Review
Release Date: 08.01.1997
Platform:
PlayStationDeveloper:
Square Co., Ltd.Publisher:
Sony Computer Entertainment AmericaReviewed by
Luke Campbell on 7.15.2005
| Review Rating: 10/10 | User Rating: 8.42/10 |
In 1997, the PlayStation's RPG lineup was pretty thin. You had
Beyond the Beyond,
Wild ARMS, and... that was it, really. Then in September of 1997,
Square turned the PlayStation into *the* place to play RPGs when they released
Final Fantasy VII. With its slick graphics, awesome soundtrack, and a story that spanned three CDs, it became the game that redefined the genre and introduced many new gamers to both the genre of role playing games as well as the
Final Fantasy name.
FFVII's story starts out following the exploits of a rebel group called AVALANCHE, who are trying to combat the Shinra Corporation, who are draining the planet's energy for profit. However, it turns out that a more sinister evil lurks, so saving the planet takes priority over fighting corporate evil. By the end of the game, the story's events have taken the characters all over the globe, into the depths of the planet, and into the psyche of the main character. Along the way, players meet one of the most memorable casts to appear in a game, see one of the biggest "shocker" moments to happen in a game, and it all ends up making sense... kind of.
Graphically,
FFVII uses a combination of rendered backdrops with 3D models for people and animals in towns and dungeons, while the overworld and battles are played out in full 3D. This method works well, because it allows for attention to detail in towns and dungeons (where items are often cleverly hidden), which may have been impossible to do with the PSOne hardware, or would be done with a signifcant hit to the details that could be added [see towns in
Grandia for a good example]. These settings are beautifully constructed and always reflect the mood; for example, Midgar has a gritty "big city" feel to it, while the Chocobo Ranch has a relaxed atmosphere.
However, for the overworld and battles, the game shifts into full 3D. The overworld camera allows you to view 360 degrees around your party, while the battle camera can twist, turn, zoom in and out, and give the player multiple angles on the action during a fight. This helps to show the size differences between your party members and enemies like the Midgar Zolom, a serpent that towers above your party. Also, the use of 3D helped make the summon spells look extra sweet. Instead of just seeing Ifrit appear and then the enemies take fire damage, Ifrit erupts from the ground with a thunderous roar. A closeup of its face shows the flames coming out of its mouth, just before the camera cuts to a different angle which shows Ifrit blast through the enemies before it disappears. While the summon spells can be tiresome to watch the hundredth time, they're one of the many "wow" factors that competitors have lifted from FFVII. By today's standards, the 3D is archaic, but still adequate enough to never become a distraction from the game's action on-screen.
Sonically, FFVII has one of the better soundtracks to come from the 32-bit era. The music selections always seem to fit the scene or setting, whether it's the celebratory sounds of a commencement parade in Junon, or the menacing tune that plays inside Shinra Headquarters. Every town and dungeon has its own music, and some of these even change later in the game, once some major events take place. In fact, the only music that becomes worn out is the battle music, but it is catchy enough to take many hours before it becomes truly tiresome. Most of the songs will have you humming as you play along, and afterwards, which is the mark of a great soundtrack.
Even if the game looks and sounds nice, it's meaningless if the gameplay itself doesn't stack up. Fortunately, FFVII manages to draw you in with simple but addicting combat, then piles on minigames, sidequests, and little hidden nuances that add hours to the gameplay. First, the battle system itself: FFVII uses the Active Time Battle (ATB) system that fans of earlier FF titles will recognize; each party member has a meter which fills as time goes on during the fight. When it's full, that member can perform his or her action (attack, steal, etc). This meter can fill slower or faster (or stop entirely) if the member is under the influence of a status effect, and the same tactic can be used to slow or speed up enemy attacks.
Luckily, the combat is not limited to attacking or using items, as magic comes into play. Each FF title has its own unique magic system, and FFVII's Materia system is arguably the best. Materia is a substance that allows its user to cast magic spells. Weapons and armor have Materia slots, and by placing Materia into the slots, that character can perform magic associated with that particular Materia. For example, if a character has Restore Materia equipped, he or she can cast Cure magic. If Materia slots are linked, effects can be combined; Restore and All placed into linked slots allows the character to cast Cure on all party members. Later in the game, some pretty wicked combinations can be made with linked Materia for devastating effects.
After fights, AP is earned, which helps to level up the Materia. As a Materia levels up, new spells are learned (i.e., Cure>Cure2>Regen>Cure3), and some Materia will be able to be cast multiple times, such as summon spells which can only be cast once per fight initially. Once a Materia has reached its maximum AP level, it becomes "mastered", and a new copy of the Materia is "born." Upon mastering all Materia of a given color, a Master Materia can be found that allows for unlimited casting of spells, so long as that character has the magic points available to cast the spells.
This magic system is set up so that any character can serve any function, so instead of having one person designated as the team's healer, all three members can have the option to heal. Materia that is grown on one character's weapon or armor can be unequipped and used by another character, so if you're forced to use a character but you haven't leveled them up, they can still use leveled Materia and be effective in battle. The system can be manipulated to allow for any sort of magic setup that the player wants to use, though some setups may be more successful than others. But the option of customizing the magic, combined with the slow trickle of AP for Materia growth, makes battle addicting as players try to unlock the next level of a Fire magic or grow a summon so it can be cast multiple times.
One Materia in particular will have players venturing back and forth across the planet in an attempt to master it: the Enemy Skill Materia. When this Materia is equipped and particular enemies perform certain attacks, the Materia "learns" that technique, and the technique can then be used against the enemy or on your allies. These techniques are limited to a mere handful of enemies, so finding the enemy and having it perform the attack on your party (unless you've used the Manipulate Materia to take control of the enemy) can take some time. But the techniques learned are valuable; "Big Guard" casts Barrier, M-Barrier, and Haste on your party simultaneously, while "Aqualung" inflicts serious water damage on enemies. Definitely the most useful of the Materias once some key techniques are learned, Enemy Skill takes the collectible aspect and actually makes it worthwhile.
Another addicting aspect of battles is the Limit Break system. A meter fills each time a character is hit in battle. When it fills and the character has reached their "limit", a special Limit Break attack can be performed, which is stronger than a standard attack, and stronger than magic spells in some cases. But each character has four levels of Limit Breaks, with level 4 being their ultimate Limit Break technique. To reach the higher Limit Breaks, a character has to perform their Limit Break a specified amount of time, and also kill a specific number of enemies. Once these goals are achieved, the next level of Limit Breaks become available. Level 4 Limit Breaks are items found in secret areas during gameplay, but levels one through three are accessible through normal gameplay, provided the character meets the requirements listed above. Leveling up Limit Breaks is time consuming, but worth the time and effort required to do so, and makes it so that every battle is slowly building up to earning the newer and better Limit Breaks.
But even with Materia and Limit Breaks, fighting has to be interesting if it's going to remain entertaining for 40+ hours. Luckily, FFVII's combat requires a bit of thinking as well. Instead of simply wailing away on enemies until they die, fights can be won much faster if proper planning is done. For example, on the Great Glacier, it's a snowy and icy environment, and enemies use Ice spells. If items are equipped which are resistant to ice, and the characters use Fire spells, the fights end in a short fashion. Some enemies are resistant to physical attacks but weak against magic ones, while other enemies will be resistant to a particular element or status effect. Even towards the end of the game, in the final dungeon, there are still tricky new enemies being thrown into the mix. So as far as combat goes, it is easy to learn, difficult to master, and fun to tinker with for hours on end.
An RPG would be pretty bland if it just boiled down to fighting and triggering event sequences, however. Luckily, FFVII has a good amount of sidequests and minigames to break up the fighting for a bit. While these are all optional, completing these sidequests can provide you with items that cannot be earned any other way, including rare Materia and level 4 Limit Breaks, while others are simply for a fun diversion. While these rare items are not required in order to complete the game, they can make it quite a bit easier.
One of the major sidequests is Chocobo breeding. By walking on Chocobo tracks, Chocobos can be caught and ridden. Depending on where the Chocobo is caught, it will have varying levels of speed, intellect, and stamina. Later in the game, captured Chocobos can be entered in Chocobo races at the Gold Saucer. By winning these races, the rank of the Chocobo increases; the higher the ranking, the more likely the Chocobo is to pass its traits along to its offspring. By training Chocobos and turning them into winners, then breeding them, it is possible to get different colored Chocobos. Along with the standard yellow, it is possible to breed green, blue, and black Chocobos. These rare Chocobos can cross specific obstacles and reach remote locations, where rare items are found. Finally, a golden Chocobo can be bred, which can go anywhere on the map, including the island with the ultimate summon Materia.
Another sidequest is in the Gold Saucer Battle Arena event. By entering one character into a series of battles, it is possible to earn high-grade equipment and Cloud's level 4 Limit Break. These battles start off with simple enemies and become increasingly difficult. Additionally, random status effects are added inbetween each battle, which only adds to the mayhem. In order to clear the Battle Arena and earn enough points to purchase the good items, the chosen character has to be equipped properly, with both equipment and Materia, and be leveled up enough to survive the attacks of the tougher monsters. Low levels need not apply.
Other minigames include snowboarding, a fight on motorcycles, arm wrestling, basketball, and an on-rails shooting game. Sidequests include unlocking two new characters and collecting items from a remote forest. Perhaps the most bizarre sidequest, however, involves a date. Around the middle of disc 1, Cloud goes on a date at the Gold Saucer. Normally, this is with Aeris. However, the game has an affection rating that it keeps track of from the game's beginning, up until this date event. Depending on your actions during specific game events, it is possible to go on the date with Aeris, Tifa, Yuffie, or Barrett (yes, Barrett). This is an event that is only slightly signifcant in the story, but it's still possible to alter the event. It's this kind of small attention to detail that helps in making FFVII one of the all-time greats in any gaming library.
FFVII's weak point lies with the story and the pacing. Because of the game world's size and the variety of tasks that can be tackled, there are a few points in the story where everyone stops to ask "what is going on?", and the main objectives are laid out once again. The odd thing about this is that it happens during the first disc, which is extremely linear, but does not happen after that, which is when the game only has a few major events left and it leaves you to clear those events on your own; it seems like this should be the other way around. But aside from that, it's a memorable story which won't be spoiled here.
Even though it spawned countless copycats and ushered in the "angsty metrosexual main hero" trend for RPGs, Final Fantasy VII is a game that everyone needs to check out at least once. While some may argue that it's not the best RPG ever made, it definitely ranks up there on the list. If you haven't picked it up yet, buy it.
