The Legend of Final Fantasy VII: Creation - Universe - Decryption

By Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi

What gamer hasn’t tried Final Fantasy VII?

The game, released in 1997, is now the standard-bearer of a whole generation, and it’s also the one which catapulted Sony’s PlayStation onto center stage. To celebrate this mythic video game’s 15th anniversary, Third Editions wanted to throw itself back into this unbelievable universe. This carefully crafted publication takes a look back at all the titles that helped forge Final Fantasy VII’s mythology (including the Compilation of FF VII), and deciphers their content through examination and original analysis.

This book was written by Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi, former authors and now publishers. The first print was release in 2011.

An essential book to (re) discover the universe of the mythical series Final Fantasy!

EXTRACT

"To celebrate one of the most important RPGs in the history of video games, Third Editions has decided to publish a tribute book: a heartfelt edition, but also one that truly analyzes the games that revolve around this legendary RPG. Indeed, the subject of this book is not only Final Fantasy VII, but the entire Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, from Advent Children to Before Crisis, including Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus, without forgetting Last Order.
To get this journey off on the right foot and refresh your memory, we begin by summarizing the Final Fantasy VII saga. For the first time ever, the full story will be told in chronological order: from the Planet’s origins to the awakening of Genesis, as depicted in the secret ending of Dirge of Cerberus. Once the entire saga has been told, we will take you behind the scenes so that you can discover how the video game compilation was created. You will learn about the people whose unexpected decisions changed the game’s design. We will also provide a number of anecdotes pertaining to the game’s overall development. A complete interpretation will then be offered for each title, paving the way for numerous reflections."

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi - Fascinated by print media since childhood, Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi wasted no time in launching their first magazine, Console Syndrome, in 2004. After five issues with distribution limited to the Toulouse region of France, they decided to found a publishing house under the same name. One year later, their small business was acquired by another leading publisher of works about video games. In their four years in the world of publishing, Nicolas and Mehdi published more than twenty works on major video game series, and wrote several of those works themselves: Metal Gear Solid. Hideo Kojima’s Magnum Opus, Resident Evil Of Zombies and Men, and The Legend of Final Fantasy VII and IX. Since 2015, they have continued their editorial focus on analyzing major video game series at a new publishing house that they founded together: Third.

Grégoire Hellot is a French freelance journalist who specializes in video games. He began his career in the field more than twenty years ago when he joined Joypad magazine. As a pioneer dealing in Japanese video games, he has contributed to the French public’s acceptance of these unique titles. Today, he contributes to the Gamekult website and is also the Managing Director of Kurokawa Editions, created in 2005 by the publishing house Univers Poche. Grégoire is also known for his role as the Silver Mousquetaire in the TV series France Five.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Third Editions
• Release date: Feb 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9782377840021

Book preview

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For Erik Gronkh Range

The Legend of Final Fantasy VII

by Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi

is published by Third Editions

32 rue d’Alsace-Lorraine, 31000 TOULOUSE, France

[e-mail]

www.thirdeditions.com

Follow us: Illustration @Third_Editions – Illustration Facebook.com/ThirdEditions

All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form, without the written consent of the copyright holder.

Any copy or reproduction, by any means, constitutes a copyright infringement subject to the penalties authorized by French Law No. 57-298 of March 11, 1957 pertaining to copyright protection.

The Third logo is a trademark of Third Editions, registered in France and additional countries.

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Edition: Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi

Text: Nicolas Courcier, Mehdi El Kanafi

Chapter III "The Secrets of Final Fantasy VII." Léonard Neveu

Subsection "The Music in Final Fantasy VII:" Damien Mecheri

Subsection: "The Symbolism of Advent Children:" Selami Boudjerda

Proofreading: Thomas Savary

Layouts: Julie Gantois

Covers: Johann Blais

Cover Layout: Frédéric Tomé

Translated from French by: Jennifer Ligas (ITC Traductions)

This reference work is presented by Third Editions as a tribute to the video game metaseries

Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.

The authors propose tracing the history of the Final Fantasy VII video game in this unique collection, which uses original thinking and analysis to interpret the inspirations, context, and content of this series.

Final Fantasy is a registered trademark of SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All rights reserved.

The visual content on the cover is inspired by the work of Tetsuya Nomura:

Final Fantasy VII character designer.

English Edition, copyright 2017, Third Editions.

All rights reserved.

ISBN 979-10-94723-55-5

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PREFACE

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Final Fantasy VII is a game that left its mark on an era. With its multiple levels of symbolism, players find it either unnerving or fascinating. And yes, like it or not, the truth remains that it revolutionized the world of digital edutainment in several small ways, not only in France but worldwide. First, the game’s advertisements divided those familiar with the medium into two groups: for the first time ever, Final Fantasy broke with Nintendo and was released for use on a console made by Sony, an outsider at the time. Back then, as a journalist who was fortunate enough to specialize in video games, this was a bit of a galactic slap! Second small revolution: the very first pictures of the game did not appear in Famitsu, or in any other Japanese magazine, but rather on the publisher’s new website. In 1996, the Web was still new; in fact, it was practically non-existent.Looking up pictures on the Internet was unprecedented, something that my colleagues and I had never done before. A Sony console? Internet pictures? Square has gone berserk!

Today, in an era of multiplatform games and social networks, this seems rather comical. At the time, however, it was perceived as completely mad! Using the era’s 33k modem, it took an entire night to load an MP3; we thought this was magical! Well, maybe not at first, because frankly, we did wonder how Square could possibly distinguish itself by plagiarizing Alone in the Dark and its punk hero, accustomed as we were to such adorable little sprites.

And then, the juicy gossip and amusing anecdotes began to circulate. Did you hear that Square was flagged by the CIA? The company was suspected of planning to launch missiles using the powerful computers they had purchased to work out their graphics! To call attention to the amount of work that they’d just accomplished, the developers would later boast about this episode, sharing it with avid fans in the chat rooms of the 3615 Joypad (Minitel page of a French magazine). What, you thought there were Internet forums in 1997? And, of course, there were flying cars too, right?

Nevertheless, back then, the CIA story fired up our imaginations, sustaining us until the first trailers were released. And then, finally, the game arrived. We were presented with three adventure-packed CDs narrated in a revolutionary style, interspersed with cinematic videos; it was a far cry from the animations produced by PC Engine who continued to offer titles such as Far East of Eden for Saturn. Attractive, time-consuming, and vibrant, FF VII was an influential precursor of Japanese RPGs. Given that this genre was only available at home (in France) in the form of a few timid English translations of Phantasy Star for Megadrive, fans of JRPGs had to have a good Japanese dictionary if they wanted to enjoy regular adventures! But then, FF VII arrived in France, bursting onto the screen. Distributed by Sony, the game was promoted in numerous—misleading—television ads highlighting the quality of cinematic scenes using computer-generated images. Admittedly, the game was so widely advertised that it was quite successful, but a lot of unhappy customers returned it to the stores because they believed that they were buying an interactive film rather than an RPG. FF VII is also a leading precursor of manga culture, with its trendy characters and narration that resemble the works of Japanese anime. It must be said that it arrived at the right time: Japanese anime cartoons, considered too violent, were no longer on television and the explosion of comics at the cinema was still a long way away.

FF VII, distributed with great fanfare by Sony, opened the door to the publisher’s other big games: FF Tactics, FF VIII, FF IX, and Romancing SaGa. Today, Square’s merger with its long-time rival Enix is now complete, and the company has an office in Paris. High priced goodies (mostly made in China) no longer exist, and an official store now offers the same items that are available in Japan; new products come to us entirely translated with only a short three-month delay. This was unthinkable twenty years ago. Back then, as I well remember, RPG consoles were regarded as UFOs or oddities. Robots with blue hair and cat-women were a far cry from the standards imposed by the Ultima series, and others such as Bard’s Tale, that were popular at the time.

In this regard, FF VII also significantly helped pave the way for both Japanese and Western RPGs to move in a different artistic direction, proving that fantasy, whether dark, steam, or punk, could be in vogue. Today, it is fashionable to openly mock Final Fantasy VII and its imagery: there is, of course, a tortured hero, with a great big sword, who is accompanied by a ditzy heroine. Nevertheless, if the game is equally mocked in the age of Skyrim and the Dragon Age series, it’s mainly because of the impression that it has made. The adults who scoff at it today were the teenagers who used to rave about it. And while many are dreaming of a remake that can be played on an HD console, this book pays FF VII the glowing tribute that it deserves. Because we can dislike, hate, scoff at, or minimize the attributes of the game, but we can hardly deny all that it brought to the world of Japanese video games. And, if you’re still not convinced, you can always reconsider after you’ve finished this book—because the New Game Plus mode is always in style.

GREGOIRE HELLOT

Grégoire Hellot is a French freelance journalist who specializes in video games. He began his career in the field more than twenty years ago when he joined Joypad magazine. As a pioneer dealing in Japanese video games, he has contributed to the French public’s acceptance of these unique titles. Today, he contributes to the Gamekult website and is also the Managing Director of Kurokawa Editions, created in 2005 by the publishing house Univers Poche. Grégoire is also known for his role as the Silver Mousquetaire in the TV series France Five.

NICOLAS COURCIER AND MEHDI EL KANAFI

Fascinated by print media since they were children, Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi were quick to launch their first magazine, Console Syndrome, in 2004. After five issues, whose distribution was limited to the Toulouse region, they decided to create a publishing house of the same name. One year later, the small business was bought by a market-leading publisher dedicated to the video game medium. During the four years they spent in the business, Nicolas and Mehdi published more than twenty books dedicated to the flagship series, many of which they wrote themselves: Zelda. The History of a Legendary Saga, Resident Evil. Of Zombies and Men and The Legend of Final Fantasy VII and IX. Since 2015, they have continued to pursue their editorial work, centered around the analysis of great video game sagas, in the new publishing house that they founded: Third.

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FOREWORD

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ON JANUARY 31, 2017, the game Final Fantasy VII celebrated its twentieth anniversary. All players familiar with this 1997 role-playing game hold fond, undiminished, and enduring memories of the exciting adventure. Even after so many years, the game still enjoys a legendary reputation; every mention of Cloud, Sephiroth, or Jenova unleashes hysteria and revives passions. This is because Final Fantasy VII revolutionized the Western gaming world, introducing it to the king-in-the-land-of-the-rising-sun genre: the Japanese role-playing game.

To celebrate one of the most important RPGs in the history of video games, Third Editions has decided to publish a tribute book: a heartfelt edition, but also one that truly analyzes the games that revolve around this legendary RPG. Indeed, the subject of this book is not only Final Fantasy VII, but the entire Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, from Advent Children to Before Crisis, including Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus, without forgetting Last Order.

To get this journey off on the right foot and refresh your memory, we begin by summarizing the Final Fantasy VII saga. For the first time ever, the full story will be told in chronological order: from the Planet’s origins to the awakening of Genesis, as depicted in the secret ending of Dirge of Cerberus. Once the entire saga has been told, we will take you behind the scenes so that you can discover how the video game compilation was created. You will learn about the people whose unexpected decisions changed the game’s design. We will also provide a number of anecdotes pertaining to the game’s overall development. A complete interpretation will then be offered for each title, paving the way for numerous reflections.

If you are holding this book in your hands, it is because Final Fantasy VII evokes some emotion in you. Nostalgia, joy, wonder...The list could go on in this manner for several pages, as could the praise many lavish on this game. Although we are also in love with this legendary RPG, we were careful not to get lost in an endless array of superlatives. Our goal is not to explain to you just how exceptional Final Fantasy VII is, but rather WHY it is exceptional.

NOTE

Aerith/Aeris: in the original Japanese, the character’s name is Illustration (earisu). Her name (which is very similar to the Japanese word for Earth) was chosen to highlight the character’s connection to the Planet. Due to the fact that there is no sound corresponding to th in Japanese, the character’s name was phonetically mistranslated as Aeris. We chose to use Aerith, since it is more familiar to Western audiences and was formerly adopted (at a later date) by Square Enix in Crisis Core, Advent Children, Kingdom Hearts 2, and the steam version of FFVII.

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CHAPTER I — UNIVERSE

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IN THE BEGINNING

Long before the slightest spark of life emerged. Long before the hegemony of men. Long before anyone trampled its soil... It was there: the Planet. Over time, primitive life forms evolved. The Planet was so hospitable that a countless number of animal and plant species found a place in its welcoming bosom. It became the heart of an immutable, perfectly self-regulating ecosystem. The sum of all this life formed a current, a primary spiritual energy that was vital to the Planet. Its entrails were now impregnated by a river laden with this force: the Lifestream. When a living creature dies, it returns to the Planet and its spiritual energy then rejoins the Lifestream’s trajectory. The soul of the deceased—his or her life force—arrives at the depths of the Planet to unite with those who have gone before. In this way, the spiritual energies of every person, plant, and animal unite and blend together upon their death, contributing to the rebirth of other living beings. If one regards the Planet itself as a living organism, it also has its own immune system, a method of self-protection comparable to that of humans. To protect itself when injured, it summons as much spiritual energy as possible to converge around the wound so that it can heal; in other words, it forms a scar. In the same way that the Lifestream constitutes the Planet’s circulatory system, the spiritual energy that travels through it is, in a sense, its blood.

THE CETRA

The Cetra people were the first civilization to occupy the Planet. Originating from the outer confines of the universe, these nomadic people saw the Planet as their Promised Land, a perfect place in harmony with their vision of supreme happiness: a paradise. Nevertheless, the concept of a Promised Land is subject to individual appraisal; it is not the same for everyone. And so, some of the Cetra left the Planet when they did not find the fulfillment they were seeking. In contrast, those who remained became its permanent residents.

The Cetra people had extraordinary powers, including the ability to communicate with the Planet. The Planet could therefore entrust them with the task of ensuring its preservation and development. To accomplish this undertaking, the Cetra traveled tirelessly from place to place to cultivate the land, plant trees and flowers, and raise animals. Thus, the Planet was continually nourished by spiritual energy. The Planet and the Cetra lived in harmony; each profited from the resources and strength of the other. Nonetheless, some of the Cetra grew tired of these continual treks. These people decided to put an end to their perpetual migrations; they chose to settle down and live a sedentary life. In time, the Cetra belonging to this offshoot lost their ability to communicate with the Planet. Humans are the descendants of this particular tribe.

CALAMITY FROM THE SKIES

While some of the Cetra chose to settle down in homes and no longer concern themselves with the needs of the Planet, others continued to work hard to ensure that a perfect balance was preserved. These nomadic Cetra continued to live a harmonious existence until the day that a large object fell from the sky and crashed. The Cetra instantly heard the cry of the Planet, a cry of pain. They soon discovered the wound that the object from the sky had inflicted: a gigantic crater located in the northernmost reaches of the globe. Thousands of Cetra congregated and tried their best to heal the Planet. Gathering in force around the crater, they began to summon the spiritual energy needed to nourish the Planet. The Planet, however, persuaded them to leave. While the Cetra were preparing to abandon the land that they loved and had cultivated out of respect, something emerged. A strange creature appeared before them. This entity, which the Cetra would later refer to as the Calamity from the Skies, had the power to alter its voice and features to take on any appearance. It passed itself off as one of their own and, therefore, the Cetra trusted it. This shapeshifter approached them under the guise of friendship to deceive and take advantage of them. It unleashed a virus of unknown evil provenance upon the Cetra, driving those that were infected mad and transforming them into genuine monstrosities. The virus began to propagate, infecting the Cetra worldwide. The Planet concluded that it had to destroy the Calamity from the Skies; as long as this menace survived, its injuries would never heal.

To protect itself from this new danger, the Planet created the Weapons: gigantic and ultra-powerful creatures whose sole objective was to destroy all forms of life in order to generate spiritual energy. Of all the Weapons, Omega was the most powerful and intended as a last resort. If the day came when the Planet felt dangerously close to its demise, it would wake Omega at the last moment and channel all of the Lifestream’s spiritual energy into this one Weapon. Once entrusted with this power, Omega would then fly off carrying the entire Lifestream through space so that it could survive elsewhere. If this great journey were to be undertaken, Omega would need the assistance of his messenger, Chaos. The latter would be entrusted to help Omega assemble all of the Planet’s spiritual energy. Thus relieved of its earthly package, the Planet would survive thanks to Omega, who would ensure the transference of its soul.

Despite the damage caused by the Calamity from the Skies, the Planet did not have to resort to using the Weapons at this particular time. Some of the Cetra, who had survived the virus, emerged victorious from their battle with the creature; they managed to entrap it within the center of the crater from whence it had emerged. The Planet placed the Weapons in hibernation in the North Crater; even if the Calamity from the Skies had been neutralized, it would one day, no doubt, break free from its chains.

THE SHINRA

Millennia passed by, and humans no longer maintained their relationship with the Planet; the very existence of their ancestors, whom they now called the Ancients, had long seemed mysterious to them. Nevertheless, over time, they learned to use magic in other ways, using spheres formed by the condensation of spiritual energy. Referred to as materia, these spheres enabled the wisest men to reconnect with their ancestors, whose knowledge continued to flow in the Lifestream.

Human society evolved and saw the development of a market economy around which everything else would eventually gravitate. Consequently, a gigantic corporation came to rule the world: the Shinra Electric Power Company. More commonly known as Shinra, this consortium had initially prospered by developing heavy industries such as armament and vehicle production. It then turned primarily toward the discovery and exploitation of new energy sources. Shinra thereupon made a discovery that completely revolutionized people’s perception of the environment: the company’s most eminent scientists ascertained that the planet secreted a substance in its soil—an unparalleled potential energy source. They didn’t know it at the time, but this substance actually contained the Planet’s spiritual energy. Immediately, researchers began working to exploit this new material so that its energy could be used on a daily basis; they called this substance Mako.

Shinra’s energy needs soon grew enormous: energy was needed to supply homes and promote the development of various industries. To extract the spiritual energy more efficiently, Shinra immediately began building huge reactors whose purpose was to distill the tremendous amount of energy contained within Mako and make it available for consumption. The first Mako reactor was built on Mt. Nibel, but it was soon proven insufficient. An ever-increasing quantity of Mako needed to be extracted. Consequently, Shinra built the city of Midgar, a veritable megalopolis organized around eight reactors that divided the city into the same number of sectors. These were organized in a circle and had the Shinra tower, which was the company’s headquarters, at its center. Midgar quickly became the capital of the world. The city was divided into two parts. The underprivileged inhabitants lived down below in the slums. These poor neighborhoods did not have the same access to daylight: monumental platforms hid their view of the sky. These platforms were used to support the upper part of the city, which was reserved for the elite. The powerful Shinra company dominated the entire globe thanks to its Mako energy, which supplied all the electricity, heat, and fuel for the Planet’s homes.

There were, however, some people who denounced Shinra’s practices, which were literally draining the Planet of its vital resources. Such rebellions were marginal; despite various protests, the rest of the population was too busy indulging in comfort and refrained from asking any questions. Not satisfied with its role as the major economic and political power, Shinra eventually began to exert its devious control and interfere in all areas of activity: politics, regional development, the army... The scope of its activities enlarged to the extent that President Shinra had to create multiple departments within his company. Each of these was placed under the authority of a director. And, in keeping with the tyrant that he was, President Shinra made a point of naming his son to one of these key positions. Numerous projects, both military and scientific, emerged from these new business activities. They became increasingly excessive. The Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department was set up, supposedly to ensure the security of the company and the residents of Midgar. It was placed under the control of the Turks, a secret militia charged with investigating confidential matters. This militia currently conducts a variety of illegal maneuvers (murders, kidnappings, etc.) and follows orders, handed down directly by the president, without question.

THE JENOVA PROJECT

Professor Gast is a brilliant researcher at the company—it was his research that led to the discovery of Mako energy. Gast’s interest in the origin and composition of Mako explains why he is so intrigued by the Ancients’ legends. He spends considerable time listening to the elders’ theories and tales about the Ancients in Cosmo Canyon, where other researchers are busy studying the Planet. Cosmo Canyon is a major scientific hub. An observatory was built there so that extensive research on the origins of the universe could be conducted. In fact, it is Professor Gast who funds the laboratory of an on-site scientist by the name of Bugenhagen. Many would describe Bugenhagen as a sage, an old scholar who seems to know a lot about the Planet—or at least more than anyone else. Nevertheless, Gast’s field of investigation is not limited to the city of Cosmo Canyon. He began research in the North Crater, in the same spot where the Calamity from the Skies crashed thousands of years before. It is here that he makes a strange discovery: a mysterious organism, imprisoned in ice, that appears to have been buried in a distant age. Miraculously preserved by the cold, this foreign body is transported to Midgar to be studied. Back in the metropolis, Gast carries out initial tests and they prove staggering: the scholar has never before seen an organism endowed with a similar constitution. He immediately assumes that the body is that of an Ancient, and he names his discovery Jenova.

At Shinra headquarters, it is believed that Jenova could be a due confirming the existence of the Promised Land, that blissful place described in the Ancients’. Gast is asked to continue studying the specimen, but to do so outside of Midgar. The professor’s laboratory is therefore transferred to the cellar of a mansion owned by Shinra and located in the city of Nibelheim. Two assistants are assigned to help the scientist: Professor Hojo and Lucrecia Crescent. Both are extremely bright and work for to the Shinra Research Department.

Before being assigned to Nibelheim along with Hojo and Gast, Lucrecia worked on a thesis devoted to the Weapons Omega and Chaos. She presented the results of her research to others at Shinra, but her work was rejected and she became the laughing stock of her colleagues who refused to believe these fables about a Weapon created by the Planet. Nevertheless, Lucrecia did find an ally in another scientist by the name of Grimoire Valentine; he took her theory seriously since the Ancients’ writings were unanimous on the subject. One day, Grimoire led her into a cave: there were strong indications that this was to be the place of Chaos’ awakening. The cave was also a natural source of materia; Grimoire and Lucrecia decided to take a sample, which crystallized once it was brought to the surface. Back in her laboratory, Lucrecia began experimenting on the mysterious substance in her possession. Unfortunately, Grimoire was mortally wounded during one of the experiments.

Although several years have passed, Lucrecia is still deeply affected by this occurrence. While she is working with Gast in Nibelheim, she is surprised to discover that the young Turk recruit, assigned by Shinra to ensure the laboratory personnel’s safety, is none other than Vincent Valentine: Grimoire’s son. She keeps the circumstances of Grimoire’s death to herself and takes refuge in her research. While the Jenova project continues, it has no clear purpose. At best, everyone hopes that it will enable Shinra to find some type of path to the Promised Land. The president of the company already imagines it to be a fabulous place with an abundant supply of Mako, thus ensuring his capacity for unlimited energy production. While Professor Gast is following a strict protocol for the study of the specimen, Hojo begins envisioning new experiments of his own. Without consulting his superior, he begins performing various tests on the organism. Hojo extracts some of Jenova’s cells and injects them into human beings. These genetically modified subjects appear to attain physical skills superior to that of ordinary humans. However, none of these new superhumans survive the experiments. When Professor Gast learns of Hojo’s horrific acts, he indignantly withdraws from the Jenova Project.

Hojo then becomes the sole head of operations. As for Lucrecia, she complies with the mad scientist’s ravings, seeing as he is now her superior. As the days go by, she becomes closer and closer to Vincent, the Turk responsible for their protection. They soon become friends, and Vincent promptly declares his love for Lucrecia. Unfortunately, these feelings are not reciprocal: Lucrecia is more overwhelmed than ever by the weight of the guilt she feels over Grimoire’s death. The scientist rebuffs the young Turk and finds solace in the arms of Hojo, with whom she will soon have a child. Vincent decides not to oppose their union, preferring to