Shinra Electric Power Company

Final Fantasy VII
North American cover art, featuring the game's protagonist, Cloud Strife
Developer(s)	Square
Publisher(s)	PlayStation JP: Square WW: Sony Computer Entertainment Microsoft Windows Eidos Interactive
Director(s)	Yoshinori Kitase
Producer(s)	Hironobu Sakaguchi
Programmer(s)	Ken Narita
Artist(s)	Yusuke Naora Tetsuya Nomura
Writer(s)	Kazushige Nojima Yoshinori Kitase
Composer(s)	Nobuo Uematsu
Series	Final Fantasy
Platform(s)	PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, iOS, PlayStation 4, Android
Release	January 31, 1997 PlayStation JP: January 31, 1997 NA: September 7, 1997 PAL: November 17, 1997 International JP: October 2, 1997 Microsoft Windows NA/PAL: June 25, 1998 JP: May 16, 2013 iOS WW: August 19, 2015 PlayStation 4 WW: December 5, 2015 Android WW: July 7, 2016
Genre(s)	Role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

Review scores
Publication	Score
	iOS	PC	PS
1UP.com	N/A	N/A	A+
AllGame	N/A
CGW	N/A		N/A
CVG	N/A	9/10
Edge	N/A	N/A	9/10
EGM	N/A	N/A	38/40
Famitsu	N/A	N/A	38/40
GameFan	N/A	N/A	300+/300
Game Informer	N/A	N/A	9.75/10
GameSpot	N/A	N/A	9.5/10 PC: 8.0/10
OPM (US)	N/A	N/A
PC Gamer (US)	N/A	90%	N/A
PSM	N/A	N/A
CGM	N/A		N/A
Gamezebo		N/A	N/A
Pocket Gamer	8/10	N/A	N/A
RPGamer	N/A	N/A	8/10 10/10
TouchArcade		N/A	N/A
Aggregate score
Metacritic	77/100	N/A	92/100

Final Fantasy VII is a role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console. Released in 1997, it is the seventh main installment in the Final Fantasy series. Published in Japan by Square, it was released in the West by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first in the series to be released in Europe. The game's story follows Cloud Strife, a mercenary who joins an eco-terrorist organization to stop the world-controlling megacorporation, Shinra, from using the planet's life essence as an energy source. Events send Cloud and his allies in pursuit of Sephiroth, a superhuman intent on destroying their planet. During the journey, Cloud builds close friendships with his party members, including Aerith Gainsborough, who holds the secret to saving their world.

Development on Final Fantasy VII began in 1994 for the Super NES. After delays and technical difficulties from experimenting on several platforms, Square ultimately moved development to the PlayStation, largely due to the advantages of the CD-ROM format. Veteran series staff returned, including series creator and producer Hironobu Sakaguchi, director Yoshinori Kitase, and composer Nobuo Uematsu. The title became the first in the series to use full motion video and 3D computer graphics, with most scenes using character models superimposed over pre-rendered backgrounds. Although the gameplay systems remained mostly unchanged from previous entries, Final Fantasy VII featured science fiction elements with a more realistic presentation. The scale of development was unprecedented at the time, with a combined development and marketing budget of over USD$80 million, and a staff of over 100.