Why do people love Final Fantasy VII so much?

[Nephtes]

1. It was a milestone event for gaming. I can remember a time before FFVII and a time after.

2.The story was pretty great and unlike later entries, pretty straightforward. (Don't ask me to explain FFVIII's story)

3. The ATB gameplay was evolved to one of the most polished iterations

4. memorable characters and ... that one death that everyone knows about.

5. The CG cutscenes were leagues beyond what other games at the time were doing both in terms of quality and quantity. I made save files at certain points in the game just to rewatch the cutscenes I really liked.
I mean can you imagine how fucking cool this was in 1997:


When we were used to:


6. A classic Uematsu score.

Honestly, what's not to like about the original FFVII outside of maybe the errors in translation?

It's not my favorite Final Fantasy (VI is), but it's close.

 

[King Dodongo]

It's low on my ranking now that I had the chance to actually play it. Other games held up better.

 

[Lafiel]

I'm 29 now but I have incredibly fond memories of playing it for the first time when I was 8 due to my uncle giving away his copy when I first got a PlayStation and finding the whole experience completely enthralling. I ended up somehow finishing it several times in that period on both PlayStation and PC.

At the time I was also obsessed with other crpgs like Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale so something about the whole genre appealed to me for whatever reason.

 

[GymWolf86]

it was my first turn based rpg ever and the all package was outstanding, from music to graphics to fmw to story to basically everything.
no other jrpg got me like this one.

 

[Acquiescence]

Because everything about FFVII is either super memorable or just downright iconic. Its Materia system, the summons, the cast of characters, the soundtrack and locations (score one for pre-rendered backgrounds!) all linger on in the mind long after the game is completed. The story may be barely coherent, but there are enough gut-punching emotional beats in there to more than make up for it.

Doesn't hurt that the game feels like a genuine adventure from start to finish either. Something that the vast majority of these open world games today fail to capture.

 

[Ferrs]

All of these posters saying "it's people's first JRPG" really can't understand that people just genuinely love the game for what it is, warts and all, huh?

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I genuinely love the game. Doesn't mean "it's people's first JRPG" is a false thing. It happens a lot, the first of the kind you'll always remember it more fondly. Like, Dark Souls 1 is my favorite Soulsborne game, I genuinely adore that game, and I won't deny part of it it's because it was my first kind of that game.

 

[MillionStabs]

I played FF7 for the first time back in January, on the PC with the Remako mod. I thought at the start people just have nostalgia glasses for it and the game wouldn't be that good. Around Cosmo Canyon, I couldn't put it down.

The music was so amazing and catchy, each character was fleshed out with backstory and motivation, the story has the right build up and pacing.

It's just a damn good game. Damn good. I love it

 

[Digital Dinosaur]

Everything else aside, it actually is just really fun to play mechanically and doesn't get stale. The materia system makes the game. There is a wild variety of enemies and bosses, and as others have said the battles are fast.

 

[DJwest]

What is it about FF7 that people love so much?

Tell me what about the game makes it so special to you.

Click to shrink...

It's the game that introduced millions to Final Fantasy and JRPGs. A classic

 

[Xtortion]

The game is also pretty audacious with how it presents some of its content. Areas like North Corel and Costa del Sol are largely optional to explore, and you can simply blast through them to get the to the next location. Gongaga and the ruined reactor are completely optional until Cloud wakes up there later, but even then the game doesn't force you to stick around. Having full on optional party members is also pretty crazy.

 

[IzzyRX]

First JRPG, a great timing, a popular console, materia system.

 

[catboy]

Agree with this.

And check out how massive his uh sword is

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[Lobster Roll]

It was excellent in 1997, and still excellent in 2020. It's also a harmless & painfree "baby's first JRPG" that doesn't really punish the player ever.

 

[inner-G]

It's not as good as X but I still really like it.

Kind of burnt the remake isn't turn-based, but eh

 

[Carcosan Stag]

The music. It's my favorite FF soundtrack and prolly in the top 3 of my fav video games OST's ever. Nobuo Uematsu was in top form with this one.

 

[SirNinja]

They grew up with it.

Also for a lot of people it was their first time ever playing a JRPG, especially one of that scale before.

It must have been mind-blowing back in 1997. Unfortunately I didn't play it for the first time until recently, and I don't really think much of it (other than the amazing score from Uematsu).

 

[Deleted member 18021]

It was baby's first JRPG, that also happened to tell a pretty darn good story (if you can get past the THIS GUY ARE SICK), and it looked nice for 1997.
It's actually kind of a goddamn mess of a game if you look at it holistically, but it comes together to be greater than the sum of its parts.

and nobody played FFV to experience the true best FF

 

[ZanderEzekial]

 

[Son of Liberty]

It's a really solid Final Fantasy game, there's a lot that still holds up to this day such as the presentation (especially the music and visual atmosphere) and fun gameplay with the Materia system.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

A great advertising campaign

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Come on.

It was a fantastic game, let's not detract from its merits. The advertising campaign is not why people love it.

All of these posters saying "it's people's first JRPG" really can't understand that people just genuinely love the game for what it is, warts and all, huh?

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Yeah, it's a bit condescending.

Doom isn't great because it was many people's 'first' FPS experience. It was a great game.

 

[ryseing]

Waifus.

Seriously. Aerith is the first fictional character many boys of a certain age fell in love with, and when the inevitable happens, it makes the connection that much deeper.

 

[newtonlod]

What is it about FF7 that people love so much?

Tell me what about the game makes it so special to you.

Click to shrink...

It is a extremely good game. The plot touches various interesting subjects like life beyond death, ecoterrorism, mental disorders, unchained capitalism. The world feels alive for a PS1 game and at the time it was a beautiful game. The cast is really strong, have two strong plot twists, the OST is one of the best of probably the greatest videogame composer of all time. The gameplay is really fun and highly customizable, an evolution of the predecessor. To this day I dont think FF got to these levels of a complete game and excellent in all regards. It wasnt my first FF also, but I think it is the best (together with Final Fantasy Tactics) so the nostalgia is a factor but I think it is not big as many people say. Otherwise FF6, a game with so much nostalgia involved would have a bigger presence. It doesnt have, it is simply not as good.

Also, not in particular for me:
Combine everything with a huge marketing campaign at the time, great production values and the game that made de big leap forward in one strong and popular franchise as Final Fantasy and you have one of the most popular and enduring games of all time. It even have started something of a golden era for its genre and its company.

So yeah, the game is a perfect storm.

 

[entremet]

It was a good game. It never beat FF6 or Chrono Trigger for me, even back then. But it was tons of fun. Huge world. Limit Breaks. Crazy summons. Great soundtrack. Beautiful pre-rendered locations. And tons of stuff to do post-game.

Some more thoughs:

Great villain. He's generic animu today, but back then Sephiroth was pretty unique.

 

[Weiss]

All of these posters saying "it's people's first JRPG" really can't understand that people just genuinely love the game for what it is, warts and all, huh?

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I think the cultural zeitgeist surrounding the game has naturally faded, its lesser elements like the poor translation and uneven gameplay are more prominent today, but as someone who's only played it this decade I still think it's a worthy game.

 

[BZL8]

It was THE big JRPG that broke ground with its then-cutting edge graphics, scope, and ambition, and shaped a generation of players. There was no other game like this at the time. It was also the PS1's killer application, which meant almost every console owner at least had the game.

 

[Deleted member 12833]

Probably the first game for many where they cared about the story, characters, and world.

 

[demi]

The honeybee inn. That's pretty much it.

 

[CortexVortex]

The moment you leave Midgar was one of the most special moments in my life.
I honestly couldn't believe that there was a whole word to explore.

Ans it has so many special moments, like Aeris' fate, Red's backstory, Sephiroth burning the city down... and you get a submarine! How cool is that!

 

[JudgmentJay]

It was my first JRPG and it'll always have a special place in my heart. I'd never played another game like it. That being said I don't think it's aged well at all. I've tried replaying it 3 times over the past 5 or so years and I always end up dropping it shortly after leaving Midgar. Really looking forward to the remake.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

1: It's a good game
2: For a lot of gamers it was their first (J)RPG
3: At the time of its release it was a massive hype beast for the PS1

i don't get it either. i can't take anybody serious who plays a game like that.

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Is that you, Yamauchi?

 

[Manbig]

A great advertising campaign, amazing graphics, the insane popularity of the PS1, and a lot of people's first FF. It was the perfect storm.

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This right here. I think it's wildly overrated, but I still like the game. It was very much a time and place thing in regards to the graphics and presentation, but neither of those things hold up anymore.

The gameplay, story, and especially music hold up fine though. A damn shame the "remake" heavily altered two of those things instead of just enhancing what made them good like a proper remake does.

 

[Grimmjow]

I like it cause it's straightforward. The Meteria system is easy to understand and the story is understandable (Jenova subplot aside). Same reason I like Zelda OoC over Majora's Mask.

 

[Ferrs]

It was my first JRPG and it'll always have a special place in my heart. I'd never played another game like it. That being said I don't think it's aged well at all. I've tried replaying it 3 times over the past 5 or so years and I always end up dropping it shortly after leaving Midgar. Really looking forward to the remake.

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Happens the contrary to me lol. In my replays I have a hard time going through Midgar but once I'm free, it's smooth sailing!

 

[Mekanos]

I genuinely love the game. Doesn't mean "it's people's first JRPG" is a false thing. It happens a lot, the first of the kind you'll always remember it more fondly. Like, Dark Souls 1 is my favorite Soulsborne game, I genuinely adore that game, and I won't deny part of it it's because it was my first kind of that game.

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It obviously happens, but it's reductive to assume it's the primary or driving reason so many people love it.

 

[It’s Time To Go]

It was my introduction to JRPG's that aren't Pokemon. I also first played and obsessed over it as a teenager. It helps it's a cracking game.

 

[pillowtalk]

It wasn't my first rpg at all. I knew it was going to be amazing after having played ff4, ff6 and chrono trigger in the previous years. I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I sold a lot of my saturn games (working designs rpgs) to buy ff7. I had to track down those sold games ten years later.

I remember in 1996, a year before release in 8th grade computer class all I did was look up ff7 screenshots over and over as they were released. I was so damn excited.

"only because it was people's first rpg" fuck off with that.

 

[Adventureracing]

For me possibly the most important thing for games is the soundtrack and FFVII fucking nails it. The game also oozes atmosphere and I love all the different locations. Some say the graphics have aged badly but I love how the game looks too.

For me the battle system is on point. I love turn based JRPG's and I love grinding. The materia system is just so awesome to me. Also those are the main reasons the remake doesn't appeal to me.

The mini games are also so much fun and I spent so much time in gold saucer/gambling with chocobos.

Edit: I enjoy the story as well. I love overpowered villains like sephiroth.

 

[Crossing Eden]

What is it about FF7 that people love so much?

Tell me what about the game makes it so special to you.

Click to shrink...

 

[Genesius]

It's the only good FF.

 

[Rygar 8Bit]

It was an event game at the time. These kinds of ads were everywhere before it hit. Not many games felt cinematic at the time.

 

[Deleted member 11985]

It was my very first RPG, and the commercials for it back in the day hyped it up as something like a monumental masterpiece that transcended the video game medium. I didn't even ask for it. My dad randomly bought it for me because he was curious about it too.

Just look at this beast of a commercial. I'm fairly certain this is the one I'm thinking of. I remember it being really long:

 

[Kadey]

It was the first big budget 3d rpg. Start of the 3d craze.

 

[RecRoulette]

A lot of great characters in there. I didn't like anything about the main story beats (Cloud vs Sephiroth), but a lot of the other characters had their own fantastic storylines and made me care about them. Barret's storyline with Dyne, Cid's dream to go into space, Red XIII's resentment towards his father. There was a ton of amazing stuff in that game.

I played it years after it came out after bouncing off other JRPGs and it still hooked me. I think I bought it for $10 at a Software etc lol

 

[Smokey]

It's a good RPG that people have a lot of nostalgia for.

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It's this right there.

 

[BGs]

What is it about FF7 that people love so much?

Tell me what about the game makes it so special to you.

Click to shrink...

Maybe it was not the best (for me he has a few FF ahead) but it was a revolution in many ways.

 

[Bit_Reactor]

FF7 had a great soundtrack, great story, and still holds up even to this day, but I could say that for majority of Square's PS1 lineup.

The reason 7 in particular is so popular, is a combo of technological showcase, timing, and innovation in story telling for a medium that was mostly considered a play thing at the time, on top of being the wests biggest exposure to the genre.

That combined with some of the most vivid iconography of the time. Nothing looked like Midgar, and nothing looked like FF7 at the time, until afterwards when everyone wanted to be FF7. Right place and right time helped propel it, but it still holds up despite the localization because of stellar character writing and great sountrack and world .

 

[Kyubajin]

I never played the original and I'm enjoying the remake like no other jRPG I've played in a long while. The characters, the combat system, the dialogues, scenario, music. Everything is great in this game, even considering the PS1-era textures in some places :D

 

[Athrum]

Would say in General:
It's a pretty good game and for many on of the first big JRPG ever.
And something like this will leave an impression on you

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This. It's a good game, first JRPG for many, one of the first 3d ones. Story is still as messy and convoluted as other FF's but since it was the first people play they got really attached to the characters, even though I bet more than half the people that played it when it came out didn't have a clue of what was going on :D

 

[brinstar]

My first RPG was probably Dragon Quest 1 lol. FF7 was like everything cool in the 90's put into a game. It was nuts.

 

[LavaBadger]

Why do people love Kingdom Hearts? I find the art, music, and storytelling to be insufferable, but you'll find an ardent fanbase to defend it every turn. Some games just land with people regardless of their quality.

I have nostalgia for FF7 because I was young and I recall how cool I thought all the summons, and characters, music, and mechanics were. I was young, and the scope was really striking. Having tried to replay it recently, most of it has not aged well, but even recognizing this, it doesn't invalidate my nostalgia for it.