Final Fantasy VII is the seventh game in the massive series of fantasy RPGs created by Square (now Square Enix).
Great Characters
Great Story
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Story & Themes
Final Fantasy VII follows the story of Cloud Strife, a mercenary helping AVALANCHE, an eco-terrorist organization. His work for the group in attempting to sabotage the Mako reactors brings him into opposition with Shinra, the president of Midgar, who is pro-industry. However, the true antagonist of the game is Sephiroth, a SOLDIER who people had assumed was dead. Sephiroth's goal is to harness the power of the Mako reactors so that he can ascend into a godlike state. Cloud and the companions who join him along the way track Sephiroth in order to stop him before he can cast the spell that will allow this to happen.
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The creator of the Final Fantasy series, Hironobu Sakaguchi, has claimed that the major theme of the game is "life." Other prevalent themes include the tension between environmentalism and capitalism, or the natural world versus the human-made world.
Difficulty
Final Fantasy VII has easy, normal, and hard difficulty modes, as well as an unlockable "Extra Hard" mode. The higher difficulties feature tougher and more numerous enemies.
Heads Up!
Violence Much of the violence in the game occurs during the turn-based combat, though some cutscenes include moments or suggestions of violence. Combat is centered around melee weapons and magic. Blood appears sparingly in cutscenes but is not a feature of combat.
Sex & Nudity Some of the game's dialogue is mildly suggestive. One of the female characters wears a low-cut top that reveals a decent amount of cleavage.
Strong Language The in-game dialogue contains some strong language, the most severe being sh*t.
Consumerism All Final Fantasy games are a part of an enormous franchise similar to Mario or Zelda. The franchise includes numerous games, companion novels and manga, and other collectibles or pieces of merchandise.
Conversation Starters
- What do you think of the game's main themes? Are they meaningful to you?
- (Plot spoilers):Aerith's death is considered one of the most shocking moments in video games. Did you find it emotionally impactful? Was it surprising or did you know ahead of time that it would happen?