Final Fantasy VII Review (ChilledKiwi)
Final Fantasy VII isn't a game that will blow anyone away with its dialogue. There's goofiness right around the corner from serious moments. Its models are blocky, dated, and odd. It's a bit convoluted at times. The world is obtuse.
And yet, despite all this, the game is incredible.
If you've never played a Final Fantasy game, this is perhaps the one to start with. Yes, there is the Remake trilogy, but if you can stomach old games and their sensibilities at least a little bit, I would very much recommend this one.
To say it was a leap from VI is an understatement. VI on the SNES was already pushing boundaries with its storytelling and character work, for VII to take that into a 3D environment (using the PS1's tech), nail down most of what made VI work and then expand upon it was nothing short of incredible.
Final Fantasy VII only really excels against present day games in one department. The music. The soundtrack is perhaps my favourite in gaming, certainly at least in the top 5. What makes the game special is that nearly everything else is done extremely competently.
The gameplay loop won't blow people away, but it is addicting and diverse. The characters are close to a level of nuance, but the game balances its large and varied cast (even the optional party members) in a way that makes it seem effortless.
The world is built in a linear fashion — you start out in the most detailed city in the game — but the narrative enhances the story that's filled with great mysteries. And yes, the answers are satisfying.
I mentioned the game was goofy before in a negative light, perhaps that was a bit harsh. The goofiness in a lot of these places make its world feel endearing. The casual dialogue with people on the streets is memorable. The light-heartedness mostly serves to have those darker portions hit hard, and hit hard they do.
It's all the little things that make the game. The way the handholds shake on the train. The vistas that they didn't have to go as hard as they did for. The wacky enemies. The many minigames. It all adds up to something that surpasses its contemporaries, and hell even a lot of games that come out today. I've rarely been as immersed in a world as I was traipsing through Midgar's lively neon-lit slums, under the giant steel plates of the higher class folk and that great central tower looming over all.
On a technical stand point, I would actually recommend using mods. A few of them really take away the dated aspects of the game. I initially played it in 2014 with no mods, and then again during the Pandemic on my PS4. This time, I used the 7th Heaven mod manager (which compared to other games was a cakewalk to use) and it was the best experience I've had with the game yet.
Turning the game widescreen, upscaling the backgrounds that were already pretty great, getting a more accurate translation (still without Japanese honorifics, I'm not that much of a weeb), and allowing a speed-up option really enhanced the experience, while still exploring the core of a game the developers designed. I highly, highly recommend adding just a few mods. You don't have to feel bad; they ended up doing models that actually look close to human in FF VIII so it's nice to change it here a few years before the devs did.
With Rebirth coming out on PC, and the third game on the horizon, I can only recommend people give this a go. The Remake is fun, but it does some of my favourite moments a bit worse (and some better, to be fair). Older games can be fun, especially because they trusted the player's imagination more. If you need an adventure, this one is waiting for you.