FINAL FANTASY VII (1997 Original)

Midgar’s steel skyline, poisoned slums, and corporate propaganda give this classic RPG an unusually grim opening, even as its larger adventure grows stranger, warmer, and more operatic. Cloud Strife begins as a detached mercenary helping the eco-resistance group AVALANCHE strike at Shinra’s Mako reactors, which siphon the planet’s spiritual energy for profit. What starts as sabotage against a tyrannical corporation expands into a globe-spanning conflict involving lost civilizations, identity, grief, and the terrifying Sephiroth. The result remains one of the defining stories of the PlayStation era: melodramatic, occasionally odd, but packed with memorable characters and huge emotional swings.

Combat uses the series’ Active Time Battle system, mixing turn-based menu commands with a filling action gauge that keeps encounters moving. Parties of three fight through random battles, earn experience and gil, buy stronger equipment, and customize their abilities through the flexible Materia system, which lets nearly any character cast magic, summon monsters, or specialize in support skills. Outside combat, progression alternates between directed story chapters, town visits, dungeon exploration, world-map travel, and a remarkable number of diversions, from chocobo breeding and racing to arcade-style minigames at the Gold Saucer. The original’s fixed camera angles, polygonal character models, and pre-rendered backdrops show their age, while the pace can slow during long animations and frequent encounters, but its systems still offer satisfying room for experimentation.

Materia is the key feature that separates Final Fantasy VII from more rigid class-based RPGs, allowing players to reshape a sword-wielding hero into a healer, mage, summoner, or devastating physical attacker. Its world feels enormous because every new region introduces a different culture, threat, or visual identity, from industrial ruins to snowy mountains and forgotten temples. Optional superbosses, hidden summons, secret character scenes, and several viable party setups give completionists plenty to chase after the credits. Fans of Chrono Trigger, older Final Fantasy entries, or story-led JRPGs should consider it essential, while newcomers should approach it as a foundational classic rather than a modernized version of its famous remake.