Final Fantasy VII continues to be one of the most influential JRPGs in the industry and it has actually affected some Western RPGs. A veteran Bioware developer said that this game had such good characters that it made them want to do better.
James Ohlen, who worked on the early Baldur’s Gate titles, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age, spoke with Rock Paper Shotgun about FF7. Ohlen was working on Baldur’s Gate 2 when he decided to give the JRPG a try and it made him realize how flat his actual characters were at that point.
“I’m very competitive,” said Ohlen. “I went and played Final Fantasy VII and was like, ‘Oh my good god, these characters make ours look like a bunch of cardboard cutouts. This is terrible.’”
Gamers who grew up in the ‘90s instantly fell in love with Final Fantasy VII, as it developed each character and made them feel incredibly lively. There’s a reason why fans are still emotionally devastated by Aerith’s death and are worried about the ending of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
The Baldur’s Gate writer would later confirm Squaresoft games beyond Final Fantasy VII would also influence his work. Chrono Cross is another game Ohle says influenced his writing, as that JRPG has some pretty wild moments.
Bioware has done pretty well themselves, gaining a ton of love for their work on Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Unfortunately, some of that support wavered after they made Anthem and rushed work on Mass Effect: Andromeda. With the studio now working on Dragon Age 4, all we can do is hope that they’re focused on this project.
Read More: Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail expansion revealed
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is coming out on February 29 for the PlayStation 5. Curious fans can also read about Final Fantasy 16 and if it delivers a ‘true’ Final Fantasy experience.