Episode 117: Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII is a landmark title not only for the JRPG genre, but for all video games. First released in 1997 and developed by Square, it took the format of the previous games and brought them to life with 3D models and environments. Featuring an ambitious and creative setting, a complicated plot with intrigue and a seemingly deep and engaging combat system, the game seemed to be firing on all cylinders. Critics and fans alike adored the game to pieces, and even today there are legion's of players who will cite Final Fantasy VII as their favourite game of all time.

But how has time truly treated this once overwhelmingly impressive title? Our ability to construct graphical setpieces goes far beyond what was possible in 1997. Combat systems have come a long way, developed into something far more sophisticated. And are the characteristics and story really as impressive as they were when the game first released?
Has Final Fantasy VII truly stood the test of time?

On this week’s episode, we discuss:

• Final Fantasy VII’s cinematic set pieces fuse and random battles, cutscenes, in-game cutscenes, exploration, minigames and music in a continuous flow. Is this a compelling way to do story telling, or does it just come across as quaint?
• The characters of Final Fantasy VII are notoriously underwritten, with their dialogue being just flat out bad and uninteresting, or is there something special lurking underneath?
• The combat present is a complicated mix of summons, magic, materia, mazes and random encounters. How does it all stack up when you put it all together?

We answer these questions and many, many more on the 117th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

Intro Musicc: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Final Fantasy VII OST: Nobuo Uematsu

How did our thoughts on FF7 stack up to your own personal experience? Is FF7 the best final fantasy game, or does it rank middle of the road? What JRPG should we tackle next?

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