Final Fantasy VI vs VII [Part 2]
Yoshitaka Amano's art really brought the 2D games to life in a specific way.
Customization:
It’s honestly surprising how most RPGs don’t try to put a unique spin on how you progress or customize your characters. I have no problem with the typical [level up -> stats increase'] of most games, but it’s cool when games try something a little different.
VI:
During my most recent playthrough of FFVI, I went online to see what level most people try to tackle the final dungeon (different versions have different difficulty balances). To my surprise, the consensus amongst diehard fans is that levels don’t matter nearly as much as equipment or spells. I find the Esper system in VI absolutely wonderful. Not only do you have to think about who has what ability, you also have to take into account what stat bonuses you get with a certain Esper equipped. I love that you can mix and match with everybody, allowing anyone to be a mix of white and black mage. I think the special essence of the Esper system does fall slightly flat onto itself by the very end of the game; usually you’ve got one goal- get most party members with Curaga/Cure 3 and Ultima. I know some people like to avoid the Ultima spell for an extra challenge. But because Final Fantasy VI has so many playable characters, you eventually get to a point where a lot of their ability lists echo each other. But their unique “class” ability still makes them stand out.
VII:
The Materia system is very much a cousin of the Esper system. In VI you are leveling up your characters with Espers, but in VII you are leveling up your Materia with your characters. So theoretically you could level up your healing Materia with Aerith, and then transfer them to Tifa to make Tifa your best healer. It’s a cool system that allows for the utmost customization. That just leaves base stats and Limit Breaks to differentiate your characters. At first this might sound disappointing, but it’s pretty nice to know you won’t be penalized for simply choosing your favorite characters. In games like FFVI or X, it’s clear that the game wants you to have certain members in your party at specific boss battles. In VI that’s not really the case.
Conclusion: Overall, I have to give the winning nudge to VII. Not only do you have access to the Materia system immediately, but it also allows the player to build their party exactly how they want it. It’s a level of freedom you don’t see in many JRPGs.
Story/Themes:
VI:
At first, Final Fantasy VI may not seem like the deepest game in the world in terms of themes. I do think one could make the argument that it’s the darkest game in the franchise. Within the first few hours you are introduced to two women characters getting physically abused and an entire city get their water supply poisoned. It’s crazy what Square was able to get away with simply by using cute little 2D sprites and text boxes.
The main trio hogging up the spotlight are Terra, Locke and Celes. You could argue that any of those three are the main protagonist of this game. But even the other characters feel just as respected by how much backstory there is. This game has a lot of secret scenes that shed light on your party. You can see the moment Sabin and Edgar flip a coin to decide their fates. You can help Cyan get closure after the significant losses he witnessed. You see experience how the enigmatic Shadow became who he is (and his connection to another character). It's truly wonderful. Some are a little underdeveloped though. I wish Relm and Strago had a bit more story since those are some of my favorite characters. Gau is also pretty sparse on story, but you can still find out what happened to him which is cool.
In terms of actual themes, I would say Final Fantasy VI is all about the cycle of despair and hope. Life and death. Unless we’re talking about serious mental health issues such as depression, it’s very rare that a human being has their spirits broken to the point of not being able to pick themselves up ever. Most people, even with their backs against the wall, will try to think of a way to have a better tomorrow. It’s in our code. Final Fantasy VI reminds me a lot of the masterful manga Berserk by Kentaro Miura. In the manga, the world is brought to its knees by an apocalyptic event. The protagonist, Guts, has one of the hardest lives you’ll ever see a fictional character have. But he trudges on anyway. The spirit of hope continues. In FFVI, Duane and Katarina are prime examples of this. When you first meet them, they are nothing but some simple NPCs in a village. But after the aforementioned apocalyptic event, Katarina becomes pregnant. Suddenly, these two random characters become a symbol of tomorrow.
I also feel like maybe there’s a bit of Studio Ghibli energy here. There’s a group of magical beings living in another world, and their magical power is being used to twist and abuse the planet. Nature is at risk. It shows how ugly people are in pursuit of needless power. Themes familiar to any Miyazaki nerd such as myself.
My final compliment to the story and themes of Final Fantasy VI is that its consistent throughout its entire runtime. From beginning to end, the themes and story feel continuously strong. Many JRPGs lose their main source of story inspiration by their final act. Luckily that isn’t the case here. I see a common complaint that once you enter the “second act” (being vague to avoid spoiling too much) the story takes a backseat. And I suppose thats sort of true. The first half of FFVI is very narrative driven. But by the time you get to the second act you already know who your characters are and their motivation. And as mentioned before, there’s optional scenes to provide more insight. I love the approach of giving the back half of your game almost entirely to gameplay.
VII:
One of the reasons I’m absolutely obsessed with Final Fantasy VII is it’s anti-corporation themes. Midgar itself is a symbol of capitalism and pollution; of mankinds inevitable mark on mother nature. The first five hours of the game do an incredible job of painting the differences between those who have money and those who don’t. There’s this scene on a train early on where Barret starts an argument with an Shinra employee who expresses his disdain for the main characters. The Shrina employee is of course wearing a nice suit. And while he goes to work, we go back to the slums. We get small glimpses of how the others live. Like when we enter the Shinra building and see how pristine it is. Just mere moments ago we were in Wall Market, navigating black markets and brothels.
But, if I’m being brutally honest, I think Final Fantasy VII loses its focus on corporations, classism, and nature the further it goes on. After the Midgar chapter, it becomes more of a personal journey of Cloud versus Sephiroth, of Aerith and the Ancients. It’s not completely abandoned though; you get to visit some towns that have had Mako Reactors installed by Shinra, and you get to see the after effects of such a thing. I’m not saying FFVII loses all of its important themes by the end, but I do think it lightens up on its themes once you hit the world map.
As for the actual story, I can’t believe how much a game with goofy blocky graphics still gives me goosebumps and resonates with me.
There are many moments in this game that speak to my soul like very few pieces of media ever do. Cloud buying a flower off Aerith. Aerith waking Cloud up in the church. Barret and Dyne's reunion. Cid's redemption. The Nibelheim flashback. Piecing Cloud's mind back together. There was an impossibly perfect harmony between the scenes at display, and Nobuo Uematsu's score that arguably hasn't been replicated by the series. It makes me want to cry. Even though there are some moments where I think the pacing stumbles upon itself, Final Fantasy VII feels like the culmination of everything the series had grasped for in previous entries.
Conclusion: Even though I could argue that FFVI has better consistency in terms of themes and characters, I have to give the story to VII. The locations, the character backstories, the way the music brings extra life out of every moment- it’s absurdly good.
Pacing/Guidance:
Pacing is a key element to any game. I would argue that good pacing is probably a top five essential ingredient to a masterful game. It’s funny how in JRPGs specifically, pacing and guidance go hand-in-hand, and can often frustrate a player. If you play an older JRPG, it’ll feel like an endless feast of core gameplay- turn based combat and dungeons. But if you play a more modern JRPG, you may find yourself tasked with tedious nonsense like finding a lost pet or fetch quests. But on the flipside, those older games may often make your next objective vague; while the newer games usually have a mini map and quest markers.
VI:
The pacing at display here is simply phenomenal. As mentioned before, the first 10 or so hours are very narrative driven. So if you don’t have any attachment to the characters or story by the time you enter the “second act”, you may find yourself unmotivated to finish the game. The main goal of this part of the game is to find all of your lost party members. The game naturally guides you to Sabin, Edgar, Setzer and Cyan pretty graciously. Then it becomes up to the player to explore the world in their airship, talk to villagers, and keep an ear out for any rumors or interesting tidbits. I could see this frustrating players with more modern standards. The playtime on my last playthrough was around 29-30 hours, but that’s because I knew where everybody was. I could imagine back in the 90s playing this game for the first time and getting 50ish hours total without any help.
I’m really surprised to see how many people online dislike this second portion of the game. It’s important to remember that this vague search for your party members is how you’re supposed to level up your characters and Espers and be ready for the final dungeon. Personally, I love the second half just as much as the first, and I think it’s amazing in terms of narrative and tone. 30 years later and it still strikes me and incredibly unique.
VII:
*Spoilers for FFVII late game*
This is what I consider the Achilles’ Heel of Final Fantasy VII. There’s a few parts in the game that just seemingly forget to give you even the smallest hint on where to go next. As a JRPG veteran, I know the tried and true “speak to every NPC” method. But I still remember doing that and being lost during my first two playthroughs. There’s moments like:
The Keystone
The Lunar Harp
The Key of the Ancients
This is of course typical fare for older games. It’s a good way to get a second or third use out of the locations that took tons of hard work to create. It also helps create a reasonable length for your game. But it’s important to remember that instead of just an airship, FFVII gives the player four vehicles to use, so it leads to moments where you think “Should I use X to get to X? Or use X to get to X?”
But most importantly, the late game pacing feels a bit off for a game that has such an amazing first half. I mentioned it before, but the game feels a bit weird when the position of leader is handed off to Tifa and then very quickly to Cid. Barret feels more like a logical choice than Cid, despite the characters reluctance. It also becomes reliant on some half-baked minigames. There’s the weird submarine minigame you can win without really doing anything. The Fort Condor strategy-esque minigame. The snowboarding minigame. The mountain climbing minigame.
Then you have the introduction of Kaiju-like monsters known as “Weapons”, which I’m mixed on in terms of tone.
I’m sure what I’m saying is unpopular, but it just feels vastly different from how the game felt for the first 10-15 hours.
Conclusion: I have to give this to VI. While I do think that FFVII picks back up in its last couple of hours leading up to Sephiroth, I can’t deny that the 2-3 hours before that are by far the weakest in the game. In contrast, VI feels like it never strays from what it has been from the very beginning- a tale of despair and hope.
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Final Thoughts: While I could create a seemingly endless amount of categories to compare these games such as music and visuals (VII barely wins music, VI wins visuals), the results would end up being the same. The PS1 classic just tugs at my heartstrings, but I think Final Fantasy VI is the better game overall. Final Fantasy VI never loses its central focus, which is a group of warriors banding together to fill the future with hope. And despite facing an apocalyptic event, they never give up.
It doesn’t get any better than these two games.
