Final Fantasy VII is now available for the Nintendo Switch, and the game marks the classic role-playing title's debut on a Nintendo console. Originally released for the PS1 back in 1997, Final Fantasy VII is widely regarded as one of the best RPGs of all time and if you've missed out on its numerous re-releases on PC, PS4, iOS, and Android, is the Nintendo Switch version of Final Fantasy VII worth buying after Square Enix unceremoniously dumped Final Fantasy IX on the Nintendo eShop with issues aplenty? Here's what we found out. Set in the city of Midgar, Final Fantasy VII has you in the role of Cloud Strife, a mercenary in an eco-terrorist group Avalanche. What starts off as a routine bombing of a power plant owned by Shinra — a megacorporation that runs Midgar — spirals into an epic saga to save the world featuring a host of colourful characters such as Cait Sith, a cat that rides a giant stuffed toy; and Vincent, a shapeshifting vampire-like warrior with a mysterious past. Along the way you'll battle an assortment of enemies in a turn-based fashion akin to games like Cosmic Star Heroine with its own twists such as being able to summon powerful monsters and pull off over the top attacks known as Limit Breaks. Furthermore, as you traverse through the game world you'll find yourself forced to battle enemies at random. While a defining characteristic of Japanese RPGs at the time, it is in sharp contrast to most modern day role-playing games that show enemies on-screen allowing you to avoid or engage with them as you see fit. The gameplay holds up well. From exploring every nook and cranny of Midgar and beyond, to elaborate boss encounters, Final Fantasy VII is addictive as what it was back during its original release. It retains a lot of its old charm with a great musical score and an intriguing story that's still fresh even if you've played it before. All of these elements are intact in Final Fantasy VII for the Nintendo Switch and much like its PS4 outing, it has some interesting additions. Final Fantasy VII's download size on the Nintendo Switch seems to indicate a 1:1 port of what we got on the PS4, clocking in at around 3.3GB, roughly the same as the PS4. A quick check of its features appears to indicate the same. You can turn off the game's random battles, speed up the pace of play by 3x to make exploring its many locales a brisk affair, and you also get a battle enhancement mode that is basically God mode — you get healed after enemy attacks and your characters have their most powerful moves at their disposal. These modifiers are essentially what we experienced on Final Fantasy VII for the PS4 and they're welcome here as well. While the game's story is its high point, some of its elements tend to get in the way of it such as the aforementioned random battle encounters. By allowing newcomers to get straight to its best bits with minimal friction is fantastic while giving purists the option to play it just as they remember, Square Enix has ended up making Final Fantasy VII more accessible than ever. Compared to the game on iOS and Android, the Nintendo Switch version lacks the max stats feature. What this means is, with the tap of a button your characters will be at the level cap of 99 with all abilities unlocked to use as you see fit. Granted that would speed up the proceedings in Final Fantasy VII, but the presence of a 3x speed mode on the Switch (which isn't on Android and iOS) works just as well to achieve the same goal. Most crucially, Square Enix has managed to sidestep some of the issues that have plagued past re-releases of its classic RPGs. Unlike Final Fantasy IX on the Switch, you aren't met with ridiculously long load times and unlike Chrono Trigger on iOS, Android, and PC, you don't have to deal with an altered visual style that is more jarring than it should be, atop a myriad of technical concerns. Regardless of playing it in handheld or docked mode, Final Fantasy VII is a smooth, painless experience. That said, it's not without its flaws. For one, the game is letterboxed with black bars on either side much like its PS4 release due to the differences in aspect ratio between the original PS1 release and what's being used now. Secondly, Final Fantasy VII is a game peppered with cinematics and lush, detailed backdrops. Though the latter holds up well, its cinematics look blurry and low-res, be it on the Nintendo Switch screen or on a bigger display. It's disappointing that Square Enix hasn't figured out solutions for these issues after all this time as they plague other versions of the game too. They aren't dealbreakers by any means, but they make it tough to justify spending for Final Fantasy VII on the Nintendo Switch if you've experienced it on any other platform before. More so when you consider that there's nothing to make use of the Switch touchscreen. Perplexing when you consider that fully-functional mobile versions exist. Regardless, if your only experience of Final Fantasy VII was restricted to the original PS1 release and you haven't checked it out on PS4, Android, iOS, or PC or you're new to Final Fantasy VII in its entirety, the Nintendo Switch version is worth checking out if you don't have the option to play it on any other device. There isn't too much to choose between various platforms at the moment. All in all, Final Fantasy VII on the Nintendo Switch is an odd beast. At its core, it's a stable, fun retread of a well-worn classic. However we wish that there was more to it. Pros Great modifiers Gameplay still holds up Stable compared to past Square Enix re-releases Cons Still letterboxed Doesn't make use of any of the Switch's unique features Rating (out of 10): 7 Gadgets 360 played a retail copy of Final Fantasy VII for the Nintendo Switch. The game is available now via the Nintendo eShop for $15.99 (around Rs. 1,100).<doc-sep>Final Fantasy VII is the most iconic entry in Square Enix’s venerable series. It may not be everyone’s favorite, but it’s the one that’s most deeply ingrained in gaming history, and certainly seems to have inspired the largest quantity of merchandise and spin-off media. Plus, none of the other games would have caused such a stir at the announcement of a remake (whether or not that turns out to be a good idea, or ever actually appears). There’s a good reason for all this. Final Fantasy VII is full of moments, ideas and places that continue to hold the imagination long after the final boss has been defeated. Its design and the intricacies of its systems demand and reward attention in a way that few other games can. Now it’s finally available on a Nintendo console for the first time, in its lightly remastered form, and despite some signs of aging, it’s still an extraordinary experience. At the core of the game’s success is its characters, each of which is crafted with great care and given plenty of space to shine. While it’s the central character, Cloud, who drives your journey forward, it’s often the supporting cast that stands out. These are intriguing and relatable individuals who are enjoyable to spend time with and easy to root for, and they all contribute to the sense of common purpose that builds throughout the game. The aims of your quest are equally motivating. You’re quickly thrown into a fight against corporate corruption, environmental degradation and economic disparity, themes which may even resonate more today than when the game was first released. The world design keeps this sense of social injustice running throughout, not least with the contrast between its locations. Elite beach resorts exist in close proximity to military installations and run down mining towns, while the Gold Saucer, a flamboyant and garish amusement park, towers over a prison slum constructed from its garbage. The opening act, in particular, is a master class in world and story crafting that puts many newer games to shame. The pacing is immaculate, throwing you into the action immediately, switching between exploration, combat and set pieces, and weaving exposition into the unfolding events. It also gradually introduces the game’s iconic villain, Sephiroth, creating a foreboding mythos that stays with you throughout. It’s the perfect groundwork for the more conventional RPG structure that follows. None of this would count for much if the combat and leveling systems weren’t up to scratch, but fortunately, they remain compelling. The ‘ATB’ or Active Time Battle format brings urgency to the turn-based battles, while ‘limit breaks’ – a kind of super attack – add a tactical dimension. But the real magic ingredient is ‘materia’, colored stones that slot into your weapons and armor to bestow various spells and abilities. As well as their basic uses, you can link certain types together to create additional effects. A fire materia, for example, allows you to cast fire spells, but connect it to an elemental stone, and it can also raise fire defense or add fire damage to attacks. Other abilities stack in interesting ways. You might give one character an HP boost and have them attract all enemy attacks, then give them a counter attack so they respond to each hit in kind. Crucially, while each character has base stats that make them more suited to certain roles, there are no limitations on who can equip which materia. You could have multiple characters equipped with the same skills, or spread defensive spells across the party. It’s an immensely flexible system. If anything, all this depth is a little too well hidden. It’s mostly quite easy to progress in Final Fantasy VII without putting much thought into your set up, so you could miss a lot of the potential for creative play. On the plus side, that does mean there’s not much need for grinding if you simply want to get through the game. Only if you intend to tackle the ample end game content will you have to truly grasp how it all works and do some concerted XP farming. But even if you don’t, it’s worth seeking out some of the more interesting materia to see what it can do. Of course, despite its timeless qualities, Final Fantasy VII is still a 22-year-old game, and other aspects have aged less well. Inevitably, the first thing you’ll notice is the visuals. The low-res, pre-rendered backgrounds are beautifully drawn and stuffed with detail, but look grainy and blurred (although less so on the small Switch screen). The contrast between them and the low polygon characters, which have been given an HD overhaul, can make it feel like Cloud and co aren’t so much in the world as floating on top of it. And because of this, spaces aren’t always easy to navigate, especially with the fixed camera angles, which are impressively cinematic but not always practical. It’s not always clear where the path forward is, or which objects you can move around. Another thing that’s confusing is the game’s writing. Frankly, the script, or at least its translation from Japanese, is poor. Instructions and explanations can be misleading (hint: DON’T attack when its tail is up), and dialogue often seems oddly frivolous. or contains non-sequiturs that leave you wondering what you’ve missed. After all these years a better translation should be standard. As for the story, it shows how far we’ve come since the 90s. The main narrative arc is still excellent but gets itself entangled in unnecessary complications, and some of the individual episodes are almost childishly structured. It’s not the humor and intentional silliness that grate, in fact, it’s nice to have the contrast between the serious themes and the daft daily adventures of the crew. Rather it’s the contrived nature of certain situations, such as when the group thinks there’s a spy in their midst and no one has a clue who it might be, even though there’s a very obvious candidate. In gameplay terms, most cracks are papered over by this version’s quality-of-life additions. Most significant is the ability to triple the game’s speed with a click of the left stick, which is very handy for traversing the world map and fighting lesser battles, or when you’re using a lot of summoning magic. Alternatively, if you want to make life easier, press the right stick to instantly max out your limit attacks, or both sticks together to switch off random battles altogether. It’s not a good idea to rely on these last two options too much, but they’re welcome when you want to explore without interruption or get over the line in a boss battle. Unfortunately, these features can’t do much to improve some of the mini-games you’ll encounter on your journey. The motorbike chase early on is still decent, but snowboarding and submarining aren’t much fun, and the less said about the tower defense game the better. Chocobo racing also quickly becomes a bore (even sped up) and needs to be done a lot to access certain late-game rewards. At least if you simply want to complete the game, none of these distractions block your progress for long, and some are entirely optional. Most Importantly, the game’s problems never really sour the experience, and one big reason for that remains to be mentioned: the soundtrack. Whenever the visuals or the script can’t convey the weight or subtleties of events, or whenever an action sequence or mini-game drags, the music holds everything together. It’s one of the greatest scores in all of gaming, and constantly works to invoke the personality of each individual and location, and bring the emotional moments home. It makes the action more exciting and fun. It makes you feel anger, despair, and joy. Yes, it might even make you cry. Overall, replaying Final Fantasy VII shows why a remake could be such a big deal. Much of its content is still so pleasing that it only seems to need some modern tweaks to turn it into an all-new classic. The question is, could a remake ever recapture the unique feel and style that makes the game so appealing?<doc-sep>It’s 1995, and the role-playing game rockstars at Square are trying to decide what to do with the seventh entry in their flagship series. They look over at the Nintendo 64, and then they size up Sony’s brand new PlayStation, and they decide to go with the latter, changing the video game industry forever. Advertisement Today, Final Fantasy VII comes out on Switch, and that’s a little bit more significant than your average port. It’s the first time Final Fantasy VII has ever come to a Nintendo console, a move that 20 years ago would have seemed unthinkable. Final Fantasy VII was the game that helped create one of Nintendo’s biggest rivals, and now it’s finally come back to papa Mario. It’s hard to imagine now, but back in the 1980s and early ‘90s, Final Fantasy was a Nintendo darling. The iconic RPG series started life on the NES and then grew up on the Super NES, with six main entries and a handful of spinoffs. Even the Game Boy got its share of Final Fantasy thanks to some devious Square marketers changing the English titles of early SaGa games to Final Fantasy Legend and the original Seiken Densetsu to Final Fantasy Adventure. This relationship between Square and Nintendo seemed destined to last forever, sort of like Cloud and Aeris. Then word came down that the Nintendo 64 would stick with cartridges rather than adopting high-end CD-ROM technology. Square’s designers were too ambitious to work with a machine like that. They wanted to make a big, expensive 3D game, one with computer-generated cutscenes that looked straight out of the movies. You couldn’t fit that stuff on a cartridge. You couldn’t really fit it on a CD, either, which is why when Final Fantasy VII eventually did launch for the PlayStation, it came on a whopping three discs. (Final Fantasy VIII would go on to use four.) When Final Fantasy VII came out on the PlayStation in January of 1997, it exploded, helping secure Sony’s home console dominance and leaving Nintendo out in the cold. Even the advertisements took shots at the N64's puny cartridge-based infrastructure. Now, 22 years later, bygones are finally bygones. Final Fantasy VII is on the Switch. This appears to be a port of the PC version, complete with high-res models and easy-access cheat codes. Unlike the mediocre Switch version of Final Fantasy IX, which makes you hit pause and then a button in order to turn on fast forward, the Final Fantasy VII port lets you speed things up by simply pressing down the left thumbstick, which makes a massive difference. Also, the fonts are way better. Advertisement Plus, this is history in action. Final Fantasy VII is on a Nintendo console. The unthinkable is now thinkable. The inconceivable has been conceived. And Aeris is still... well, you know what, if you’re a hardcore Nintendo player, maybe you don’t even know? Aeris is doing just fine. Just fine.<doc-sep>
Final Fantasy 7 is one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, and the best Final Fantasy game (don’t @ me). As technology has advanced, we’ve finally seen this entry in the series ported to pretty much every platform imaginable, the latest being the Nintendo Switch. This release marks Final Fantasy 7‘s first appearance on a Nintendo console, and that fact alone is cause for some celebration. I’m not going to go into much depth about the content of the game here. Our original 1998 review of the game does a decent (if overly critical) job of summing up what the game is about. Instead, I want to focus on what makes the Switch version of the game different from other versions, and why that’s a good or bad thing. Final Fantasy 7 Switch Review | What’s new? Usually, a port brings something new to the table, especially when it’s been a few years since the last time the game released. In the case of the Final Fantasy 7 Switch port, though, it’s just more of the same. It’s been unchanged from the 2015 PS4 release, and thusly has all the features that one does. If you were hoping for remastered cutscenes or restored, hi-res backgrounds, the Switch version of Final Fantasy 7 will leave you wanting. What you get is the base game with a few cheat hotkeys to make the game easier and help skip some of the more monotonous sections, which really helps if you’re going for Master Materia. No Switch specific additions are present in this version of Final Fantasy 7. For better or worse, it’s the same game it’s been since 1997, albeit with slight improvements to sound and character models since the 2012 Steam PC re-release. Final Fantasy 7 Switch Review | The best mobile version The one thing the Switch port of Final Fantasy 7 has over all the others is that it’s the best version to take on the go. It’s superior to the Android and iOS versions by virtue of better controls and processing power. The only thing that comes close to matching it is the PS Classics version on the PS Vita, but the Switch wins out because of its bigger, higher resolution screen. If you played Final Fantasy 7 when it first came out, you might be looking for a good old nostalgic playthrough, but don’t want to sit down and play through it on the couch necessarily. The Switch version of the game is perfect for playing here and there until you’ve made you’re way through it again. As an unintended side effect, the aged backgrounds and FMV tend to look a lot better on the smaller built-in screen of the Switch than on a 50+ inch HDTV. The built-in cheats for a full-heal/limit break during battle, no encounters, speed boost all help make for a more mobile-friendly experience as well. The speed boost, in particular, is excellent for skipping through battles with regular enemies and traversing the world map more quickly, both things that can get monotonous early on. Final Fantasy 7 Switch Review | The best version ever? Unfortunately, the Switch version of Final Fantasy 7 has some things stacked against it when it comes to determining what the ultimate version of the game is. For one, it brings nothing new to the table, so if you want to play it on a TV exclusively, then the Switch version isn’t any better than any other console. As it stands, the PC version of the game is the best if you’re not concerned about portability. The ability to mod Final Fantasy 7 for PC makes the game a lot more enjoyable as you can vastly improve the backgrounds and character models to make it more tenable to play. There’s a ton of projects out there that have remastered the pre-rendered backgrounds, composed new (yet faithful) character models, and improved the graphics during combat. With the PC version, you can tweak Final Fantasy 7 until practically every aspect is improved. The other editions of the game,including the Switch version, just can’t compete with that amount of flexibility. We reviewed Final Fantasy 7 on the Nintendo Switch via code provided by the publisher.