1997 | PlayStation | The 3D Revolution (ORIGIN)
Final Fantasy VII (1997) changed everything. It was Square's leap to 3D graphics on PlayStation, abandoning Nintendo after a falling out. With pre-rendered backgrounds, FMV cutscenes, and a massive three-disc adventure, Final Fantasy VII brought Japanese Role-Playing Games to mainstream Western audiences.
It became a cultural phenomenon - 13+ million copies sold. People who never played RPGs bought PlayStations for FF7. It defined a generation.
→ First 3D Final Fantasy
→ Sephiroth - the origin of this site's name
→ Materia system for magic customization
→ Aerith's death - gaming's most famous tragedy
Cloud Strife - ex-SOLDIER mercenary with spiky blonde hair and an impossibly large Buster Sword - joins AVALANCHE, an eco-terrorist group fighting Shinra Electric Power Company.
Shinra drains Mako energy (the planet's lifeblood) to power the city of Midgar. AVALANCHE, led by Barret Wallace, bombs Mako reactors to stop the planet's exploitation.
But Cloud's memories are fractured. His identity, his past with Sephiroth, the truth about SOLDIER - nothing is as it seems.
The identity crisis and unreliable narrator twist made FF7's story unforgettable.
Sephiroth - the legendary SOLDIER, greatest warrior who ever lived - went insane after learning he was created from JENOVA, an alien calamity. Believing himself to be a Cetra (the planet's ancient race), he seeks to become a god by summoning Meteor to wound the planet, then absorbing its Lifestream.
With his impossibly long katana (Masamune), silver hair, black coat, and iconic theme "One-Winged Angel", Sephiroth became gaming's most recognizable villain.
This site - Sephiroth.ro - is named after him. He's the reason we're here.
Cloud's connection to Sephiroth - the Nibelheim incident, Cloud's false memories, their intertwined fates - is the emotional core of Final Fantasy VII.
Aerith Gainsborough - flower seller, last of the Cetra, love interest - dies at the end of Disc 1. Sephiroth impales her while she's praying to stop Meteor.
No Phoenix Down. No resurrection. She's gone.
In 1997, this was shocking. Main characters didn't die permanently in games. Aerith's death taught a generation that loss is real.
Her theme music still makes grown adults cry 25+ years later.
Materia - crystallized Mako energy - allows anyone to cast magic, summon creatures, or use special abilities. Slot Materia into weapons and armor to customize your build.
Link Materia together for combos: Knights of the Round + Mimic + Counter breaks the game.
Midgar - cyberpunk metropolis with upper plate for the rich, slums below for the poor. Eight Mako reactors drain the planet's life. Shinra HQ looms over everything.
The opening hours in Midgar - bombing the reactor, escaping through the slums, the fall of Sector 7 plate - are some of gaming's most memorable moments.
Midgar defined the cyberpunk JRPG aesthetic. Its influence echoes in every dystopian RPG city since.
Final Fantasy VII's success spawned an entire Compilation of Final Fantasy VII:
Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020, PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5) - Full reimagining of Midgar section with action combat, expanded story, and mysterious timeline changes. Part 2: Rebirth (2024).
The Remake is controversial - it's not a faithful remake but a sequel/reimagining that changes fate itself.
Final Fantasy VII is the reason this site exists. Sephiroth - the name, the legend, the one-winged angel - embodies everything that made Final Fantasy VII transcendent.
In 1997, seeing Cloud's Omnislash limit break, hearing "One-Winged Angel" with its Latin chorus, watching Aerith fall into the lake - these were formative moments. Final Fantasy VII proved games could tell stories as impactful as films or novels.
Is it the "best" Final Fantasy? Debatable. Final Fantasy VI has better characters, Final Fantasy IX better charm, Final Fantasy X better voice acting. But Final Fantasy VII is the most important. It brought Final Fantasy to the world.
The origin. The legend. Sephiroth.