Final Fantasy VII
1997
- role-playing (rpg)
- adventure
- fantasy
- science fiction
- single player
The story
Final Fantasy VII (note: this is the original Japan-exclusive version) is a role-playing game set in a post-modern, steampunk world where technology and fantasy elements coexist. Players control Cloud Strife, an ex-soldier who joins the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE to oppose Shinra Inc., a corporation draining the planet's life energy. The game features turn-based combat with an active time element, a customizable Materia system for abilities, and unique Limit Break attacks for each character. Players explore 3D environments, engage in various mini-games, and uncover a complex plot involving Cloud's mysterious past and a powerful threat to the world. As the story progresses, players gain access to different vehicles, allowing them to explore new areas and uncover additional content.
What it’s like
Grimy industrial light bleeds through pre-rendered backdrops: sodium-orange haze over a city of smokestacks and a glowing green mako reactor, then the wider, sun-bleached emptiness of a midland plain and the cramped warmth of a slum bar lit by a single hanging lamp. The 3D environments are chunky polygonal figures moving over painted settings, and that mix of crude geometry and lush hand-painted scenery gives the whole game a storybook-diorama quality. Music does most of the emotional work, with sweeping orchestral-synth themes that swell over fields and cities alike, while the battle theme pulses with tension. Turn-based fights unfold with a restless active-time rhythm, and the Limit Break flourishes and summon sequences add bursts of theatrical spectacle. The vibe is melancholy and wistful with a streak of heroic adventure: a long, companionable journey for a rainy weekend or a late-night session, best suited to players who enjoy character-driven science fantasy. Violence is stylised and cartoonish, with blood-free sword and magic clashes and brief, dark moments of death and grief that land emotionally rather than graphically. Intensity is moderate, with no sexual content, and it suits people who want an atmospheric, heartfelt RPG.
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