Square Enix Director Yoshinori Kitase Shares Personal Memories on Developing the Original Final Fantasy VII

With the original Final Fantasy VII now available on the PlayStation Now service, Square Enix director Yoshinori Kitase shared personal memories of the title’s development on PlayStation Blog.

He remarks on how it was a “game of firsts.” Final Fantasy VII was the first 3D game in the series, the first PlayStation system Final Fantasy, and the first entry to boast CG cutscenes. The ability to tell some of the narrative via CG was a massive contributor to choosing the original PlayStation as this title’s home platform. This capacity presented its own challenges though, such as the funds for redoing animation costing astronomical amounts of yen.

The materia system and cast were intricately built to immerse players. Additionally, Kitase mentions how Vincent Valentine is his personal favorite party member due to how different he was in aesthetic and appeal than the expected characterizations of Final Fantasy at the time.

The gravity of Final Fantasy VII’s success didn’t really hit Kitase until he first interacted with overseas fans in 2002, around the time of Final Fantasy X’s release. That was when he realized just how culturally and globally impactful the original Final Fantasy VII was.

You can read the entire memory-filled piece from Yoshinori Kitase on PlayStation Blog.