Parents' Guide to

Final Fantasy VII

By Jeff Haynes, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Classic adventure enhanced for newcomers and on-the-go play.

Game Nintendo Switch 2019
Final Fantasy VII Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

games, <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/"/search/final fantasy?f%5B0%5D=field_reference_review_ent_prod%253Atype%3Acsm_movie%22>movies, toys, and more.</p> ">
  • Final Fantasy VII Screen #1
  • Final Fantasy VII Screen #2
  • Final Fantasy VII Screen #3

Community Reviews

See all
age 12+

Based on 4 parent reviews

quincy12
quincy12 Adult
December 30, 2019
age 12+

Classic RPG That Is Recommended for Long-Time Fans and Newcomers

Parents need to know that this installment of Final Fantasy has a battle system that is easy to process for newcomers. The story is quite dark as the Main Protagonist's allies are killed off early in the game. Fair amount of strong language in the dialogue, such as damn, godd--n, sh--, and son of a b-tch, and plenty of insults coming from Barret. On the plus side, Cloud has a strong relationship with Tifa and Aeris, especially during the Wall Market chapter. - Spoiler Alert - Throughout the story, it's war between Avalanche and Shinra. Cloud was a former member of Soldier, but later joins Barret and crew at the beginning of the game. After the second boss fight, Cloud is separated from his friends, and later joins Aeris. Dec. 30, 2019 - I am playing the PlayStation Classic, and I had just defeated Reno.
Orangedragon17
Orangedragon17 Adult
September 17, 2019
age 12+

My favorite game of all time!

I played this game many times as a teenager and even now it is unsurpassed in terms of gameplay, characters and storyline. The story is my favorite: a Swordsman mercenary leading a ragtag group of misfits against an evil corporation. Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart have since become my favorite VG heroes. On a parental note, there's some violence mostly mild with sporadic appearances of blood, some sex references, Tifa and Yuffie wear midriff baring outfits, One character smokes all the time, two times a bar can be entered and you can drink at one bar, and the language is limited to D***, H***, A**, P***, GD, and S***. Fortunately, all this is counteracted with plenty of great messages about heroism, loyalty among friends, respecting the environment, the dangers of capitalism, and diversity. All the characters are of different cultures and races such as several Caucasians, one African American, two Native American equivalents, two animals (though one is actually a robot), and one Asian. Even though the graphics are dated (except for the battle and cinematics), that's the only negative to this otherwise flawless and timeless game. It doesn't get any better than this.
See all 4 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Decades after its initial release on the PlayStation, FINAL FANTASY VII has made its debut on the Nintendo Switch, bringing the RPG (role-playing game) classic to players at home and on the go. The game is set on a planet that has a special amount of processed energy called Mako, which helps to fuel many industrial machines on the world. Because of its many uses, an evil corporation known as the Shinra Electric Power Company has started siphoning this energy for dangerous purposes. An eco-terrorist group known as Avalanche has dedicated itself to dismantling Shinra and its schemes by all means necessary, including guerrilla warfare and targeted destruction of Shinra facilities. Players take on the role of Cloud Strife, former Shina elite soldier and new mercenary member of Avalanche, as he and the group attempt to dismantle the corporation, gathering like-minded individuals to fight Shinra, as they slowly uncover its dangerous schemes that threaten everyone on the planet. New to the Switch version of Final Fantasy VII are three new game enhancements: 3x speed mode to accelerate gameplay, battle enhancements to make fights easier, and the option to turn random battles off.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (3 ):

This classic RPG makes its debut on the Switch with a group of updated enhancements that make it perfect to take on the go. Final Fantasy VII has been considered a classic by many gamers over the past two decades for its sweeping story, its balance of tactics and action in combat, and its striking emotional moments that made many gamers cry. With its release on the Nintendo Switch, there have been some updates. While characters still look like chunky Lego figures with Popeye arms, their visuals have been smoothed out so that they're a bit more cartoonish and graphically appealing.

But true enhancement comes in the three updates to make the game more accessible to newcomers. The first one is 3x speed mode: clicking the left thumbstick turbocharges gameplay. With the exception of cutscenes, everything moves at an accelerated pace, which makes navigating the world much faster. The next enhancement is the option to turn off all random battles by clicking both thumbsticks. As many role-playing gamers know, random battles can drag out gameplay for multiple hours when players try to improve their party members. This option makes it easier to run through dungeons and areas without feeling like you'll be ambushed at any minute. The third option is the battle enhancement mode, which can be triggered by clicking the right thumbstick. This option effectively triggers a "god mode," turning parties invincible and continually filling their ultimate attack meter. While some players may be concerned that this would make the gameplay too easy, these enhancements are completely optional, and simply give players the ability to explore the game at their own speed and at their own skill level. For players on the go or under time constraints that won't let them invest more than 100 hours in leveling up all of the playable characters for their party, these tweaks to Final Fantasy VII are an excellent way to make it even easier to explore this classic adventure.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Final Fantasy VII affected by the lack of blood and gore shown in battle? Is the impact lessened by the unrealistic visuals and older, blocky character models?

  • If people are fighting for the greater good, should they be willing or able to do any and everything to accomplish their goals? Does this make them as bad as the thing they're fighting against?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended game lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate