# Final Fantasy VII > Final Fantasy VII is a jrpg and role-playing game developed by Square, first released on 31 January 1997 for PlayStation, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. It takes about 37 hours to finish the main story and around 82 hours to complete. We scored it 9.0 out of 10. Source: https://gamingpickz.com/games/final-fantasy-vii/ Publisher of this page: GamingPickz Reviewed by: Ranjeeth, Editor, after undefined hours played Last updated: 30 August 2026 Wikidata: Q214232 Verified: no, this entry is a draft and is not indexed ## Key facts | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | First released | 31 January 1997 | | Developer | Square | | Publisher | Square | | Genres | JRPG, Role-Playing | | Platforms | PlayStation, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One | | Players | 1 player | | ESRB rating | T for Teen | | Main story length | 37 hours | | Completionist length | 82 hours | | Monetisation | premium | | Our score | 9.0 out of 10 | ## Verdict Structurally daring, mechanically flexible, and still one of the most influential games ever released. The presentation has aged, the design has not. ## Overview Final Fantasy VII is the game that made Japanese role-playing games a mainstream category in the West. It arrived on a CD-ROM console with full motion video, a pre-rendered art style that hid the hardware's limits, and a marketing budget no RPG had previously seen. Playing it now, the surprising thing is not the nostalgia. It is how strange the game is structurally. The opening is an eco-terrorism thriller in a single city. It does not become a world-spanning fantasy until you have already spent hours somewhere much smaller and dirtier. ## Story and setting Cloud Strife is a mercenary hired by a resistance cell fighting a corporation draining the planet's life for power. The plot proceeds from that into memory, identity and grief, and the central twist is still well constructed thirty years later. The translation of the original release is rough, with well-known errors and stilted phrasing. Later re-releases retain most of it. It is part of the character of the game now, but it does obscure some scenes. ## Gameplay The Materia system is the reason the game still plays well. Abilities are orbs you slot into weapons and armour, and they can be moved between characters freely. Any character can be built into any role, which makes party composition a genuine decision rather than a fixed assignment. Combat is the Active Time Battle system, turn-based with a filling gauge, which keeps encounters moving. Limit Breaks reward taking damage rather than avoiding it. The minigames vary from charming to actively bad. Chocobo breeding is a deep optional system. The Gold Saucer content is a mixed bag, and a few sequences are notably clumsy on modern controllers. ## What works - Materia makes every party build viable - The Midgar opening is one of the best in the genre - A story that still holds up structurally - Modern re-releases include useful quality of life boosters ## What does not - The original translation has well-documented errors - Pre-rendered backgrounds look very dated - Several minigames are poor - Modern ports do not remaster the backgrounds ## Release dates by platform | Platform | Release date | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | PlayStation | 31 January 1997 | Japan. North America 7 September 1997, Europe 17 November 1997 | | PC | 24 June 1998 | Original Windows port, later re-released digitally | | PlayStation 4 | 5 December 2015 | Port of the PC re-release with boosters | | Nintendo Switch | 26 March 2019 | | | Xbox One | 26 March 2019 | | ## Performance modes | Platform | Mode | Resolution | Frame rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | PlayStation | Original | 320x224 | 30 fps | | PlayStation 4 | Re-release | 1080p | 30 fps | ## PC system requirements | Component | Minimum | Recommended | | --- | --- | --- | | OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10/11 64-bit | | Processor | Any modern dual-core processor | Any modern quad-core processor | | Graphics | DirectX 11 compatible integrated graphics | Any dedicated GPU | | Memory | 4 GB | 8 GB | | Storage | 3 GB | 3 GB SSD | ## Where to buy | Store | Platform | MSRP | Current | Type | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Steam | PC | $15.99 | not checked | official store | | PlayStation Store | PlayStation 4 | $15.99 | not checked | official store | | Nintendo eShop | Nintendo Switch | $15.99 | not checked | official store | | Xbox Store | Xbox One | $15.99 | not checked | official store | | Green Man Gaming | PC | $15.99 | not checked | key reseller | | Fanatical | PC | $15.99 | not checked | key reseller | | Humble Store | PC | $15.99 | not checked | key reseller | | GOG | PC | $15.99 | not checked | affiliate | | Amazon | PlayStation | $15.99 | not checked | affiliate | ## Community sentiment Retrospective discussion is warm but not uncritical. The systems and story are defended firmly, while the presentation and the official ports are treated as a missed opportunity. Recurring praise: - Materia is still held up as one of the most flexible progression systems in the genre - The Midgar opening is routinely named among the best openings in games - The soundtrack, and One-Winged Angel in particular, come up in nearly every retrospective thread - The central twist is regarded as holding up structurally decades later Recurring complaints: - The original translation errors are affectionately mocked but genuinely obscure some scenes - Pre-rendered backgrounds look soft on modern displays and the official ports do not remaster them - Several minigames, especially in the Gold Saucer, are considered poor even by defenders - Debate over whether to play the original or start with Remake is perennial and unresolved ## How it was made Square publicly moved the series from Nintendo to Sony in 1996 over cartridge storage limits, a decision widely regarded as one of the most consequential in console history. The team was around 100 people at a time when 20 was typical, and Square backed it with a marketing spend reported at the time to rival the development cost itself. Engine: Proprietary Square engine Team size: Roughly 100, unusually large for its era ## Frequently asked questions ### Should I play the original Final Fantasy VII or the Remake? They are different games telling the same opening in very different ways. The original is a complete forty hour story. Remake covers only the Midgar section across a much longer runtime and deliberately diverges from the plot. Play the original first if you want the full story now. ### What platforms can I play Final Fantasy VII on today? PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Series consoles, and iOS and Android. All modern versions are ports of the 1998 PC release. ### How long is Final Fantasy VII? Roughly thirty-seven hours for the main story, and eighty or more if you pursue the optional superbosses and chocobo breeding. ### Does the modern version look better than the PS1 original? Partly. Character models were updated and the resolution is higher, but the pre-rendered backgrounds are the original low-resolution assets and look soft on a large display. ## Sources - Square Enix official site: https://www.square-enix.com/ --- Content by GamingPickz. Cite as: GamingPickz, "Final Fantasy VII", https://gamingpickz.com/games/final-fantasy-vii/