A Floating City... Pretty Unsettling Scenery.

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Final Fantasy VII (FF7) OST - 01 Prelude

There is no way I'm going to do this game justice. In fact, now that I'm sitting down and typing this, I feel utterly speechless. I think everyone has a game that nostalgia just utterly prevents them from fairly critiquing. For me, this is the one. So I'm not going to critque it. I'm not going to give a fair assessments of its flaws and shortcomings. I mean, they're well documented all over the internet if you're really curious. Instead...permit me to be selfish and explain why this game once wore the title "Greatest Game Ever Made" on the back of its CD case.

Starting in the Slums

Final Fantasy VII opens up with an unnamed EX-SOLDIER hopping off a train in front of some massive power plant. After dispatching some security and progressing, you soon learn that his name is Cloud Strife, and he's a mercenary hired by eco terrorist group AVALANCHE led by Barret Wallace. You learn that the facility you've invaded is a "Mako Reactor," a massive power plant that absorbs "Mako" from the planet to provide power and electricity to the massive city of Midgar. You also learn that Mako is supposedly the lifeblood of the planet, and greedy mega-corporation Shinra is profitting off this reactor and destroying the planet in the process. Upon learning all this mind-blowing information, protagonist Cloud iconically replies, "Not interested." Thus, the story begins proper.

Cloud's nonchalant attitude about the world ending may be off-putting at first. He's a mercenary; he's here to get paid. He doesn't have some calling to a higher purpose. If the world ends, it ends. Until it does, it's not his problem. As the game progresses though, this outer shell of Cloud cracks more and more in more ways than one. The game cleverly introduces us to Cloud and the world through this opening mission to destroy Mako Reactor #1. And of course, the #1 part indicates there are several. As you complete the first mission, Cloud shows off how cool he is and gets ready to set off for his next job. Until...

His childhood friend Tifa Lockheart, a bartender at 7th Heaven where AVALANCHE's secret base of operations exists, pleads with him to continue working with the group. She mentions a promise, and this is our first clue that something may be wrong with Cloud. We see a scene of him as a young boy informing child Tifa that he's leaving town to become SOLDIER and eventually a hero...just like the great Sephiroth. Tifa makes him promise that if she's ever in trouble that he'll come to save her. Cloud's guilty conscious in front of Tifa finally gets the best of him, and he agrees to one more job for Barret.

As the second mission proceeds, things seem to be going great so far. Until, on their way out of the reactor, President Shinra himself shows up. They've been set up. A fight ensues, and in the aftermath, Cloud plummets to the slums below where he meets.

Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough.

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Final Fantasy VII (FF7) OST - 63 Aeries' Theme

For me, this is where the game starts proper. While Barret's sense of devotion to the planet didn't impress Cloud much, Aerith instead holds a deep love for the planet. With their continuing relationship, Cloud goes from the uncaring, apathetic warrior to the hero the planet needs. All though, there is one more important development before Cloud fully takes up the mantle of hero.

Without spoiling too much, Cloud's childhood hero as well as the great war hero who went mad and slaughtered an entire town reappears in Cloud's life: the Great Sephiroth.

And as long as he lives...the world can never be safe.

I want to know you. The real you.

There are so many themes inside this game, and the soundtrack is so incredible that it's a crime I can't share the whole thing here. And I've only introduced a fraction of the characters. We haven't even touched on Red XIII, a member of an endangered species, Yuffie, the quirky but charming ninja from Wutai, Vincent, the mysterious man hiding a dark past, Cait Sith, the strange animatronic who forces his way into your party, and Cid, the pilot who lost his dream of outer space. Not to mention the Turks, the Ancients, all the characters in each town's subplot, and all the sidequests scattered throughout the world. This game just created instant memory after memory. As Cloud explored and got to know the world, so too did you, the player! Cloud's shift to wanting to save the planet feels earned because you also want to save this planet!

Of course, there are a couple major plot twists along the way -- one in particular that shatters everyting you thought you knew to this point.

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Final Fantasy VII (FF7) OST - 67 Who Am I

I've written so much so far, and I haven't even touched on the game's actual mechanics. Yes, the story is amazing, but what glues all the pieces together is the materia system. This innovative system allows you to equip "materia" to any character in your party, and then they can perform that ability be it a spell, summon, action, etc. This allows for crazy customization of the party, and you can even combine materia together for combinations.

And so, the Planet Cries Out...

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Final Fantasy VII (FF7) OST - 24 Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII delivers a beautiful, thought-provoking narrative on the relationship between the planet and its inhabitants, the dangers of clinging to the past and failing to overcome trauma, and the joy of realizing you're not alone in this world. Yes, I could bring the game's poorly aged graphics, the bad translation, or the numerous game-breaking bugs. But I just can't bring my self to do it. The game's story is somber, almost oppressive with its atmosphere, yet there is always this call to move onward. To see the beauty the world has to offer. To see that while humans have commited horrible atrocities, there is also beauty underneath the manufactured sky -- the planet cries out in pain not because of it's suffering at the hands of humanity...but because of humanity's suffering itself.

There is so much more that I could say, but I'm going to end this here. If you haven't played this masterpiece, do yourself a favor and go play it now. Heck, play the remake that has recently released. Enjoy this melancholy yet hopeful tale for yourself.