Towns and villages have a cool cyberpunk style that makes FF7 really stand out.Īgain, certain aspects of Final Fantasy VII’s gameplay haven’t aged that well, but by and large, exploring the land and battling monsters feels pretty decent for the most part. So if you’re a fan of turn based battles and item inventory, you can thank Final Fantasy VII for making this type of gameplay so prevalent. In fact, whilst it certainly didn’t invent many of its gameplay tropes, you can be sure it popularised a lot of them. The gameplay of Final Fantasy VII won’t be anything too surprising or taxing if you’re familiar with JRPGs. Don’t let this put you off though the story is overall very effective with some genuinely heart wrenching moments (which I’ll not mention here). In particular, the cross-dressing scene should (in theory) make more sense now than it did in the 90s, but thanks to the frankly dreadful dialogue, it manages to feel completely out of whack with the rest of the story’s more serious tone. That said, some younger players may find issue with certain aspects of the story and dialogue. These characters are the heart and soul of the game, and spending so much time with them is as much of a pleasure in 2019 as it was back in 1997. Kicking off in the fictional city of Midgar, Final Fantasy VII has you spend a good 40+ hours with a group of well-rounded characters, including the cocky protagonist Cloud, carefree and compassionate Aerith, and more. Limit Breaks are powerful moves that can genuinely look pretty spectacular. But after more than twenty years, how does the game hold up on Nintendo Switch? Has it aged as gracefully as its pixellated forebears?
Initially released back in 1997, it’s remained one of the most beloved entries in Square-Enix’s ongoing franchise, with fans clamouring for ports and remakes left, right and centre. Since the advent of video games, only a handful of titles can be deemed culturally significant and worthy of preservation, but I’d argue that Final Fantasy VII is one of those games. Final Fantasy VII is a game that needs no introduction.