Japan Dubs January 31st as "Final Fantasy VII Day"

On January 31st, 1997, Squaresoft launched Final Fantasy VII, which would become the franchise's most iconic installment. On the exact date of this year, 2023, Final Fantasy celebrated its 26th anniversary in a spectacular way, having a special day inaugurated. The Japanese Aniversary Association has given confirmation that from here on out, January 31st is declared “Final Fantasy VII Day” in Japan.

Even if you're not an avid video game fan, let alone a fan of the Final Fantasy series, you'll understand the impact of Final Fantasy VII. This was the first game in the series to be released on a non-Nintendo console (the Sony PlayStation) at the time before being ported to the Nintendo Switch decades later. It is also the first game in the series to employ 3D graphics (polygons) and a movie-level, full-motion video, and a film-style soundtrack.

Final Fantasy VII would set the standard for future installments of the main series.

The game's story deviated from the typical format in the previous stories. Final Fantasy VII centers on an eco-terrorist group known as AVALANCE, which has a grievance with the Shinra Corporation and plans an attack on its Mako reactor. They recruit Cloud Strife, the protagonist, who used to be part of Shinra's SOLDIER unit.

Things go wrong and most of AVALANCE gets wiped out.

Cloud and the surviving members of AVALANCE gradually build their party and go up against the Shinra Corporation, then realize that there's a bigger threat.

The game's story encompasses three discs and sequels, until the release of Final Fantasy X for the PlayStation 2, which would encompass four discs. It would take much longer to complete than all of the previous installments combined. You could complete the game in a matter of days if you played for hours.

This would also be the first game in the series to show emotional storytelling with the best example being the death of Aerith.

Having a character die in an 8-bit or 16-bit game doesn't hit as hard as having a character die in an FMV scene. Aerith's death really struck those emotional chords and would be engraved in the memories of everybody who played the game.

Even decades after its original release in 1997, Final Fantasy VII's legacy continues growing and thriving.

In 2004, Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII (the prequel to Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII) was launched on mobile phones.

In 2005, the Last Order: Final Fantasy VII animated short film was released. It told the story of how Sephiroth betrayed Zack and the others before slaughtering everybody else in town, which led Tifa to join AVALANCHE.

In that same year, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children film was released. It took place a few years after Final Fantasy VII and served as a prequel to Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus which was released in 2006.

In 2007, Square Enix launched Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and it focused on Zack.

In 2021, Square Enix launched Final Fantasy VII Remake on the PlayStation 4.

Members of the main cast would make appearances in non-Final Fantasy titles such as Kingdom Hearts, Ehgeiz, and Super Smash Brothers.

Things could have gone differently if Nintendo and Sony continued their collaboration decades ago on the development of the “Nintendo PlayStation” (in which there was a small number of consoles available).

Sony ended its partnership with Nintendo shortly after the latter announced a partnership with Phillips to put games on its CD-I console (which ultimately flopped). It went its own way and created the first PlayStation console.

Final Fantasy VII's accolades make it deserving of a special day dedicated to the game. It's fitting to have the day's inauguration on an anniversary.

You can read my full-length article on Medium https://medium.com/@canhoangtran/happy-inaugural-final-fantasy-vii-day-ee00a621d73c