,

And that doesn’t just pertain to Cloud.  All of the characters are three dimensional, they have hopes, dreams, fears and flaws, something the game goes a long way in driving home.  The other thing is that none of these characters (well, almost none of them) are squeaky clean, zero questions asked heroes, something that wasn’t a given in RPGs at the time.  

Take Barrett, for instance.  As the leader of the freedom fighter group Avalanche, he is on a mission to save the planet from the evil Shinra.  He’s a charismatic leader, and one of the true good guys of the story...right?  I mean, sure he’s rough around the edges, that’s to be expected.  And in a struggle for the planet against an evil corporation, there are bound to be some casualties, especially when one of your biggest weapons is blowing up their infrastructure.  The ends justify the means.  Or do they?  That doesn’t sound like the actions of a freedom fighter.  It sounds like the actions of a terrorist.  Or maybe its both?  What’s the difference between the two anyway?  Intent? Context? What side you are on?  FFVII asks you to think about it to get the most out of its narrative.

Not one of your party members is pure good.  Is Tifa an old friend and helping hand to Cloud, or is she an enabler of his delusions?  Is Yuffie a common thief, or is she just lashing out as a member of a marginalized group?  You understand that Cid’s dreams were shattered, but does he have to be so nasty to Shera? Even Aerith (mistranslated as Aeris in the original US release) is far less pure than she seems.  Some of the villains are similarly nuanced, but good lord, the ones that are just evil are straight up EVIL.  President Shinra establishes himself as a true heel pretty quickly, what with the whole crushing an entire neighborhood of people just to get after your party.  His son Rufus is a cold, vicious despot hell bent on doing what is father couldn’t. Their underlings, like Scarlett, Heidegger and Palmer are all miserable in their own right.  Head scientist Hojo might be the single most awful person in the history of gaming, he’s got a rap sheet a mile long; rape (that this was even implied in a video game at this time was shocking), murder, unethical experiments on humans, you name it.  Having such miserable villains really helps you get behind the actions of the party, even if they are questionable.

But aren’t we forgetting someone?  If Cloud isn’t the most iconic character, primary antagonist Sephiroth certainly would be.  Driven to madness after learning of his origins, this silver haired, sword wielding maniac cuts down everyone in his path to bring about destruction to the world.  He shows no remorse for his actions, burning Cloud and Tifa’s hometown Nibelheim to the ground, slaughtering its people and laughing about it the whole time.  And in his case, the enemy of your enemy is certainly not your friend.  He harbors as much resentment for his former employers at Shinra as he does for your party.  This leads to an interesting power dynamic in the story, with the three sides struggling against each other to achieve their ultimate goal.  

While it’s made very clear that while Cloud is happy to battle Shinra alongside his companions, his primary goal is vengeance against Sephiroth.  That’s really what drives the story, as you will pursue your nemesis from one end of the earth to the other.  Along the way, you will find yourself sidetracked with a number of tasks, most of which reveal more about the backstory of you party members.  Most of these segments are pretty strong, as the characters are likeable enough that you want to learn more about them.  I will say that they do kind of make the plot disjointed at times.  Some of the later quests even feel a bit tacked on.  However, its rare they sidetrack you for so long that you forget about your goal, which is nice.  They also lead to some incredibly memorable moments.  

Red XIII’s emotional revelation about his father, Cid finally getting to live his dream and Barrett’s not-so-glorious return to Corel are all up there, but there is one moment FF VII is infamous for.  If you have played it, you know exactly which one I am talking about.  I have seen a surprising amount of digital ink spilled by people who have never played the game before, so I’m not going to say what it is, even though a quick internet search would let the cat out of the bag quickly.  All I will say is that permanent deaths of major characters midway through the game were not common when this happen.  Outside of the Phantasy Star series (I reviewed PSIV a few weeks ago), this didn’t happen much at all.  Even in PS IV, the character that dies is not nearly as integral to the plot as the one that kicks the bucket here.

I am going to have to stop somewhere, because I could talk about Final Fantasy VII forever.  And I have to close with some of the problems with the game, because while I love it, no game is perfect.  I already talked about the blocky characters and long summons, so no need to revisit that.  The plot does get a little convoluted at times and there are some points where it lingers on unnecessary diversions too long.  Almost all the characters are great...except one, who sticks out like a sore thumb.  Cait Sith is a lousy character, his design is bad and doesn’t fit at all with the aesthetic of the game.  While it certainly had its comic relief, FFVII had a far more serious tone than its predecessors.  It also has a slightly more realistic tone. (and yes, I’m aware one of your party members is a talking dog, but he’s presented in such a way that it makes sense.  Everyone is like “oh wow, a talking dog, that’s weird”).  Cait is neither of those things.

But the biggest problem here is the localization.  Don’t get me wrong, FFVII was far better than many of its contemporaries in this regard.  But that isn’t saying much.  While it doesn’t result in missing any major plot points, it does cause some medium and small ones to be lost in translation (IE: Sephiroth doesn’t kill Tseng, he just messes him up really, really bad).  And it also really takes you out of the story when you see it.  For all the times I have played through this game, “This guy are sick” throws me off every time.  Some of the stuff isn’t even bad translation, its just lack of attention to detail.  In a game this big, that shouldn’t have happened.

But those are nitpicks.  Final Fantasy VII is a masterpiece, even if it isn’t as visually impressive as it was 20 years ago.  The backgrounds are still beautiful, the world is incredible, the plot is interesting and the character building is unmatched.  Cut through the BS, ignore the trolls and internet edgelords trying to convince everyone its just ok to boost their own nerd cred.  FFVII is a phenomenal game and very much worth playing today. 

Wow, that was long.  And its about to get longer:

But wouldn’t you rather play:

Final Fantasy VI - A favorite of the aforementioned edgelords, most of whom weren’t even born when it came out.  Don’t get me wrong, FFVI is equally phenomenal and it doe a LOT of things better than FFVII.  We will discuss those when I cover it in its own 10’s article.  This really all comes down to preference.  VII has better character development while VI has a more coherent plot.  Both have great villains, but Sephiroth is more of a sociopath while Kefka is more of a psychopath.  If one thing would give the slight edge to VII, it would be the soundtrack.  I just don’t care for VI’s, to me its underwhelming.  I especially dislike the battle theme, its probably the worst in the series.  That’s nitpicking, but when you are comparing two top 5 RPGs of all time, you have to nitpick.  I guess at the end of the day, the right answer here is “forget about choosing and just play both.”

Final Fantasy IX - Another edgelord favorite.  Look, IX is a very good final fantasy title, but I just don’t get it.  I understand its kind of a throwback to the earlier days of the franchise.  But outside the character design, I don’t see it.  I can see how it calls back to FFV (which I also think is overrated) as its full of silliness and has something of a job system, but its just too goofy for me.  Believe me, when IX gets dark, it gets really dark.  But to me, those heavy themes lose some of their weight  when the characters involved are anthropomorphic mice and not people.  The bottom line here is I just don’t think any of these characters are likeable.  It has one truly memorable character(and, flameshield up, no, its not Vivi), the rest are either obnoxious or forgettable.  I am being a little harsh, so I am going to close by saying FFIX is an absolute must play.  I just find it to be the worst of the “golden age” FF titles.  That its still better than 98% of RPGs out there is a testament to the series’ quality.

Persona series - Because, despite what seems to be the common perception these days, some people that play RPGs don’t like anime.  I can’t handle the anime melodrama or ridiculousness of these games, despite my best efforts.  It’s not that FFVII (or the other two FF’s I discussed) aren’t dramatic or ridiculous, its just they are in such a way that’s more organic.  It’s difficult to explain, but they’re presented more like a major film or tv show than an offbeat cartoon.  Also, the combat in this series has always been off-putting to me, everything just takes so damn long.

Tales Series - See above, but multiplied by like, a million.  Except the combat.  These play much better than the Persona games IMO, so I think I would take Tales over those.  I’ll take 40 hours in Chibi hell over a more appealing game with worse gameplay.  One caveat here too, the older, pre-PS3 Tales games are way better in terms of aesthetic, so I think those are definitely worth playing through.