Players who got Final Fantasy 7 back in 1997 finally got to see Final Fantasy in 3D. And despite the graphical limitations of the PlayStation 1, the game still managed to surprise fans with its dystopian dieselpunk setting. Moreover, its turn-based combat, Materia system, and even Limit Breaks easily turned FF7 into a game with hundreds of gameplay hours to offer.
As a landmark title for the PS1, it's no question FF7 had a massive impact on gaming and pop culture. Moreover, one might consider FF7 as one of the greatest games not just in the franchise, but of all time. As such, fans may be interested in getting to know just what transpired during the acclaimed game's development. What did happen back then? What "secrets" do FF7 fans need to know about its development?
10 Originally A New York Noir Game
Hardcore fans of FF7 likely know the game takes cues from real-life New York City as a basis for Midgar. Moreover, the series creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, wanted to use New York as a setting for the game. However, it's interesting to note that FF7 should've been a detective story set in New York City.
Should this have happened, FF7 would've taken quite a different turn. Instead of the gripping story on self-discovery, the game would've made a noir approach. Either way, a Final Fantasy murder mystery in modern New York does seem like an interesting idea in itself.
9 Aerith Is Best Girl
Aerith fans win, at least in terms of development. According to Tetsuya Nomura, the game only had Aerith as the main heroine in the story and Tifa became a member of the main cast much later in the game. Interestingly, the team also had to choose between Aerith and Tifa for the iconic death scene.
Concept-wise, eagle-eyed fans might notice that Aerith and Sephiroth have similar hairstyles in the original game. The dev team deliberately went with this design choice. Drafts intended Sephiroth and Aerith to be brother and sister. When the team kept Aerith's hair, they had to give her the one-piece dress for polygon conservation. Moreover, the team considered Aerith and Sephiroth to be lovers at some point. However, the team managed to add Zack's role as Aerith's first love later in the development stage.
8 Tifa Introduced The Love Triangle
After the dev team decided Aerith should permanently die to drive the story forward, they put the focus on building her relationships with other characters. Tifa entered the mix as someone to "rival" Aerith for Cloud's affections. Kitase approved the idea of two heroines "fighting" for the protagonist, which was new to the series at the time.
Compared to Aerith, Tifa had a less conservative outfit designed for mobility. Whereas Aerith relied on her spells, Tifa had her fists instead of her weapons. This difference in design follows them even to the Remake.
7 Midgar Is A Huge Pizza
Art director Yusuke Naora revealed that a pizza was the main inspiration when building Midgar for FF7. This design choice turned out to be (and remains as) one of the most unique Final Fantasy settings. Interestingly, some characters and elements in the game also call back to this design choice. Barret first mentions the "pizza" when he complained about how "pizzas" (upper plates) get all the benefits, with everyone else below being left behind. Fittingly, there's also a track called "Underneath The Rotting Pizza" in the main FF7 soundtrack that plays in these lower areas.
Moreover, the pizza allusion also extends to some of the individuals in Midgar. For instance, Midgar falls under the leadership of Mayor Domino and Deputy Mayor Hart. Both of these individuals got their names from popular pizza chains, with the mayor named after Domino's Pizza and the deputy named after Pizza Hut.
6 Control From A Long War
The game didn't explain much about the origins of Shinra Electric Power Company. However, the Final Fantasy 7 Ultimania Omega clarifies early versions of Shinra's history. It seems that Shinra originally intended Midgar to be its manufacturing capital, where their teams would develop and manufacture weapons. Shinra had taken advantage of a war between two nations, where Shinra posed as an ally for one side but also exported weapons secretly to the other.
Moreover, Shinra would've been tapping into Mako energy at the time. If the team followed this origin story, SOLDIER would've been operating by then and, thanks to their Mako energy monopoly, control the country.
5 Vincent Had A Lot Of Versions
Players confused as to how to describe Vincent Valentine could partly blame his confusing development. According to Ultimania Omega, previous concepts of Vincent assigned him various roles, such as a detective, a chemist, or even a horror researcher. However, Vincent's connection to the Turks won't be established in FF7. Instead, it's explained in Dirge of Cerberus.
Interestingly, Vincent would've mentioned he was a Turk in a deleted FF7 scene. In this scene, Vincent interjects when Cloud explains what SOLDIER was to the party. In this interjection, Vincent explains he's investigated "the Sephiroth project."
4 Sephiroth & Cloud Are Meant To Be Opposites
Sephiroth serves as Cloud's antithesis throughout Final Fantasy 7. Moreover, Sephiroth establishes himself as the main villain when the main cast slowly shares their different experiences with Sephiroth in their lives. Cloud, most of all, soon discovers Sephiroth has been deliberately tormenting him throughout the game.
Interestingly, the dev team planned the Sephiroth vs Cloud connection early on in the story. Their weapons of choice and showdowns were inspired by famed swordsmen, Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro. The team also designed the characters to be in "opposition." For instance, Cloud had spiky hair and had a more rugged design. Meanwhile, Sephiroth had long hair and a more refined appearance. Cloud's Buster Sword and Sephiroth's Masamune also clash in terms of designs.
3 Early Sephiroth Had Complex Development
Interviews with the FF7 dev team revealed that they had a lot of plans for Sephiroth throughout the development of the game. In retrospect, such a development process seems fitting for one of the most iconic villains in the franchise. According to Yoshinori Kitase, their original idea for Sephiroth was to have "the impression of an evil force." This motif stays consistent throughout his development.
In Final Fantasy's Ultimania Omega, devs imagined early versions of Sephiroth to be cruel and evil. He also had a strong attachment to slaughter and ego, much like his predecessor Kefka from FF6. However, this time, Sephiroth is egotistic but calm. Early drafts also had Sephiroth suffer from Mako addiction, but instead of withdrawal, Sephiroth will slowly descend into madness.
2 Red XIII Had A Subplot
Red XIII actually had a subplot that was cut from the original game. In the original draft, Professor Hojo would clone Red XIII and assign them different names: Cobalt XIV and Indigo XV. The party would have to fight them, as well as the real Red XIII. However, Red XIII will ask Cloud and the party to spare the two clones, as they're the closest he had to kin.
The subplot comes to an end when the party faces Cobalt XIV and Indigo XV again in the final dungeon. However, the two clones will be partially mechanized and will try to prove they're "superior" to their original variant.
1 Zack Got Added Later On In Development
The dev team added Zack Fair much later in the game. In fact, the plot already decided his role in Cloud's life. The team agreed Cloud is just faking his personality. However, they eventually decided that Cloud should base his personality on someone else. Unfortunately, the team had no one in mind, even when Aerith says she saw her "first love" in Cloud. Zack filled in this role as Aerith's first love, as well as the basis of Cloud's personality.
It was Kazushige Nojima, the game's scenario writer, that would create Zack. After his creation, Nojima asked the team to add foreshadowing to Zack's true role in the story.