Final Fantasy VII

 PlayStation
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 2606 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,325 out of 2606
  2. Mixed: 105 out of 2606
  3. Negative: 176 out of 2606
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  1. RezzaDee
    Jun 19, 2011
    8
    I liked this game but 8 and 10 are by a clear mile the best ever final fantasy games. Square soft made the good games and square Enix are just total garbage!
  2. AlienSpaceBats
    Oct 28, 2013
    8
    Visually dated (looks like a polygon's backside), but can still incredible. Obtuse in the way most JRPGs are; no journal, unmarked map, poor localisation ("This guy are sick"), withholds information and penalises organic gameplay (whilst rewarding systematic obsessive-compulsive behaviour) but over the space of two discs and a few months I thought Final Fantasy VII was the most beautifulVisually dated (looks like a polygon's backside), but can still incredible. Obtuse in the way most JRPGs are; no journal, unmarked map, poor localisation ("This guy are sick"), withholds information and penalises organic gameplay (whilst rewarding systematic obsessive-compulsive behaviour) but over the space of two discs and a few months I thought Final Fantasy VII was the most beautiful game in the world.… Expand
  3. birrml
    Jan 4, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Some people commenting here are very jaded. I recently tried to re-play this game, and over 15 years later, it was to a certain extent tedious, but considering how many great RPG's have come out and how far game development has come in that amount of time, it's really no surprise. However, to those saying the story was horrible, perhaps you play alot of shooters with extremely linear and copy pasted stories. I am HUGE on story development, and must say in today's era of gaming, that aspect is truly lacking. The story of FF7 was one of the deepest and most immersing I have experienced. It was intricately written and placed, each main character had their own background fleshed out (which is alot more than most games can say these days), how they all came together, some purposely, some seemingly random. The characters played off each other very well, to the point that you feel as if you're part of it while they convey their emotions into you. When Aeris dies, you almost feel yourself die a little inside. When you learn of Cloud's mysterious past, you find that most of what he believes is not necessarily true, and that he lived vicariously through Zack n Sephiroth. His tortured, twisted, demented mind shows exactly why he is a man of few words, and little emotion. The many twists throughout the story, I found at the time to be quite unexpected and enthralling. Each little FMV sequence and dialogue tying this illustrious narrative together. Not to mention the sand-box aspect of the game, where there are so many side-quests, that involve more than just stupid fetch quests (the side quests of today's RPG's), that sometimes also add to the story, or tie up a loose end, were imaginative and great. The arcade! Awesome! In today's RPG's fetch quests are all of the sidequests. That and crafting items, lame... If you can honestly say you dislike this game, or think it's overrated, you are missing a part of your soul. Or you enjoy the horrible re-hash of Oblivion that is every RPG coming out these days, which every single one is lacking in story, but it's ok, you can mash the A button all day and feel satisfied. I'll enjoy what yesteryear has to offer, while you drone the simple minded, lackluster stories, un-artistic, button mashing crap of today's generation. You are probably the same people that hated the new Duke Nukem, because it didn't have really-real-realistic graphics and it wasn't MW3. It's people like you that killed awesome epic gaming, in exchange for marketing research that makes every game these days a remake of last year's game of the year... Bring on some more epic Turn-based RPG's, screw these brainless idiots!… Expand
  4. BlacksitePSU
    Oct 6, 2011
    8
    A game with a well-written story that broke ground for showcasing its revolutionary 3D visuals. Not my favorite title in the Final Fantasy series, but still an enjoyable ride nonetheless. Unfortunately, the success of said title has spawned its own mediocre sequel in the form of a movie, Advent Children. The game itself is not as overrated as some people would lead you to believe. It'sA game with a well-written story that broke ground for showcasing its revolutionary 3D visuals. Not my favorite title in the Final Fantasy series, but still an enjoyable ride nonetheless. Unfortunately, the success of said title has spawned its own mediocre sequel in the form of a movie, Advent Children. The game itself is not as overrated as some people would lead you to believe. It's just... really popular.… Expand
  5. notacarebear
    Jan 15, 2016
    8
    Solid game when it first came out. Materia system was good on paper but in reality it was very limited by forced links and dev design, and at the end of the day, because the game offers no real challenge till the end, you were leveling most of that materia just because you could. Playing 19 years later can get frustrating.
  6. Jouna92
    Dec 25, 2013
    8
    FF VII it changed the RPG genre. It provides deep and satisfying gameplay. Soundtrack is pretty neat and memorable. But FF VII story is a bit unfocused and confusing. Example: Group of terrorist(AVALANCE) thinks that the best way to earn equal rights to the people is to destroy city's powerplants. But if you are a RPG fan this game will stun you.
  7. snespowergames
    Jan 22, 2015
    8
    I Really like FFVII, I'm not a fanboy that adore this game and say "The Best Game Ever" but I really like it.
    The graphics try to look like FFVI, on a SD/Chibi Style, but... Don't get too well on 3D however, I Like a lot of the cutscenes (but they are slow), and scenerys are really beutiful.
    About the gameplay, hardly gets repetitious, because all the minigames there have, but overall,    I Really like FFVII, I'm not a fanboy that adore this game and say "The Best Game Ever" but I really like it.
    The graphics try to look like FFVI, on a SD/Chibi Style, but... Don't get too well on 3D however, I Like a lot of the cutscenes (but they are slow), and scenerys are really beutiful.
    About the gameplay, hardly gets repetitious, because all the minigames there have, but overall, it's a classic RPG gameplay and prepare yourself to grind, because you will need it.
    The history are really a mess, and it's too much riped from FFVI, the characters are ok, my favority is Cid (the best cid on FF), I like others like: Barret,Tifa and Yuffe
    It's a good game overall, have there moments, the history is good and the graphics are ok... It's a difficult game (if you have don't have pacient to grind) have o lot of sidequest (breeding chocobos are really boring), but I really don't undertend why it's so acclaimed, I think it is... a little... empty...
    (Sorry for my english, I'm Brasilian)    … Expand
  8. VITATM
    Dec 14, 2015
    8
    Clásico de rol que ha llenado de diversión y disfrute a las infancias de millones gamers veteranos. Historia atrapante, gran música, personajes carismáticos y un sistema de combate muy bueno.
  9. extremeprey
    Apr 13, 2016
    8
    So nearly a 9 if it wasn't for a glaring issue that is, as far as I can tell, just for me. The frickin' characters are generic. I hear from people who complain about FF XIII for having generic characters with only one emotion throughout the game when this is just the same. I don't really know of a time throughout the game when Cloud wasn't angst or Barret wasn't 100% morally good but anSo nearly a 9 if it wasn't for a glaring issue that is, as far as I can tell, just for me. The frickin' characters are generic. I hear from people who complain about FF XIII for having generic characters with only one emotion throughout the game when this is just the same. I don't really know of a time throughout the game when Cloud wasn't angst or Barret wasn't 100% morally good but an arse at the same time. Gotta admit the story's fun but as always the critic in me, whilst playing, drifted towards optional things after all what's the point in having side orders if they don't look appealing. The result: I wanted more side quests! They were amazing and hooked me in big time. The main plot to the game starts off well but if you're like me and you're playing the PS4 edition however you've played the PSOne version in the past then you'll take notice of the lack of "insert disc blah" which actually works against the game. You see something big happens after the first disc which leads to a bit of chill out time at the beginning of the second disc which is appreciated however you don't get that feeling when it just continues. You don't get that brake, even for a few seconds, which adds so much thought into what happened and what's going to happen. I know you can stop after that point but if it just continues then you want to keep playing. The PS4 does add some cool features such as R3 which now speeds up the in game speed. When you sit through a slow 10 minute animation of several characters getting off of a train again and again it kind of gets tiring so this feature is much appreciated. We also get what I like to call the "why bloody hell would you want to press this button in any way whatsoever even if you were held at gunpoint that's a bad idea" button. Or R3 and L3 pressed together which turns off random encounters. Why is this a bad idea? No encounters=no points (xp)= screwed when fighting a boss. You also get a button that counters this by just healing you. All in all I enjoyed this game but not as much as FF X. Not the game's fault it's just that I grew up with X.
    Big question: would I recommend this game to someone who hasn't played an RPG before or the current strand of RPG games.
    Answer: No. FF VII is very much a veterans RPG. Don't know how RPG mechanics work? Welp then you're screwed. However if you've played FF games in the past then I do recommend this one! I'd probably say get your hands on FF X HD first to get used to the way these games work as the others sort of throw you in with no help. Unfortunately the line between traditional RPG and action RPG has been blurred since this game so those who are used to playing current RPG will definitely need some adjustment periods in order to get through this one however I enjoyed the crap out of it :D    … Expand
  10. iamevilhomer
    Mar 27, 2017
    8
    It may be the most popular FF7 game but it's not the best. Part 9 is better and of course the best one is part 6. Or in America known as part 3. Now that's a true FF game through and through.

    7 is good and all but has some boring stuff. It's also worse than 6/3 in that it has a worse story/villain/main character.. Kefka. Hilarious clown jerk type like the joker but insanely evil and    It may be the most popular FF7 game but it's not the best. Part 9 is better and of course the best one is part 6. Or in America known as part 3. Now that's a true FF game through and through.

    7 is good and all but has some boring stuff. It's also worse than 6/3 in that it has a worse story/villain/main character..

    Kefka. Hilarious clown jerk type like the joker but insanely evil and power hungry. He pretty much ruins the world. Mean while Sepiroth is just a emo kid who burned a town down.

    Terra is a mysterious person with a very interesting past that's slowly relieved to the player in a awesome way. Turns out she's actually way more awesome than you initially suspect. At first you think she's just a basket case but you soon learn she's godlike..

    Cloud is a emo kid wanna-b-tough guy with mental problems.

    Sorry weeboos but you know I got a point lol.

    No game is perfect so I give part 3/6 a 9 out of 10. Part 7 is still a good game though so I give that a high 8 out of 10.    … Expand
  11. JoseAn13Torres
    Sep 4, 2019
    8
    Una historia espectacular en un mundo impresionante, un sistema de magias novedoso, unos jefes espectaculares y unos cambios de guión soberbios hicieron de este juego una obra maestra de los 32 bits, descomunal lo conseguido en aquellos años, sirvió de inspiración para gran cantidad de juegos posteriores, cada halago que reciba siempre se quedará corto.
  12. Diegochocho
    Aug 22, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Muy buen juego en su tiempo, y una gran historia, pero tiene alguna fallas que no me cuadraron en su momento, como Tifa guardando el secreto de Cloud o lo poco que contaron de Zack, y los minijuegos que son una mierda.… Expand
  13. mugsy
    May 9, 2020
    8
    It's a good game but overhyped nonetheless. The plot and world might be great, but I can't get truly immersed and take anything seriously when characters look like LEGO figures instead of actual human beings. I liked FF 8 more for that reason.
  14. auditbadger
    Sep 26, 2018
    8
    I think that this is truly a unique game and I would recommend that if you are a fan of this type of genre then I think you should give this game a try.
  15. iliescu
    Dec 17, 2017
    8
    Fond memories with this game, the SOLDIER class and helmets in Midgard is the nicest fetch for the heroes and villains. The armor and weapons are all worn from models impossible to expect, the awesome Sephiroth and the dual with Cloud some huge entertaining values. The plot is strange though fits with a right ending. The rebels surviving and Vincent Valentine is still well a vampire ofFond memories with this game, the SOLDIER class and helmets in Midgard is the nicest fetch for the heroes and villains. The armor and weapons are all worn from models impossible to expect, the awesome Sephiroth and the dual with Cloud some huge entertaining values. The plot is strange though fits with a right ending. The rebels surviving and Vincent Valentine is still well a vampire of sorts-well concluded except Sephiroth is not that bad a fellow as they use to fight on the same team. The train runs through as it does.… Expand
  16. Antares_A
    Oct 31, 2018
    8
    Incredible gameplay, customization system, world exploration and minigames.
    The story is awesome but too confusing.
    The Bizzaro sephiroth is my favorite FF battle of all FFs.
    Balanced fighting system.
    Poor end game content i'ts not like FF V or VI it's mostly minigames and some hard bosses.
  17. greninjaX
    Nov 21, 2021
    8
    it hasn't aged super well, there's some of that "old video game Jank" every now and then, but by far the original final fantasy 7 is better than the remake
  18. Pokenight
    Feb 9, 2021
    8
    Although it has a few flaws such as drawn out animations and storytelling that can be hard to follow. This is one of the greatest rpgs of all time. Play this on the switch or emulator and you'll have a great time.
  19. AbhinavDasiga
    Apr 16, 2020
    8
    A revolutionary game which has strong characters and gripping narrative. Gameplay will feel a little dated now that it has aged, but the influence it has had on JRPGs and cinematic games is undeniable.
  20. INU4SH4
    Aug 13, 2020
    8
    This game has been around for over 20 years and despite all the constant praise it gets as one of the best games of all time and a masterpiece, I only played it this year.

    First things first, while I don't believe it is a masterpiece I still think it a great JRPG title and a must-play for fans of the genre. The story felt mind-blowing at times and had an interesting villain with a    This game has been around for over 20 years and despite all the constant praise it gets as one of the best games of all time and a masterpiece, I only played it this year.

    First things first, while I don't believe it is a masterpiece I still think it a great JRPG title and a must-play for fans of the genre.

    The story felt mind-blowing at times and had an interesting villain with a great design but at times also felt too sentimental and far-fetched. Overall still great though. The open-ending could have been better but it was a good conclusion but left a few questions unanswered.
    The characters are quite likable and interesting and the main party feels very diverse. Sometimes I felt like the characters could have been explored more though side-quests and dialogue but they still had solid personalities. I also enjoyed that some of the characters were pretty comical.
    The turn-based combat was also enjoyable and it still felt flesh although a bunch of enemy designs and skills felt really random and out of place. That's one of my main complaints and what holds the score down the most.

    The bottom line is: if you're a JRPG fan you should definitely play this one at least once. The story has a solid length and there are tons of side quests and stuff to do. The experience and the characters will stick with you although the writing could have been better in some occasions and the enemy designs and skills could have been more serious.    … Expand
  21. Mangorn
    Aug 15, 2020
    8
    Greatest Game of all time! Its just perfect! An absolute Must Play Game! A game so brilliant it enlightens your soul.
  22. JetAlone
    Feb 3, 2021
    8
    Final Fantasy VII is truly a timeless game. Even after 20 years, it's still regarded as one of, if not THE greatest RPG of all time. While I definitely don't agree with that statement, I can't argue against the massive impact that this game has had on the industry. I do think that the game has quite a few flaws, and some really big ones at that, but as a whole, it's a really great time. AsFinal Fantasy VII is truly a timeless game. Even after 20 years, it's still regarded as one of, if not THE greatest RPG of all time. While I definitely don't agree with that statement, I can't argue against the massive impact that this game has had on the industry. I do think that the game has quite a few flaws, and some really big ones at that, but as a whole, it's a really great time. As much as I love the characters, story, and music, the highlight of FFVII is easily the Materia system. It's simply a ton of fun to experiment with different materia combinations, just to see what happens. Like, do you want to turn your enemies into frogs with every hit? Just throw an Added Effect + Transform on your weapon and there you go! Or would you rather inflict instant death upon every hit? Well, an Added Effect + Destruct will get the job done. I seriously cannot emphasize how much customization you have over your characters with materia. It makes the game worth playing just by itself. Now, as much as I absolutely love the majority of FFVII, there are some serious problems that the game has. My biggest issue with the game is how the story is presented. Now, don't get me wrong, the story of FFVII is great. Genuinely one of the best in the series. My issue is how they decide to tell it. At multiple points in the game, everything just screeches to a halt, and a plot-dump of information is told all at once. Not only that, but they decide to tell it in a somewhat unorthodox, kinda vague way. I get what they're trying to do, they're trying to tell the story in a way that makes you think "Wow, that was such an interesting way they did that!" But they do such a poor job of explaining things, that you're more than likely left confused at what happened. I appreciate the effort of them trying to explain the story in a different way, but I think they could've handled it better. However, once you do understand the story, it truly is great. I personally think FFVI has the best story in the series, but this one comes close. In short, I really love this game. There are some aspects about it that I realllllly dislike, but the good very much outweighs the bad. If you've never played FFVII, I really do recommend it, it's a game that I think everyone should try at least once. It's amazing at best, and inoffensive at worst.… Expand
  23. SuperClaudio64
    Feb 28, 2021
    8
    Un gioco che ho amato ma che con il tempo inizia a calarmi. Non per il gioco in sè ma per quello che è diventato, Final Fantasy7 è un ottimo Rpg che bisognerebbe giocare se si è fan del genere, ma che non bisognerebbe andare ad espandere poi. Il gioco originale è molto bello ma i suoi spinoff, sequel o remake hanno macchiato quel universo che una volta era così particolare e finito, e perUn gioco che ho amato ma che con il tempo inizia a calarmi. Non per il gioco in sè ma per quello che è diventato, Final Fantasy7 è un ottimo Rpg che bisognerebbe giocare se si è fan del genere, ma che non bisognerebbe andare ad espandere poi. Il gioco originale è molto bello ma i suoi spinoff, sequel o remake hanno macchiato quel universo che una volta era così particolare e finito, e per questo non riesco più a rivederlo sotto la stessa luce di un tempo....… Expand
  24. Patedus
    Mar 16, 2022
    8
    Straight flames, this game is absolutely gas, there's a lot to love, especially the music.
  25. Marwans
    Feb 24, 2022
    8
    One of the best representatives of the RPG genre has iconic characters in video games, undoubtedly the best of the saga.
  26. HiStuffGuy
    Apr 22, 2022
    8
    I honestly can't even express how much of an enthralling, incredible experience the first half of this game was for me. That sense of curiosity, it's exactly what make rpgs like this shine. My favorite arc of the story is most definitely the climbing of the Shinra Tower. With every floor, new secrets are revealed, and that sense of mystery is incredible. For me though, my interest took aI honestly can't even express how much of an enthralling, incredible experience the first half of this game was for me. That sense of curiosity, it's exactly what make rpgs like this shine. My favorite arc of the story is most definitely the climbing of the Shinra Tower. With every floor, new secrets are revealed, and that sense of mystery is incredible. For me though, my interest took a dip after leaving Midgar; it just felt like the characters had less personal connection to the story, and the places they wandered through. At around the 65% mark (around after the characters meet Sephiroth in the mansion in Nibelheim), my interest plummeted, and I really didn't enjoy myself much. It just really felt like the story had widened itself out too much, and that the characters weren't at all personally connected to it. In conclusion, I found the first half of this game to be indescribable, and had no flaws, from around 50-65% I still really enjoyed myself, but not to the extent I had before. From 65-100%, I thought the characters felt disconnected from the story, and that the general quality of the adventure as a whole took a giant dip.… Expand
  27. GDsReviews
    Aug 13, 2023
    8
    The greatest game I never finished. No kidding. This game is a legend and masterpiece easily among the greatest games ever made to this day, with one the best soundtracks and stories of any game made as well. However, the game is an extremely brutal, hard, and long grind fest that can easily drain your enthusiasm for playing the game and as well reducing the immersion in the lore andThe greatest game I never finished. No kidding. This game is a legend and masterpiece easily among the greatest games ever made to this day, with one the best soundtracks and stories of any game made as well. However, the game is an extremely brutal, hard, and long grind fest that can easily drain your enthusiasm for playing the game and as well reducing the immersion in the lore and story. If the grind is too much for you and still want to experience the lore and story, watch a walkthrough of the game without commentary like a movie. Whether you play it and/or watch a walkthrough without commentary like a movie, this game has a story and soundtrack you don't want to miss.… Expand
  28. Strife69420
    Jun 29, 2022
    8
    Contains some minute spoilers

    Since it's initial release in the 90s, Final Fantasy 7 has been revered as this "amazing game that you have to play". And for the most part, that does hold true. The overall plot, and executions were great. Great tension building when revealing the villain. The combat had nice progression, alongside some fun weapons and magic. The map and scenery was    Contains some minute spoilers

    Since it's initial release in the 90s, Final Fantasy 7 has been revered as this "amazing game that you have to play". And for the most part, that does hold true.

    The overall plot, and executions were great. Great tension building when revealing the villain. The combat had nice progression, alongside some fun weapons and magic. The map and scenery was beautiful. The music helped give a great atmosphere to the locations, and are just some great songs in general. The character designs were also great, and the characters were enjoyable.

    The combat was really slow due to animations. Area themes would be interrupted by the battle theme in some areas. The graphics were quite ugly, and did not age well. Most areas felt incredibly time consuming and annoying to complete. The random encounter rate felt like you’d be getting a random encounter every 10 seconds. The characters felt really flat as well. The ending was also quite lackluster.

    Overall, I really did enjoy the game, I really did. The graphics are ugly, the characters didn't hit me like I thought they would, the animations in the combat were incredibly annoying, the random encounters and some areas were an absolute pain in the ass, and the ending was incredibly disappointing. But... I did still like the game though, really. Great story, great music, great locations, great and memorable character designs, nice magic system, and great overall feel and theme of the game. If you do want to get into the JRPG genre, and want to experience a great story and music as well, or if you're just interested in playing it because of Final Fantasy Remake, do play it because it is still a great game. However, do be warned as it's definitely not the phenomenal JRPG you've been told it is.

    Overall Score: 8/10, didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to because the characters didn't hit me all that hard. Emotional scenes also didn't hit me that hard as well.

    As an extra side note, I really wanted to give a more in-depth review but I sadly couldn't because I'd be getting a 404 because of **** **** engine but it's fine. :///////    … Expand
  29. DanielGG91
    Nov 15, 2022
    8
    Como no tuve PS1 no pude jugar este juego hasta mucho después, y no defrauda. Un juegazo para la época, con muchísima profundidad en la historia y personajes, y un gameplay por turnos divertido y que no cansa en sus largas horas de juego.
  30. aaronnmp96
    Jan 30, 2023
    8
    The experience is unforgettable but it is not the best in the series, there is more nostalgia than realism
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best PS1 Game of 1997
1
#1 Most Discussed PS1 Game of 1997
2
#2 Most Shared PS1 Game of 1997

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. GMR Magazine
    90
    Brought RPGs into the Western spotlight and contained the most debated plot twist of an era. [Feb 2003, p.97]
  2. Gamestyle
    90
    You can play the game time and time again. Always finding something new, from a new piece of materia to a new place, to defeating the ultimate weapons. The story twists and turns all the time always keeping you guessing as to what will happen next.
    Read full review
  3. Thunderbolt
    90
    Without a doubt, FF7 is one of the top Final Fantasy games out there. It is also one of the best RPG adventures of all time.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »