The Best JRPG Ever is Final Fantasy VII

You nominated, you voted, and in the end, you surprised no one. Final Fantasy VII took a clear first place spot as Limit Break’s best JRPG ever. In a close second was the SNES classic Final Fantasy VI, a game famous for its ambitiously large cast and one action packed trip to the opera. Ultimately though, Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth came out on top.

So what makes Square’s magnum opus, a game that arguably brought JRPG gaming to the mainstream, so unforgettable? For one, it was among the first RPGs to use fully rendered 3D characters. Although we may look back and see hopelessly polygonal figures today, in 1997 the opening sweeps of Midgar seemed as fantastically real as could be. Couple cutting edge graphics with the swelling, striking score of Nobuo Uematsu, including digitized vocals on the track "One-Winged Angel,” and you have nothing short of an aesthetic masterpiece.

Combat in VII used Square’s Active Time Battle enhanced turn-based system. Players controlled three characters at a time, which was a downsize for the series. Using Materia, cinematic summons, and devastating desperation attacks called Limit Breaks, Cloud and company pummeled Turks, Shinra soldiers, and Sephiroth’s henchmen to pulp.

Undeniably the characters of VII were the emotional foundation of the game. Unlike many JRPGs, where heroes were self-assured, noble, and courageous, FFVII featured a motley crew of anti-heroes, often not certain of their convictions and vulnerable to doubt and frustration. Among the misfits: Cloud Strife, a reluctant and dour leader, Tifa Lockheart, a feisty and forlorn fighter, Barret Wallace, the rebel rabble rouser who can’t seem to see the whole picture, and Aeris Gainsborough, a hunted and haunted flower seller. The quiet flaws of each cast member granted FFVII players the personal access required to truly inhabit new roles.

Final Fantasy VII grappled with themes of love, loss, terrorism, environmentalism, family, and anarchy. The rich range of motifs felt more flexible and urgent than past Final Fantasy titles that pitted good against evil and saw characters start out and stay strong and courageous. Instead, VII challenged players to empathize in unexpected places, question the nature of heroism, and develop organic vengeance after a couple particularly shocking plot points.

It may be no surprise that you chose FFVII to represent the best of the best in JRPG gaming, but that’s only because, to so many, the choice is obvious.

This week, we’ll nominate and vote on the best Action RPG of all time.