So You Want To Play The Original Final Fantasy VII?
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth came out in February 2024. Perhaps youâve recently finished the game and are now in search of something new to play. Whether youâve played the original or not, there is never a wrong time to play the original Final Fantasy VII.
And if youâre new to the world of Cloud and co. and are curious about 2020âs Final Fantasy VII Remake and this yearâs Rebirth, but havenât played the original, you may be wondering if you have to play the 1997 classic before jumping in.
While Remake probably wonât leave FF7 newcomers out in the cold, both Remake and Rebirth are very much in dialogue with the original gameâsometimes so directly that this current remake project really does feel like a giant meta exercise.
Read More: Iâm Convinced FF7 Rebirth Is A Sequel To The Original
Here Iâll lay out some essential considerations to make when diving back into this essential epic of gaming history, whether itâs your first time or not.
Which version?
Captured on Switch.Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
The original Final Fantasy VII isnât terribly hard to source. If you have a modern console such as a Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S or even last generation machines like the PS4 and Xbox One, you can easily grab a copy from each platformâs respective stores. This version has smoother-looking polygons than the original PlayStation release, but the pre-rendered backgrounds are largely untouched. It also features great quality-of-life features, such as a 3x speed toggle, the ability to avoid random encounters, and a setting that instantly heals characters to max health and raises their Limit Break status. And while the English translation was improved, it still features some of FF7âs awkward phrasing as a result of its famously rushed origins. It even defaults to naming Aerith âAerisâ like the original English version did in 1997.
Is it Aerith or Aeris? In the Japanese version of FF7, the character we know as Aerith was named âEarisu,â which should translate to âAerith.â FF7 had a notoriously rushed English translation, resulting in some bad grammar, odd turns of phrase, and the strange use of words like âwastrelâ and âmosey.â One of these translation casualties was Aerithâs name, which appeared as âAerisâ in the 1997 version.
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Modern versions of the original FF7, however, have kept this mistranslation. Since you can change every main characterâs name in FF7, you are free to kill the S and add a TH if youâre so inclined. For me, as someone who played the game when it came out, seeing âAerisâ on the screen takes me back to those happy memories.
FF7 is also available on Humble Bundle or Steam. However, the Steam version, unlike the console iterations, does not include the aforementioned quality-of-life features such as the ability to avoid random encounters. The Steam version, however, can be modded. So if you want to change out the in-game character models, swap out the old music with the updated tracks from Remake, add FFVIIIâs Triple Triad, and so much more, the PC version is very fun to tinker withâespecially if youâve played this game to death.
What about Ever Crisis? In 2023, Square Enix released Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis for mobile platforms and Windows. It contains a colossal amount of lore from FF7âs expanded universe, including recreations of scenes from the original game with slightly more modern versions of the polygonal models from FF7. While you can experience the original narrative through this app, I highly recommend playing the original instead as Ever Crisis is loaded with microtransactions and very much wants you to spend lots of money. Check it out after finishing the original game, if youâre curious.
If you have an original copy of FF7, all PS3 models will play original PlayStation discs, so if you have one of those lying around, too, youâre good to go. That said, if you do have an original copy of Final Fantasy VII, do yourself a favor and hunt down an old PSX (and a CRT TV!) to enjoy this game like itâs 1997. Note that the original contains a bug that makes it impossible to raise your partyâs magic defense. Modern re-releases of the game have fixed this.
Important âconfigâ settingsAs a game from 1997, Final Fantasy VII has far fewer settings than most modern AAA games. That said, while in game, you can select âConfigâ from the menu to alter a few choice elements of the game.
Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
One of the most fun is the ability to alter the color of the text boxes and menus. The default blue is a classic, but it can be fun to change up the color over the course of the game. I like to change it after each major story beat, but you can also change it across different game saves if you want.
Thereâs also a handy Cursor setting. This affects the behavior of your cursor during battles. When set to âInitial,â the cursor will reset to the top choice on each characterâs turn. âMemory,â however, will return the cursor to the last combat option you selected per character. This is handy if you plan on using the same spell or item multiple turns in a row. And itâll make combat a little faster for characters youâll almost always use spells with, such as Aeris/th.
Whatâs going on with the ATB settings?FF7 uses an active turn-based combat system called Active Time Battle. On âActiveâ setting, youâll choose your attacks and actions on your turn once the time gauge fills up, but time never pauses. If youâre new to FF7, this can make boss fights in particular feel more stressful as combat wonât stop as youâre digging through menus for items or spells.
Read More: I Thought Aerith Had Goat Ears
The âRecommendedâ setting is a little confusing. While characters are casting spells, using Limit Breaks, or using a summon, time will pause if you are looking through the spell or item list.
When set to âWait,â time will pause anytime youâre looking through your spells or items.
Captured on Switch.
Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
Brand new players should try out Wait and Recommended. Active, however, can make the combat feel much speedier, especially if you increase the battle speed in the config menu.
General gameplay tipsFF7 is an old-school RPG from the â90s. Its story, characters, and soundtrack may be timeless, but many of its gameplay elements might seem cryptic or archaic by todayâs standards. Here are a few things to keep in mind while saving the planet with your buddies.
Combat positioning and defendingWhile you canât move your characters freely around the battlefield during combat, there are two non-obvious ârowsâ for combat positioning. If a characterâs portrait in the menu screen is on the left-most side, theyâre at the âFront,â where theyâll enjoy a boost in attack power at the cost of lower defense.
When a character portrait is on the right-most side, theyâre in the âRear,â where theyâll see lower melee attack damage but will enjoy a higher defense. Notably, however, some weapons, like Barretâs gun-arms, are âLong range weapons,â meaning theyâll do the same damage whether the character is in the Front or Rear. You can check a weaponâs range by hovering over it in the âItemâ menu.
Donât miss out on Yuffie and Vincent! Unlike the other party members, our materia thief and mystery coffin-sleeper wonât just naturally join your party as you progress through the main story. To recruit Yuffie, youâll need to venture into the forests outside of Junon and encounter her in a battle. Once you defeat her, youâll have a cute dialogue exchange. Pick the following options to get Yuffie to join you: âNot Interested,â â…petrified,â âWait a second!â â…thatâs right,â and â…letâs hurry on.â Donât use the save point in this area, as it will take you out of the field screen and Yuffie will vanish.
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Youâll be able to recruit Vincent when you return to Nibelheim. Youâll find a safe on the second floor of the Shinra Manor. The code is Right 36, Left 10, Right 59, Right 97. Prepare for a tough fight after opening the safe. Then go down to the basement and enter the room on your left when heading toward the lab/study area where Sephiroth had his little revelatory meltdown.
You can either change order in the menu by selecting âOrder,â or during combat by hitting left on the d-pad during a characterâs turn and selecting âChange.â
Captured on Switch.
Gif: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
You can also command a character to defend, thus mitigating damage by half, by hitting right on the d-pad during a characterâs turn and selecting âDefend.â
Save as often as you possibly canFF7 was released in the era before autosave became standard. Be sure to save, preferably in a new slot, every single time you see a save point or step out into the field. If you die, youâll go back to your last save point so itâs very easy to lose hours of progress.
Field screen, battle screen, menu screen, over world: Learn the lingo In FF7 youâll cycle through four main screens. The âfield screenâ is any environment with a pre-rendered background where youâll explore and chat with NPCs. The âbattle screenâ is where combat happens, a 3D environment signaled by a loud splash sound. The over world is a 3D-rendering of the planet where youâll travel from town to town; you can save the game at any time while in the over world. Finally, thereâs the menu screen, which you activate by pressing the top face button on a controller. Youâll manage all of your characterâs equipment there.
Your health and MP wonât regenerate at these save points unless you use a Tent, which is only usable at save points or out in the world map.
Be strategic with Limit Breaks (but donât be too shy with them)You can actually hold on to Limit Breaksâpowerful signature attacks and abilities each character possessesâacross battles. Once the gauge fills up, it will remain available for that character until you use it. A filled Limit Break gauge, however, will lock you out of using your basic attack.
Captured on Switch.
Gif: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
Itâs not a bad idea to hold on to Limit Breaks if you know a boss fight is around the corner. Once youâre in combat, feel free to use those more powerful moves. The original FF7 doesnât have a stagger system like Remake and Rebirth do, so thereâs no point holding onto those Limit Breaks unless youâre saving them for a boss battle.
You can unlock new Limit Breaks early onEach character has four levels of Limit Breaks, with each level offering two unique abilities. Youâll unlock each levelâs second Limit Break ability by using the first one a certain number of times. For example, youâll unlock Cloudâs Cross-Slash after using Braver eight times. Gaining a new Limit Break level requires you to defeat a certain number of enemies. Cloudâs level-two limit break, for example, requires you to defeat 120 enemies with him.
Thereâs a great opportunity early on in the game to get Cloud, Barret, and Tifaâs second level-one Limit Break abilities. While youâre heading to the Sector 5 reactor, after jumping off the train, run toward the screen. Youâll have to travel through a few screens but eventually youâll arrive at a scene with two guards whoâll attack you when you approach.
Captured on Switch.
Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
From here you can engage in several battles by choosing âStay hereâ after each battle. If youâre playing a modern version of the game with âGod Modeâ (activated by pushing the right thumbsticks in on the controller), and 3x speed (activated by pushing the left thumbstick in), you can treat this series of battles as an XP farm and a Limit Break farm by spamming Limit Breaks in each battle.
Always check your inventory for new weapons, armor, accessories, and materiaFF7 was made in 1997, so it doesnât have a menu thatâll badger you with flashing indicators whenever you pick up something new. While youâll usually be notified of receiving a new item after picking it up in the field or as a reward after a battle, itâs very easy to forget youâve done so. Itâs a good idea to check your inventory frequently to make sure your characters are using the best possible equipment.
Always check shops for new materia and equipmentFF7 wants you to be on the lookout for new materia and items. You can get plenty of Gil from random encounters, so farming for cash isnât too hard. But be sure to check in with anyone whoâs selling things to see if they have something special that could give you an edge in the battles to come.
Donât forget about the âSelect Buttonâ
Captured on Switch.
Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
While most modern controllers have long since done away with Start and Select buttons, modern versions of FF7 retain the âSelect buttonâ feature, bound to the â-â button on Switch, the âViewâ button on Xbox (the one with two squares), or the left side of the touchpad on a PS4/5 controller.
This will activate a pointer that hovers over your character while exploring the world, accompanied by red arrows to indicate doors and green arrows to indicate ladders. Itâs a quick way to figure out whatâs available to you if youâre lost. During combat, this will add a second menu that tells you the names of enemies when targeting them as well as relevant combat info if youâve used the Sense materia on a target.
Modern versions of FF7 donât totally make combat irrelevantYou mightâve heard that the modern versions of FF7 found on PS5, Xbox Series consoles, and Switch let you just focus on the story. Sadly, thatâs only partially true.
If you just want to experience the story and not engage in any combat, you might be better off just watching a no-commentary Letâs Play or something. Current versions of FF7 still require you to engage in combat and do some character leveling and speccing. I donât find this to be a bad thing as this is a game, after all.
However, the added features, such as speeding up the game, giving your characters max health instantly, and skipping random encounters, do make the experience of Final Fantasy VII a bit easier to manage. Hereâs how these features work and how you can best make use of them:
God Mode doesnât make you completely invincible
Captured on Switch.
Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
This tip concerns all versions of FF7 which allow you to speed up the game, turn off random encounters, and activate âGod Modeâ by pushing the right thumbstick in. While it usually works just fine for random encounters, itâs not going to save you from bosses youâre not appropriately leveled and equipped for.
Although this mode will instantly regenerate your HP back to its highest value after every hit you take, if you get hit with damage thatâs higher than your maximum HP, you will still die. When you consider that many bosses have attacks that hit all party members for large amounts of damage, that means you very much can reach a game over screen even with âGod Modeâ turned on.
So what should you use this mode for? Itâs great for grinding random encounters as low-level monsters are unlikely to kill you with this mode on. Itâs also an easy way to reset your health and MP like the blue benches do in FF7 Rebirth. Also, if you just unlocked a new Limit Break and want to try it out right away, itâs very handy for that as well.
Captured on Switch.
Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
Skipping too many random encounters will leave you dramatically underleveledPressing in the left and right thumbstick on modern versions of FF7 will cancel out all random encounters. Sometimes this is a nice change of pace, but you should use it intentionally. Donât leave it on all the time. FF7âs bosses were designed with the understanding that players would go through multiple random encounters, hence upping their level over the course of the game, not just from pivotal fights. Random encounters are also a solid way to slowly build up enough Gil to buy items, weapons, armor, and materia.
Sometimes itâs nice to give yourself a break and avoid random encounters, but be sure to dedicate time to engaging in them to make sure youâre properly leveled.
Speeding up the game can make it harderSequences like this one are much harder when the game is running at 3x speed.
Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
I like to treat the 3x speed option as a kind of sprint button. Itâs even bound to the left thumbstick like most sprint commands in modern games. 3x speed is a great way to speed up complex fight animations, climbing ladders, or traversing the open world. That said, certain mini-games and sequences like capturing a chocobo during a battle are made much harder when you have to keep up with the game running at three times its intended pace.
Captured on Switch.
Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku
FF7 is a classic video game. Itâs an excellent RPG featuring a wonderful and dynamic tale, set in a vivid world that fuses science fiction and fantasy, brought to life by genuinely interesting combinations of 2D and 3D graphics, and set to one of the greatest soundtracks of all timeâand not just in video games, I genuinely mean of all time. Itâs a game that should be on your list to play whether itâs your first time, seventh time, or 777th time.
