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| An Industry-Changing Legend |
Hello everyone and welcome to another retrospective, this time we'll be covering a quintessential hit JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) of the 1990's. Not Chrono Trigger nor Earthbound, it's non-other than Final Fantasy VII, developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft), it debuted on the original PlayStation back in 1997. Often cited as among the best games of all time, it captured the hearts of many role-playing game fans and newcomers alike. The story of a young mercenary named Cloud, joined by his companions on a quest to stop a giant mega-corporation that's destroying the world was a memorable ride with great story-telling and many surprises along the way. It was amazing in 1997 and holds up well even today. It's been a while since the last retrospective, so I thought I'd come back with a bang by taking a look at one of the most influential games of all time, Final Fantasy VII. I'll be covering the development history of FFVII alongside its legacy, while also giving my thoughts on the game in a review-like structure, so you're in for a long read! Also, expect some spoilers since I'll be going major points of the story as well, so if you haven't played the game well go ahead, it's pretty good! Without further delay, let's jump into the thrilling world of Final Fantasy VII.
On a planet known as Gaia, a giant corporation known as Shinra is harnessing the planet's stream of magical energy known as "Mako". As a result, they are directly draining Gaia's life-force and thus putting all living inhabitants at the verge of extinction. To combat Shinra, eco-terrorist group "AVALANCHE" lead by Barret Wallace employs a new recruit, Cloud Strife --former Shinra elite force member (SOLIDER)-- to help out in their latest plan to destroy a nearby Shinra energy reactor, however, he's taken on large-scale adventure when certain events take a turn for the worse. Along the journey, Cloud will meet childhood friend and AVALANCHE member, Tifa Lockhart; Red XIII, a talking feline captured by Shinra; Aerith Gainsborough a local flower merchant and the last of an ancient race; Cid Highwind a pilot who dreams of flying to space; and Cait Sith an oddball robotic cat with unclear motives. Additionally, Cloud can stumble upon two optional characters, which you can finish the game with or without, upbeat and energetic ninja Yuffie Kisaragi and dark and edgy Vincent Valentine, both of which have their own stories and reasons for joining the journey. It's very rare to search for such optional characters in a game since games these days just hand them out to you as you progress the story, the actual reason was due to time-constraints they were made optional. Opposing the AVALANCHE gang is Shinra Corporation CEO Rufus Shinra, and one of the most iconic villain of them all, Sephiroth, an enigmatic man with a dark past.
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Unlike previous entries, FFVII takes a futuristic
setting with the industrial city of Midgar.
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During its conception, the original scenario was radically different from what we have today. When interviewed by IGN, character designer Tetsuya Nomura stated that Final Fantasy creator, Hinorobou Sakaguchi had a completely different concept for FFVII. It was originally centered on a detective named "Hot Blooded Detective Joe", whose goal was to chase and apprehend AVALANCHE for blowing up the city of Midgar. However, this idea was scrapped after Nomura and long-time series director Yoshinori Kitase were involved. It's a solid concept and would've been a completely different FFVII but the plot sounds interesting nonetheless. Additionally, when interviewed, Nomura and Kitase stated that Sephiroth and Aerith were originally siblings, citing similar hairstyles and naming. Another idea was to have Sephiroth be Aerith's first love, though that role later went to Zack Fair, who plays a role in the plot's development. It was Nomura who originally proposed to have the lead heroine, Aerith, die as it would add more emotional impact to the story. This would interestingly lead to the creation of Tifa as the second heroine.
The narrative of FFVII is often cited as memorable with a relatable cast and the theme of death playing a role throughout the story. Accompanying them were many jaw-dropping set pieces at the time. The unexpected death of Aerith by Sephiroth came as a shock to many a player and is often regarded as one of saddest moments in gaming. Despite the broody premise, FFVII does have its light-hearted and fun moments such as that time when Cloud cross-dressed as a girl in order to infiltrate Don Corneo's mansion or even when Cloud went on a hilarious date with Barret in Gold Saucer but how about that time where Cloud unknowingly entered the Honey Bee Inn, which was awkwardness taken to a next level. Nomura stated that the rivalry of Cloud and Sephiroth's was based on the real-life rivalry of Japanese swordsmen Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro.
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Aerith's untimely death was a crucial moment in FFVII
and one of the most shocking in gaming. |
After the completion of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) classic, Final Fantasy VI, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yoshinori Kitase initially planned FFVII as a Super Nintendo game. However, the project had to be put on hold so that development on Chrono Trigger (a game that would become yet another SNES classic) could be finished. Upon resuming however, the team opted for the use of 3D graphics, which were making a rise at the time. The Nintendo 64, PlayStation and even the Sega Saturn were all 3D capable machines and were considered for FFVII. After continuously testing back and forth between the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, it became clear which system was most capable. The PlayStation was ultimately chosen due to its CD-ROM capabilities and the added appeal that developing on CD was more cost-efficient than on cartridges. At the time, Square and Nintendo were close partners since the former developed classic hits such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV and VI, and The Secret of Mana that became best-sellers on Nintendo's SNES. Square jumping ship with Sony, caused quite the tension with Nintendo as a result. As retaliation, Nintendo banned Square from entering their offices for about 10 years according to Square USA vice President, Shinichiro Kajitani. Nevertheless, full development on FFVII began with over 150 staff involved and an estimated $40 million budget, counting inflation today, it reaches a massive amount of $61 million.
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An early build of Final Fantasy VII.
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FFVII is a JRPG in every sense. The player controls three characters at a time and fights enemies to gain experience that increase the party's overall level, which in return increases their base attributes such as vitality, strength, and speed. FFVII stars a revamped "Active Time Battle" (ATB) system of the previous games. In battle, both parties must strike the other until one is emerged victorious. For example, Cloud is taking on an enemy, when his "Time" gauge is full he can perform actions such as physically attacking the target, use healing items, cast magic, or use powerful beings called "Summons" to deal some excessive damage. Gameplay centers on focus and isn't turn-based, taking too long to perform an action will cause the enemy to start attacking, hence the name "Active Time Battle".
Gaia can be explored in its entirety by navigating through a large 3D area. Hidden are secret areas and side-quests scattered throughout the world which rewards you with new weapons, rare materials, and additional characters. Cloud can stumble upon towns and inns that have been affected by Shinra and often times talking to NPCs can give additional insight to the plot. Additionally, the party receives vehicles such as a helicopter and buggy to access areas incapable by foot. Franchise staple Chocobos, golden-haired birds, can be also be caught and ridden to access blocked areas. Furthermore, there are some neat mini-games available by accessing the amusement park, Gold Saucer. Some of which are entertaining include the addictive Chocobo racing, bike chases against Shinra, and a battle arena where you get great gear after consecutive wins.
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Gameplay stays true to the classic FF games while
adding some new mechanics.
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The Materia system is a major gameplay mechanic FFVII uses to assess equipment. Scattered throughout the game world are round objects known as "Materia", each having its own perk such as a health increase, magic usability and some carrying the aforementioned summons. A limited number of materia can be equipped on a character depending on their current equipment. For example, if Cloud equips a sword with five materia slots, he can equip five different materias to it. It encourages some customization options to help diversify the characters. As a character receives damage, their "Limit" bar fills over time. When full, they have the ability to execute a devastating attack. As they continue to participate in battle, they gain new limit breaks, with each one gradually powerful. Additionally, It was also used to build upon the desperation attacks mechanic of Final Fantasy VI. Nomura proposed the concept of materia and limit breaks during development, citing the latter as a way to bring out the "individual, innate personalities of each character."
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Level-up and unleash some
seriously devastating moves.
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Being their first 3D game, there were few hurdles along the way such as the CD-ROM's slow input speed and load times that the development team had to deal with. The transition to 3D led the team to develop detailed pre-rendered backgrounds and cinematic camera angles albeit similar to Resident Evil to covey's the game's dark atmosphere. Many cut-scenes were told by using in-engine polygonal character models on pre-rendered areas happening in real-time. Additionally, the biggest aspect of FFVII was its use of Full-Motion Videos (FMVs) in some story cut-scenes. It primarily was used to express the characters' facial features and emotions.
This move was a costly one and caused strain on the PlayStation's hardware, though it went accordingly with professional help from the likes of Computer Graphics supervisor Kazuyuki Hashimoto and Square's own Visual Works studio. The development team even requested the reluctant Sony for help with some of the PS1's limitations and provide workarounds. The end-product was satisfactory, with scenes such as the opening of level, Aerith's death, and the Weapon battles were all something to marvel at back in '97.
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The animation team's labor was ultimately successful
as they've nailed the dark atmosphere of FFVII.
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Shifting to 3D caused the art team to rethink their approach for the look of FFVII. Newcomer Tetsuya Nomura, who started as a tester for Final Fantasy IV, was brought up as lead designer after impressing Sakaguchi by contributing his ideas during FFVII's development. Prior games used a short and deformed look otherwise known as "chibi" to represent the characters. Since FFVII was pursing realism and was to be rendered in real-time, the chibi look wasn't going to work. Instead, full 3D models were used to convey the characters' expressions and features. Art Director Yusuke Naora stated that by altering the dimensions of the cast, they can allow them to access to various vehicles. Imagine if they'd stuck with the chibi form and did the motorcycle scene in Shinra HQ, that would have looked pretty childish.
Longtime illustrator Yoshitaka Amano, whose works are often seen in promotional materials of the franchise, takes a minimal role in FFVII's art design due to overseas exhibitions commitments at the time. However, he did contribute to FFVII style by designing the Meteor located behind the game's logo. After creating various variations of the iconic logo, the development team accepted the meteor in green considering it depicted the general lighting of Midgar and is the color of the Lifesteam. Nomura would later gain popularity among fans for his work in FFVII, which was well-received worldwide. His designs of Cloud and Sephiroth complimented the premise of FFVII and gained instant popularity among fans. His success would later earn him the title of director and lead designer of the Kingdom Hearts games, another series of Square Enix.
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| Nomura's FFVII design work. |
Another prominent figure is non-other than composer, Nobou Uemastu, whose involvement dates back to the very first installment. Uemastu, known for delivering stellar tracks over the course of his involvement with the Final Fantasy name, was striving for a cinematic approach for the soundtrack. He initially opted to hire singers to create tracks featuring vocals, however, due to the CD-ROM's limitations, an issue would occur where the game would briefly pause to load the rest of the sound data, ultimately, that idea was discarded. As a result, sound had taken a drastic decrease in quality. Fortunately, that didn't stop Uematsu from composing the memorable tracks such as the opening "Bombing Mission" theme, which immediately thrusts the player in action and Aerith's theme which he described as a "sad but beautiful tune". Last but certainly not least, is fan-favorite "One-Winged Angel", which is the extravagant final boss theme of the game. According to Uemastu, the track is so popular that it cannot be skipped during a Final Fantasy concert; as soon as it starts playing, it instantly generate a positive response among fans.
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FFVII pushed the then-new hardware to the limits
to purse an exceptional experience.
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Upon release in Japan, FFVII was an instant hit, selling over 2 million copies in its debut week. For Western markets, however, it was a whole other scenario. Since the JRPG genre was still relatively small at the time, marketing a game like FFVII was a challenge. Square initially didn't see FFVII as success in the west since prior games did not fare well, with the last game, Final Fantasy VI, selling over 400,000 units. Sony, three years in the console market, was trying to keep up with Sega and Nintendo in terms of games for the PlayStation. Sony requested publishing rights for the game so much so that they were willing to offer Square the amount of money the game would make had they published it themselves. A three-month marketing campaign for FFVII kicked off where Sony advertised the on-media outlets, TV commercials, and even a collaboration with soft drink manufacturer, Pepsi! Interestingly, when Sony was marketing the game, Square instructed them to omit mentioning the word "RPG", as the consumer would view the game as long and boring. According to President and chief executive officer, Tomoyuki Takechi, worldwide marketing across the US, Europe, and Japan totaled in over $40 million.
FFVII was released in the US on September 7, 1997 and on the 17th in Europe, making the first FF to reach the European market. The game was met with widespread critical acclaim from fans and critics alike, during the same year it sold over a million copies in the US, exceeding Square's initial expectations. Criticism went into the game's dodgy localization often due to multiple errors and grammatical mistakes. Other complaints were focused on the long animation cycles of the summons, which cannot be skipped and controlling only three characters on-screen. Ultimately, Sony's efforts were fruitful as FFVII was a key title in amplifying the sales PlayStation units and cementing Sony's reputation as a force to be reckoned with.
FFVII was released in the US on September 7, 1997 and on the 17th in Europe, making the first FF to reach the European market. The game was met with widespread critical acclaim from fans and critics alike, during the same year it sold over a million copies in the US, exceeding Square's initial expectations. Criticism went into the game's dodgy localization often due to multiple errors and grammatical mistakes. Other complaints were focused on the long animation cycles of the summons, which cannot be skipped and controlling only three characters on-screen. Ultimately, Sony's efforts were fruitful as FFVII was a key title in amplifying the sales PlayStation units and cementing Sony's reputation as a force to be reckoned with.
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FFVII secured the future of
the JRPG genre in the West.
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With the success of FFVII, the PlayStation dominated the fifth generation of gaming, beating out the Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn. The FF name has received worldwide recognition and spawned multiple installments on the PlayStation, each becoming a best seller on the system. As for FFVII, its success didn't end there, it was just the beginning. The success of FFVII, inspired Sakaguchi to create a FF film. That film would eventually become the notorious, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Abysmally performing both commercially and critically, it placed Square in a financial bind. Worse yet, it occurred during the time when Final Fantasy X was to be released and Square's merger with rival company Enix. Executive Vice President Yoshihro Maruyama, stated that in an interview with Polygon that FFVII's success changed Sakaguchi negatively. Maruyama stated that he could do "anything within the company. That's why he started investing even more money in Final Fantasy the movie, which became one of the biggest flops." The initial budget of the film was $40 million, due to Sakaguchi's investments it resulted into a massive $150 million, only to recover $85 million after release. FFX was delayed and Square drew financial support from Sony, who provided them with the necessary funds to ensure that the merger won't fail. Sakaguchi ultimately left the company in 2003 to form his own studio and Square (now billed as "Square Enix") faced internal restructuring.
Nevertheless, FFVII would soon become its own franchise, aptly titled the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, a prequel released for mobile devices in 2004. Taking place six years prior to FFVII's events, centering on the adventures of the Turks. A third-person shooter game titled Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII set three years after FFVII starring Vincent Valentine was released for the PS2 in 2006 to lukewarm reception. A computer-animated film, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was released in 2005 and sees the return of the main cast two years following the aftermath of FFVII. An anime, Last Order: Final Fantasy, which showcases the demise of Nibelheim, was also released in 2005. Lastly, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII stars Zack Fair, whom plays a major role in the development of FFVII's narrative, was released on the PSP in 2007.
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| The legacy lives on. |
A common request from fans to Square Enix over the years was a remake of Final Fantasy VII. What started as a 2005 tech demo for the then-upcoming PlayStation 3 console was immediately thought to be a full-on remake. Unfortunately, those rumors were debunked by Square Enix. After years of teases and more rumors, FF fans' prayers have been answered when Square Enix officially announced a remake of FFVII back in a 2015 PlayStation Experience conference. It is to be developed on the PlayStation 4, with Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, and Kazushige Nojima taking the mantles of director, producer, and writer, respectively.
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| A remake for a new generation. |
Now in 2017, an important year for the FF name as FFVII is celebrating its 20th anniversary and the franchise itself is over 30 years-old now. Without a doubt, FFVII paved the way for JRPGs and Japanese games in general to flourish in the West. Final Fantasy VII is a game held dear to those who've played it, with many (including myself) citing as their first entry, and those who helped create it. Square has endured and became bigger company with former rival Enix, released many well-known franchises such as Tomb Raider and Deus Ex after purchasing publisher Edios. Sakaguchi, joined by Uemastu, saw success with his studio, Mistwalker, producing positively received titles such as Blue Dragon and The Last Story. Nomura climbed the ranks of Square Enix and is responsible for the Kingdom Hearts series, serving as director and designer as mentioned prior. Kitase still works at Square Enix and Yoshitaka Amano has ventured into a freelancer, becoming one of Japan's well-known artists. There's no denying that FFVII has changed the gaming industry, with many game studios chasing the cinematic approach and success of FFVII. Overrated? At times yes, but hey, you'll have to:
Thanks for staying in the longest retrospective I've made. Size aside, it took me nearly a month of researching and re-playing FFVII, which I have no qualms as I learned many aspects of the game's history that I've never knew before. Special thanks to gaming publication, Polygon, for publishing a full-on FFVII look-back detailing the development history and challenges of the game, which influenced me to further pursue this retrospective. Fun fact, did you know that Cloud was originally going to have slicked-back hair to reduce polygon count on-screen? Thanks again for your time reading this rather hefty piece and stay tuned for more interesting look-backs of the gaming industry. Until next time!
References
Final Fantasy VII: An Oral History (2017) - Polygon
"FFVII Not Being Remade" - Nomura (2007) - IGN
Final Fantasy VII - 1997 Developer Interviews - Shmuplations
Final Fantasy VII - Steam Release
FFVII prototype image - Polygon
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