Final Fantasy VII. Video Games With the Best Stories
Table of Contents
INFORMATION
- Genre: jRPG
- What's good beyond the plot: a truckload of mini-games that diversify the fun in ingenious ways
Final Fantasy VII was the first 3D installment of the series and the beginning of Square's long-standing collaboration with Sony. The new technology caused many problems for the devs, and the PlayStation console maker partially helped solve them, although ultimately the title was shafted compare to the original idea. However, this is really evident amid the enormous volume of content and humongous, deeply convoluted plot.
In the seventh installment of the series, we have traditionally been sent to a whole new world, with the previous ones being reminded only with nods and some timeless details. This time, we landed in an SF scenario, in which the life-giving energy of our planet was ruthlessly exploited by greedy corporations, leading the world towards a great catastrophe. To prevent it, playing as a gloomy mercenary Cloud, his childhood friend Tifa, florist Aeris, and anti-Corporation activist Barret, and a plethora of other colorful individuals, we embark on an extraordinary journey that for many players remains the most important virtual adventure of their lives to this day.
The ecological message of Final Fantasy VII came at a time when few people cared about our impact on the planet, and for many people it was the first incentive to think more seriously about what we were doing. However, the devs did not force it down our throats either, allowing other great elements of the game to emerge, including the curious characters and their own dramas taking place simultaneously with the mission to save the world. Dramas that didn't always end happily – a certain special scene remains one of the saddest moments in video game history even today, more than 20 years after the title's release. Those who have played know what I'm writing about.
WHERE DID THE TITLE COME FROM?
One of the more popular anecdotes about Japanese games concerns why the Final Fantasy series had come to bear this and not another name. According to the myth, Squaresoft chose this title because when creating the first installment of the series, the company was on the brink of bankruptcy and thought it would be the studio's last released game ever – its "Final Fantasy". In reality, however, the story itself is a fabricated load of fantasy. The world's most popular jRPG series is called like that because... its creators really wanted their game to have a cool abbreviation – FF. That's all there is to it. Final Fantasy might have as well ended up being called Fabulous Fantasy or Fighting Fantasy.
