Final Fantasy VII (Original, 1997)

My dad played this around his tweens with his brother, my uncle. 

This game became a big memory for his childhood, and he made it one for us. He told us about it and said we'll wait till January to buy it. My sisters and I were a little impatient and rather curious. We knew one of the theme songs. I found another (Aerith's theme), and it felt so enthralling, so deep with meaning, and I wanted to know more. So, as it goes, my sisters and I knew a lot about the story before we played it. 

We got it for only 15$ on the Nintendo Switch, and it started. And man, from the beginning, you felt this story ran deep with great depth. The intro, the music, the scenery, it was all enough to get my siblings and me locked in from the start. My dad would play, and we would watch. You get to choose the names of playable (main) characters, but we stuck to their real names. The game follows a mercenary, Cloud Strife, ex-SOILDER, joining a quick job with an anti-Shinra group called Avalanche. Shinra is basically the Empire from Star Wars. It's a corrupt government taking over the land. They've been sucking up mako from the Planet, its lifescource, and using it for their own experiments and polluting factories slowly killing the Planet. It all starts in the capital city-- Midgar. Where Shinra Corporation is. It's a sci-fi/steampunk city with two layers, one city atop another, divided into eight sectors, with the town below referred to as the slums. 

<This is Midgar. 

Each section has a Mako Reactor, which sucks mako from the Planet. You (Cloud) bomb one of the Mako Reactors. Imagine Mako like the blood of a human, and Shinra is using the reactors to suck it out and use it. 

Mako is the lifeblood of our world. The planet bleeds green like you and me bleed red. The hell you think's gonna happen when it's all gone, huh? Answer me! You gonna' stand there and pretend you can't hear the planet crying out in pain? I know you can!- Barret Wallace.

Barrett Wallace is one of the main characters and the leader of Avalanche. Out of all the characters, except for a few minors, one other character, and villagers, Barrett is the one who curses. A lot. But, unless your kids can read, they won't notice, cause everything is a script you read, not out loud. My dad narrated everything for us, but would switch the words. "Get your spiky 'butt' over here!" Other than that, he's a generally safe character. He has an adopted daughter, whom he loves a lot. And he's also very funny and never fails to amuse me. Now, after exploding the reactor, you all meet up at Seventh Heaven, Tifa Lockhart's bar, the next main player. She and Cloud grew up together but weren't very close. From her entrance, you can tell, Tifa feels something special toward Cloud. Now, for every character, she is the most unmodest. She has a white sports bra and a short leather skirt, and she's a fist-fighter.

Looking at her, nothing is very suggestive; everything is well covered, but she still has the most feminine body if you know what I mean. But throughout the entire game, nothing points out her style choices, no one says anything, there are no hints, so it is pretty safe. Tifa is a very sweet, kind, and kick-butt type of character. She's not like an annoying I-can-do-it-alone type of girl, but she can certainly take the lead without gloating. Her theme song says it all. I don't know anyone who doesn't like her.

Clouds' character himself is shown as a sarcastic, not interested, silent loner. Throughout the game, he makes new relationships, and you can feel how much he values them. 

After the explosion, some battle brings you crashing into an abandoned, rundown church. Flowers Blooming in the Church plays. Here, you engage with your newest and probably the most emotional character, Aeris Gainsborough. Every Final Fantasy VII player holds her in a special light, and we all know how impactful and important she is. I know there might be some who dislike her, and to them, I'll hold extra grace and refrain from my wrath. The songs that play for her reveal her importance and character. Sad, ethereal, loving, hopeful. She's also the most family-friendly character. Being optimistic, sparking hope, keeping it fun, but also with a flirt in her. Maybe it's because of her first love, Zack Fair, who is deceased now, but he has his own game, Crisis Core, which is very good. Possible review later. If it weren't for her constant reminder of hope and joy, the main party wouldn't have been so lively and successful on their journey. She keeps it lighthearted and bright, and is by far one of my favourites.

She takes care of these flowers and plants many by her house. She is also friendly with many children. Aeris becomes another romantic interest, alongside Tifa, leaving Cloud to choose who to pursue. But I'm so glad they don't make the women rivals, and they are actually very good friends.

No one lives in the slums because they want to. It's like this train. It can only go where the tracks take it.-Cloud

She commonly prays and uses the gesture, but not towards any acknowledged god.

Now befriending her, she walks with you to go back to Seventh Heaven, but then you see Tifa being taken away in a fancy carriage. Following her, you find out she's been taken into a large mansion, owned by a man named Don Corneo. The only way to go in is to dress up as a girl, which is funny, and has become an iconic moment for FF7 fans. Dressing up, you and Aeris go in. Don Corneo takes three wives every month or something and "then ... well, you know." So already, we're hinted at something more than a marriage--- adult fun. You get caught sneaking around and are sent to a basement/cell where Tifa is. She says she came here on purpose because Don knows something about Shinra's plans involving Avalanche. The time comes for a bride to be chosen, and the winner is Tifa. Cloud is sent to a mancave with a bunch of dudes. They follow you with their hands out, no explicit direct message. But one says, "Say goes if two dance together their hearts become connected." You reveal you're really a man, and you fight them all.

Hey, that's Cloud's line! '...It's too dangerous, I can't get you involved...' Blah blah blah.- Aeris

Grabbing Aerith, you walk in on Tifa sitting at the edge of a bed with Don sitting on the other side, facing her. Don says some suspicious things like, "Come to papa. Don't be shy." But Tifa says, "Before we start, I have some questions." This is probably the most suggestive the game has ever gotten, and people either think Don Corneo is stupid or think he's ridiculously hilarious. You then barge in and intimidate him, saying, "I'll rip it off. I'll tear it off. I'll blow it off." Only making sense to those who understand. But my dad just skipped the dialogue and sped it up to where we needed to see. This is probably the most suggestive scene, but after you leave Don, it's completely dropped, as if nothing happened, and there are no more suggestive, inappropriate things. It can be easily skipped in the OG. And I don't think my dad remembered it was there. I hate it, and I wish it weren't there. However, my younger brothers knew nothing. It wasn't explicit enough to scar me and was more something I'd laugh in his face for 'cause it's so stupid. There is one optional scene that only appears if you find it, which is rare, and it is more explicit--- my dad never saw and neither did we.

I won't let you do it! The future is not only yours! -Aeris

Don says Shinra is gonna explode the supports holding up the plate for Sector 8, where Avalanche headquarters is, smashing the slums below it and destroying the town, to blame it on Avalanche. You don't get back on time. Many people are killed, and your group takes the blame. Aeris gets taken by Shinra, and you go to rescue her. While there, you find out Aeris is an Ancient, or Cetra. Ancients were the guardians of the Planet, and spoke to the lifestream. It's a lot to explain, but the lifestream is basically an ocean of spirits on the earth. When you die, "you return to the Planet," aka, joining the lifestream. And the life from the stream is what helps make new life, like trees and newborns. It's basically what stabilises the Planet, alongside Mako, which Shinra is sucking up. 

Cetra? That some kinda disease? - Barrett

While rescuing Aeris, you pick up your next party member, Red XIII. He's a canine, a big one that talks and has a fire-tipped tail. He's very wise and really cool. He's a very safe character. But while you're there, you see JENOVA, or her headless form. More explanation later. But basically, while you're here, you overhear Sephiroth breaking in and killing people, stealing JENOVA. Cloud remembers Sephiroth, saying he's supposed to be dead. He used to be in SOILDER but rebelled and is insane. You leave and run after him, Sephiroth, your antagonist. In this part, you follow a trail of blood, and even though the graphics are old, it can be creepy considering the song that plays. The party wants to go with you. You go to Kalm, a town where Cloud explains his history. In this, Cloud explains how, after a mission, Sephiroth found out he was an experiment, injected with JENOVA cells, making him the powerful man he his. After finding this out, he goes insane. "I'm a monster." He was always told his mother was named Jenova, but now it's this alien creature. JENOVA was a crashed asteroid years and years ago. She is an alien, and her cells were used for experiments.

I've been here since the beginning and I still don't know what the hell's goin' on! -Barret

The rest of the plot is more spoilers, but basically, you're chasing Sephiroth. He wants to be a god. His goal is to call Meteor, which will crash into the Planet, killing millions, releasing a lot of spirit from the lifestream that he hopes to absorb. I can't explain it all in pure detail, but it's really unique and very well done, but part of it is very strange. 

Anyone may claim that he will act in the direst times, yet only a brave man acts in times great and small. -Cloud

Cid is a pilot character you gain, and is the other character who curses. An optional, by chance, character you can gain is Yuffie Kisaragi, along with Vincent Valentine. You'll most likely get Vincent. He is another experiment who is basically a vampire, but minus the sharp teeth and basically the most stuff that makes you a vampire. He is just mysterious, quiet, and can shapeshift into a monster. He's a pretty cool character. Yuffie is a young, annoying, chaotic teenage girl--- who is always searching for treasure. She helps bring humour and is another character keeping it light-hearted.

Cait Sith is a carnival mascot who is a fun, safe companion.

- From left to right. Cait Sith, Aeris, Vincent, Yuffie, Red XIII, Cloud, Cid, Tifa, and Barrett.

Personal review and take-away:

Playing this was so fun and absolutely entertaining. The humour was strictly PG and clean, but it contained cursing, including some suggestive humour that could go over children's heads. The cursing in this wasn't so often that I got annoyed, but it was definitely there for every part of the story, but it did not go so far as the F-bomb or B-word. But the jokes had us all laughing and chuckling. The world is its own, not our world, and it feels dystopian/sci-fi/fantasy/steampunk.  

This day will never come again, so let me have this moment. -Tifa

The entire worldbuild is so enthralling and unique, and it was all very inspiring for me. You're diving into a whole other world, becoming a character, part of it. Even though the graphics are older, it doesn't change its feel; it's still so engaging. The music? I love music, I'm a geek for it, every movie we watch, every game we play, every background song, I put a listening ear to. And this game's music was peak. It set the mood and displayed each character. Tifa's theme is sweet and relaxing, because she's a good friend, wants to help Cloud with his struggles, and is so good to everyone! The battle theme is fast and intense, because you could be killed any minute, but are also kicking-butt and serving justice. And when one music is playing, you go somewhere else and hear this quiet, eerie song, and every time it came on, all of us knew, "Here comes something big." Being a Christian and containing my own knowledge of the spiritual realm, demons and pagan gods, there are some Japanese and anime themes, as it is written, that do leave me conflicted and telling me that part of the story is strange, but knowing how dark and inappropriate anime can get, I'd say this game was pretty clean. There are characters you can summon during a battle to assist you called summons, which, I admit, feels rather spiritual, but some of the summons are Odin, Hades, Leviathan, Bahamut, Shiva, Ifrit, Knights of the Round, and others. And if you couldn't tell, some of those are the names of Greek and Roman gods and others. 

Words aren't the only way to tell someone how you feel. - Tifa

Both 'Gya ha ha' and 'Kya ha ha' are up to something. Wanna eavesdrop? - Cait Sith

The characters were very real, I could connect with each of them, and I was thrilled to explore each backstory. Final Fantasy VII is a classic and popular game in many gamers' lives, well-known and very adored-- I see why now. I will note that anime is not something we watch/play in our household. Anime commonly contains sexual content and very spiritual things like demons and gods from Japanese beliefs and religions. I will not say that because God keeps me safe from Satan and his tricks that I can easily watch everyone and not worry about that stuff. It can still affect, it can still influence, and that doesn't mean I can just watch/read anything, no matter its contents, without a care. This game, containing its common anime themes, has, in my case, strengthened my discernment in what I consume and allow myself to be influenced by, especially in the media stories and RPG's I digest. While I believe this can be enjoyed by Christians, it can also leave confliction and anger with some.  That is alright, I understand. Peoples tolerance are all different. Positively, this game has inspired me with its world building, character development, amazing soundtrack, and unique storyline. Would I show this to the children I could possibly have one day? Yes, but with caution. There are things contained that are with good influence and some things with not good influence. This is my thoughts, and I can't even put it fully into words because I still feel rather confused about how I truly feel about it. But bottomline, great game, some controversial contents. I love it, I enjoyed it, I do not regret it, but there are cons. I 100% suggest this to people who know what they're getting into and are smart about influence and discernment. It is enjoyable, it is amazing, fun,and hopeful. Crisis Core is a prequal about a character before he died and also the villian arch of Sephiroth. That one is much simplier, calmer, family-friendly, and quick. That's awesome too, my sister did a blog on it, check it out to learn more.

What I have shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion -Sephiroth

If this is all a dream, don't wake me up. - Cloud Strife

I have nothing to say. - Vincent

That's okay, it was probably depressing anyway. -Yuffie

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• You look like a bear wearing a marshmallow. - Cloud (to Barrett)

I don't care what you're doing, so much as the idiotic way you're doing it - Vincent

All right, everyone, let's mosey. - Cloud
 D*mn! Again! Stop sayin' it like a wimp! Can't you say 'Move out!' or somethin'? - Cid
Move out! - Cloud

High voltage tower... I guess this means Cloud'll be all right. - Tifa
Yeah, better leave it to Cloud! - Aeris
We're counting on you, Cloud! - Red XIII
Hey! Wait a second! - Cloud

C'mon Cloud say something... - Yuffie
...something. - Cloud

Romance: High. Love Triangle, Suggestive content. Language: High. da## sh## a##. Censored version available.Violence: Mid-ish: Old graphics, lower tolerance. Trail of blood. Battles. Sword stabs. Hallucinations. Mind problems.

8.5/10. Would be 10 or 11 if not for the controversial content. 

Happy Gaming :D

[spoil]... she/he was smilin' till the end. - Cloud