is a video game of role developed by Square (become since Square Enix) and left in 1997, constituting the seventh opus series Final Fantasy . First play of the series to being produced for the console Sony PlayStation like for the computers equipped with Windows, it is also the first Final Fantasy to use graphics in 3D with characters returned in real-time and precalculated backgrounds .

The history of the play is centered on the combat of a group of adventurers against the Shinra, a powerful organization which exhausts the vital energy of Planet. Progressively of the play, the conflict intensifies and the safety of the world becomes an main issue.

Enormous success critical and commercial, the play was sold with more than 9,8 million specimens throughout the world, which largely contributed to start the success of PlayStation, as well as the export of the RPG of the same type out of the Japan.

Displacements on the chart of the world make it possible to the player to circulate between the various places of the adventure. These displacements, when they are done with foot, are often intersected with combat generated by chance, where the player must face the local Faune (often of the imaginary creatures or the monsters). During displacement to foot, the player directs the leader of the team represented with a disproportionate size compared to the other elements. One can also move using other means of transport like Chocobo S or the aircraft which are available after certain developments of the scenario. This idea is built-in the following episodes of the series.

The world of Final Fantasy VII , a retroactively named planet Gaïa, is composed of three principal continents and several islands. Midgar is a vast industrial city on the Eastern continent, clearly influenced by the kind Steampunk. One finds there the seat of the Shinra Electric Power Company (Shinra), a powerful company which dominates the world at the same time economically, politically and militarily. This one does not hesitate to resort to the force to satisfy its ambitions, and has in particular enormous guns in the military base of Junon, on the west coast of the same continent. On the western continent, one can find the town of Nibelheim, the village of Cosmo Cayon, where the inhabitants live in harmony with nature, as well as Gold Saucer, an amusement park. The northern continent, covered with ice, shelters inter alia an ancient crater as well as the capital of Cetras, former formerly protective people of planet.

To many regards, Gaïa is presented as a planet which reacts to the manner of a Living organism. Under its bark runs out the Rivière of the life, formed of the hearts of the living beings which lived planet, it represents to some extent the conscience of Gaïa. Thus, when Shinra uses enormous machines known under the name of Mako engines to extract Mako energy from the entrails of Gaïa for domestic uses, industrial or directly soldiers, it draws actually the spiritual energy of the River of the life and weakens planet largely. The condensation of Mako energy makes it possible thereafter Shinra to produce Matéria S, small stones which have very useful magic capacities at the time of the engagements. Those contain inter alia the knowledge of old Cetras.

Characters

See also: Characters of Final Fantasy VII

Clad Strife is the main character of the play, the player follows the whole of his actions and directs it during displacements of the group throughout the world. Silent mercenary at the beginning of the play, it claims to be a ex-SOLDIER of first class. He progressively takes the head of the group of adventurers of the account.

Several characters unite with him, which allows inter alia the player controlling them at the time of the engagements. Aeris Gainsborough is a commercial young person of flowers living in the slums of Midgar, continued since it is small by Shinra. Tifa Lockheart is a specialist in martial arts, friend of childhood of Clad to which it is very attached. Barret Wallace is the impulsive chief of the second incarnation of AVALANCHE, an anti-Shinra organization. Rouge XIII (or Nanaki) is a kind of gifted lion of word, experimental subject in the past for scientists of Shinra. Cait Sith is a cat teller of good adventure, character with the aspect mild nutter, it permanently overlaps enormous a mog in cuddly toy. Cid Highwind is a pilot of aircraft which dreams to be the first man to be left in space thanks to the cells of Jénova which were established in its body. One easily recognizes it with his long black coat, his gray hair and his immense Katana. Part of its spirit is controlled by Jénova, an extraterrestrial organization which tries to take possession of planet. The scientists of Shinra injected its cells alienated in the bodies of Sephiroth and Clad, which makes it possible the creature to have a strong influence on their actions.

Within the Shinra, several directors of sections play a big role: Reeve Tuesti is Chef of the Development Urbain, the professor Hojo is Chef of the Department of Sciences, Palmer is Chef of Space Exploration, Scarlet, Chef of the Development and of the Search for Weapons and Heidegger is Chef of the Department of Safeguarding of the Peace of the Turks, an special unit of Shinra which has order to capture it. After defendhaving defended it of its kidnappers, Clad, guided by Aeris, tries to join AVALANCHE. They find Tifa with Sector 6 and learn that Shinra discovered the site of the hiding-place of the group, and projects to make downwards crumble the higher level of Sector 7 on the dwellings while making accept an attack of AVALANCHE. In spite of the efforts of the group for preventing some, the sector is destroyed and most of its inhabitants dies. In addition, Turks capture Aeris, which proves to be the last member living of the race of Cetras, of the mythical beings closely related to Gaïa. The President of Shinra estimates that Aeris can lead it to a mythical ground of fertility known under the name of “Promised land”, where it hopes to obtain Mako energy easily.

Tifa, Barret and Clad go then to the seat of Shinra and release Aeris like Rouge XIII (a kind of gifted lion of word) which joint with the group. But while they escape from the building, they find the bodies gashed of many employees like that of President Shinra. A saved leader teaches them that the culprit is a man called Sephiroth before considered as death. According to Clad, Sephiroth disappears then in unknown circumstances and is supposed died until its reappearance in the Shinra building. For these reasons, it makes search for Sephiroth a personal stake. During this continuation, several allies unite with the group: the puppet Cait Sith, the pilot Cid, the dark Vincent, and Yuffie, a young robber. During the voyage, each member of the group faces personal conflicts in connection with his past.

Thereafter, the true plan of Sephiroth is revealed little by little: it envisages to call upon an enormous Meteor to wound planet and to encourage it to gather its spiritual energy at the point of impact. It then hopes to enter the crack created, and to amalgamate with the energy of Gaïa, in order to obtain a capacity similar to the Gods. For preventing some, AVALANCHE tries to obtain the Matéria Noire, necessary to activate the Meteor. But whereas it joined the group, and by a mysterious capacity, Sephiroth forces Clad with him to give it. Having acquired a better comprehension of its capacities and its heritage, Aeris decides to stop Sephiroth by its own means. But anxious for its safety, AVALANCHE leaves to its continuation on the northern continent, and finds it in the old capital of Cetras whereas it is requesting for planet. Sephiroth, hidden, once more tries to take the control of the spirit of Clad, and dictates to him to kill her. This one resists the influence thanks to his/her friends, but Sephiroth appears in a flash to assassinate itself the young woman. Clad and the group decides whereas they should overcome Sephiroth at all costs.

Later, of the video recordings of the professor Gast and Ifalna explain that Jénova is actually an extraterrestrial creature arrived on planet two thousand years ago, via a Météorite, and wanting to destroy any form of life. To defend oneself, the planet then created giant monsters called Armes. Many Cetras were killed, but an small group of survivors ends up overcoming Jénova, and to confine it in the crack created at the time of its arrival. The drawn aside threat, the Weapons fell then into a deep sleep. Almost two thousand years later, the remainders of Jénova are updated by professor Gast, a researcher of Shinra, which believes to discover Cetra.

When AVALANCHE reaches the ancient crater, Sephiroth called to Clad that it was not in Nibelheim, and transmits to him images of an officer of the SOLDIER who strongly resembles to him but which has the black hair. This one seems to occupy the place of Clad in its memory. He also says to him that he was created by Hojo. Whereas Tifa cannot refute the remarks of Sephiroth, Clad is upset. Sephiroth benefits from it to launch the Meteor, involving the alarm clock of the Weapons then. During the earthquake which follows, Clad is separated from his/her companions and fall into the entrails from planet, carried by the River of the life. Whereas the Meteor approaches planet, Shinra concentrates its efforts on the protection of the men vis-a-vis the Weapons, which perceive the human ones like a threat for Gaïa. AVALANCHE locates Clad on a tropical island. Poisoned in Mako, it is in a state catatonic. A Weapon arrives and tears the island into two, making once again sink Clad and Tifa in the meanders of the River of the life. There, it rebuilds the memory of Clad. She points out their memories of childhood to him and the truth learns to him on its past. Although it really fought Sephiroth with Nibelheim at the time of its attack, it forever succeeded in joining the SOLDIER. Clad remembers whereas the character with the dark hair to which it was identified was his best friend Zack. During the destruction of Nibelheim, Tifa and Zack are beaten, but Clad throws Sephiroth in the River of the life. This one however carries with him the head of Jénova, which was stored in the engine, and survives: its body and its spirit are preserved in Mako, inside the Cratère of Jénova.

Whereas Tifa is brought back in safety to Midgar, Clad and Zack, seriously wounded, are captured by Shinra to choke the business. Professor Hojo subjects them to experiments, aiming at “to improve” the members of the SOLDIER. But Hojo is not worried health of its subjects, and all to Zack share enter a state Coma teux. Nearly five years later, Zack flees of its of torture by carrying Clad with him. But the injection of the cells of Jénova coupled to showers of Mako induce a confusion in the spirit of Clad. It builds a unconsciously distorts identity around the behavior and of the memories of Zack. The cells alienated of its body also make it possible Sephiroth to control the spirit of Clad. After its escape, Zack is killed by Shinra agents close to Midgar, and Tifa finds Clad little before the beginning of the play.

After having found its past, Clad takes again and joined AVALANCHE. The group learns that Aeris had a known matéria under the name of Sacre, the only fate able to be opposed to the Meteor. Considering the threat of the Weapons more imminent than that of Sephiroth, Shinra and AVALANCHE attack them. Shinra is almost destroyed during the attacks. That Hojo is the father of Sephiroth, him is learned and his wife were assistants of the professor Gast, and subjected their future child to test implying Jénova. When Hojo tries to help Sephiroth to control the River of the life, AVALANCHE does not have an other choice only to fight it and kills it. The group goes finally to the northern crater and crosses the coat of planet to its heart, where they face Sephiroth in the final combat. Having overcome, they release Sacre, but the Meteor is then too close to surface of planet, and the fate is impotent. Midgar is already destroyed when the River of the life itself rises of Gaïa and pushes back the Meteor, making it possible Sacre to destroy the invocation.

• Final Fantasy VII Meeting Tracks is a selection of topics, of which three are arranged and played by a Symphony orchestra.
• Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII presents certain topics of the play rearranged for the Piano.

Two pieces acquire a certain notoriety: the Aeris' Topic , topic of the character of Aeris, which one can hear at the time of dead of the character and One-Winged Angel , music with choruses singing in Latin, who is used basic sound for the ultimate battle of the play.

Development

Genesis

Since the success of the first opus in 1987, Final Fantasy becomes the series headlight of Public garden, and it is quite naturally that after great success Final Fantasy VI criticizes in 1994, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the director of all the preceding episodes, is harnessed with the scenario of this one and deals with the production of the new handset.

The first version of the history is very different from the final account: “I think that he wanted to do something as a police history” will comment on Nomura later. A police officer pursued the main characters in the town of Midgard, who then wished to explode the city because it fears that its series fetish is not put on side if it does not adapt to the new standards as regards graphics. But the team then does not have any experience of these processes.

Final Fantasy SGI

So that to familiarize itself with the novel methods of computer graphics, the programmers decide to set up an experimental little game developed thanks to the Work station Onyx of Silicon Graphics. The software presents interactive elements as well as a dynamic system of camera impressing for the time. This experiment convinces the development team to use this technology for Final Fantasy VII . This disc, heading Square' S Preview Extra , presents the playable first Démo of Final Fantasy VII as well as the video Final Fantasy SGI of Siggraph of 1995. The demonstration, all in Japanese, make it possible to carry out the first part of the play, with Midgar. One notes some differences however, mainly the presence of Aeris in the group at the beginning of the play.

The development of the play strictly speaking begins fine 1995, and requires the efforts of more than one hundred of artists and programmers. In addition, Sakaguchi calls upon professionals of Hollywood to help it in the realization of the sequences kinematics. Public garden put then much on the project and allocates a budget of approximately 45 million dollars.

Kitase declares “as from the moment when the decision to use CD was made, it Sakaguchi establishes a procedure for the team: “If the player realizes of the access time, will have failed us””. It is a use without precedent in the video games on console of the time.

Yoshitaka Amano, the in character designer appointed series, is isolated of its usual place, its style is regarded as too fine being compatible with the visual format of the project. It is then Tetsuya Nomura which deals with the creation of the characters while Yoshitaka Amano deals with the design of the chart of the world and the famous Logotype of the play. But there still, Nomura simplifies much its style because of the graphic limitations which the project implies is made possible in particular thanks to the use of graphic effects which “evoke a light leaving the darkness”. According to the originators, the history of Final Fantasy VII tries to fall under a realistic atmosphere all while taking as a starting point many myths, legends, and concepts religious and philosophical “as tallies for ethical aspirations nobler, and ecologically concerned”. One can notice in particular the Personnification Gaïa planet (in direct reference to the Théories Gaïa) via the River of the life (its conscience) and Mako (its energy). The will of a certain number of characters to protect and respect nature is not without pointing out philosophy Shintô.

As of the first phases of development, the scenario envisages the death of one of the main characters. For Nomura, Clad cannot die because of its role of leader, just as the death of a character such as Barret already appears to him to be a too large stereotype in the series Final Fantasy and the fiction in general. It expresses its criticisms vis-a-vis the presentation attends death of a character as a lucky find inspired on behalf of the scenario writers who generally do not hesitate to make return the protagonist in the continuation of the account; an idea generally resulting from the romantic vision of the sacrifice and resurrection. This is why it suggests that the disappearance of Aeris is irrevocable, supposing that the public would not expect such a change and that would insist on the sudden character, hard and irreversible of death, in the continuity of the serious atmosphere of the play. What then enables him to introduce its character of Tifa like new heroin. The scenario writer Kazushige Nojima explained that it wished that the players feel encouraged to speculate in what could be the personal thoughts of Clad at the time of certain events rather than their to provide too precise information, but there still, the final fate of humanity is not clear. At the exit of Advent Children , Kitase suggests that the epilog of the play could mean the extinction of humanity.

Exit

Because of the extent of the project as of the number of novel methods to be set up (it is only about the second play developed by Square on PlayStation), the production of Final Fantasy VII is precipitated during the last months to respect the calendar envisaged. In spite of that, the exit of the play is pushed back of December 1996 in January 1997 in Japan, making miss in Square the period by the festivals by end of the year, generally very beneficial for the industry of the video game. But the version placed at the disposal is not completely completed, and it is necessary to await the American exit in September 1997 to obtain the final version. This version presents some minor innovations to the level of the gameplay and the history (these additions will be incorporated in the published version International in October in Japan).

Sony Computer Entertainment deals with the distribution of the play in North America and Europe, and hopes thanks to this title to increase the market shares of PlayStation whose sales at the time are still average. In North America, the exit is preceded by the largest countryside of Marketing which was made for a video game. The essence of the countryside is composed of three 30 second old commercials diffused on the televised large chains, of a promotional operation in collaboration with sodas Pepsi.

The play arrives finally in November to Europe, and it is a first for the series Final Fantasy , Europe having up to that point known only few video games of role of Japanese origin. Waiting of more than nine months for the European players (commun run in the world of the video games) compared to the first exit of the play is mainly due to work required by the firm on the localization of the play (Traduction, put at the European standards STAKE - SECAM).

In 1998, Final Fantasy VII is carried by Eidos Interactive on Windows. This new exit (on four CD this time), nearly 7 months after the version European, present of smoother graphics and corrects certain errors, however, she also suffers from her clean bugs and defects because of problems inherent in architecture PC.

Reception

Popularity

Final Fantasy VII is at the same time a success critical and commercial, the play beats several records of sales quickly. After strong waiting with the Japan, where the series always had a great success, the play runs out to 2,3 million units three days only after its exit in the archipelago. This popularity pushes thousands of retailers in North America to distribute the play several days before the official exit in September to answer at the request of the public. In North America, the play is sold with: 330000 specimens at the time of the first weekend of exploitation, and reached them: 500000 units sold in less than three weeks. The success of the play is still maintained for several months, and Sony announces that the title ran out to a million specimens on the continent at the beginning of the month of December 1997. In March 2006, it is classified in the second place of the “100 preferred plays of all times”, survey carried out near the readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu , whereas the users of the American site GameFaqs elect it Best Game Ever in 2004 and 2005. Sephiroth remains him also one of malicious most popular of the video games. In October 2005, the team of the magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly elects it unanimously better boss of the video games. During the spring of the same year, it also gains contributes it of “better malicious” organized by gamefaqs.

Critical

The play receives criticisms eulogistic on behalf of principal the videoludic publications in the three poles of the market (Japan, North America and Europe). Criticisms acclaim especially musics of great quality, a system of interesting combat thanks to the use of the matérias and a history and a universe interesting.

GameSpot notices that “never before the Technologie, the jouability and the Narration were as well associated only in Final Fantasy VII ”.

But Final Fantasy VII is not free from defects. Several criticisms propose bad the localization play in North America and Europe. Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine qualifies the translation of “a little turbid, which causes an useless confusion and muddles a scenario however subtle”. A member of RPGamer also goes in this direction: “play is far from being perfect”, the translation “is filled out of error and typing errors other which darken a scenario already diverting”. Nevertheless, rare are criticisms which note the play below 8/10. The sites Metacritic and Game Rankings (which carry out averages starting from many publications) respectively give to the play a general score of 91% and 92%.

Criticisms are done on the other hand sourer concerning version PC of the play. Although this one corrects many faults of translation and orthography, she suffers from the comparison with the version comforts. Initially, kinematics undergo many failures: transformed into files AVI, of the problems of lighting are felt when the player is not entitled quite simply to a black screen. In addition, the files sounds in MIDDAY are relatively badly transcribed by the computers of the time, which wastes one of the strong point of the play. Controls cannot be carried out with the mouse and thus require the purchase of a lever unless being restricted with controls difficult on keyboard. Only graphics of the characters are higher thanks to the Anticrènelage, however the quality of the decorations at the time of the engagements is re-examined with the fall.

The play also makes the object of criticism on behalf of associations of anxious parents of violence in the video games. In particular in the United States, where following the events of the Shooting of the college Columbine in 1999, several parents of victims deposit a Plainte against the companies of edition and development of many video games, and 5 billion dollars claim. Among the co-defendants, is Eidos Interactive, the editor of version PC of the play; Final Fantasy VII is directly quoted besides.

Influence

Because of its notable projections in term of technique and its great popularity, Final Fantasy VII is generally regarded as a very influential title in the Histoire of the video games. It allows the roleplays comforts to be made a place on the market of the video game apart from Japan. An analyst of the businesses comments on: “Sony redefined the category of the conventional roleplays and widened its audience with the launching of Final Fantasy VII ”. At that time, rare are the roleplays to be localized in North America and even rarer are those which profit from an exit on the old continent. Only some Hardcore gamer S or rare impassioned players having good Japanese knowledge orders plays in importation.

At the beginning of the development, whereas Nintendo insists that the series continues on its next Ultra 64, a new conflict bursts between the two firms. Sony as for him is new on the market of the video games and tries to attract the third editors. When Square announces that its Final Fantasy VII is in preparation for PlayStation, it is a mini coup d'etat which proceeds in the world of the video games, a license as popular as Final Fantasy obviously will attract many people on the console of Sony. One at that time suspects Square of having signed a franchise agreement with Sony, which could explain why Square will not program any more for the Nintendo consoles during nearly seven years (relatively long period in the video games). While the success of the play completes the hopes of Sega and its Saturn. In January 2005, Electronic Gaming Monthly class play sixth of its list of the “10 most important plays” which “helped to redefine the sector since 1989”. Calling upon its “superb kinematics and a major and introspective account”, they affirm that “the play of Public garden was then the first roleplay to exceed, instead of copying, the cinematographic narration”.

With Final Fantasy VII International Version , Square also introduces the release of the second versions for the very popular video games; the developers generally add some tiny innovations to it to the level of the gameplay and/or the scenario (one can inter alia quoting the titles Final Fantasy X , XII , Kingdom Hearts , or Star Ocean III).

Complements and continuations

Plays and films

Following the great popularity of the original play, Square Enix initiates in 2004 a project entitled Compilation off Final Fantasy VII . Directed by Tetsuya Nomura and Yoshinori Kitase, the project consists of a whole of plays and films based on the universe of Final Fantasy VII , thus prolonging the developments of the history of the play. The characters of Vincent and Zack are particularly put at the honor.

Although it is not included/understood in the Compilation , Square Enix publishes in 2005 Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding . Available only in North America, it is about a play of Snowboard on cellphone directly inspired of the Mini-play included in Final Fantasy VII .

Square Enix present at the living room Electronic Entertainment Expo of 2005 a technical video of demonstration of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) where one can see the sequence of opening of Final Fantasy VII recreated by using the power of the new machine of Sony. The video is developed quickly under the direction of Yoshinori Kitase which calls upon Koji Sugimoto and Motomu Toriyama. Consequently, of many fans and critics speculate in the nearest exit of a Final Fantasy VII updated by using the power of the console, although the whole of the declarations of Public garden, via official announcements, or of declarations of leaders such as Yoichi Wada or Kitase. Feeding the rumors, Kazuo Hirai however declares in 2007, “the best is still to come”.

Square does not exclude in any case the possibility of new projects based on the universe from Final Fantasy VII . Kitase declares in 2007: “Also a long time until there will be people the firm who will want to create plays and others which will wait them, we do not want to proclaim “the end”. ”.

Following the resumption of the project with Compilation off Final Fantasy VII , Square publishes many derivative products, mainly intended for the fans. Initially, one can find in Japan in 2005, a work entitled Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega , the firm reveals many details and explanations there on the universe and the creation of the play. The work contains in particular a news written by Benny Matsuyama: Maiden who Travels the Planet , it tells the voyage of Aeris in the River of the life after its assassination by Sephiroth and is held thus during the second part of Final Fantasy VII .

New figurines, charts and posters are also published., several republications general public will follow.

See too

External media

• Instruction manual of the North-American version of '' Final Fantasy VII ''.
• Face and back of the small pocket of the French play.
• Combat in the mountains , video of the play on Gamekult.com

External bonds

• '' Final Fantasy VII '', official site.
• Final Fantasy VII Navigator recalls the whole of the scenario.
• Final Fantasy VII on strategywiki.org.

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