An ambitious sci-fi epic, through and through.
Final Fantasy VII in the cultural zeitgeist of 2024 is a very different beast compared to Final Fantasy VII, released for the PlayStation in 1997. My circumstances revolving my first playthrough definitely contribute to my lukewarm enjoyment, but I don't see that as a bad thing. I played Remake part 1 first, and I found that game to be an interesting yet underwhelming beast filled to the brim with Triple A-isms and newcomer-unfriendly fanservice.
I've also come to learn which elements I like and don't like in my JRPGs. I adore Final Fantasy X, and its on-rails, personal, and deeply political story. I wasn't as in love with the open-ended, minigame-filled format of Final Fantasy X-2.
Back to FFVII; it's clearly making a pivotal transition between the Dungeons & Dragons inspired JRPGs of the past, and the cinematic and linear film-inspired JRPGs of the future. This crossroads feels awkward at times, but also a little endearing. The story is motivated by player exploration - after you finish business in one town, you have to explore your way to the next one in the overworld. The party characters all have distinct, pre-written personalities, yet you can still name them anything you want. It's a true blend between tabletop and film, and I wish it veered a bit more towards the latter.
It reminds me of the days when I booted up the original Dragon Quest on my first iPhone. You leave the first town, and the rest of the story is yours to create. Except FFVII has its own story already. Character dynamics already exist. What more are you supposed to leave to the imagination? Nowadays, our RPGs are much more aware of the lane they fall into. You have your "everyone is bisexual, go have fun" Baldur's Gate-type tabletop games, and your more linear and tailored story experiences.
I unfortunately was not attached at all to the battle system, but I think this may be a product of my experiences playing FF7Remake first, along with the fact that the Switch release gave cheats. I like the materia system, but couldn't be helped to grind every single party member's skills and limit breaks, which was even more cumbersome than switching party members in FFX.
The party members were lovely, but I can't help but think their depth was stretched thin. None of them are irrelevant, far from it, but the sheer number of them especially Yuffie and Vincent could feel overwhelming and underdeveloped. FFVII tries to (and mostly successfully!) balance the serious with the silly, the sci-fi with the fantasy, and the psychological with the sentimental. It's truly the game of all time, and I'm not surprised it was the candidate to receive so many spinoffs.
With all that said, the crime of being too ambitious is hardly a crime at all in my books. What we're left with is a narrative that's not afraid to make direct critiques of capitalism, combined with some of the best writing a JRPG protagonist has ever been graced with.
Final Fantasy 7 deserves the impact it created. It's a delicate balancing act bridging past and future...and the future is bright.
Final Fantasy VII in the cultural zeitgeist of 2024 is a very different beast compared to Final Fantasy VII, released for the PlayStation in 1997. My circumstances revolving my first playthrough definitely contribute to my lukewarm enjoyment, but I don't see that as a bad thing. I played Remake part 1 first, and I found that game to be an interesting yet underwhelming beast filled to the brim with Triple A-isms and newcomer-unfriendly fanservice.
I've also come to learn which elements I like and don't like in my JRPGs. I adore Final Fantasy X, and its on-rails, personal, and deeply political story. I wasn't as in love with the open-ended, minigame-filled format of Final Fantasy X-2.
Back to FFVII; it's clearly making a pivotal transition between the Dungeons & Dragons inspired JRPGs of the past, and the cinematic and linear film-inspired JRPGs of the future. This crossroads feels awkward at times, but also a little endearing. The story is motivated by player exploration - after you finish business in one town, you have to explore your way to the next one in the overworld. The party characters all have distinct, pre-written personalities, yet you can still name them anything you want. It's a true blend between tabletop and film, and I wish it veered a bit more towards the latter.
It reminds me of the days when I booted up the original Dragon Quest on my first iPhone. You leave the first town, and the rest of the story is yours to create. Except FFVII has its own story already. Character dynamics already exist. What more are you supposed to leave to the imagination? Nowadays, our RPGs are much more aware of the lane they fall into. You have your "everyone is bisexual, go have fun" Baldur's Gate-type tabletop games, and your more linear and tailored story experiences.
I unfortunately was not attached at all to the battle system, but I think this may be a product of my experiences playing FF7Remake first, along with the fact that the Switch release gave cheats. I like the materia system, but couldn't be helped to grind every single party member's skills and limit breaks, which was even more cumbersome than switching party members in FFX.
The party members were lovely, but I can't help but think their depth was stretched thin. None of them are irrelevant, far from it, but the sheer number of them especially Yuffie and Vincent could feel overwhelming and underdeveloped. FFVII tries to (and mostly successfully!) balance the serious with the silly, the sci-fi with the fantasy, and the psychological with the sentimental. It's truly the game of all time, and I'm not surprised it was the candidate to receive so many spinoffs.
With all that said, the crime of being too ambitious is hardly a crime at all in my books. What we're left with is a narrative that's not afraid to make direct critiques of capitalism, combined with some of the best writing a JRPG protagonist has ever been graced with.
Final Fantasy 7 deserves the impact it created. It's a delicate balancing act bridging past and future...and the future is bright.