Warning: The following article about Final Fantasy VII contains spoilers.
27 years ago, I was eight years old, and I had just been given my PlayStation. My brother and I were brought up by the Sega, but it wasn’t until we got the PlayStation that I truly considered myself a gamer. The key reason? I got Final Fantasy VII. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was destiny, or maybe it was my dad thinking the weird-looking characters would entertain my brother and I. Who’s to say? All I know is when I put that first disc into the PlayStation, my fragile little mind wasn’t ready.
Final Fantasy VII ignited something in me. It’s something I imagine that happens to every gamer that finds their genre. I was transfixed and in awe. The colors, the characters, the battles – I couldn’t get enough. It only got better with age, as I would replay the game and discover through game magazines (remember those?) that there were secret bosses, secret summons, and, of course, the legendary golden Chocobo.
Final Fantasy VII was even a teacher; I’m fairly certain I saw my first swear words while reading the text boxes. A particular memory of mine comes to mind – my uncle visited a lot when I was young and noticed my reading was improving, and my mom chalked it up to me reading aloud the dialogue of the game. Now, this would get me in trouble, as I would act out every character, each with their own distinct voice and personality, all portrayed through the lens of an eight-year-old child. And before you ask, yes, no word was off limits, including the swear words.
A Figurative & Literal Game-Changer
Final Fantasy VII was hailed for many, many things. Its graphical prominence was one, but ultimately, to a child, that doesn’t matter. After all, in all children’s eyes, the games are only beginning to look like what we imagined back when our imaginations were in full throttle.
It was also declared one of the first video game blockbusters, with a narrative that transcended many Western films/series at the time. And this is the bar I have held every game to ever since. I have a checklist that was born from my experience with the characters and world of Final Fantasy VII.
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It even started strange traditions. I would always name the lead characters after myself, and I would name the remaining party members after those closest to me. To say I was a strange child with a quirky imagination might be an understatement. I believe I fell for Final Fantasy VII so hard because it fed into that sense of adventure I was looking for. I wanted to be the hero, I wanted to save the world, and I wanted a villain like Sephiroth.
To this day, I still remember the epic “introduction” of Sephiroth in the Shinra Building. You never once see him – you simply see his deeds, cutting a bloody and brutal path through the entire building, culminating with the president of Shinra impaled by Sephiroth’s iconic Masamune. Never has a narrative said so much without a single line of dialogue. No villain has been given such an introduction – they couldn’t even replicate it for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Hardly the Final Fantasy
When I was a child, I devoured books. I once finished a book my mom bought me in a shopping center while my mom was still shopping, and I’m still proud of it. I couldn’t get enough of stories filled with imps and tricksters. Then, I found Final Fantasy VII and the RPG genre as a whole in gaming, and I was done. There will never be a final fantasy for me, especially in gaming, because of what happened in Final Fantasy VII. I was transported to a world of monsters and aliens, of soldiers and gods, and it cemented my love for a genre that is ever-changing and ever-evolving.
I believe I’d still be a gamer if I’d never played Final Fantasy VII. Do I believe I’d be the same kind of gamer? Probably not. There is something ineffable about the RPG genre, and Final Fantasy VII exemplifies this sense of wonder and rebellion that many wish to feel.
Back then, in the ’90s in Ireland, this game was a game-changer for me. I didn’t fully understand what was going on, and certain jokes and subplots likely went over my head, but with repeat playthroughs, I have become well-versed in the strife of Gaia, and when all was said and done, it’s fair to say that it was my first fantasy but not my final fantasy.
