Culture news and discussion on TalkFuse.
7 Reasons FF7 Is the Ultimate Video Game Fairy Tale
Final Fantasy 7 may begin with a group planning to bomb an electricity plant, but the article argues that its story draws heavily on fairy-tale traditions. Those familiar elements, paired with a cast of flawed, adult characters, help explain why the game has continued to resonate with players for nearly three decades.
The article compares Midgar to a fairy-tale castle: a monumental centre of power ruled by the Shinra family. It casts Cloud as an inversion of King Arthur, tracing his struggle with the gap between who he thinks he is and who he really is. Mako serves as the story’s magic, while Sephiroth acts like a witch casting spells from afar; the excerpt also begins to discuss the game’s talking animals.
In short
- FF7 blends fairy-tale motifs with an adult story.
- Midgar stands in for the powerful castle at the tale’s centre.
- Cloud’s self-doubt gives its hero a more complicated arc.
Explained simply
Final Fantasy VII is a role-playing game released by Square in 1997, set in a world where a powerful company called Shinra controls energy production and much of public life. The story follows Cloud Strife, a former soldier who joins a group resisting Shinra, and Sephiroth, a celebrated fighter whose actions threaten the world.
The game uses familiar fairy-tale elements, including a mighty seat of power, magical energy and a distant, menacing enemy. Its central characters are not simple heroes: Cloud’s understanding of his own past is uncertain, and the story explores how he comes to terms with who he is.
Art Culture Entertainment Gaming