We just want to get this out of the way first – Final Fa♐ntasy VII ♍is (and will forever be) one of the best games ever made. The imagination, the vision, and the sheer aura that it exudes is simply something that can’t be replicated in video gaming–an authenticity that runs through every facet of its makeup.
With a dollop of fantasy, a smidg🥂en of love, and a pinch of horror, the seventh installment in the iconic RPG series is one of those titles that captivates the player from the first epic mome🐭nt to the last. First released in 1997, the game is still beloved by many around the globe, with interesting myths and legends still surfacing with regards to its design–and that includes some bizarre secrets too.
This steampunk-infused, fantasti𒅌cal thrill-ride is littered with peculiar Easter eggs, obscure facts, and jaw-dropping outtakes–many of which you probably never even knew about. Well, after reading this list, you’ll know everything there is to know about this monumental gaming feat.
It includes the strangest secrets surrounding 🐽the game that managed to go unnoticed by audiences. Whether it’s the dark origins that influenced the game or some questionable dialogue that would never get through quality control today – Final Fantasy VII is s🐬teeped in strange secrets, lore, and facts.
Updated on May 5th, 2021 by Russ Boswell: Final Fantasy 7 continues to be an absolute juggernaut in the gaming world. Even in the modern age, there are plenty of gamers experiencing the iconic adventure for the first time. It's refreshing and heartwarming to see players that weren't even alive during Final Fantasy 7's release be able to pick it up and look past its aged graphics to see the beauty underneath.
The love for the title has been recently renewed thanks to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake and a lot of gamers out there are chomping at the bit, anxiously awaiting the next installment in the revitalized storyline. There's no better time to jump into the deep lore and development behind this legendary game, so we've gone in to find even more secrets to uncover.
18 Cloud's Hair Was Alm🔜ost Very Plain 🏅
Because of the ease with which developers would’ve been ab🍨le to design Cloud’s hair, it was initially decided that they would ꦅmake it quite plain–something which is enough to leave most fans aghast.
Yes, in the initial stages, Square had Cloud’s hair designed as being brunette and slicked back. However, afte💟r seeing that it wasn’t quite as effective as they first thought, they decided to go a more complex route with the spiky blonde hair that we all know and love today.
Imagine Cloud without that eye-catching hairstyle! It’d be lik𒊎e having the Gold Saucer without that awesome snowboarding mini-game.
17 Th🐓e Original Game Design Had An Old-School Detective Feel
It might sound strange at the𝔉 outset, but Final Fantasy VII was originally intended to be based around a detective tale. It would feature a sleuth by the name of Detective Joe, who would 🍨go around investigating the iconic Mako reactors.
It was certainly a radically different approach from what gamers ended up with in the final product–less fantasy and more crime, in fact. It would’ve been an adventure game, but it probably wouldn’t have had all the quirks and distinctiv🐈e qualities that a𝔍 ground-breaking RPG like this had.
16 The Backgrounds During Battle Were A Headache To Choose 𓃲
Final Fantasy 7 was one of t🐓he most ambitious⛄ projects that Square would ever take on and it really shows. The finished product is so much more expansive and detailed than gamers could have predicted. This is especially impressive when you consider the era in which the title released. Developers had access to better tools and more space (moving from Nintendo's cartridges to CDs), thanks to their choice to port the game on the PlayStation, but that doesn't mean they we🍌re completely without limitations.
One of the more difficult development issues was choosing what backgrounds would appear during combat. The creators wanted to keep things as viಌsually appealing as possible but they also wanted combat to feel dynamic, with a multitude of changing camera shots. Because of these constantly changing shots, the backgrounds had to be as low-poly as possible, creating a bit of a head☂ache for development.
15 Sepಞhiroth's Third Battle Makes Him Weak
We hope this does♍n’t ruin your view of one of gaming’s greatest ever villains🌸, but we had to inform you–turns out Sephiroth is actually a bit of a weakling.
The player faces the ashen-haired baddie a total of three times during the game’s duration, however, in the third instance it seems he isn’t the formidable opponent that he once was. Because, while the first two boss battles with him are insanely tough, the final encounter is mu🎶ch more doable.
Using a Gameshark device, it shows his health at only 1 HP – seriously. We were l༺ed to believe that he was practically invincible for the whole game, however, this little secret proves otherwise.
14 Cloud's Ragnarok Has A World-Endingꩲ Meaning꧃
One of Cloud’s obtainable swords, the Ragnarok, is one mean-looking piece of kit. It’s exactly what you’d want the hero of this game to have, and it seems it’s not just from an aesthetic level that it’s usefu𒀰l either, but from a mythological standp𓂃oint too.
Yes, the name is actually derived from Norse mythology, and basically means ‘the end of the world’ when put in context with the mythology. It is tꦓhe foretell꧑ing of future events–most of which are based around natural disasters, monumental battles, and a great loss of life. So yeah, a pretty intense name for a pretty badass weapon.
The next time you’re wailing monsters with this bad boy, just remember it has a dark trans🐬lation in Norse mythology.
13 ꦇ 🎃 One-Winged Angel Sees Influence From Norman Bates
You probably know that Jimi Hendrix’s stunning track “Purple Haze” was a great inspiration for Sephiroth’s epic boss theme ❀song “One-Winged Angel,” but you probably didn’t know that it has much darker origins: the frightening score🧸 from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.
It doesn’t get any more intense than taking ✃influence from a horror movie soundtrack, but that’s exactly what the game’s composer Nobuo Uematsu 🔯did. The sheer dread that can be felt on the film’s score can also be felt on “One-Winged Angel,” which is a credit to Uematsu’s musical talent.
While we’reꦇ on the subject of theme songs, wh🍬y in the world does nobody mention Sephiroth’s bone-chilling track “Those Chose by the Planet!?” It plays almost every time he’s on-screen, and to this day, is one of the most effective (and utterly terrifying) scores to ever grace a video game.
12 Most Of The Characters Were Created During Story D♏evelopm🍌ent
Tetsuya Nomura wanted to take Final Fantasy 7 in a different direction fro🉐m its predecessor. FF6 was amazing in its own right, especially from a story perspective, but featured an ensemble cast. Players would control a variety of heroes throughout FF6's expansive world, even if most players consider Terra as the game's lead. Nomura created Cloud Strife to helm Final Fantasy 7's story, intending the entire game to revolve around him.
Because of 𒆙this, many of the characters that were crafted for the title were sim💃ply thought up during the story's development. That said, not every character was a spur-of-the-moment addition. Both in some capacity, and FF7 gave him the platform and excuse he was looking for.
11 ♉ ♉ You Can Hear Kefka's Iconic Laugh In The Gold Saucer
The Gold Saucer serves as the perfect distraction from the darkness and heartache that the story provides–featuring s🍎ome awesome diversions that would go on to in💯spire many games of its ilk to include mini-games and the like.
However, while it was an evolutionary transition, there are still some nods to the series’ earlier titles–168澳洲幸运5开奖网:specifically Final Fantasy VI.ꦰ If players interact with the big green pumpkin situated in the corner of the room, they will hear the slowed-down sinister laugh of iconic villain Kefka.
It’s always nice to see references to earlier titles in the franchise, but it has to be sai📖d that this one is pretty alarming!
10 Final Fantasy 7 Was The🌳 First Game In Th♑e Series To Use Blood
Final Fantasy VII marked the first time that blood was ever used in the series. While we’v🃏e become somewhat desensitized to the sight of it in games, back in 1997, i🍸t was quite a new thing.
Also unique was the fact that JRPGs were usually cutesy affairs, choosing instead to go with a lighter and less controversial color scheme. However, this b🀅old title would have none of that. Freed from the graphical limitations that chained♔ Square in the past, Final Fantasy VII certainly doesn’t shy away from depicting blood in all of its intense detail.
9 The Game Was Originally Going To Be Set In New York City 🔴
Can you imagine Final Fantasy VII bei✱ng situated in the real world? No, us neither, but that’s exactly how Square had planned it initially. Yes, and it would have taken place in The Big Apple: New Yorkﷺ.
It’s surprising given how much of the game is focused on fantasy and mythology, and it would have most d🌠efinitely taken away from the otherworldly feeling that the title so effortlessly nails. It wasn’t a unique take on the city either, but rather, it would ha𒆙ve been set in the modern-day. Wait, what?
Goodness knows how they thought this would work, to begin with, but considering the original detective concept, it kind of makes sense. The more we think about it, the more we realize just how different the game would’ve been with itsꦆ original outline.