Final Fantasy VII Playthrough Part 1
11997, PS-X. Rating: 4 out of 4 stars
It’s hard to look at Final Fantasy VII with fresh eyes because of its staggering influence in gaming. It turned an already successful gaming franchise into a juggernaut and put so many moments—some of them borrowed from other games—into the public consciousness that it’s hard to imagine anything else. While Final Fantasy VII doesn’t necessarily break new ground, it is a staggering achievement because of the ambitions it strives for in terms of narrative and world-building. While it falls short in a few areas, it succeeds in so many other areas that it’s too hard to complain.
The story plays with the conventional narrative of a loner (in the samurai way) trying to do right in the form of Cloud Strife, a former soldier working for a rebellious group trying to stop an evil corporation, Shinra, from destroying the planet. Things, of course, get complicated when a former confederate, Sephiroth, emerges from the dead with a plan to destroy everything and become a god. Standard stuff and not too unlike Final Fantasy VI. The characters, though, particularly the first four playables, are what make this work. Everyone else gets their moment in the sun, but the core quartet is what makes this story hum. Their arcs, particularly Cloud and Tifa, drive the story. Not all of it works, though I suspect some of it might be due to translation issues, but the core arc is what propels the narrative.
The RPG mechanics are sound without getting too complicated. The materia system works very well without making things too crazy. The battle system also works nicely and the battles have a nice bit of strategery to them without overcomplicating matters. Visuals are decent, though dated, because of how they’re presented. It can be a bit jarring seeing cartoony characters amidst a realistic backdrop.
Special mention for Nobuo Uematsu’s magnificent musical score. If movies had Star Wars and John Williams, then Uematsu and gaming deserve similar consideration. This is as perfect a soundtrack as you will ever hear in gaming. Every song is perfectly melded to what is brought before us and delivers an emotional reaction that makes a great game already better. Don’t believe me? The end of disc 1 proves otherwise.
Final Fantasy VII has its flaws, but they are a rounding error against the sheer weight of this game, which does things in a very simple, but stylized, way. The gamer is encouraged to explore and look and find, but within that exploration there is a focus and tension to the narrative. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of its immediate predecessor, few games have done as much as Final Fantasy VII and it remains a landmark in gaming history.
0:00 Mako Reactor 1
16:34 Escape and Train
26:04 Sector 7 and Tifa
43:26 Train Tunnels and Mako Reactor 5
1:10:31 Aerith and Sector 5 Slums
1:31:25 Wall Market
1:53:32 Sewers and Train Graveyard
2:04:55 Battle at Sector 7 Plate
2:15:27 Climbing the Plate
2:35:50 Shinra HQ Break-In
3:11:13 Shinra HQ Breakout and Escape
3:43:40 Kalm and Five Years Ago
4:22:18 Mythril Mines
4:42:05 Junon Underground and Upper Levels
5:08:36 Cargo Ship
5:24:07 Costa Del Sol
5:34:06 Path to Corel
5:55:26 North Corel
6:01:27 Gold Saucer and Cait Sith
6:08:19 Corel Prison
6:24:30 Chocobo Racing
6:31:34 Gongaga Village and Yuffie
6:57:48 Cosmo Canyon
7:14:38 GI Caves
7:35:22 Nibelheim and Vincent
7:58:41 Mt. Nibel
8:25:34 Rocket Town and Cid
8:44:26 Return to Gold Saucer
9:13:07 Temple of the Ancients
10:15:00 Bone Village
10:21:55 City of the Ancients
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