Culture
Saving the world Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the latest in an expanded remake of a classic eco-conscious game from 1997. In addition to gorgeous new graphics, the game’s ideas now resonate even more strongly, says Jacob Aron
IN 1997, the world’s nations met in Japan to sign the Kyoto protocol, the first global agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But this wasn’t Japan’s only big contribution to the environmental movement that year, as 1997 also saw the release of Final Fantasy VII, agame that wears its eco-consciousness on its sleeve and is widely regarded as one of the best ever made.
For the uninitiated, Final Fantasy spans 16 “main” games to date, each set in its own fictional universe and accompanied by a dizzying array of spin-offs. But don’t let that scare you off, as you can ignore the numbering and treat each game on its own merits.
FFVII follows the story of Cloud Strife, a spiky-haired mercenary with an improbably large sword. He joins an eco-terrorist group called Avalanche that is fighting Shinra, an evil power company (also Cloud’s former employer). Shinra’s goal is to exploit “mako”, a form of energy derived from the spiritual essence of the planet. We aren’t exactly dealing with subtle metaphor, but for hordes of fans, it was an introduction to ideas that resonate even more strongly now.
I never played the original, as I didn’t own a PlayStation, but the game is so loved that its developer, Square Enix, has been remaking it as an updated and expanded trilogy. The first, Final Fantasy VII Remake, released in 2020, covers the exploits of Cloud and co. in a city called Midgar. The group bombs a Shinra mako reactor and flees in pursuit of Sephiroth, Cloud’s former commander, out to take control of the mako.
The latest game, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, picks up the story and sees you on a mission to find and stop Sephiroth. Thi
