Final Fantasy VII is one of the most important games in the history of the medium. Its world was vast, its characters unforgettable, and its story willing to tackle ideas that few console games had approached before. From the very first moments, it makes its intentions clear.
The game opens in motion. A train screeches into a station, doors fly open, and combat begins almost immediately. You step into the role of Cloud Strife, a former SOLDIER turned sword-for-hire, recruited for a mission that may be bigger than he is willing to admit.
Midgar: A City Built on Exploitation
The setting of Midgar leaves a powerful first impression. The Shinra Electric Power Company dominates the city and the planet itself, extracting mako energy as fuel while poisoning the world in the process. The city is divided both physically and morally. Above, the wealthy live on elevated plates, insulated from the consequences of Shinra’s actions. Below, the slums exist in perpetual darkness, choked by pollution and neglect.
This is the world Cloud is thrown into. It is oppressive, industrial, and deeply unequal.
Cloud makes it clear early on that he is not here to save the planet. He is here for the paycheck. His indifference contrasts sharply with Barret Wallace, the passionate leader of Avalanche, an eco-terrorist group determined to stop Shinra at any cost. Barret constantly challenges Cloud’s apathy, pushing him to see the mission as more than just a job.
Avalanche and the First Mission
You are introduced to several members of Avalanche as the group infiltrates the Number 8 Mako Reactor. The mission is straightforward on paper: fight through Shinra security, reach the core, and plant a bomb.
Along the way, the game teaches its combat systems while reinforcing its tone. Industrial machinery hums around you, alarms blare, and Shinra troops stand between Avalanche and their goal. At the heart of the reactor, you face your first boss, a massive security bot that serves as an early test of teamwork and tactics.
Once the bomb is planted, the tension escalates. A ten-minute countdown begins, forcing you to retrace your steps as the reactor destabilizes. During the escape, Cloud hears a mysterious voice, hinting that the situation may be more complex than it first appeared. There is no time to stop and think. Survival comes first.
Escape and Consequences
After helping his allies escape, Cloud witnesses the reactor’s destruction in a dramatic cutscene. The explosion is massive, and its impact feels deliberately unsettling. This is not a clean victory.
As the team retreats, Cloud is briefly surrounded by Shinra troops and barely escapes by leaping onto the departing train. During the ride back, you learn more about Midgar’s layout and the reach of Shinra’s control. A security checkpoint nearly stops the group, but forged IDs get them through, at least for now.
The train pulls into the Sector 7 slums, and the game gives you a moment to breathe at the station save point. The mission is over, but the questions are only beginning.
Barret is already talking about the next attack, a bigger explosion, and another reactor. The stakes are rising, and the cost of rebellion is becoming harder to ignore. What does this fight mean for the planet, for the people living beneath the plates, and for Cloud himself?
For now, all you can do is save your game, step into the slums, and prepare for what comes next.
