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Development on Final Fantasy VII began in 1995, a year after the release of Final Fantasy VI. Square, the developer behind the series, had been exploring the possibilities of a 3D role-playing game (RPG) since the release of Final Fantasy V on the Super Famicom. A demo shown at the SIGGRAPH conference proved Square could evolve into 3D gaming, but the shift came with complications.
At the time, Nintendo was launching its new, powerful 64-bit console, the Nintendo 64. However, the console’s cartridge-based format posed a significant financial hurdle for Square. Producing large-capacity cartridges for their ambitious project would be costly. With Final Fantasy VII demanding expansive space for its new cinematic direction, Square faced a dilemma. In early 1996, the company made a tough decision: to leave Nintendo after two generations of partnership and develop Final Fantasy VII exclusively for Sony's PlayStation, which offered the much-needed storage capacity of CDs. This move was monumental, marking the first time Square shifted away from its long-standing relationship with Nintendo. The company wouldn’t return to Nintendo consoles until the release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles seven years later.
Square assembled a team of 100 developers, an unprecedented size at the time, and invested $45 million in the project, utilizing cutting-edge film production tools like PowerAnimator and Softimage 3D. Sony, recognizing the potential, backed the game with a $100 million marketing campaign, propelling anticipation to a fever pitch. Due to its ambitious scope, the game’s release was delayed by nearly a year.
The stakes couldn’t have been higher for Square. This was their most expensive and experimental project, and the success of Final Fantasy VII would either secure their place in the industry or bring financial ruin.
When Final Fantasy VII launched in Japan on January 31, 1997, it was met with unprecedented acclaim. U.S. gamers had to wait nine more months, but the buzz was already sky-high. Directed by Yoshinori Kitase, who continued his work from Final Fantasy VI, and produced by series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Final Fantasy VII reunited longtime veterans like artist Yoshitaka Amano and composer Nobuo Uematsu. Additionally, Tetsuya Nomura, who joined the team during the development of Final Fantasy V, designed the characters for the first time, bringing his manga-style aesthetics to the 3D models.
The game introduced players to Cloud Strife, a self-absorbed mercenary who joins a group of eco-terrorists called Avalanche. The group, led by the hot-tempered Barrett and Cloud's childhood friend Tifa, fights against the Shinra Electric Power Company, a corporation draining the planet’s life energy. Along the way, the ragtag crew expands, introducing memorable characters like the experiment Red XIII, the thief Yuffie, and the serene flower girl Aeris.
Final Fantasy VII made several bold departures from previous titles in the series. The medieval setting was swapped for an industrial, futuristic world. Players were dropped directly into action, fighting alongside resistance members from the outset. The game's most striking feature, though, was its use of pre-rendered backgrounds and 3D characters, something new to the RPG world. The fixed camera angles and cinematic presentation drew comparisons to PlayStation predecessors like Resident Evil.
To bridge loading times between sequences, Square implemented short, in-game cinematic moments—an innovation that helped establish the tradition of cutscenes in RPGs. The game featured over 40 minutes of full-motion video, a significant achievement at the time, blending seamlessly with the game’s action. The dynamic camera during battles highlighted spells and attacks, with the camera angles varying randomly to ensure each fight felt fresh.
Gameplay-wise, Final Fantasy VII simplified its predecessor’s systems. Players could only control three characters in battle at once, reducing party size and making strategy more straightforward. The introduction of Materia—colored orbs linked to the planet’s life energy—allowed for flexible customization. These orbs granted characters magical abilities and stat bonuses, leveling up independently from the characters themselves. Materia also played a central role in the plot, as both white and black Materia held the balance of the planet’s fate in their power.
The story of Final Fantasy VII tackled mature themes, including environmentalism, corporate greed, and even existential questions about identity. Cloud's complicated past, Aeris’s heritage as a descendant of the ancient Cetra, and the looming threat of the game's antagonist Sephiroth created an emotional and philosophical depth previously unseen in the series. Sephiroth’s ambition to summon the destructive meteor and merge with the planet's life force presented a grandiose, apocalyptic threat unlike any previous Final Fantasy villain.
The game also pushed boundaries in its content, featuring blood, swearing, and even a cross-dressing mission—elements that were rare in RPGs of the time. The game's emotional narrative reached a climax with the shocking death of a main character, a moment that solidified Final Fantasy VII as a storytelling masterpiece.
Final Fantasy VII not only became the most commercially successful game in the series but also a cultural phenomenon. Its reach extended far beyond just the gaming world. Square expanded the universe with the Final Fantasy VII compilation, which included prequels like Before Crisis and Crisis Core, as well as sequels like Dirge of Cerberus. A tech demo shown at E3 in 2005 teased the possibility of a PlayStation 3 remake, fueling years of fan anticipation, though a remake wouldn't become a reality until 2020.
In the years since its release, Final Fantasy VII has become a touchstone in gaming history. Its impact on the RPG genre and video game storytelling as a whole is undeniable. While fans may debate which Final Fantasy is the best, Final Fantasy VII remains the most influential, forever altering the trajectory of both Square and the gaming industry.
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