Final Fantasy VII
PlayStation
For my original review of the game, click
>HERE<
Normally I wouldn't say that it is necessary to go back and read my original review before checking out my re-review, but I think it is here. Final Fantasy VII is a game I have a great reverence for. It was my first ever PS1 game. It was my first Final Fantasy game. It was my first real turn based RPG. I say nothing but gushing things for it in my original review, which you can find linked above. I think it is very important to know, coming into this re-review, just how important this game was to me growing up. My review encapsulates that quite well.
Nowadays, here in 2026, I often hear talk online about how the game isn't as good it is made out to be. It's just a product of nostalgia. The graphics haven't aged well. Final Fantasy VI is better. The remake is better. It's actually a mid game. Blah blah blah. I don't care what anyone else has to say. This is my favorite game, and it probably will be until the day I die. I'm not saying it to join any bandwagons, or because I don't have any original opinions of my own. I truly love this game. I played it at just the right time in my life. It was a massive part of my teenage years when I was going through high school. I felt a real connection to the game. I played through it a dozen times. I even wrote fan fiction about the game, and read what others were saying about the game online. It is one of the first instances I can remember of using the internet for something that wasn't educational.
I have fond memories of printing up fan-written short stories from the library, and bringing home giant binders of them stapled together, where I would read them in my bedroom. I remember this one particularly vicious story about Cid and his relationship with Shera. The whole story was just him beating her, screaming at her, and abusing her. There was no other plot to it aside from him torturing her. It was the grimmest thing I've ever read. I still think about it to this day. If you wrote that short story and you're reading this, I want you to know that you're one sick fuck, alright?
Anyway, I'm going off tangent. I tend to do that when talking about Final Fantasy VII. Let's talk about how I felt through my 2026 playthrough of the game. I'll start by reminding us all that my last playthrough was back in September of 2016, almost ten years ago to the exact date. That's probably the longest I've ever gone in my life without playing Final Fantasy VII.
Coming in, I was worried that all the online naysayers would be right. The game wouldn't be any good. I would be able to see all its flaws. I'd have a terrible time with it.
Turns out, I didn't have to worry about that at all. Right off the bat, I was drawn into the game. To use an obvious comparison, it was like coming home to family. I was hit with a warm, cozy feeling as I stepped into the game. I don't know if I'm just simply incapable of looking at this game objectively because of my history with it, or what. But I loved it.
THAT SAID, do I still think this is the greatest game ever made? I'm actually not sure. Like I said, I still liked the game and had a fun time playing it. The story is great, the music is great. I love the atmosphere of the game. I don't think the graphics have even aged that poorly, to be honest with you. I still think it looks quite charming.
My biggest problem with the game was its easiness. I zipped through the game with little to no trouble at all. I only had to stop and grind twice. The first time was near the Nibelheim reactor (where you have the choice of slides to go down that leads to different items). And the second time was right at the end of the game before going into the final boss rush.
I used Cait Sith as one of my main party members. In the dozen times I've played through this game in my life, I had never used him before. I always just assumed he sucked from the few times you HAVE to use him in this game, like during the Junon escape. But he actually turned out to be a pretty capable character. His physical attacks were strong and he seemed proficient with magic. He had good limit breaks, too. Next time I play through this game (which will probably be a very long time), I will have to use Vincent as one of my main characters.
All in all, I still think this is a game that holds up well. I'll never understand the vitriol that some people seem to have for it online. Do they truly think it isn't a good game, or do they just think it is overrated? I really hope it is the second option.
This is still one of my favorite RPGs of all time. Trying to look at it through a more objective lens, I do think that the gap is closing a little bit. Xenogears is starting to creep up on this game. I'm eager to play through FF6 and Chrono Trigger someday to see if my opinions on those games have changed at all. I used to think they were leagues behind FF7, and I'm curious to see if that is different now.
As far as best game of all time, this is something I'm really going to have to sit down and think about. There are so many awesome games out there. Is this really better than Ocarina of Time, Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Zero Dawn, etc? I don't know. It was certainly the most impactful game I've ever played. But the best? Hmmmm....
I'm nearly up to 1000 games played in my life. It's always been a goal of mine to do an ultimate "worst to best" ranking when I get there. Final Fantasy VII has always been penciled in as the #1 game on my list. But I'm really going to have to think about it now. What was once an easy A+ game for me has slipped just a tiny bit down to an A game in my eyes. Good game. I'd say even a great game. But the best ever? We shall see. But the fact that it is even in the conversation should tell you all you need to know.
THE GRADE:
A
For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click
>HERE<
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