Final Fantasy VII

.

Final Fantasy VII

Title

Final Fantasy VII

Developer

Square

Publisher

PlayStation

Director

Yoshinori Kitase

Producer

Hironobu Sakaguchi

Artists

Yusuke Naora
Tetsuya Nomura

Writers

Yoshinore Kitase
Kazushige Nojima

Composer

Nobuo Uematsu

Series

Final Fantasy

Platforms

PlayStation

Release

January 31, 1997

Genres

turn based role-playing

Mode

single-player

Final Fantasy VII is a turn based role-playing game by Square. It is the second installment of the Final Fantasy series and was directed by Yoshinori Kitase.

Synopsis

The Shinra Corporation is draining our planet of its life-forces. Cloud Strife a cold-hearted mercenary, accepts a mission from a group of eco-warriors, unaware that it will lead him on a journey that will change not just his life, but the lives of every soul in the universe...

— Description of 'Final Fantasy VII' on the back of the PS1 release

Setting

The world's lifeforce, the Lifestream, is a flow of spiritual energy that gives life to everything. It is processed by the Shinra Electric Power Company to "Mako". This weakens the planet and threatens all existence and life. The eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE is opposed by the Shinra groups Turks and SOLDIER, later ones being enhanced by Mako. AVALANCE wants to stop Shinra from further processing Mako.

Story

AVALANCHE plans to destroy a Shinra Mako reactor in the city of Midgar, but the attack goes wrong. Cloud Strife, the main protagonist, is thrown into the slums of Midgar where he meets Aerith, one of the last remaining Cetra. They witness how Shinra let an upper part of the city collapse on the main headquarters of AVALANCHE, killing members and innocent civilians. Shinra captures Aerith, since they believe she can lead them to the "Promised Land" for further exploitation. Cloud, Barret and Tifa rescue Aerith and escape from Midgar and discover that Sephiroth has killed president Shinra, although he was presumed to have died five years ago. The party than chases Sephiroth around the Planet, with the newly announced President Rufus on their trail.

At a Cetra temple, Sephiroth reveals he wants to use "Black Materia" to cast "Meteor" on the planet. He wants to absorb the lifestream that would try to heal the wound on the planet to ascend to godhood. Aerith prays to the planet for help at the Cetra, but is killed by Sephiroth who then flees. The party then learns about Jenova, an alien like lifeform who landed on the planet 2.000 years ago. It infected the Cetra with a virus and nearly wiped them out. A small group was able to seal Jenova away, but it was unearthed by Shinra and used for experimentation. This led to the creation of Sephiroth. When he learned this five years prior, he went insane and killed all nearby townspeople before vanishing.

At the Northern Crater, the party learns that they have been fighting Jenova clones created by the Scientist Hojo. Cloud confronts the real Sephiroth as he is killing his clones to reunite Jenova's cells and is manipulated to give him the Black Materia. Sephiroth than taunts by altering his memories, suggesting that he is another clone. Sephiroth summons Meteor and seals the Crater, Cloud falls into the Lifestream and Rufus of the Turks captures the rest of the party.

After escaping Shinra the party finds Cloud in a catatonic state due to Mako poisoning. Tifa stays with him as his caretaker, but when a planetary defense force called Weapon attacks the island they are on, they both fall into the Lifestream again. Tifa helps Cloud to reconstruct his memories, were he realises that he was an infantryman, and the man in his memories was his friend Zack. After Sephiroth vanished, Hojo experimented on Cloud and Zack, injecting them with Jenova Cells and Mako. They escaped, but Zack was killed. The trauma triggered an identity crisis in Cloud, basing his own person around Zack and his own fantasies. Cloud accepts his past and reunites with the party, who reveals that Aerith' prayer to the Planet was successful, but Sephiroth prevented it from having an effect.

Shinra fails to destroy Meteor, but manages to defeat a Weapon and punctures the Northern Crater where Sephiroth is sealed. After killing Hojo who is revealed to be Sephiroth's father the party descends to the Planet's core and defeat Sephiroth and Jenova. The party escapes and Holy is summoned once again, destroying Meteor with help from the Lifestream.

References in Final Fantasy XIV

Legacy

• The server "Wutai" was a reference to the village with the same name in Final Fantasy VII.
• During a Miner quest, an NPC mistakingly calls a Midlander Hyur "Cloud" and a Miqo'te "Aerith".
• The VIIth Imperial legion leader Nael van Darnus takes after Sephiroth in being driven insane by an otherworldly being that compels them to execute the Meteor ritual.

A Realm Reborn

• The Cait Sith Doll was a pre-order reward for A Realm Reborn.
  • It's line "What may be a few to you was everything to those who died..." is a quote from Cait Sith to Barrett in regard of collateral damage caused by AVALANCHE.
• The Materia system is inspired by Final Fantasy VII.
• Biggs and Wedge's names are from the same characters from AVALANCHE in Final Fantasy VII.
• During The Company You Keep, Biggs and Wedge are found close to the Tiny Bronco. The Tiny Bronco was Cid's Highwinds airplane in Final Fantasy VII.
• Costa del Sol is a reference to the place with the same name in Final Fantasy VII.
• The Manderville Gold Saucer is based and inspired on the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII.
  • Teioh the Race Chocobo is based on Teioh the Chocobo owned by the racer Joe in Final Fantasy VII.
• Revenant's Toll features a tavern called Seventh Heaven, the same name as Tifa's bar and restaurant in Final Fantasy VII.
  • Both house the headquarter's of the main groups of the games - AVALANCHE in Final Fantasy VII, and The Scions of the Seventh Dawn in Final Fantasy XIV.
• The Ultima Weapon resembles the Ultimate Weapon from Final Fantasy VII.
• Various Limit Breaks are based on attacks that originates in Final Fantasy VII.
  • Cloud's Buster Sword is used when the Level 1 or Level 2 Melee Limit Break is used.
  • The Light from Aerith Guard Stick can be seen when White Mages use Limit Breaks.
• The Advent Attire is based on Cloud's Outfit in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Music References

Original Theme	Theme
Gold Saucer	Four-sided Circle
Fiddle de Chocobo	Sport of Kings

Heavensward

• The idle and victory pose of Dark Knights resembles Cloud's poses from Final Fantasy VII.
• King Thordan and his Knights Twelve of the Heavens' Ward are a reference to the "Knights of the Round" summon from Final Fantasy VII.
• The Achievement for defeating Sephirot in Containment Bay S1T7 (Extreme) is "Veni, Veni, Venias", a line from "One-Winged Angel".

Stormblood

• The male combat pose of male Samurais resembles Sephiroth's victory pose from Final Fantasy VII.
• A sidequest in The Fringes involves a Miqo'te who believes his father abandoned him as a coward. He later learns that his father died protecting his village. This alludes to the story of Red XIII and his father.
• The first boss of Ala Mhigo Magitek Scorpion is based on the first boss of Final Fantasy VII, Guard Scorpion.
• Jessie's name is from the same character from AVALANCHE in Final Fantasy VII.
• The SDS Fenrir mount is based on the motorcycle Cloud drives in Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children. It's soundtrack is "Crazy Motorcycle" from Final Fantasy VII (no Orchestrion roll exists).
• The Hairstyle Strife Hairstyle is based on Cloud's hairstyle in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Shadowbringer

• Eulmore has a pleasure club known as The Beehive with dancers and workers known as "honeybees". This is a reference to the club with the same name for their workers in Final Fantasy VII, the "Honey Bee Inn".
• Vauthry alludes to Sephiroth in being infused with power while still in his mother's womb, and believing that the world belongs to him. His angelic form in The Crown of the Immaculate has similar traits as Sephiroths ascended form.
• The city of Amaurot is similar to the Ceta city "City of the Ancients", with both locations being the home to a race known as the "Ancients" and located within a coral valley environment.
• Emet-Selch's true name Hades as well as his form in The Dying Gasp is based on the summon in Final Fantasy VII.
• The first boss of Anamnesis Anyder Unknown is a reference to the Unknown enemy found in the sunken Gelnika transport airship.
• The Trial series The Sorrow of Werlyt are based on the weapons of Final Fantasy VII:
  • The Ruby Weapon in Cinder Drift
  • The Emerald Weapon in Castrum Marinum
  • The Diamond Weapon in The Cloud Deck
  • Like in Final Fantasy VII, The Sapphire Weapon is not fought by a party. It is however a solo instance duty.
  • The main-antagonist Valens van Varro takes after Professor Hojo as a sociopath and with a liking of human experimentation.

Dawntrail

• Wind-up Red XIII was introduced as a cash-shop item to celebrate Final Fantasy Fan Festival 2026.
• Hardy-Daytona was introduced as a cash-shop item to celebrate Final Fantasy Fan Festival 2026.

Images

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  Description of Final Fantasy VII on the back of PlayStation CD Case