Throwback Reviews: Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII

Reviewed By: Giuliano V.

Platform: PS1

Gameplay: 8

Final Fantasy VII is your typical JRPG and plays rather smoothly. For the most part, the gameplay is a fantastic turn-based system, however, there are so rough patches in the gameplay. First and foremost, the display during battles can get frustrating, as sometimes the action menu can cover your character's health bar or barrier bar, making it difficult to keep track of the state of your party. There are also quite a few pointless mini-games throughout the game. One of the biggest problems is that there are instances late in the game where you are forced to use party members whom may not be levelled up, as they have been at the back of your team almost the entire game. This can get frustrating when you have Materia set up perfectly to match a specific team, and then have to alter your set-up simply to accommodate a forced character. But other than this, Final Fantasy VII has some solid gameplay.

Story: 10

There is a reason Final Fantasy VII is hailed as one of the best stories in gaming history. The story follows a cast of fantastic characters (save for a select few) who all receive a great deal of development and action, even when they are not in your main party. Even characters who do not appear in the game, like Zack Fair, instantly become iconic in your mind. The game takes you on a rollarcoaster of emotions as it makes you fall in love with the kind and sweet Tifa and Aerith in their love triangle with Cloud, making it difficult to actually decide who should end up with him. Sephiroth, while not the greatest JRPG villain, does a fine job of opposing the party and is able to pose as a menacing figure throughout the entire of the game. While Yuffie and Vincent do not receive much focus in the main narrative, they are still well-enough made characters that you can like them without actually knowing much about them. All in all, Final Fantasy VII is a timeless tale that really feels like a journey for the player.

Sound: 9

Final Fantasy VII has some fantastic tracks. While some are tunes from the past, other ones are entirely new, like One-Winged Angel, which is an epic final boss track. However, there are a few tunes that are not only short, but annoying. The two I am specifically referring to are the tunes played on mountains, which can quickly become annoying, especially when those levels tend to be long, and the soundtrack to the Gold Saucer, which literally makes me want to kill myself. These two horrible tracks are enough to bring the rating for the game's sound down an entire point, but not enough to hinder an otherwise fantastic soundtrack.

Presentation: 8.5

Final Fantasy VII is hailed as one of the most visually impressive games for its time, but honestly, I don't entirely see it. The landscapes and level design are beautiful, and most of the enemy designs and battle models are detailed, but aside from that, I was not as impressed as I was told I would be. The cutscenes were hit or miss, some of them being fantastic graphics-wise while others included ugly character models of Aerith or other characters. Also, the in-game sprites are horrendously ugly and are a huge step down from Super Mario 64, which was the previous "visually-impressive" game of this generation. But even ugly character models cannot take away from those beautiful and colourful environments throughout the game.

Lasting Appeal: 9

The story takes roughly 30 hours to beat, which is a good amount of time for an RPG of this scale. There are also loads of side-missions that can help you further understand characters within the game, giving incentive to actually do them. There is no New Game+, but the game is such a fantastic experience, that I truly believe many would replay the game just to reexperience the story.

Final Verdict: 9.1 / 10

Final Fantasy VII has always been hailed as one of the greatest games of all-time, and while I will probably get ripped on for saying this, I must make it clear. As a game, Final Fantasy VII is nothing special and I do not believe it is the best gameplay-wise in its series. However, the story and characters of Final Fantasy VII are one of a kind, and I will say that Final Fantasy VII is one of the greatest story experiences in gaming history, and should be hailed as such. 

There may have been a negative vibe coming from this review, but don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the game. I just may not have liked it as much as the fanbase does. But Final Fantasy VII is definitely a game I wish I had played earlier, and it is an essential game to add to any gamer's library.

Article By:

Giuliano V.