Final Fantasy 7 has become cemented within the videogame industry as one of the most influential videogames of all time. Its unique take on storytelling and sheer variety in gameplay allowed it to stand out in a time extremely limited by technological barriers for developers.
Today, it's no surprise that the game's graphical style doesn't hold much weight, and it's certainly no surprise that Square Enix wants to cash in on a remake -- although that seems to be stuck in development, with little news being released over the years since the announcement. What matters most, at least today, is the story and level of ambition the game had.
Final Fantasy 7 displays its uniqueness through its narrative, connecting various elements of the cyberpunk genre together to piece the story of a dying planet being pushed beyond its limits for a spiritual energy that gives life to all things; a mega-corporation known as Shinra is mining the planet to death, using all areas of its reach to ensure they cannot be stopped.
A group called Avalanche come together in order to destroy the reactors belonging to Shinra, each member coming from a different area that has been victim to the various manipulations and pollution as a result of the mining; their backgrounds are troublesome, riddled with sadness and suffering, but ultimately, their goal is the same.
The game's 3D open-world mechanic allows the player to travel throughout the various towns and locations as the story unfolds. It adds several puzzle-like elements that requires the player to constantly take advantage of the RPG style by talking to all the NPCs and searching every area for additional resources. Even subtle things like Potions and Materia can be found, which can help strengthen your party later on.
In reference to the Materia, Final Fantasy 7 adds an additional layer of freedom onto the turn-based combat mechanic: Materia can be found, bought, and added onto weapons. These function similarly to perks, granting the player access to elemental attacks such as fire, ice, poison, etc. This can be a lifesaver for the party, given the right combination of Materia can be the enemy's weakness. This can easily make those longer mini-boss battles that much easier, with each character playing an essential role in not only keeping the others alive, but being capable of fighting as well as defending.
Given its age, the towns are quite small, and the Materia element is fairly simplistic, so there isn't a massive challenge when it comes to exploration and finding what's best to use; that will come much sooner than later, especially if you're not new to the RPG genre. Most of the challenge will be found within the small mini-games and boss battles.
Overall, Final Fantasy 7 holds an atmosphere that's down to its dated time of release, and it's certain that there's no similar alternative that just quite mirrors that level of emotion and depth through its art and writing; even down to the music, Final Fantasy 7 stands alone in a series that has now double the amount of entries. This game will give you plenty of reasons to fall in love with it, but can almost give you an equal amount of reasons to dislike it in such a spoiled and advanced videogame industry.