VII Things We Liked About Final Fantasy® VII

Final Fantasy® VII is among the greatest and most iconic games ever released, with an undeniable influence on the ways we play and make games to this day. Here are VII things we love about Final Fantasy® VII and are stoked to see in the Remake.

VII Things We Liked about Final Fantasy® VII

VII - The Universe

Final Fantasy® VII has a setting that we just love coming back to. Advent Children was actually how I was exposed to the series. The animation intrigued me, even though I didn't actually know who or what was going on. I went on to dig up a copy of the original Final Fantasy® VII, and then Crisis Core.

VI - The Story

The decision to return to a tightly knit cast of characters from Final Fantasy® VI lets the story go deeper into the motivations of each individual, rather than focusing on a grand war or quest. The story felt more visceral to the character's ideals, while still setting the global stakes the genre is known for.

V - The Setting

Expanding upon the industrialized setting of Final Fantasy® VI, Final Fantasy® VII goes beyond that Industrial Revolution and through our current, real life technological age for a near future industrial punk aesthetic. It somehow feels both fantastic and realistic, with its magical elements juxtaposed with the industrial setting. The struggle between nature and industrialization has long been explored in Japanese media. The speculative fiction of Final Fantasy® VII was ahead of its time, and proves to be even more relevant than ever.

IV - The Combat

Final Fantasy® VII Remake's gameplay takes the engaging real time combat first used in Final Fantasy® XV and brings it to the classic story of Final Fantasy® VII. This departure from the Active Battle System of the original gives us something that was missing in XV: a more developed story in-between fights. Final Fantasy® VII Remake uses the modern combat system that XV was praised for and takes it to the next level.

III - The Characters

The characters of Final Fantasy® VII are among the most memorable in all of gaming, and for the Remake we get to see fuller image of them as was revealed in supplementary materials. Cloud seeing Sephiroth in visions is a wonderful touch that calls back to Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.

II - The Legacy

The Final Fantasy® series's hallmark has always been their engaging stories, but Final Fantasy® VII is special. The story was unlike any other game, or even any other game within the Final Fantasy® franchise. We really cared and identified with the characters beyond their stats or roles in game. They felt as real as any movie or book character, and set the standard for JRPGs and marked their triumph in the west.

I - The Music

Nobuo Uematsu's score is updated beautifully in Final Fantasy® VII Remake. Going in to that first battle and hearing the new Fighting gave us chills. Iconic for the time, and iconic to this day, the score is what we like most about Final Fantasy® VII. It hold everything together, wrapping everything we love about Final Fantasy® VII in a timeless experience.

Final Fantasy® VII Remake releases April 10 for PS4.

This article is brought to you by Final Fantasy® VII: Remake. Check out the trailer below: