An inherently interactive medium, video games can connect with an audience on a deeper emotional level than literature, films, or television. Emphasis on “can.” Most modern developers fail to acknowledge what actually drives gaming as an artform, prioritizing cinematic titles, but in times like these, it’s important to turn to the classics and remember how forward thinking the best video games always were.
RELATED:Advent Children: Every Fight In The Movie From Worst To Best, Ranked
In the case ofFinal Fantasy VIIspecifically, not only is it a masterclass in how to properly design around player freedom, it features one of the most gripping video game plots of all time. A legitimate masterpiece & one of the greatest stories ever told,Final Fantasy VIIis home to some of the saddest moments in video game history.
10The Fall Of AVALANCHE
Final Fantasy VII’s opening hours in Midgar are so iconic that Square Enix saw fit to center the entire first part of their episodic remake around the six hour area. As far as the original game goes, however, Midgar is just as much important set-up for the rest of the game as it is misdirection.
IfFFVIIwere a typicalFinal Fantasygame, the eight Mako Reactors would be dungeons and Jessie, Biggs, & Wedge would likely join the party. Instead, the three members of AVALANCHE are unceremoniously killed as Shinra drops the Plate on top of Sector 7. It’s a harrowing scene that puts into perspective the very real consequence at the heart ofFF7.
9Barret And Dyne
As… “uniquely” localized as Barret is, even the English translation makes it clear he’s far from a one-dimensional character. From the get-go, his passion to save the planet is clear– even if his methods are quite and incredibly extreme. After leaving Midgar, the party head to North Corel, a mining town and Barret’s home.
Here, players learn that Marlene is Barret’s adopted daughter, the child of the one man who opposed a Mako Reactor being built in Corel. When the Reactor erupted, Shinra blamed the townsfolk and massacred them, with Barret losing his arm in the process and Dyne seemingly dying. Dyne returns, but not as the man Barret knew– forced to put down his old friend.
8Seto, The Great Warrior
Red XIII, otherwise known as Nanaki, is one of the most interesting characters inFinal Fantasy VII, with roots in the game’s poignant ending (more on that later.) He also has one of the earliest character arcs in the game. Following Barret’s run-in with Dyne, the party heads to Cosmo Canyon, Red XIII’s home. It’s here where they learn that Red XIII’s father abandoned his family.
Or so it seems. In truth, Nanaki’s father, Seto, defended Cosmo Canyon until his very last breath, dying in the process. Upon learning the truth, Nanaki howls at his father’s now still statue, as the warrior who was once Seto weeps Materia for his son.
7Tifa And Cloud’s Gold Saucer Date
Occurring roughly before the halfway point, the party is tasked with once again heading to the Gold Saucer. Once there, however, they’re forced to stay overnight. Hidden in the background ofFinal Fantasy VIIis an affinity system for Aerith, Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret which actually affects who Cloud goes on a date with at the Gold Saucer.
RELATED:Final Fantasy: 10 Saddest Deaths In The Franchise, Ranked
While Yuffie’s and Barret’s are humorous, Tifa’s is a bit on the sad side. She’s known Cloud for so long, but it becomes explicitly clear here that Cloud is clearly not the boy Tifa once knew– and not in a necessarily positive way. For an optional scene, Tifa and Cloud’s Gold Saucer date is an almost essential moment in the development of their relationship.
6Aerith And Cloud’s Gold Saucer Date
Although Cloud and Tifa end up striking up a romantic (and potentially sexual) relationship by the end of the game, the hidden affection system actually favors Aerith as Cloud’s love interest. She has the highest natural affection for Cloud in the game, which means that players are most likely to date her at the Gold Saucer on a first play through.
Significantly, the tone of the date is just as sad. Aerith laments on Zack, her first love, while Cloud just silently takes her in. She reflects on the fact that he’s clearly hiding his true self, and that while she cares about Cloud, it’s unlikely they can become anything serious while he’s aping Zack (unbeknownst to her.) All the same, Aerith still has fe
5Aerith’s Death
With Aerith alongside Sephiroth, the party desperately rushes after her in order to make sure nothing happens. At this point in the game, tensions are running incredibly high as Sephiroth makes himself a clearer presence and Cloud starts losing grip of the persona he’s crafted for himself.
Although Cloud is able to fight off brief madness that nearly results in him killing Aerith, Sephiroth comes from above and finishes the job. Following a battle with JENOVA-Life, Cloud cradles Aerith’s body and allows her to submerge– taken by the waters. It’s a sad end for Aerith, and with everyone reacting in their own way, it stands out as one of the most human moments in gaming.
4The Icicle Inn Tapes
Modern developers have a habit of developing games with the intent of showing playerseverything. Even if it means depriving the game of genuine secrets, who wants to see all their effort go wasted? Well, for starters, optional content is never a waste when it has meaning. Case in point– howFinal Fantasy VIIapproaches backstories.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 7 Remake (PS4): 10 Weapons, Gear, And Skills That Make The Game Way Too Easy
Aerith’s entire backstory is tucked away in a series of tapes in Icicle Inn. Professor Gast’s lab is actually located in the village, and Cloud can sift through his computer after Aerith’s death. Here, players will learn that Gast & Ifalna had a relationship, eventually had Aerith, and were then brutally torn apart by Hojo & Shinra.
3Zack Fair, Death Of A SOLDIER
Similarly, the full scope of Cloud’s backstory is tucked away in hidden scenes. After Cloud joins the party during the Huge Materia quest line in Disc 2, players can return to Nibelheim. Once there, head to the basement in the Shinra Mansion and Cloud will immediately have a series of flashbacks showing how exactly Zack died.
Tested on by Shinra, Zack manages to break himself and Cloud out. While Cloud is catatonic and suffering from extreme Mako poisoning, Zack is more or less fine and keeps Cloud alive single handedly. Zack promises to not only look after Cloud, but to become a merc and even return to Aerith. It makes the fact he’s gunned down in the rain with little resistance all the more upsetting. Unlike inAdvent ChildrenandCrisis Core, Zack Fair has no last words here. Death is death.
2Vincent And Lucrecia
WhileFinal Fantasy VIIis quite the packed game, SquareSoft originally intended for the game to be even denser. As the dev team were running out of time, however, some content had to be pushed to the side. Notably, both Yuffie and Vincent became secret characters while the former had her quest made optional and the latter had no side quest at all.
What Vincent does has, though, is one of the coolest secrets in the entire game. By using the submarine, the party can find a waterfell where– if Vincent is in the party– the player will be treated to a series of scenes showing Vincent’s backstory. While most of it is left to subtext, there’s a hunting, sorrowful quality to watching Vincent’s miserable life unfold.
1500 Years Later…
With Meteor dead set on impacting Earth head on, the main cast is forced to come to terms with the idea that Meteor may deem them harmful to the planet– wiping out mankind in the process. With Sephiroth defeated, Meteor hits the planet, and a flash of white overcomes the screen before Aerith fades the game to black.
It’s a powerful ending that’s only made stronger by the post-credits scene. 500 years later, Red XIII and his brood overlook a Midgar that’s been reclaimed by nature. They howl at a planet that’s all but lost humanity’s touch, andFinal Fantasy VIIwraps up with one of the strongest endings a video game has ever had.
NEXT:Barret’s 6 Weapons In The Final Fantasy 7 Remake On PS4, Ranked
